Secret of the Gargoyles by Rebecca Chastain

Mika risks her life, along with the lives of her gargoyle, Oliver, and her crush, Marcus, to save several gargoyles from a mysterious illness.

FTC Notice: This book was provided free in exchange for an honest review. This is no way impacts my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Title:  Secret of the Gargoyles
Author:  Rebecca Chastain
Series: Gargoyle Guardian Chronicles Book 03
Publish Date:  June 22, 2016
Genre:  Urban Fantasy
Source: Provided by the author

Publisher’s Description: I place the lives of all gargoyles into your hands with what I am about to tell you…

In her brief career as a gargoyle healer, Mika Stillwater has faced some daunting challenges, but none have stumped her—until now. A strange sickness infects a handful of gargoyles in Terra Haven, rendering them comatose and paralyzed. Worse, the cure she seeks is shrouded in the gargoyles’ mysterious culture and the secret they guard with their lives.

Gaining the gargoyles’ trust is only the first step. To save the sick gargoyles, Mika must embark on a perilous mission into the heart of deadly wild magic to a place no human has ever survived…

The captivating conclusion to the Gargoyle Guardian Chronicles trilogy, Secret of the Gargoyles will charm readers of all ages, especially those who love extraordinary magic and endearing gargoyles.

Possible spoilers beyond this point.

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Invested Ivana says…

What drew me to the book: Having just read, and loved, Magic of the Gargoyles and Curse of the Gargoyles, I couldn’t wait to read the third book in the trilogy. Book 2 hinted at the plot line of Book 3, and I HAD to know how that turned out. 😉

What kept me reading: Secret is probably my favorite book of the trilogy. It is sad and scary and romantic and lovely. I adore learning about new cultures, and Secret does a great job of creating a deeper culture for the gargoyles than we have yet seen.

Mika gets tested in this book in several ways. First, the whole adventure is a test of her dedication to the gargoyles. But Mika has to be extra brave because she’s taking on her mission with only the help of Oliver, her adolescent gargoyle; Celeste, an adult gargoyle who is mated to one of the sick creatures; and Marcus Velasquez, one of Grant Monaghan’s five Federal Pentagon Defense warriors. The rest of the FPD squad are unavailable and Mika’s friend, Kylie, is out of town as well.

While Velasquez agrees to help, he’s quite cranky with Mika, both for risking her own life too many times and because the romantic tension between them is growing without being acknowledged. Both Mika and Marcus question what the other may be feeling, even though the sparks are obvious to the reader.

When Mika finally reaches her destination, she’s taken over by a magic that is so big, so inhuman, that she is at risk of forgetting who and what she is. The struggle between the independent human and the massive gargoyle magic is what makes this book so intense. The writing does a great job of conveying the difference in perspectives between the two entities; I truly felt anxious for Mika and Marcus during that part of the book!

Mika and her gargoyles remind me of how I felt reading Anne McCaffrey’s Harper Hall trilogy for the first time–I was so in love with the idea of the fire lizards as loyal and loving creatures who were more like friends than pets. I recall thinking how honored I would feel if such a creature chose me over everyone else, and how hard I would fight to defend my friend. I feel the same about Mika’s gargoyles. I’m not yet ready to leave this series behind and hope there may be more Gargoyle Guardian adventures in the future.

Why I recommend it: The world and writing are wonderful. If you have a soft spot for magical creatures, gems, and semi-precious stones, or sweet romances, you’ll really enjoy Secret of the Gargoyles.

Our reviews in this series…

• Magic of the Gargoyles, Book 01
• Curse of the Gargoyles, Book 02
• Secret of the Gargoyles, Book 03

If you like this book…

…you might try Chastain’s Madison Fox series, the Glory St. Clair series by Gerry Bartlett, or the Black Wings series by Christina Henry.

FTC Notice: This book was provided free in exchange for an honest review. This is no way impacts my opinion of the book or the content of my review.