The end of the world is nearing and only a select few have the potential to stop it. They are the NIGHTKEEPERS... but has their heritage been lost too much for them to reclaim it?

Leah Daniels is a Miami Police Detective but she wants revenge on the cult leader she believes responsible for her brother's death. Matty was a victim of the so-called Calendar Killer and his death remains unsolved although Leah strongly suspects the cult leader who preaches the Mayan calendar countdown to 2012 signals the end of the world. 

Meanwhile, Striking Jaguar is attempting to assemble the last of the NIGHTKEEPERS, a race he thought lost long ago in the massacre in which his parents perished. Strike is the heir to the throne but visions of Leah are disrupting his quest to save the world. Will his visions spell doom just as his father's did?

Jessica Andersen does a marvelous job at crafting a very credible and intensely complex world. The story is based on the Mayan mythology and the sheer depth of the legends alone would make NIGHTKEEPERS worth reading. Ms. Andersen takes things even deeper however, as she creates new races and powers that are all tied into the Mayan calendar and the fear of the year 2012. 

NIGHTKEEPERS is a powerful, sometimes violent, but always exciting tale. Don’t mistake the violence for being gratuitous, however, as the plot is true to the core of the Mayan belief system in her book and the lines between good and evil are clearly drawn. The pace never slows down as Jessica Andersen takes off running with the plot from the very first page.

Jessica Andersen introduces readers to a plethora of characters in NIGHTKEEPERS. Her book reads very much like a fantasy novel rather than the typical paranormal romance so I suspect that urban fantasy fans will appreciate her efforts the most. NIGHTKEEPERS requires some extensive world building and Ms. Andersen is only just now scratching the surface of the characters and what paths they will lead us readers down. I must admit that Rabbit really stole the show as his story is so unusual that it is hard not to feel sympathy for him.

Reviewed by Debbie

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Posted June 2008