Skykeepers – Jessica Andersen

Andersen, Jessica. Skykeepers. (New York: Signet, 2009). ISBN – 9780451227706.

Date: November 18 – December 26, 2009

Main Characters: Sasha Ledbetter and Michael Stone

Related Works: This is part of Jessica Andersen’s series about the Final

Skykeepers

 Prophecy. Other books in the series include the following:

• Nightkeepers – story of Leah Daniels and Striking Jaguar
• Dawnkeeepers – story of Nate Blackhawk and Alexis Gray
• Skykeepers – story of Sasha Ledbetter and  Michael Stone
• Demonkeepers – story of Lucius and Jade (to be released in April 2010)

Description from Book:

Ancient prophecy holds that 12/21/2012 will bring a global cataclysm. Mankind’s only hope lies with the Nightkeepers, modern magic-wielding warriors who must find their destined mated and fulfill old legends to defeat the rise of terrible Mayan demons.

Michael Stone is a man with a dark secret that has skewed his magical abilities dangerously toward the underworld. Seeking redemption, he sets out on a perilous mission to save the daughter of Ambrose Ledbetter, a renowned Mayanist who died before he could reveal the location of a hidden library. The Nightkeepers must find the library before their enemies gain access to its valuable cache of spells and prophecies.

Sasha Ledbetter grew up hearing heroic tales of an ancient group of sword-brandishing magi who would save the world from destruction. She never expected that her bedtime stories would come to life in the form of Nightkeeper Michael Stone, or that she’d hold the key to the warriors’ survival. As Sasha and Michael join forces to prevent the imminent battle, sparks of attraction ignite between them, and they’re forced to confront the unexpected passion that brings them together . . . and also tears them apart.

My Thoughts:

I was just re-reading the review of Dawnkeepers that I wrote this past January, and I was struck by some of my comments about the fact that I found it complicated and difficult to read in places. I am amazed at how much I love these books in the Nightkeepers’ series, because they just don’t seem like my type of story. They deal with topics that I generally avoid in romance novels – doomsday prophecies, magic, blood sacrifice are just a few. They are extremely dark (which I do like in the right circumstance), especially since it seems as if the Nightkeepers are losing the overall battle to their enemies (losing means global cataclysm). They are incredibly complicated with a mythos that I often find confusing. While the central characters do find a HEA, the books don’t necessarily end well.

The characters themselves, however, are incredibly engaging. Strike and Leah captivated me in Nightkeepers. I couldn’t wait to find out how Nate and Alexis found their HEA amidst the chaos in Dawnkeepers. Michael and Sasha certainly lived up to the promise of the relationships in the earlier books. And, I am even more excited about the development of Lucius and Jade’s story in the yet to be published Demonkeepers.

In Skykeepers, Michael Stone seems somewhat desperate to find Sasha Ledbetter – who is being help captive by Iago. Iago is part of the Xilbalban group that is working against the Nightkeepers. Fortunately, he finds and rescues Sasha fairly early on in the book. But Sasha calls to the dark part of Michael, a part that Michael refers to as the Other. The existence of The Other is the major reason that Michael feels he must keep his distance from Sasha even though it seems as if she is destined to be his mate. When she is in danger, Michael cannot help but let The Other loose in order to help her. This also makes Michael believe that he must stay away from Sasha. I did find the storyline about Michael and his inner battle to control The Other to be the most interesting part of the this story. I can admit that I might be confused about exactly what did happen with this part of himself towards the end of the book, but that fact didn’t make me enjoy the book any less.

Of course, when dealing with destiny and prophecies, nothing is ever as it appears to be. There is much, much more to Michael’s alter ego and to his developing relationship with Sasha. The two are odds for most of the book, but their love cannot be denied – even though they are denied the jun tan mark that the other mated Nightkeepers posses.

Meanwhile, the fight to find the library and to help them learn more about what they need to do keeps the Nightkeepers busy. Again, Iago tends to foil most of their plans. But I guess that in order to be fair, I must point out that the Nightkeepers do foil many of Iago’s plans as well. It just always feels as if the Nightkeepers are at least one step behind their enemies. I imagine we are in for much more of this, as the series progresses.

Either way, I am very much looking forward to Lucius and Jade’s story. Lucius has been at the center of a great deal of the battle between the Nightkeepers and Iago, and I believe he is due for a HEA.

Read first on August 5, 2009