What do you think?
Rate this book
The Star Child #3.5
The Last Protector
Gabriel Stewart helped his best friend Kellen St. James save the world from The Scourge in the Battle of Dublin. But before that? Gabe was just an ordinary guy who kept having dreams about a little boy with black hair and green eyes—a boy he hadn’t even met yet.
And even weirder? Gabe’s mind kept replaying these images on loop of things he’d never seen. He heard voices in his head when no one was around. And he actually blew off hot Valerie Gibbons to chase after the black-haired kid in the park. What was up with that?
As Gabe searches for the truth, fate continually puts him in Kellen’s path, but will he be able to stop the Children of Danu from stealing Kellen before the battle begins? What will it take for Gabe to become The Last Protector?
*The Last Protector is a companion novella--intended to be read after the other books in the series.
And even weirder? Gabe’s mind kept replaying these images on loop of things he’d never seen. He heard voices in his head when no one was around. And he actually blew off hot Valerie Gibbons to chase after the black-haired kid in the park. What was up with that?
As Gabe searches for the truth, fate continually puts him in Kellen’s path, but will he be able to stop the Children of Danu from stealing Kellen before the battle begins? What will it take for Gabe to become The Last Protector?
*The Last Protector is a companion novella--intended to be read after the other books in the series.
- GenresFantasy
ebook
First published December 1, 2014
About the author
Stephanie Keyes
17 books170 followersAuthor Stephanie Keyes is a geek, a dreamer, and a hopeless romantic who writes books ranging from young adult fantasy to adult contemporary romance. Keyes won the RONE Award for Best YA Book of 2019 and took 2nd place in the Romance Writers of America Athena Awards For Excellence in NA & YA Fiction for The Spellbinder’s Sonata. As a romance author, she was a finalist in the 2018 International Book Awards for her debut romance, The Internship of Pippa Darling.
Keyes is a technical writer, teacher, and speaker. She lives in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania with her husband, two boys, and fashion-conscious dog, Duncan MacLeod. Steph is a hopeless romantic and Whovian who’s shamelessly addicted to Nutella.
Keyes is a technical writer, teacher, and speaker. She lives in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania with her husband, two boys, and fashion-conscious dog, Duncan MacLeod. Steph is a hopeless romantic and Whovian who’s shamelessly addicted to Nutella.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
December 16, 2014
I was so so excited when I heard Steph was writing a novella based on Gabe - he was always one of my favourite characters from The Star Child series, I was thrilled to see in the second book him having more of a leading role and even more so in the third so to have a whole novella from his point of view was really exciting! Being a companion novella, this story will really only make sense if you have read The Star Child series first but I guarantee if you love Gabe, you'll love this.
Gabe was always a favourite of mine because of his tone of voice and the humour and lightness he brought to an otherwise quite dark and intense storyline. I think all stories need that one person and in this one it was Gabe. The Star Child series is far from your ordinary day-to-day life but Gabe's wit and jokes and general "normalness" brings you back to Earth and makes you realise that these characters are still somewhat human after all. In The Last Protector, Steph doesn't stray from that very distinct voice that we all came to know and love and it was really eye-opening to see how far back Gabe's story actually does start - which you don't find out much about in the actual series. It's like a whole new story there, a whole new set of adventure that we didn't even know about that was kept completely secret.
As I've said about the previous three books, the thought and time and imagination that goes into this stories is phenomenal and I have so much love for all the characters and the story and for Steph for being such an awesome author! In all honesty, I think The Last Protector could have been longer - it wouldn't have changed how good it was and I think, Steph take the hint, that it could have easily been translated to a full-length novel. I would love to have heard literally the whole story but only from Gabe's point of view. I'm so glad Steph decided to write this and I can't wait to see what she comes out with next. She's got a lot to top but I have absolutely no doubt that it will be just as awesome.
