The Second Guard

Second Guard #1

by J.D. Vaughn

In the peaceful realm of Tequende, all second-born children at the age of fifteen must journey to the Alcazar to fulfill the mandate of the Oath of Guilds. There they train to earn a place among the Queen’s guard, or work as indentured servants.

For Sun Guilder Talimendra of the Magda River Traders, joining the Second Guard will not only bring honor to her family, it will be a chance to uphold her mother’s legacy. A lot of blood, sweat, and tears will be spent to bear the weight of this prestigious title, and Tali is prepared to make that sacrifice even as she competes against hundreds of other pledges.

But her loyalty will be tested when she uncovers a secret that could drag Tequende into all-out war.

The enemy is close.

With very little time and too many unanswered questions, Tali must trust her instincts—even if it means betraying the very guard she’s fighting to join.

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Middle Grade, Adventure, Fiction, Action, Teen

432 pages, Hardcover

First published March 15, 2016

About the author

By the time Julia Durango started Kindergarten she was an avid reader and has been ever since. She attended the University of Illinois where she received degrees in Latin American Studies and Political Science. In addition to writing children's books she is a school librarian and member of the Three Silly Chicks. Julia received the Golden Kite Award for SEA OF THE DEAD and currently lives in Ottawa, Illinois with her family. Visit www.juliadurangobooks.blogspot.com/ to learn more.

Tracie Vaughn Zimmer graduated from The Ohio State University and attained her master's degree at Miami. Tracie writes in a variety of genres from historical fiction to poetry. She has received critical acclaim and the Schneider Family Book Award for her work, REACHING FOR THE SUN. She teaches at her alma mater in the Lakota Local School district near Cincinnati, Ohio. Yu can visit www.tracievaughnzimmer.com to learn more.

Reviews

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was absolutely fabulous!! Completely loved the world, parallel to ours, taking place in what I imagine would be an Incan/Mayan area and time. I loved the diversity. It wasn't shoved down your throat, but a natural part of the world. I also LOVED that despite the female MC having two male friends, they weren't a love triangle at all. It was true, solid friendship for all of them.

The ONLY quibble I have with this book, causing it to be four stars and not five, is it falls prey to the "Harry Potter trope" of the adults know what is going on, but won't tell the youth because they are only kids and need to be protected from bad things. This, of course, causes the MC to make some really poor decisions, because she didn't have all of the information present to make the right one. That just burns my grits!

So yeah, only four stars. BUT I so incredibly want to read the next one in the series. This is a keeper for me. If the series continues to go just as strongly as this first book, then I think we will have a winner! I highly recommend this book, but for more mature middle readers on up, due to the violence in it. It isn't overly graphic, but sometimes I think leaving it up to the imagination can be worse than spelling it out! Depends on the imagination of the reader I guess. If you're a reader though, I'm betting your imagination is pretty darn good.

So yes, great book, I recommend it for just about everybody. I loved the world and the characters and I loved the way the characters are trying to get past their prejudices of each of the different guild groups. It's a very well crafted book. Go get it! :)

My thanks to NetGalley and Disney Book Group Hyperion for an eARC copy of this book to read and review.

[Lorryn · Rating 3 out of 5]

For more than half of the book I was so bored and uninterested then the fighting happened and things picked up and then I was uninterested again. This is probably the only book I've read in a while that has 0 love interest in it. I kind of missed it.

[Liviania · Rating 4 out of 5]

In Tequende, all second-born children join the guard when they turn fifteen. Some will end up serving out their term as servants if they aren't suited, but Talimendra has always dreamed of becoming a guard, unlike her twin sister. The training school, however, isn't quite what she expects. She especially finds herself putting her foot in it when it comes to relating to kids from the other guilds. (Tali is of the Sun Guild, the merchant guild.) She still manages to make friends with Zarif (Moon Guild) and Chey (Earth Guild).

J.D. Vaughn is actually two authors: Julia Durango and Tracie Zimmer. They've created a strong start to a series in THE SECOND GUARD. Each guild has its own culture, and the clashes between them end up showing Tali how alike all the people are more than how different. She struggles both to overcome her prejudices and to figure out why the people are kept so segregated. At the beginning of the novel, Tali is very trusting that her world is just as it appears to be. But as her world grows bigger, so do her suspicsions. Tali, Zarif, Chey, and a fourth, servant friend soon realize that an official in the academy is disloyal to the crown, and start spying to figure out who.

