Shield & Shade by Misty Hayes
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I didn’t mind the book. It was action packed right from the get go. I found it a little young for my taste, but other than that there was great character development, lots of intriguing action and it does leave you wanting more!
Shield & Shade by Misty Hayes
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Following Zoey’s emotional turmoil learning her family drama is quite exhilarating! She realizes what truly happened ten years ago when she got lost in the woods. Characters that you don’t like at first surprise you. This book is a wonderful YA read and needs to be given 5 stars!
It’s not a super-fast read but you won’t want to put it down.
I really enjoy when books switch POV during reading so you can get more than one characters inner dialogue.
I did not realize this was a spin off of the Blood Dagger books and now I can’t wait to read that series.
Shield & Shade by Misty Hayes
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Zoey, studious, with few friends, is desperate to graduate early, and escape the suffocating control of her parents. Overprotective after Zoey got lost in the woods at 5 years old, her family sees it as keeping her safe–including having a 7pm curfew at 15 years old! But when the truth is revealed about what really happened on that night 10 years ago, Zoey’s life is turned upside down.
Shield and Shade is a great story. The writing style is impressive and has a natural flow to it, and the descriptions, especially of the settings are perfect–I could visualize them easily. The characters are likeable, relatable, and realistic. The story drew me in from page 1. I was rooting for Zoey the entire story. Great writing! Will for sure be reading more from this author in the future! This book would make a great movie!
Shield & Shade by Misty Hayes
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Heads up, this is a spin off to The Blood Dagger trilogy, which I did not realize going in.
Having not read the Blood Dagger trilogy, this had slower start that left me scratching my head at some of the references, but once I got to about 30% I was completely immersed and couldn’t put the book down! All of my questions and confusion were answered, and then more! I’m in awe of the character building in this book and cannot wait to read more in this series!
Shield & Shade takes the paranormal genres for vampires, angels, and demons, and turns them on their heads!
I’m not normally a big fan of books that switch POV between more than two characters, but here I didn’t feel like I was losing out on information by being in another’s perspective, instead I felt it gave us more information and background than we would have otherwise had. I enjoyed the “coming of age” aspect for Zoey and Cruz, with their minds being blown that angels and the paranormal exist. I can appreciate Zoey’s mom wanting to protect her youngest child, who had a traumatic experience at 5, but c’mon, you also have to let your child live!
I will certainly be searching for the Blood Dagger books, as well as any others written by Misty.
Shield & Shade by Misty Hayes
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
The characters in this novel are amazing. Misty Hayes has portrayed the characters as human with emotions and wit. Hayes has become one of my must read authors with this novel. The plot and story line kept me engaged and was easy to follow along. Shield and Shade is the start of a new series. It’s the story of a girl who’s life gets turned absolutely upside down and shattered by family secrets. Talk about a page turner! Highly recommended.
Shield & Shade by Misty Hayes
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Vampires, angels, demons, we are all familiar with them and probably have come to expect certain things from those topics and types of characters, but Misty Hayes really made their own original spin on it. If you come into it expecting it to go a certain way you might end up being disappointed, but I greatly enjoyed the different take on the mythology of the creatures. At times it was hard to follow because of some of the changes but once you get used to the differences it is fun and exciting. There is a lot of dark material in the story so it is not a light read, it might trigger some hard feelings, but it is worth it at least in my opinion. I read it as an ebook but it definitely felt like a big thick book that you could lose yourself in if you had the time to sit and really dive into it. Recommended for anyone that is a fan of the vampire legend but wants something new about them to taste.
Shield & Shade by Misty Hayes
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Shield & Shade (Ascended Guardians Book 1) by Misty Hayes – Review by Krista Vaughan
This action-packed fantasy made it almost impossible to put down! Zoey starts out with a almost crippling fear of the dark and no memories of why. Her family is loud, boisterous and overprotective. They are also telling lies and withholding truths. When the truth of the world she lives in starts to come to the surface everything is terrifying and tragic. Zoey needs to be brave and to fight for her life and the lives of her family. Zoey’s character grows from a naive little girl to a brave little warrior. Sometimes the truth is scary, but the fight is worth it. A must read!
Shield & Shade by Misty Hayes
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I absolutely love this book! Yes, it has dark and crazy moment but I was hooked especially the second chapter really hooked me and gave a good back story. I’ve not read anything by her but I’m definitely a fan.