Gabe was always a favourite of mine because of his tone of voice and the humour and lightness he brought to an otherwise quite dark and intense storyline. I think all stories need that one person and in this one it was Gabe. The Star Child series is far from your ordinary day-to-day life but Gabe's wit and jokes and general "normalness" brings you back to Earth and makes you realise that these characters are still somewhat human after all. In The Last Protector, Steph doesn't stray from that very distinct voice that we all came to know and love and it was really eye-opening to see how far back Gabe's story actually does start - which you don't find out much about in the actual series. It's like a whole new story there, a whole new set of adventure that we didn't even know about that was kept completely secret.
As I've said about the previous three books, the thought and time and imagination that goes into this stories is phenomenal and I have so much love for all the characters and the story and for Steph for being such an awesome author! In all honesty, I think The Last Protector could have been longer - it wouldn't have changed how good it was and I think, Steph take the hint, that it could have easily been translated to a full-length novel. I would love to have heard literally the whole story but only from Gabe's point of view. I'm so glad Steph decided to write this and I can't wait to see what she comes out with next. She's got a lot to top but I have absolutely no doubt that it will be just as awesome.
January 6, 2015
Gabe is an ordinary kid. The only difference is that he is not really a human boy. He is special. He is meant to protect. Gabe doesn’t know any of this. He doesn’t even know he’s special. That is until he begins having strange dreams and an inconvenient impulse to find this one boy. At first he thinks he must be gay because of this, but when he talks to his mother about this he soon forgets all that has happened. This cycle continues until he finally meets Kellen in college. Where their journey finally coincides and it begins.
I really loved this prequel. Gabe is one of my favorite characters and I was ecstatic to get my greedy little hands on this. This book really fills in some of the back story with Gabe. You get to see how Gabe comes into his powers as a protector and how he instinctually knows who Kellen is. I will say this though my favorite parts were when Gabe kept thinking he was gay. What was comical about this was he would go into detail about being with these girls but then he thought something was wrong cause he was thinking about Kellen. In typical Gabe fashion he says and does most of this humorously. Knowing what I now know about Gabe it made me feel a bit sorry for him because his memories kept being wiped and he’d relive these experiences over and over. Overall, this was another great addition to The Star Child series. I truly can’t wait to see what Stephanie Keyes has in store for us next.
I really loved this prequel. Gabe is one of my favorite characters and I was ecstatic to get my greedy little hands on this. This book really fills in some of the back story with Gabe. You get to see how Gabe comes into his powers as a protector and how he instinctually knows who Kellen is. I will say this though my favorite parts were when Gabe kept thinking he was gay. What was comical about this was he would go into detail about being with these girls but then he thought something was wrong cause he was thinking about Kellen. In typical Gabe fashion he says and does most of this humorously. Knowing what I now know about Gabe it made me feel a bit sorry for him because his memories kept being wiped and he’d relive these experiences over and over. Overall, this was another great addition to The Star Child series. I truly can’t wait to see what Stephanie Keyes has in store for us next.
December 20, 2014
Review originally posted on Comet Babe's Books.
I would like to thank Jenny Marsden and Stephanie Keyes for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.
At the beginning of this book a baby is being given to his sister to look after, she knows of his significance and vows to look after him, that baby is Gabe.
In the book we follow Gabe as he grows up and into encounters he is to forget but at the bottom of it he is drawn to Kellen St James, the boy he is to protect.
This is an insightful look at Gabe's life before The Star Catcher series of books and I devoured it in less than a couple of hours. At time Gabe doubts himself even thinking he is going mad his mind playing tricks on him and he begins to think he is gay after some of episodes, especially when he blows off a hot date.
Gabe is one of my favourite characters so when I heard Stephanie was writing his story I couldn't wait to read it, it's action packed but in a different way to The Star Catcher series but none the less a great read.
I would like to thank Jenny Marsden and Stephanie Keyes for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.
At the beginning of this book a baby is being given to his sister to look after, she knows of his significance and vows to look after him, that baby is Gabe.