THE SECOND GUARD is on the younger side of YA; aside from the length, there's not much separating it from a middle grade novel. I expect many readers of all ages will be excited by a fantasy that's light on the romance. (Although Tali does muse about how beauteous one of her instructors is.) Other readers will be excited that the worldbuilding is influenced by South American history instead of European.

The focus on the mutiny provides THE SECOND GUARD with a strong plot while seeding the ground for future entries in the series. Tali might stay loyal, but she's beginning to see that much of how the country is ruled needs to change. The queen's heir might bring that change, but is it enough to rely on her? Where should change start? Vaughn makes it clear that they've only started to explore the world of Tequende and the hostile countries that surround it.

If you're looking for an adventure full of culture clashes, surreptitious communication and travel, and a battle for the control of a country, then pick up THE SECOND GUARD. Even though it is the start to a series, it stands fine on its own.

[Tiz. T. · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very interesting tale set in a peculiar World...

This is a middle-school age book, but it is not a children book only. The Worldbuilding is carefully constructed, pleasant and far more logical than 90% of fantasy or dystopia for adults or young adult in the market today, a Worldbuilding loosely based on pre-Colombian South America, which set it up a notch in my book, for I had never read a book with that premise, and it is saying something. Kudos to them.

The main characters are well portrayed and rounded people. There is no romance, which I always appreciate.

The plot is rather predictable, but it has a nice twist I hadn't seen coming, so kudos.

An interesting series to look forward, indeed, and a very good book for a child who enojoys fantasy.

[M · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked it much more than I thought I would. It was nice that there wasn't really any romance. The plot is what drove the book but I'm hoping for a relationship in the next one.

[Beatrice · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very enjoyable read, with a good plot and likable characters. I liked the idea of this peaceful queendom (which sounded to me like it could easily have been in Latin America, so YAY for diversity) where all families are required to contribute to the keeping of the peace by sending their second-born sons and daughters to train as soldiers and serve in the renowned Second Guard, or spend some years as servants should they fail their training. I found that the author did a pretty good job of building up this fantastical world, which resembles ours so much, and yet is so different at the same time. I had a bit of trouble keeping up with all the names and the system of Guilds at the beginning, but I quickly got my head around that. I loved the idea of putting extracts from a book on the history and culture of the queendom between the various chapters: it made things much easier to understand, without slowing down the story with a lot of explanations and history lessons.

I also really liked all the characters, particularly the MC, Tali. She was so determined to get where she wanted to, and to do what she thought was the right thing! I loved the fact that she had to fight to get to where she wanted, and she made lots of mistakes throughout due to major flaws in her personality. To me, she felt a lot more like a real teenager than kids in fantasy novels usually do. And I really liked the fact that even the secondary characters had a big role to play, and I did like to read about them just as much as I liked reading about Tali. The only thing I wasn't too keen on character-wise was the fact that, sometimes, Tali and her friends didn't actually feel like 15-year-olds to me. At times, they just talked and behaved as if they were a lot older, and then went right back to behaving like normal kids. Luckily, that didn't happen too often, so it didn't really affect my enjoyment of the book.

Of course, I was waaaay out of the suggested age-range for this one, so I wasn't actually all that surprised by some of the twists in the plot, but I ended up really liking the book regardless. My major issue with this title was the fact that I found the middle section to be really slow compared to the rest of the book, since a lot of time is devoted to describing the training all the kids go through before they can become members of the Second Guard. Of course, that's just me and this was an important part of the novel, but still I wonder if maybe that section could have been made a little shorter than it was. Overall, this is a very pleasant MG novel, that will likely appeal to readers outside that age range too. I will definitely look out for the next books in the series!

Originally published on Book For Thought.

[Jenny · Rating 2 out of 5]

At the age of fifteen all second-born children in the realm of Tequende must either become indentured servants or compete to become soldiers in the Second Guard, an army that for generations has held off neighboring warring states. Talimendra has anticipated this moment all her life, determined to pay homage to her deceased mother who also served in the Second Guard. While she does try to uncover a conspiracy among the guards, the focus of the story remains on her grueling training and on her developing friendships with two fellow pledges. The premise was strong and the characterization of Tali was effective—she is a good warrior and a leader—but the reader will be as much in the dark as Tali. So much information about the conspiracy is withheld that it is difficult for readers to connect emotionally to the characters’ plight. However the diverse world based in medieval Mesoamerica is a welcome departure from the usual European fantasy setting. Overall a suitable choice for libraries that need more middle grade fantasy series with strong female leads.