Shield & Shade by Misty Hayes
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Shield and Shade had me hooked from the beginning, I could not put it down! Misty Hayes did an incredible job, bringing this characters to life in every way. I truly fell in love with Zoey, Corinth, and Cruz. There were some twists and turns that I didn’t see coming and it had me going back over to make sure I read it right! This book was hands down one of the very best that I have read this year. I did not know this was a spin off series but I will definitely be checking into the Blood Dagger trilogy, after reading this I have no doubt in mind it won’t be amazing.
Shield & Shade by Misty Hayes
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This story was captivating. When I started reading, I didn’t want to stop. The world building and characters were fantastic! It kept me guessing and wondering what was coming next. It was fantastic and I was on the edge of my seat while I was reading.
Shield & Shade by Misty Hayes
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
THIS WAS A FREAKIN’ AWESOME ADVENTURE! The main Character Zoey is definitely on a roller coaster of dark twists and turns, angelic loops, and devilish corkscrews, and a story wouldn’t be complete without a boy dilemma in Fort Worth, Texas! (Not Cowboys, oil companies, and horses anywhere in sight!) Zoey and her group face when an infernal demon decides on revenge and destruction of humanity as they know it! Ms. Hayes has written an extreme action-packed adventure, where the reader can view the action from ALL her characters, and I have never seen the action scenes with this detail and raw emotion on every page. The love the characters show for family and close friends is undeniable, and even though the characters are tested and brutally challenged, however, family and love is the strongest bond of all is what I read through this book. Join Zoey Taylor and others on this roller coaster adventure for a one-of-a-kind experience!
Shield & Shade by Misty Hayes
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
At fifteen, Zoey Taylor is different compared to normal high schoolers. Zoey, as a freshman, takes AP (or Advanced Placement) courses hoping that she can graduate high school early. She is always studying, and with a nighttime curfew of 7:30, she doesn’t have a lot of friends. Plus, there’s her secret. She’s afraid of the dark because that’s when she gets night terrors of the time when she wandered out of her house at night at the tender age of five.
The one person she considers a friend is Trevor. He has creamy skin, auburn hair, and chocolate brown eyes which he hides behind square rimmed glasses. You would think he was nerdy, but his athletic build and self-confidence made the girls fawn over him at every chance. His parents never seem to be home, but since his parents are mansion rich, he has money to do whatever he pleases or whatever his parents wish for him to do.
Zoey’s life has a dose of reality on Thanksgiving when she finds out the truth about the night when she was five. Read this amazing story about demons and Nephilim to find out how Zoey, her family, and friends acclimate to an ordeal that is definitely not “normal”.
Shield & Shade by Misty Hayes
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
From what I understand, this is connected to the Blood Dagger trilogy, which I haven’t read. However, after finishing this book and loving it as much as I did, I plan to read all of her work! It was fast paced and easy to get sucked into the book. The characters had good development and felt very real. I always love when a book is told from different viewpoints; and Hayes accomplished it seamlessly. A very suspenseful and exciting read. I can’t wait for the others!
Shield & Shade by Misty Hayes
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Zoey Taylor is just a normal girl on her way to graduating early, she studies hard and is a bit of a loner apart from one friend who she hangs around with, this is due to being an introvert by nature, but also because her family are really overprotective ever since she walked out of the house and into the woods behind in the middle of the night when she was five years old. As Zoey goes through her normal routine of school, studying, more school, more studying and maybe meeting her friend at the local diner for a snack before heading home, she is coming to terms with her desperate need to escape from it, to escape from her family and its drama which comes from being the only girl surrounded by four brothers, its loud and distracting.
One of the days she goes to the diner, her friend did mention that one of the guys who works there has a crush on her, but she didn’t believe it, she is too plain for anyone to notice her, but when she starts talking to him, she realises he is actually a nice guy under the uniform and permanent scent of sugar and grease from the fryers. When her friend turns up she is annoyed with herself bevuase of asking a stupid question which pretty much wrecked any chance of further conversation and she regrets it so she decides to leave early, unknowingly leaving her bag charm behind, her friend isn’t overly fussed and just proceeds to chat up the girls in the diner instead.
