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    The Blood Guard
    The Blood Guard
    The Blood Guard
    Audiobook6 hours

    The Blood Guard

    Written by Carter Roy

    Narrated by Nick Podehl

    4/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    When thirteen-year-old Ronan Truelove’s seemingly ordinary mom snatches him from school, then sets off on a high speed car chase, Ronan is shocked. His quiet, nerdy dad has been kidnapped? And the kidnappers are after him, too?

    His mom, he quickly learns, is anything but ordinary. In fact, she’s a member of an ancient order of knights, the Blood Guard, a sword-wielding secret society sworn to protect the Pure—thirty-six noble souls whose safety is crucial if the world as we know it is to survive.

    Now all those after-school activities—gymnastics, judo, survival training—she made him take, make sense. For suddenly Ronan is swept up in a sometimes funny, sometimes scary, but always thrilling adventure—dashing from one danger to the next, using his wits to escape the Bend Sinister, a posse of evil doers with strange powers. Falling in with two unlikely companions, Greta, a scrappy, strong-willed girl he’s never much liked and Jack, a devil-may-care teenage pickpocket, Ronan is left with only his wits and his mom’s last words of advice: Trust no one.

    That’s a lot for an ordinary kid to deal with. But then again, maybe Ronan’s not ordinary at all.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherBrilliance Audio
    Release dateMar 4, 2014
    ISBN9781480584785
    The Blood Guard
    Author

    Carter Roy

    Carter Roy has painted houses and worked on construction sites, waited tables and driven delivery trucks, been a stagehand for rock bands and a videographer on a cruise ship, and worked as a line cook in a kitchen, a projectionist in a movie theater, and a rhetoric teacher at a university. He has been a reference librarian and a bookseller, edited hundreds of books for major publishers, and written award-winning short stories that have appeared in a half-dozen journals and anthologies. His first two books were The Blood Guard and The Glass Gauntlet. He lives in New York City and can be found at www.carterroybooks.com.

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    Reviews for The Blood Guard

    4/5

    38 ratings11 reviews

    What did you think?

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    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 5/5
      As soon as I opened this package and saw this fantastic cover, I knew that Blood Guard was a book for my 12 year old son, Damian. And I was right, he LOVED it! So much so that he’s already loaned it to his friend to read and he's recommended it to his middle school librarian as something he’d like to see on the NC Battle of the Books list next year. He was a little unsure about how to put together a review so I made him a kind of worksheet or template with questions for him to answer. He did a great job!

      Also, Any book that can inspire THIS kind of enthusiastic reaction from my son deserves nothing less than a 5 star rating and the highest recommendation from me!


      Damian’s review:


      Blood Guard was wicked cool! It was full of action and adventure and plenty of surprises. The main characters were Ronan, Greta, and Dawkins. My favorite character was Dawkins because if you killed him, he would come back to life! How awesome is that? Ronan wants to become a Blood Guard so that he can help to protect the Pures but he has a hard time becoming part of that society. The Pures were special people who were super important to the world or could trigger major events.

      The bad guys were trying to get rid of the Pures. They had this thing they could look through and tell if someone was Pure. The Blood Guards had something like that too so they knew who to protect. I was so mad at the bad guys but I can’t say why because it would be a spoiler.

      I can’t think of any other books, TV shows, or movies that was anything like this. That’s one of the reasons I loved it so much, it wasn’t like anything else! The fantasy world is pretty much like our world but with a lot of things that our world don’t have. I wouldn’t want to live there but I wish I could have been there when the Blood Guard infiltrated the enemy base! I would have fought right beside them to protect the Pures!

      I would definitely recommend Blood Guard to other people. This book was so good, I couldn’t put it down! I read it EVERYWHERE. I read it at home. I read it at school. I read it between classes while walking through the halls (and even ran into people or walls once or twice). I read it on the school bus, at breakfast and at lunch. I took this book with me everywhere I went until I finally finished it.