[Choco · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was really good, I really liked how close everyone was to each other, which includes Tali, Chey, and Zariff. Their friendship has grown and they have braved many battles, not just mental/y but physically.

[Briana · Rating 2 out of 5]

Source: Netgalley

I love a good story about teens training to be knights, especially stories about girls training to be knights and having to overcome the obstacles presented by their small size, lack of proper preparation, or institutional sexism. Tamora Pierce’s Song of the Lioness Quartet was among my favorite books when I was in middle school, and I hoped to relive some of the magic, in a new fantasy realm, by reading J. D. Vaughn. Unfortunately, I was disappointed by poor writing and flimsy world-building.

Admittedly, The Second Guard tries to offer readers a complex world, but too many elements pillaged from too many other fantasy worlds makes Tali’s social system a bit of a mess. First, there are Guilds. Each person worships either the sun, the moon, or the earth and wears Guild-appropriate clothing and has a Guild-appropriate job. This, however, means there is also something of a caste system; the other Guilds look down on the Earth Guild for doing the nation’s manual labor. Then, there is also something going on with a Far World and a Nigh World (vaguely akin to our world’s New and Old Worlds and the Age of Exploration). Plus, Tali’s world is sort of based on our world because there’s a place called Araby and people speak Spanish and so forth, but the exact relationship isn’t clear. Suffice it to say, I spent a lot of the novel confused by how this world is supposed to be built.

The presence of the Guilds also led to some awkward stereotyping problems. There’s a pretty clear moral lesson presented in the Second Guard; you shouldn’t judge people by their Guild, shouldn’t use Guild slurs, shouldn’t assume all people in a Guild are stupid, lazy, arrogant, etc. The characters who do these things are clearly the novel’s bullies, and clearly wrong for their bigotry. However, Tali (and the narrator?) also generalize/stereotype Guilds. They observe that ALL Moon Guilders are elegant, diplomatic, and well-read. They note that ALL Earth Guilders are steady, “rooted,” and good with animals. So the message seems to be that you are allowed to homogenize a group as long as you’re saying nice things about them, not mean ones.

The Second Guard’s greatest accomplishment, then, is its ability to build strong character relationships. Sure, Tali and her trainee friends all speak to each other in perpetually formal dialogue that sounds more awkwardly stilted than naturally polite, but they do eventually develop a wonderful rapport. Tali also has a strong relationship with her father and her twin sister, which is quite beautiful to see. Add to that a delightful and protective packhound, as well as an immensely bouncy jabbering boy, and The Second Guard has a great cast of characters.

In the end, however, these characters could not save the book for me. Beyond the baffling world-building and contradictory moral messages, the plot is slow-paced and predictable. The major plot twist? I called it from the beginning of the novel. Perhaps the intended audience, readers decently younger than I am, would not, but that is not something I can accurately predict. So, while I wanted to like The Second Guard and would probably try another novel by J. D. Vaughn, I was ultimately disappointed.

[Online Eccentric Librarian · Rating 4 out of 5]

More reviews (and no fluff) on the blog http://surrealtalvi.wordpress.com/

The Second Guard is a solidly written late middle grade alternate universe fantasy drawing upon both Spanish and pre-columbian cultures. The mixture creates a very unique and striking world into which we have politics, betrayal, and the strength of friendships. The characters are earnest and the author spent considerable effort to create a very vivid and well-drawn world (read: it's logical and coherent).

Story: In the City of Tequende, their peace in a continent fraught with continual war is earned through mandatory servitude of the second child of every family. Tali is on her way to join the army on her 15th birthday. Along the way, she befriends two boys also traveling to the capitol for their service. The three, though from different faiths and cultures, will soon become embroiled in the politics of Tequende as betrayals and scheming endanger both their families and their own lives.

The world building is quite distinct in The Second Guard. Using continental politics and setting the story in a pseudo-Spain - but then culturally overlaying the nature-mysticism of pre-columbian America makes for a fascinating mix. The religions of our three main characters dictate a lot of their perspective - from the studious moon sect, to the outgoing sunfolk and the grounded workforce of the lower caste in the Earth worshippers. As well, we have a Moorish transplant, a gypsy, and a nobleman. Each has talents and advantages that will help our main characters navigate Tequende and stay alive.