As Thanksgiving approaches, Zoey is worried that she won’t be able to study with everyone being in the house and tries to extend her curfew a bit so she can get some work done at the library, but her parents are having none of it, so she struggles ahead like normal. When her older brother comes home a couple of days after school has broken up, she is happy, but when a friend of his comes to see him, things start to turn odd, so she calls on her friend to come over to help her investigate what is happening and he agrees to come over on Thanksgiving itself.
When the day arrives, the family is preparing the meal, but unknown to her, the guy from the diner is going to turn up as well to return her charm and bearing cake, while she is talking to him, tensions rise between the two guys when her friend arrives and she asks one to leave. However, the day proceeds to become more shocking when someone she never expected turns up on her doorstep, Gabriel Stanton is wealthy, popular to the point of celebrity status and a philanthropist in his spare time and completely out of place in her living room, but there he is nonetheless. How will Zoey react when he manages to turn her life upside down with answers she never expected to hear and what will happen in the aftermath of these revelations? This is a thrilling tale of secrets, revelations and family bonds that is a rollercoaster of emotion and action as the story unfolds to reveal its final conclusion.
Reviewed by @roxsannel
Shield & Shade by Misty Hayes
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This is a great spin off, especially if you haven’t read the original trilogy which I have not but i definitely will now. If you love The Mortal Instruments series you will absolutely enjoy this Young Adult paranormal fantasy. It has great strong characters and there is twists, suspense and drama round every turn. you will not be disappointed.
Shield & Shade by Misty Hayes
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Ok. I knew from the description that this book was right up my alley. But I was unprepared for the adventure that unfolded before me. Wow. What a book. Just full of detail and amazing characters. I loved how the story was set up. Couldn’t wait to find out how everything would come together and get answers to the questions set in the beginning. The author brilliantly provided a new world to dive into. My only complaint is that i have to wait for the next book. Wonderful.
Reviewed by @heatherlovelace
View all my reviews
Shield & Shade by Misty Hayes
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This is the BEST paranormal book out there for 2021. If books similar to Supernatural had a category, this would be up there (even though it is way better), This author has done a phenomenal job putting together the plot. It is good vs evil with angels, demons, nephilims, etc. Holy cow! I found myself chuckling through some and holding my breath through the others. Her action packed scenes between Zoey, Cruz and the gang are classic. Zoe is a young woman who shows her family that she is stronger than they give her credit for when she learns they have been lying to her. Her friends haven’t been much help. She is an introvert and prefers studying and reading (I feel her). This is a book that will have you counting down the days to read the next one.
Shield & Shade by Misty Hayes
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Shield and Shade, the first book in the Ascended Guardians Series by Misty Hayes is actually the first book by this wonderful author that I have read and it did not disappoint at all! I have to say that it has been a while since I have read a paranormal book, a genre I use to read ALOT of, and now thanks to Ms Hayes my love for the genre has been reignited and I will be reading more especially from this creative author.
I read this book not knowing that it was a spin off from a previous series until I had completed it and went looking for more books by Ms Hayes. I don’t feel that my not having read the Blood Dagger series has hindered my experience at all. In fact now I just want to go buy the other series and start reading. I wanted to mention that important point, as I have seen a lot of reviews address the fact that it is a spin off but I don’t want people thinking you have to read the other series first. If you wanted to by all means do but I don’t feel that you absolutely have too in order to follow the story line or characters. You WILL absolutely love this book either way.
There is an endless mixture of wonderful, fascinating creative characters and worlds, loads of action and even some moments you will second guess your feelings…am I really feeling for one of the bad guys here?? seriously?? hehehe!! I was totally hooked on the story from start to finish and hated it each time I was forced to take a break from reading it.
i really hope you will join me in reading Shield and Shade…I just know you will be hooked too!
Shield & Shade by Misty Hayes
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Shield & Shade (Ascended Guardians Book 1) by Misty Hayes – Review by Michelle Collier
My rating 5 of 5
So this is a spin off to The Blood Dagger trilogy, which I haven’t read…yet. It is now on my TBR list! This book was wonderful. There is nonstop action and the characters are so real and full of secrets. I was in the edge of my seat for most of the book just waiting fir the next twist. I am now on the edge of my seat waiting on the next book!