      If I could say one thing to the author, I would say send me the next book already!! If I could say one thing to a parent thinking about buying this book I would say to get it. If your kid likes adventure and excitement, your kid will love Blood Guard! I keep trying to tell my mom to read it because I think she would like it too.
    • 4/5
      THE BLOOD GUARD was an interesting and engaging middle grade fantasy that begins a new trilogy. Ronan Truelove finds his world shaken up when his mother picks him up from school one day and then takes off on a high speed chase. She soon sends Ronan to meet with someone who will take care of him in Washington DC before going off to engage the enemy. Ronan soon finds himself immersed in the world of a Blood Guard which protects Pures from the Bend Sinister whose goal is to eliminate all the Pures and bring about a new world order. He learns that his mother is a member of that Blood Guard and that all the weird lessons and after-school activities that she has enrolled him in are part of his advanced training to possibly join the Blood Guard himself.First of all, Ronan has to elude Ms. Hand and her evil minions and find his way to Washington. He does manage to catch a train where he meets Jack Dawkins and Greta Susterman. Jack is also a member of the Blood Guard and is a unique and entertaining character. He is more or less immortal but also a pickpocket and smart-mouthed fellow. Greta is a former schoolmate of Ronan's. She is also smart-mouthed and, in her own words, a little boastful. She is also excellent at picking locks which comes in very handy. The story is filled with action and derring do. They have lots of adventures as they try to elude the bad guys, find Ronan's missing parents and find Greta's missing father too. Beyond that, they have to find a way to stop the Bend Sinister from using their new invention to steal the souls of the Pure. If they can trap the souls, the souls can't reincarnate after death and maintain the balance of the 36 Pures who keep life on Earth safe. Ronan was a great main character. He was smart and creative and brave. I really liked Greta too. I can't wait to read more of their adventures as they try to defeat the Bend Sinister in books two and three of this trilogy.
    • 4/5
      This is the first book in the Blood Guard series. Ronan Truelove discovers that his mother is a member of the Blood Guard on this Earth to protect "Pures," who unknowingly maintain balance in the world between good and evil. A group called the "Bend Sinister" is out to upset that balance in order to start a new world order. Ronan accidentally gets caught up in the battle that ultimately leads back to his own family. I enjoyed this book and am looking forward to reading the next book in the series, The Glass Gauntlet.
    • 4/5
      Evelyn Ronan Truelove is a kid with a weird name and even weirder hobbies. He prefers to be called Ronan and has fencing, karate and gymnastics for after school activities. When his mom picks him up from school one day and they're tailed by a mysterious van, that's when he learns the truth. His mother is a member of an elite organization called the Blood Guard. They're an order of knights who protect a group of thirty-six people called the Pure and an evil group called the Bend Sinister is after them and they have already kidnapped his father. From there starts Ronan's incredible journey with his friend Greta and a new accomplice named Jack. Before I even read book, I committed a grave sin and judged this book by its cover. I expected a magical boy narrative where a tween finds out they're the chosen one like Harry Potter or Percy Jackson but I was pleasantly surprised. It's full of adventure and the action is fast-paced so the story moves pretty quickly. People are not what they seem and there's a pretty good twist at the end. I would recommend for readers who are fans of the Harry Potter, Percy Jackson and the Hunger Games series. There's plenty of adventure, excitement and story to keep them entertained.
    • 4/5
      This is the first book in the Blood Guard series. Evelyn Ronan Truelove discovers that his mother is a member of the Blood Guard on this Earth to protect "Pures," who unknowingly maintain balance in the world between good and evil. A group called the "Bend Sinister" is out to upset that balance in order to start a new world order. Ronan accidentally gets caught up in the battle that ultimately leads back to his own family. I enjoyed this book and am looking forward to reading the next book in the series, The Glass Gauntlet.
    • 3/5
      When thirteen-year-old Ronan Truelove’s seemingly ordinary mom snatches him from school, then sets off on a high speed car chase, Ronan is shocked. His quiet, nerdy dad has been kidnapped? And the kidnappers are after him, too? His mom, he quickly learns, is anything but ordinary. In fact, she’s a member of an ancient order of knights, the Blood Guard, a sword-wielding secret society sworn to protect the Pure—thirty-six noble souls whose safety is crucial if the world as we know it is to survive. Now all those after-school activities—gymnastics, judo, survival training—she made him take, make sense. For suddenly Ronan is swept up in a sometimes funny, sometimes scary, but always thrilling adventure—dashing from one danger to the next, using his wits to escape the Bend Sinister, a posse of evil doers with strange powers. Falling in with two unlikely companions, Greta, a scrappy, strong-willed girl he’s never much liked and Jack, a devil-may-care teenage pickpocket, Ronan is left with only his wits and his mom’s last words of advice: Trust no one. That’s a lot for an ordinary kid to deal with. But then again, maybe Ronan’s not ordinary at all.**only book one @ KCLS**
    • 5/5
