WARD AGAINST DARKNESS by Melanie Card contains such an incredible setting. The necromancer background to the story is completely fascinating, and I love the twists Card throws into this world and the new powers Ward discovers. It is utterly mesmerizing, and the story just flies by.

Ward, reluctant as he is, is one of my favorite heroes. He has such a strong heart, and I love his surprising bravery that even he doesn't realize he has. The romantic tension between Ward and Celia is heart pounding, and the one thing I wanted to see more of was kissing! You nearly get exhausted for them from all of their close encounters. However, I definitely do love getting to see their bond strengthen without much physical contact. It does highlight how deep their personalities are connected and how well they work together.

The plot also has super exciting parts that are hard to see coming. One character verges so close to be going or bad that I couldn't tell until the very end which side the character fell on. Card does a great job of making the main villain, Macerio, ruthless and dark. His sinister attitude up against Ward's healing and kind attitude is a wonderful contrast and reflects Ward's growth as a character so well.

If you enjoy dark, action filled stories, this would be an excellent one to try. It is the second in a series, but I didn't read the first before reading WARD AGAINST DARKNESS, and Card does a fabulous job of reflecting back on the first book without dragging anything on. I will go back and read the first now, just because I want more of these characters!

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