Mini Review - Guardian of the Gate / Michelle Zink

The ultimate battle between sisters is nearing, and its outcome could have catastrophic consequences. As sixteen year-old Lia Milthorpe searches for a way to end the prophecy, her twin sister Alice hones the skills she'll need to defeat Lia. Alice will stop at nothing to reclaim her sister's role in the prophecy, and that's not the only thing she wants: There's also Lia's boyfriend James.

Lia and Alice always knew the Prophecy would turn those closest to them against them. But they didn't know what betrayal could lead them to do. In the end, only one sister will be left standing. Goodreads.

Review - Some distance separated my reading the first title of this series (Prophecy of the Sisters) and its follow up and yet it was possible to pick right up with no confusion and even better - no intelligence insulting, exposition laden recapping.  It is a testament to Zink as her narrative is rife with mythology and emotional complex interactions that one could seamlessly re-join the warring sisters and their rivalry that impacts the fate of the known world.  The middle child of the Gothic trilogy this book is less about the intrigue and more about the characters making realisations about themselves and others, motivations being clarified and the stakes reinforced.  Yet Zink manages to depict all this with beautifully constructed sentences that paint the setting, the era and the circumstances richly.  I love that the history of the Milthorpe family is sketched in greater detail which ultimately plays into what will be the ultimate showdown in the third title.

Recommendation - Sink your teeth into this tale of familial fate, romance and sacrifice!

Published: August 1, 2010
Format: Hardcover,340  pages
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Younger Readers.
Source: author
Origin: USA