Shield & Shade by Misty Hayes
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
FYI: This was my first Hayes novel and I learned this is a spinoff series from the author’s The Blood Dagger Trilogy AFTER I read it. So be warned it won’t make for a good read, in my opinion, if you haven’t read that triplet first. If I have time this summer, I will go back and read the original series, because it has awesome ratings, and then update this review. With that said, I read this book believing it was the beginning of a new series since it isn’t linked to the other in any way or sold as a spinoff. With that said, Hayes had a really FREAKING cool plot/world idea and I was truly excited to get into the meat of it, but (and here it comes), BUT the book could have spent about 100-150 pages filling the reader in on the world and characters, rather than on more battle scenes. I’m sure a lot of my questions and frustrations would have been answered had I read The Blood Dagger Trilogy first, but since I didn’t it just felt like the first 20% was crazy jumpy, going from several people’s POVs that didn’t quite make sense at first but really set the stage for an awesome adventure with a possible romance in the making. Once all the players were a little more fleshed out and the world was built as well as it was going to get, it became a really intriguing and fresh idea…super intense action, angels/demons/vampires/”magic”/mystery, a feeling like you didn’t know what the climax was going to be, but you were on the edge of your seat to get there, and more action!! Then around 50% it was all action (no world or character building) and descriptions of everyone’s eye color/hair/what they were wearing and was it her brother or not her brother? Throw in an excessive amount of lightning bolts knocking people (mostly the humans) across the room where they landed in a ball on the floor, but SHOCKER they live through a serious butt-kicking from freaking demons, for hours on end…and you have the basics of the story down. So, having not read the original stories and understanding the different rules of Hayes’ world/characters, I just truly felt lost, annoyed, and disappointed that this storyline had sooo much potential but didn’t ever get there if that makes sense. Maybe I’m not the reading demographic she was writing for, and it really should NOT be considered a standalone, but it was just ok for me. I am hoping to go back and read the first 3 books because I think I could have loved this action-packed adventure had I understood her world better. Who knows…Hayes has a way of sucking you in and I did finish the book, I just wish the selling page stated that it was a spinoff of another series.
@pippawoods
Shield & Shade by Misty Hayes
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I started this book and feel like I was dropped right smack in the middle of a new world with no preparation. From the beginning things were written with a sort of familiarity, like I as a reader should know what’s going on. Once I learned this was a spin-off it made much more sense. That didn’t hinder my reading though, I fell into the story pretty quickly. There is so much happening on every page. When I say action packed, I mean ACTION PACKED! I personally enjoyed it, enjoyed going with Zoey on her wild ride of finding the truth. Misty Hayes really writes beautifully, her descriptions make it so easy to picture every scene!
Shield & Shade by Misty Hayes
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Shield & Shade is the first book by Misty Hayes that I’ve read and it did not disappoint at all!!! The main characters are awesome- engaging and so interesting! The villains are the bad guys you love to hate and hate that you love em’! Intense action makes this a page turner that I did not want to put down (and often did not until very very late). I’ll be back for the next installment and will definitely be reading her first trilogy series!!
Shield & Shade by Misty Hayes
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I really enjoyed this young adult paranormal story. It is full of action and adventure and danger around every turn. The author does an amazing job with her characters. Her descriptions of the characters and their world is so detailed that it really brings them to life. The story is one that keeps you in suspense and gripped from beginning to end. I love the fight between good and evil and how they overcome adversity.
There are lots of secrets and deception which all unravel and make this story even better. People aren’t who they appear to be and romance springs up in the most unlikely of places.
This book is a spin off from The Blood Dagger triology and even though I haven’t read those I was still able to enjoy and follow the story. However I feel if that series is read first then some of the characters would make more sense.
Shield & Shade by Misty Hayes
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
So, this was the first book by Misty Hayes that I’ve read. She currently has 4 books out, 3 are a trilogy and Shield and Shade are the start of a new series. It’s the story of a girl who’s life gets turned absolutely upside down- and shattered by family secrets. It’s full of so much action, and it’s such a page turner! I seriously cannot WAIT to see what the next book’s going to be about- and I’ll be reading her trilogy here soon! I can’t tell too much of what happened in the book without giving any spoilers, but if you’re someone who LOVES plot twists- this is definitely the book for you, and you will NOT regret it!!!!!
Shield & Shade by Misty Hayes
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
A new take on Angels versus Demons. This book is a spinoff of the Blood Dagger Trilogy. Having not read that trilogy, I would still say this is a very good beginning to this part of the story. Zoey, a 15 year old high school student is just trying to get high grades and thinks of the day she can leave home. Having always suffered horrible nightmares and not knowing why it all starts to become clear when she learns about her family’s true nature.
