#Review - Wardens of Eternity by Courtney Allison Moulton #Historical #Fantasy

Series: Unknown
Format: Hardcover, 368 pages
Release Date: January 21, 2020
Publisher: Blink
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy / Legends, Myths, Fables

From Courtney Allison Moulton, author of the acclaimed Angelfire series, comes Wardens of Eternity, an action-packed page-turner that blends history, mythology, and magic; perfect for fans of Rick Riordan and Kiersten White.

Ziva Ellison has one memory of her parents, made the day they abandoned her on the streets of New York City when she was three years old. They left her with only a fleeting memory and a hint that she has a great and terrible destiny.

16 years later, Ziva discovers that destiny includes powers that she doesn't understand and can barely control. Her magic attracts vicious, supernatural monsters, and eventually compatriots to help her fight them. Sayer and Nasira know the secrets Ziva doesn't; that Ziva is descended from Egyptian royalty and in possession of ancient magic passed down from the time of the gods. They promise to teach Ziva to control her magic and to give her the family she's always yearned for.

But trouble is brewing in the world around them; darkness is descending on Hitler's Germany, threatening World War II. As the last heir of a revered Egyptian queen, Ziva is the only one with the power to prevent another costly global conflict. As Ziva navigates her newfound abilities and her connection with powerful, otherworldly gods, she must decide whom she can trust and where her loyalties lie if she is to save herself and the world.

Wardens of Eternity, by author Courtney Allison Moulton, follows the story of Ziva Ellison who was abandoned by her mother when she was 3 years old. This is a historical fantasy series based on Egyptian mythology. The story opens in 1939 NYC. World War II is slowly spreading and Americans are worried about yet another costly war. Ziva works in a textile company scarcely scraping by. She lives in a small room where she dreams of finding out where she really came from, and if there are any other people like her. Her hope is to discover if her parents are still alive and where they might have gone. 

Ziva carries magical powers that she does not fully understand, but she only uses them in self-defense. However, after a Kriosphinx finds Ziva and calls her the queen’s scion, she finds herself fighting back using her powers. Sayer & Nasira Bahri, Medjai, or the last of an ancient tribe who have been searching for Ziva a very long time, help her defeat a trio of Kriosphinx. Sayer claims they are here to take her home so that she can learn about her birthright. The pair claim they will help her discover how to use her power and that she is descended from Queen Nefertiti. 

Sworn to protect the world against evil, the Medjai are trying to resurrect their long-dead queen in order to prevent the outbreak of 'a second Great War.' As she wholeheartedly embraces the Medjai's mission to bring back the legendary Queen Nefertiti, she trains in combat and hones her innate spell-casting abilities. The Medjai are opposed by certain gods, however, and even with the blessing of Anubis, lord of the dead, their task seems insurmountable. Anubis becomes a kind of Ace in the hole for Ziva, on call when she needs his help the most. 

As Ziva Mereniset, as she is now called, discovers the extent of her abilities and the world she was born into, she also learns her place in it. This story could be compared to The Mummy and Raiders of the Lost Ark for it's exceptional settings. It includes a German occultist group known as the Thule Society which actually existed. This group is searching for the perfect race and attempts to lure Ziva into joining them willingly or not. I gladly join with others in saying that this book would have been better had the story been told in a third person narrative. We, as readers, needed to look into the actions of Sayer and Nasira as well as a group of other important players. 

There are key characters such as Anubis, Set, Cyrene, & Baket that were important to the plot, as well as Nefertiti. There is slight romance in this book, but I think it was wasted and not necessary to the enjoyment of the story itself. Wardens shows potential with a premise that should be interesting if the series is to continue, which I hope it does. The historical settings are particularly well done, especially the Egyptian mythology and how Egypt was divided between the English, French and Germans. Wardens is an action-packed adventure tale, filled with magic, romance, betrayal, and battles with the gods.  

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