In the book we follow Gabe as he grows up and into encounters he is to forget but at the bottom of it he is drawn to Kellen St James, the boy he is to protect.
This is an insightful look at Gabe's life before The Star Catcher series of books and I devoured it in less than a couple of hours. At time Gabe doubts himself even thinking he is going mad his mind playing tricks on him and he begins to think he is gay after some of episodes, especially when he blows off a hot date.
Gabe is one of my favourite characters so when I heard Stephanie was writing his story I couldn't wait to read it, it's action packed but in a different way to The Star Catcher series but none the less a great read.
June 12, 2015
Gabe’s story will leave you clamouring to read The Star Child series!
What a superb idea to write a novella featuring Gabe (Gabrial) – and if you’re a fan of The Star Child series, as I am, then this is one to savour!
I read it in one sitting and it felt as if I was rediscovering this character. Keyes does a great job of telling his back story and in a way I’m glad that I read this after reading the series itself. It was like re-visiting an old friend, only to see them in a slightly different light. I wasn’t expecting Gabe’s initial reaction, as a boy, to be reluctance when he hears a voice that is pushing him to do something. He feels that if he obeys it then perhaps it will go away. There was a sense of vulnerability in that which rang true.
For those who haven’t yet read The Star Child books I think this will, undoubtedly, whet their appetite for more. Escape for a while and visit the world that Stephanie Keyes has created – you will love it!
What a superb idea to write a novella featuring Gabe (Gabrial) – and if you’re a fan of The Star Child series, as I am, then this is one to savour!
I read it in one sitting and it felt as if I was rediscovering this character. Keyes does a great job of telling his back story and in a way I’m glad that I read this after reading the series itself. It was like re-visiting an old friend, only to see them in a slightly different light. I wasn’t expecting Gabe’s initial reaction, as a boy, to be reluctance when he hears a voice that is pushing him to do something. He feels that if he obeys it then perhaps it will go away. There was a sense of vulnerability in that which rang true.
For those who haven’t yet read The Star Child books I think this will, undoubtedly, whet their appetite for more. Escape for a while and visit the world that Stephanie Keyes has created – you will love it!
January 28, 2015
(actual rating 4.5)
Posted originally http://www.reviewedthebook.co.uk/2014...
I’ve followed the entire The Star Child series by Stephanie Keyes, who has brought me some pretty immense fantasy novels with great world-building and strong characters. My favourite character along the way has been Gabe and so I was very excited to see him as the main character in The Last Protector. Stephanie Keyes never lets me down and The Last Protector provided the opportunity to hold on to this wonderful series for a little bit longer – and it did not disappoint. I’m not a huge fan of companion novels and novellas but I think Gabe’s character was one of the most deserving to be in one, and a chance to read more about Gabe was never going to be a bad thing. The Last Protector is another entertaining instalment to a fantastic series.
The book takes us briefly through the stages of Gabe’s life, when he’s learning more about who he is and being drawn to the mysterious Kellen St James. If you’re a fan of Gabe from the previous books, I think it’s impossible you won’t be a fan of this novella. It’s Gabe at his finest – with his sharp wit and his humour alongside that caring, loyal personality he has too. I loved learning a bit more about his background and the way this book is set out makes sure we get all the important stuff told in an easy-to-devour style. The Last Protector only made me love Gabe even more and though I thought the format of this book worked brilliantly, I also felt like I could just read about him for a lot longer. It was a joy to be able to discover more about him.
I love the journey this book takes us on and it doesn’t repeat or waste time going over things we already know – we’re simply allowed to explore the adventure Gabe goes on in more detail and it was told extremely well, as usual. The Last Protector is insightful and fascinating and another top piece of writing - I’ve called Stephanie Keyes my go-to fantasy author a few times before and she again hasn’t let me down. I was eager to see Gabe in his own book, and not only did she deliver that but in a companion novella which actually worked. Now as my last request, please can this series go on forever?!
*Book received in exchange for an honest review.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews