Book Review: The Eighth Guardian by Meredith McCardle

The Eighth Guardian (Annum Guard #1)
Author:  Meredith McCardle
Publisher:  Amazon Children's
Publication Date:  May 6, 2014

From Goodreads:
Amanda Obermann. Code name Iris.

It’s Testing Day. The day that comes without warning, the day when all juniors and seniors at The Peel Academy undergo a series of intense physical and psychological tests to see if they’re ready to graduate and become government operatives. Amanda and her boyfriend Abe are top students, and they’ve just endured thirty-six hours of testing. But they’re juniors and don’t expect to graduate. That’ll happen next year, when they plan to join the CIA—together.

But when the graduates are announced, the results are shocking. Amanda has been chosen—the first junior in decades. And she receives the opportunity of a lifetime: to join a secret government organization called the Annum Guard and travel through time to change the course of history. But in order to become the Eighth Guardian in this exclusive group, Amanda must say good-bye to everything—her name, her family, and even Abe—forever.

Who is really behind the Annum Guard? And can she trust them with her life?

Review:

I liked this time travel novel about a girl who is forced to join a secret government time traveling group.  They go on missions to "enhance" things from the past, not to alter them.  The Boston Massacre, a famous museum heist, the JFK assassination.  I enjoyed the way the author weaved in history and she explains what was real and what was fiction in the author's note at the end.

Amanda is a reluctant member of the group, considered an outsider, but threatened with prison if she doesn't pass this initial trial period.  She's smart, capable, but very outspoken and pretty defiant.  She reminded me a bit of Sydney Bristol from Alias.  In fact, there's a lot about this book that reminds me of that TV show.  The rest of the group seem to hate and resent her, but as Amanda (Iris) goes on more and more missions, she starts earning the grudging respect of some of them.  Then she finds out that things are not as they seem and that's when the action really picks up and I couldn't put the book down.  A lot of jumping through time, close calls, people trying to kill her, etc.  

There's really no romance in this book, but I didn't miss it.  Amanda misses her boyfriend Abe, but he's pretty much out of the picture the entire book.  

There were a couple of things that bothered me about the Annum Group, things that didn't make sense, but then there was an explanation for it so I was ok with that.  But it did bother me the entire book.

Fast-paced and entertaining, this was an enjoyable read.

Posted by:  Pam