      This was a lot of fun. It had me immersed almost immediately. Ronan, the first-person narrator, is believable as a kid who doesn’t fit in, and Greta is a strong female secondary character. They meet more characters along the way, mostly male, who add variety and fun to the cast. I like that the author isn’t afraid to have women be bad guys as well!This falls into the fantasy/adventure genre, with its immortal characters, zombie-like bad guys, and more. Not to mention a plot to end the world!I would definitely consider this as a read-aloud the next time I teach freshmen.Possible objectionable material: Disobeying adults. Perilous situations. Violence, some gory but none graphic. An immortal character is decapitated (offscreen) and walks around holding his head. Extremely mild swearing (mom is referred to as a “badass.”)Who would like this book: I think this would be a great book for reluctant readers, because the plot keeps you wanting more. Late elementary through early high school. (Let's face it, I'm 51 and I liked it.) While it’s a book that girls can definitely get into, it’s a great choice for boys who don’t like female protagonists. (Greta is such a strong character, they’ll get a lot of girl anyway.) Approximate Lexile: 880Thanks to NetGalley for the advance reader ebook.
    • 4/5
      Great start to a series that is also called The Blood Guard. Ronan's mother picks him up from school unexpectedly, and then things get weird. She tells him that he needs to get on a train to D.C. because his father has been kidnapped and she is a member of The Blood Guard, a secret group of people who are sworn to protect the Pure, a group of 36 people who are noble and good and must remain alive to keep the world from devolving into chaos. People begin chasing them and Ronan sees her perform impossible saves before she puts him on the train. It doesn't take long for the bad guys to find him and try to capture him, but he's saved by a new acquaintance -- another member of the Blood Guard.
    • 2/5
      I read an article online called Your Paper Brain and Your Kindle Brain Aren't the Same Thing . Here is a quote from that article:" Neuroscience, in fact, has revealed that humans use different parts of the brain when reading from a piece of paper or from a screen. So the more you read on screens, the more your mind shifts towards "non-linear" reading — a practice that involves things like skimming a screen or having your eyes dart around a web page. “They call it a ‘bi-literate’ brain,” Zoromodi says. “The problem is that many of us have adapted to reading online just too well. And if you don’t use the deep reading part of your brain, you lose the deep reading part of your brain. ”What does this have to do with my review of The Blood Guard ? I read this on my Kindle, and I have found that I don't seem to enjoy the books I read on screen as much as "real" books. Even books that I originally rated very high, if I re-read them on the Kindle I tend to wonder why I rated them so highly. So I'm going to guess that if I had read the paper copy of this particular book, I think I would have enjoyed it more. As it was, I liked it, but I didn't find it as spectacular as others seem to. And that is weird because it did tick all the boxes of a great middle grade fantasy/adventure. There was a lot of action, a really interesting and creative plot, awesome characters, and evil villains. So I guess I'm saying, read it for yourself and hopefully you will love it. Unfortunately, the paper copy of this book disappeared from my library shelves right after I put it out. I sure hope it gets returned or found soon.
    • 4/5
      Ronan Truelove thought he had a pretty normal life. Sure, his mom kept his schedule packed with extracurriculars like fencing and taekwondo, but he figures she just wants him to be well-rounded so he can get into a good college. And yeah, there was that weird fire at his house a year or so ago, the one the authorities ended up calling a freak accident, but that sort of thing could have happened to anyone. But on the day his mom pulls him out of school and drives off, tailed by a couple of aggressive SUVs, everything Ronan thinks he knows about his life starts to change. In the course of that high-speed car chase, Ronan finds out that his mother is a member of an ancient fighting force known as the Blood Guard, who exist to protect 36 pure souls whose existence balances the levels of good and evil in the universe. And Ronan is being trained to follow in her footsteps. As the two evade the mysterious bad guys who are chasing them, Ronan's mom tells him that his father has disappeared, their house is no longer safe, and he must get on a train bound for Washington D.C., where another member of the Blood Guard would meet up with him and keep him safe. Unfortunately, things don't go exactly as planned. Ronan will soon be on the adventure of his life, accompanied by a cheeky teenage pickpocket named Jack, and Greta, a scrappy acquaintance from a previous school. Pursued by strangers who mean them harm, can they get to safety? Is safety even an option for Ronan any more, now that he knows about the Blood Guard?I found this a great, fast-paced read. In tone, it's very similar to the Percy Jackson series -- the same wry humor in the face of fantastical danger. There were a couple of places where the writing faltered (I had a hard time keeping track of where characters were in the big running-and-fighting scene near the end of the book), but all in all, this was a satisfying, exciting read, and I'll probably read more books in the series when they are available. I'll definitely be recommending this to Percy Jackson fans looking for read-alikes.
    • 4/5
      When thirteen-year-old Ronan Truelove's seemingly ordinary mom snatches him from school, then sets off on a high speed car chase, Ronan is shocked. His quiet, nerdy dad has been kidnapped? And the kidnappers are after him, too? His mom, he quickly learns, is anything but ordinary. In fact, she's a member of an ancient order of knights, the Blood Guard, a sword-wielding secret society sworn to protect the Pure--thirty-six noble souls whose safety is crucial if the world as we know it is to survive. Now all those after-school activities--gymnastics, judo, survival training--she made him take, make sense. For suddenly Ronan is swept up in a sometimes funny, sometimes scary, but always thrilling adventure--dashing from one danger to the next, using his wits to escape the Bend Sinister, a posse of evil doers with strange powers. Falling in with two unlikely companions, Greta, a scrappy, strong-willed girl he's never much liked and Jack, a devil-may-care teenage pickpocket, Ronan is left with only his wits and his mom's last words of advice: Trust no one. That's a lot for an ordinary kid to deal with. But then again, maybe Ronan's not ordinary at all.