Review: Ward Against Destruction (Chronicles of a Reluctant Necromancer, #4) by Melanie Card

Ward de’Ath used to the think that nothing could be more terrible than death. Now he realizes there are worse things. Like his never-ending hunger for blood. Even if he conquers the unbearable cravings that drive him headlong toward destruction, he’s a wanted man with a bleak future.

Assassin Celia Carlyle learns she is the only one who can protect Ward from disaster. She loves him–she wants to help him, but no one can tell her how to save him from himself. And the confusing voices in her head scream to let him go.

But Ward's dark trials keep mounting. A malevolent evil is rising in the land, threatening to unleash horror upon the world. The only way Ward can defeat it, and have the chance to marry Celia, is by accepting his fate and becoming the one thing he swore he would never become. ~ Goodreads


Source: e-arc provided via Netgalley by the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Review: I’m a big fan of the Chronicles of a Reluctant Necromancer series, so I was a little shocked that this was the 4th book in the series and I had somehow missed book #3. O_O I’m on a really tight review schedule this month so I thought I would try to see if I could jump in without missing too much.

It seems like A LOT happened in the last book but Card did a fantastic job recapping (and I know the characters pretty well at this point) so I had no trouble catching up. I wouldn’t recommend starting the series with this book though. This really should be read from the beginning and in order to get the full effect of the story arc. There is a lot of background you need to know about the magic, necromancy and players from this world.

Ward and Celia are pushed to the brink in every way in Ward of Destruction. Their powers, relationship and skills are put to the ultimate test.

What I enjoy most about this series is the character dynamics. Ward isn’t your typical hero. He’s quiet, a little awkward and extremely honorable. There’s no alpha, controlling crap but he’s rock solid as a friend and sure and steady when it comes to doing what needs to be done even under pressure. Celia has shown the most growth. She was a cold assassin when she first met Ward. She’s still a badass but now a badass with direction, purpose and honor.

For those of you that have read this series, you know that Ward and Celia’s romance is a slooooow burn. In fact, it’s so slow, I would recommend this series to readers who aren’t in to romance focused YA (this is categorized as YA but the characters are a little older so I guess technically it could be NA). There’s progress in this book  but I have to say I found the conflict between them annoying and dragged out. If they would have just had one freaking conversation everything would have been resolved. There were a lot of assumptions on their part as to what the other felt. While I understood it – I wanted to shake them both. It just went on too long. But the resolution is worth it so I’ll brush it off as a minor quibble.

I don’t know for sure but this feels like the last book of the series. All of the big story arc’s are wrapped up – but things are left open enough for Celia and Ward to continue their adventures.

The Chronicles of a Reluctant Necromancer is a fun, fresh series with lots of action, dark magic, a touch of romance and I hope there are more Ward/Celia stories in the future.