Guardian

by Priest

Genres: Fantasy, Light Novels, Mystery, Romance
Pages: 408
Series: Guardian #1
Rating:

Synopsis:

Zhao Yunlan heads up a covert division of the Ministry of Public Security that deals with the strange and unusual, blurring the line between the mortal realm and the Netherworld. His cocky, casual attitude conceals both a sharp mind and an arsenal of mystical tools and arcane knowledge.

While investigating a gruesome death at a local university, Zhao Yunlan crosses paths with the reserved Professor Shen Wei. Zhao Yunlan is immediately intrigued by Shen Wei’s good looks and intense gaze, and the attraction between them is immediate and powerful, even as Shen Wei tries to keep his distance. Shen Wei and his secrets are a puzzle Zhao Yunlan feels compelled to solve as mysterious circumstances throw them together, and their connection becomes impossible to deny.

Wow, volume one of Priest’s Guardian certainly brings the yearning. I wasn’t entirely sure at first, since Zhao Yunlan’s mooning after Shen Wei seemed a little one-sided (though there were some hints), but after about halfway through it’s clear there’s more going on and that the yearning is more than mutual — if anything, Shen Wei is more deeply in love than Zhao Yunlan.

Shen Wei had been restraining himself for too long. In the perfect silence, he couldn’t help letting go for once. Lying there with Zhao Yunlan so tantalisingly near, his thoughts spun out of control. He imagined gathering that warm body close, pressing kisses to those eyes, that hair, those lips… tasting and partaking of every part.
He imagined possessing Zhao Yunlan utterly.
The fantasy alone was enough to make Shen Wei’s breathing unsteady. He yearned with the desperate fervour of someone dreaming of hot soup as they froze to death.
But he didn’t move a muscle. Just looking at Zhao Yunlan and thinking about him was seemingly enough.

Ooof. Wow.

The relationship between Zhao Yunlan and Shen Wei is definitely a draw, but I’m enjoying the world and story as well: I figured out the identity of the Emissary ahead of time, but a lot of the details remain unclear, along with Zhao Yunlan’s last life, etc, and the various artefacts that Zhao Yunlan is presumably going to keep being drawn into encountering.

I will say that there’s a lot of stuff about Daqing (a cat) being really fat, calling him fatty, etc. The character isn’t solely comic relief and clearly has power of his own, and Zhao Yunlan insults everyone (especially Guo Changcheng, whose anxiety and awkwardness is frequently mocked), but… even the narrative gets in on calling Daqing fat all the time, and it’s definitely worth being aware of, as it’s clearly meant somewhat negatively/comically.

I’m definitely eager for the second book, in any case — I love Shen Wei, the yearning is palpable, and I’m curious where the story goes as well.

Rating: 4/5 (“really liked it”)