The Guardian, a Sword, & Stilettos (Enlighten #1) by Kristin D. Van Risseghem

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from the author and Booklover Catlady Publicity in return for a fair and honest review.
Many thanks!

Another thrilling new entry into the YA Fantasy realm hits home in author Kristin D. Van Risseghem’s “The Guardian, a Sword, & Stilettos (Enlighten #1)”,
a brand new adventure featuring ancient prophecies, angels, demons, and a whole lot of teenage angst. Here is the official description of the
book.

Zoe Jabril could be just another 17-year-old girl attending parties with her friends and checking out cute guys—except her best friend is a
Guardian Angel, and the boy she crushes on is a Nephilim, half-angel, both sent to Earth to protect her. A high school classmate happens to be
a trendsetting shopaholic fairy. And now there’s a new werewolf in town.

Zoe has to deal with her feelings toward Shay, who spreads a strange electrical current through her body every time he touches her. Now Zoe is
under constant attack from demons, trying to kill and stop her from fulfilling the Prophecy: a girl will be born who will unite the Enlightens
to battle evil. Then on top of that, between boring homework and drama with girls at school, she has to control new found talents if she’s to
prevent the devil from escaping Hell.

In order to do so, Zoe must devise a kick-ass plan ASAP or watch everyone die, because she’s running out of time. She turns eighteen in two
months—the date Armageddon kicks off.

What really stood out to this reviewer was how fast the action turned up in the story. Within a few pages the reader is introduced to three of
the main characters, is thrown into a high-octane, life or death situation, and introduces a heated new romance. The characters themselves, mainly
the protagonist Zoe, shows a tremendous amount of character growth through the novel. She goes from a naive, love-struck teenage girl to a
strong, powerful woman, and through the story’s plot she more than proves herself worthy of being this series protagonist. The sheer volume of
mythology showcased in this first book is amazing, and the vast amount of different supernatural entities in this series is sure to remind a lot
of readers of the Shadowhunter sage written by the incredible Cassandra Clare.

Overall, this is a phenomenal first entry in the Enlighten series by Kristin D. Van Risseghem. It maintains the quality writing the YA genre has
come to know and love over the last few years, and the abundance of creativity is felt in every sentence by the author. It’s filled with commonplace
teenage drama, while incorporating the supernatural realm in a very real and natural way. This is a must read for YA fans out there, so be sure
to pick up your copies of “The Guardian, a Sword, & Stilettos” today!