Monday, September 9, 2013

Monday, September 9, 2013 - , , 1 comment

The Guardian of Threshold



Rating: 4.5 Stars

Version: eBook
Author: A.A Volts

GoodReads Summary:
Love survives everything… even death. Unfortunately, so does hate.
When Mark wants to see his dead mother again… he gets his chance. But, like everything else in life… it comes with a hefty price.

While normal sixteen-year-old boys are out chasing girls, Mark is floating outside his own body being chased by a nefarious demon.
Death itself can't keep him from trying to see his dead mother again, but when he disturbs Phasma--the Guardian of Threshold, he may have gone too far.
Forced into Threshold--the mystical world of the dead--to rescue his clumsy best friend, Mark will not only have to defeat Phasma and his army of Night Dwellers but his own demons if he's going to save his friend, find his mother and survive the night.

How far would you go to see a dead relative again?

• "A fantastic and unforgettable journey into the astral realm"

The Guardian of Threshold is about 88,000 words or about 346 pages long.

Review:
How I started reading The Guardian of Threshold is actually a funny story. I decided to grab it via Pixel of Ink, figuring I would read it sometime in the distant future. The plot just didn’t sound enticing enough to place it ahead of my other TBR books. So, "what's this funny story" you ask? Well, it’s not funny in the “haha” sense; it's just out of the ordinary. While my Kindle was downloading recent purchases, I clicked what read “A Monster Calls”. However, I guess the screen hadn’t refreshed, so it was actually The Guardian of Threshold. This is where seeing the cover of books comes in handy …

Anyways, The Guardian of Threshold surpassed ALL of my expectations! As I said earlier, I placed it pretty low on my TBR list. However, I read late into the early morning on several occasions, absolutely hooked on this book. Essentially, I went to class with what we call "a book hangover” for a few days.

The story opens in the middle of a flight test with Mark -the main character - piloting a small aircraft. Soon after, something goes wrong and he has to make an emergency landing on an interstate. Feeling drained from his near death experience, Mark goes home to take a nap. Imagine his shock when he sees his physical body below him. What Mark experiences is called "astral projection" or as the book puts it, "freeing of the soul from the physical body." It happens supposedly every night, but few remember it and it takes practice to consciously control. The setting soon shifts to a dark cave, where other creatures are bound to the ceilings and chained. Despite their warnings to flee, Mark attempts to set them free, while in the process upsetting Phasma.

Phasma is the guardian of Threshold; an astral being that feeds off of hate and anger; and a creature who shares an extremely strong bond to Mark.  One thing that is unique about Phasma is everyone perceives him differently. He appears to those who can see him as a mixture of their deepest fears. In the story Phasma targets Mark because he is able to feed off of his suppressed anger (growing up without a mother, hating the world, etc…) You would think most people would avoid Phasma like the plague. However, when Mark discovers that astral projection gives him a chance of seeing his mother again, he vows nothing will stop him.

I haven’t said too much about threshold, so I’ll take some time to explain what exactly it is. Threshold is the astral (spiritual) world, where souls go after death. It is described in the book as not a copy of the physical realm, but rather the physical realm a copy of it. Furthermore, any and all “things” developed in the spiritual world, were first created in the astral realm (i.e computers, cars, Mozart's symphonies, etc.).  Threshold is also broken up into three sections of suspended light, night, and twilight with inhabitants in each. How you were as a person affects were you reside in the astral realm. It's very similar to the view of evil people go to hell, while those who are good go to heaven. 
However, I'm a little confused because if you're able to travel where ever you please, that would mean your location isn't fixed.   

Mark has two friends, Jonas and Carla (twins), both of which become entangled with Phasma; Threshold; and all things astral. Mark has a serious crush on Carla, but fears telling her because of Jonas. Needless to say, the feeling is mutual. Between the twins, Carla is my favorite. She is both more intelligent and determined, than Jonas – who comes off as extremely annoying.

In short, Mark and his friends meet creatures of all sorts, speak with spirits, and experience a whole new world. The Guardian of Threshold was an unexpected, but enjoyable read. I highly recommend it!


Be on the lookout for a free copy on Amazon via Pixel of Ink or other referencing sites. 


1 comments :

Sounds interesting enough and quite different enough!

Thanks for your review!

Post a Comment