Island of Glass Concludes Nora Roberts’ Epic Guardians Trilogy

I picked up Island of Glass, book 3 in the Guardians series, having not read books one and two. I also picked it up not having read any fantasies by Nora Roberts before.
No matter.
I was sucked into the story and finished it in one night. Which is not to say I’d recommend reading this volume before reading Stars of Fortune and Bay of Sighs (reviewed here), the first two books.
I’m the kind of person who is happy to read a series out of order but, even so, it takes me time to parse who is who and what is what. That I could do this within ten pages speaks highly of Roberts’ writing skills, especially since this book begins with the arrival of our group via magic portal to a castle perched on an ocean cliff in Ireland. They’re fleeing a confrontation with, well, a mystical goddess.
More than anything, reading Island of Glass made me want to go back and read the first two books, and then re-read Island of Glass to see what nuances I was missing.

Essentially, the Guardians Trilogy is about three couples with varied powers and abilities, including a wizard, a seer, and a mermaid. Doyle, the hero of the third book, is an immortal warrior and Riley, an archeologist who is like a female Indiana Jones, is the heroine. But their story has been percolating for the first two books so what was in this final volume was more a culmination of their relationship than a full romantic story. They’ve already met, fought together, made friends together, and faced death together.
Aside: I’m a total sucker for world-weary repressed immortal warriors, so Doyle caught my attention immediately. Maybe it’s just as well I read this first because if I’d read them in order, I’d want more Doyle in each of the first two books. Yes, I’m that much of a sucker for this trope.
The couples already together have moments in the third book that are essential to their happily ever afters. In the finale, the party of six are in the last stage of their quest to take possession of the three “fallen” stars and return them to the Island of Glass in the title, attempting to overcome the goddess who has left the fold and only wants to destroy.

The fantasy is built around Irish mythology. As I noted above, it’s the first fantasy I’ve read from Roberts. I’m generally a fan of her romantic suspense novels and the J.D. Robb series, but apparently, I’ve been missing out because the worldbuilding is as sure here as in any regular fantasy novel. (And would probably serve as a good introduction to Nora Roberts for fantasy fans.) The magic is well-handled with specific rules, including the wizard/mage’s power, the seer who glimpses the future, and the curse placed on the immortal warrior. Also, I loved the mermaid but I may also be a sucker for an “outsider who knows little of human civilization.”
Each of the six main characters has their own strengths and weaknesses and while they’re paired off, they also have meaningful if platonic relationships with each other as well. So often in ensemble novels, paired-off characters are on their own islands, only interacting with their romantic partners, but this group has bonds that cross every which way.
In short, the six are a cohesive team, and Island of Glass provides both them and the Guardians Trilogy with a satisfying ending.
Island of Glass is on B&N bookshelves now!