Blog Tour, Review & Giveaway: Release (Protector #3)

Title:  Release (Protector #3)

Author:  M.R. Merrick

Rating: 4 Stars

Genres:  YA, Urban Fantasy

Synopsis: 
Chase and company have survived demons, murderous Hunters, dimensional travel, demi-gods, internal power struggles and a whole slew of situations that shouldn’t besiege anyone—let alone teenagers. In the third installment of the Protector Series, they’ll go up against all that and more in their quest to stop Riley from raising Ithreal.

Top priority? Chase controlling his emotions so his powers don’t burst out and hurt his friends. Followed shortly by finding Ithreal’s soul pieces, learning what being The Protector entails, and figuring out why his powers are on the fritz. All while navigating the delicate friendships and truces the group is nurturing—which may be the only way to save all the worlds.

My Thoughts:  
Reviews of Exiled (Protector #1) and Shift (Protector #2)

Another action-filled installment to get your heart pumping. Merrick’s greatest skill is creating these intense battles that don’t fizzle out. The variety of situations and fighting skills means no two battles will end the same.

The imagination level is phenomenal. I loved reading about the different dimensions. Each dimension has its own creatures, flora, landscape, and rules. My favorite so far is one of Ithreal’s own worlds, one that is constantly changing. Of course this is extremely frustrating for the characters, but keeps readers guessing.

There were some events I saw coming from a mile away, though. As in the previous books, not all characters make it through alive. By the half-way mark, I knew who that would be. There were certain phrases situations that just forecasted it to me loud and clear—and then kept doing it for the remainder of the novel.

That wasn’t the only thing on repeat. The Protector Series has a rhythm:  something bad happens, Chase overreacts, the adults plan, and then somehow the kids end up in a fight by themselves. The results of battle vary, but it seems as if most of the characters keep to their roles pretty solidly—even the conversations are similar to those of the previous books, i.e. Chase wants to jump into battle but Marcus wants to do research and plan. The conspicuous absence of the adult/guardian characters for most battles is getting a bit weird too.

I debated between a high three star rating and the four for quite some time. The repetitive rhythm and forecasting did grate me a bit. But in the end I decided to go with the four stars for this light YA read. The imagination and action is just that good. That, and it was a loooooong week filled with exhaustion. I feel as if those wouldn’t have bothered me quite as much if my week had been less stressful. Plus, I burst into laughter in a coffee shop at this phrase:

You give me the book and quit your rather pathetic quest to stop me, and I won’t mutilate your friends with a sharp spoon before I kill them.

Okay, okay! That’s not hysterical on its own, BUT, it ties in with a memory of mine. A friend was wielding two spoons and struck a martial arts pose, exclaiming, “I will fight you. . . with spoooooooons!” The mixing of Riley’s threat and my friend’s silliness was just too much for me, and I definitely earned some odd looks. BTW, I texted said friend immediately, and he wholly approves of the phrase and me looking like a fool in public.

Giveaway:  

Grande Prize Pack (3 Winners)
3x Signed paperbacks (Exiled, Shift, Release)
3x Signed 8x10 posters (Exiled, Shift, Release)
5x Bookmarks
1x Notebook (Winner’s choice of cover)
1x Magnet

Runner-up Prize Pack (5 Winners)
1x Signed paperback (Winner’s choice of Exiled, Shift, or Release) with signed poster
1x bookmark (Winner’s choice)
1x Magnet

Secondary Prizes A (10 Winners)
Release eBook

Secondary Prize B (10 Winners)
1x bookmark (winner’s choice)
1x The Protector magnet

This is a HUGE giveaway! Winners will be chosen as follows: First 3 names drawn from Rafflecopter will get the grand prize. The following 5 names get the runner-up prize. The following 10 names win ebook copies of Release, and the final 10 names win the swag pack.

a Rafflecopter giveaway