Cruz is a 17 year old boy who divides his time between school, working at an ice cream shop and caring for his ill mother. When he and Zoey meet he is soon embroiled in things that are way over his head.
This book had solid world building and writing that keeps the reader engaged and wanting to know what else could possibly go wrong!
Shield & Shade: Ascended Guardians Series by Misty Hayes
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
I’m afraid I’m going to be a critic on this one. It made me want to read Cassandra Clare’s shadowhunter series again; similar genre that I enjoy.
To start, Shield & Shade is not a standalone book. It’s technically a spinoff of her Blood Dagger trilogy, but it has little story of its own. It constantly refers to the events in the previous series leaving holes in the back story that one hopes would be filled by reading the Blood Dagger Trilogy. Second, this book is action scene after action scene. There was only a few “chill, get to know you” scenes at the beginning of the book, the rest were action. And, while I enjoy the changing POV, I found it jarring to start the book off with switching back and forth between benign high school life to running for his life; maybe if it had continued alternating action/calm throughout the book, it might have flowed better. As is it felt disjointed. Overall, I found this a hard book to enjoy. Though the idea of the story was intriguing, I feel it needed more polish. I’m sorry!
reveiwed by @ammaflory
Shield & Shade: Ascended Guardians Series by Misty Hayes
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Shield & Shade: Ascended Guardians 1 is one of those books you pick up not really knowing what you’re getting into. I want to mention that yes this is the first book of the series, but this series is a spin-off of another one –The Blood Dagger. I didn’t realize when I started it. Well written with twists and suspense, I didn’t know what to expect when I turned a page. I loved the way the book started with the mystery around Zoey’s disappearance when she was a little girl. Definitely built the suspense. I thought the author did an incredible job with the characters and the wide range of emotions they went through. Several times, I found myself audibly muttering “what???”, “oh here we go”, or “I can’t believe that just happened.” I did feel I landed into a different world, and in the middle of the action. After getting several chapters in, I looked it up and found that indeed a prior set of books was written. If I had known, I would have started at the beginning with that series. This book was great, but I feel like reading the previous series with prior knowledge of characters and situations would have made this one an easier read. It’s a lot to take in at once. This book isn’t a sunshine and roses kind of book. It’s a guts and gore survival kind of book with good vs evil save the world kind of characters. Speaking of characters, can we get to know Nakir better?
Reviewed by @vegatina20
Shield & Shade by Misty Hayes
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Shield & Shade: Ascended Guardians Series a spinoff of The Blood Dagger trilogy by a new author to me Misty Hayes. I did not know it was a spinoff and I have not read the original trilogy but had heard it was good and after reading this book I did not really feel like I was missing anything other than knowing characters. Although I will go back at some stage and have a read. Shield & Shade is a YA paranormal fantasy story where angels & demons battle it out and the suspenseful plot will keep you guessing. Misty’s world building is detailed, sometimes overly so but you can see her vision. Her characters are interesting and unique, and the story is told from multiple POV’s, which I love.
I look forward to seeing what she brings us next.
Reviewed by @jennadb
Shield & Shade by Misty Hayes
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Shield & Shade by Misty Hayes is the start of the Ascended Guardians series. This book is labeled as a YA story, but adults can also enjoy this. I was interested in the book blurb and was rewarded with a well-written story and characters. The author has included significant attention to detail, and it works well and does not overwhelm the reader. I fell into the story and did not want to emerge until I was done with the book. There are paranormal, romantic, fantasy, and dramatic elements to the story. I look forward to reading more from this author and series in the future.
Shield & Shade by Misty Hayes
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Shield & Shade (Ascended Guardians Book 1) by Misty Hayes. This is a brand new series from Misty Hayes and its a good one! This is the emotional story of 15 year old Zoey & Cruz who is 17. Zoey is having flashback/nightmares of being kidnapped when she was 5 years old. No one in her family will tell her anything about what happened or discuss anything about it. Her family is very protective of her but they still insist on not talking about it. Zoey tends to be a loner but has always had Trevor as her friend and most recently Cruz has shown to be a true friend. When a stranger shows up at Zoe’s door it opens the whole situation up! After that its on like crazy! You will be flipping the pages as fast as you can to find out what will happen! I loved this book and can’t wait to read the next one!