The book is very straightforward and info-dumps about the densely plotted world are limited to a few brief paragraphs introducing each chapter. They can be skipped but I felt they added quite a bit to the story. The book is a deceptively easy read - there's a lot packed into each chapter but author Vaughn has deftly woven action around the dialogue to keep young and older readers invested.

If I had one quibble, it would be that everyone is drearily earnest and comic relief was hard to find. Tali and her friends are quite serious nearly all the time and the book really could have used some off beat characters to lighten the tone (e.g., a Hagrid to the Harry Potter). There is a quirky professor but he's more a Dumbledore than a Hagrid.

The strength of this book is a very logical but fascinating world that for once, eschews the over-trodden English medieval fantasy trope. It was a pleasure to delve into this world and discover the twists at the end.

Reviewed from an advance reader copy provided by the publisher.

[Marisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great read. The author has cleverly combined aspects of Spanish, South American and medieval culture into a unique and intriguing world rich with history and depth. The blend of cultures and distinctive aspects of the world had me thinking about it long after I finished the book. I particularly enjoyed the history lessons at the beginning of the chapters. This would be a fantastic read for young adults and fantasy fans.

Tali is a fantastic main character who grows a lot throughout the book. She is forced to confront uncomfortable truths and learn to changer her ways of thinking. I did not see the twist coming at the end and it knocked my socks off! It definitely kept me from feeling like the book was predictable. This is a series I will look forward to continuing – it seems like the adventure is just beginning!

Warning: Contains violence

Who should read it? Young adults, fantasy fans and people who enjoy books like “Alanna”, “Chosen” etc. I’m looking at you Melissa!

Please note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange of an honest review courtesy of the publisher.

See all my reviews and more at www.ReadingToDistraction.com or @Read2Distract

[Anya]

I really enjoyed the beginning of this book but by 50% it devolved into pretty typical middle grade with simplistic friendships and no longer compelling writing. Also each chapter has an excerpt from a history of the nation that is just an info dump and on my kindle was grey and nearly unreadable.... Good for younger readers but not adults who enjoy clever middle grade.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVED IT!!! I had no idea when I picked this book up that it is the first in a series, I thought it was a stand-alone, and it works great by itself. I would like to read more about this world and the characters. This will definitely be one I recommend.

[Winterstar · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story moves along at a good pace and the characters are engaging enough to be sympathetic and interesting. The world is slowly built up which both worked for and against the book as it was almost too slow, so the reader could be a bit lost at times. The idea of the world and its history is interesting and the culture becomes more fleshed out as the book continues. Some of the training bits of the book was a bit draggy but there was enough action an pinches of intrigue to pull the reader along.

Most of the characters become fleshed out some, but some them remain a little static or unmemorable, even ones that are supposed to be and even one that becomes important toward the end. In parts the scenery description seems to be lacking for a good visualization of the setting and sometimes the flow of time can be slightly uncertain. The plot had several bits of intrigue, but I think some of it was a bit lost on the reader due to the unfamiliarity with the characters/because some of the absent/present characters are not as well fleshed out as others. The plot intrigue I think could've benefited a bit from more screen time/character focus on the minor, but important plot characters. But overall the read was entertaining.

[Arshi B · Rating 4 out of 5]

My fav world building book is the second guard! I found the hidden gem in the free books cart at the library. It's plot is bit confusing at times, and it's hard to see how the main character puzzles into it. However, it's still an amazing read. The way the author writes settings is absolutely gorgeous, and I loved the side characters.

MC, Tali, is absolutely charming and the way she manages to make friends is absolutely adorable imo. I loved hiw the history and lore was written for the book. It takes place in Central America or South America. It's never specific, however, you still get the sense of when it was (with little paragraph that perfectly transfers into the writing). I love how it added real historical bits, such as mentions of old world, Spanish descendents as well as Arabic descendents. 8/10 imo

[Sam · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a Disney Hyperion press book, and although I stand by my judgment of some other works, I will say that this one does much to redeem my perception of the brand. The Second Guard is beautifully written, well-plotted, full of three-dimensional characters, and overall quite richly imagined. And the editing? On point.
The story is an alternate history of what seems to be Mexico and/or Latin America, although here it is known as Tequende or the Nigh/Near World; this Nigh World is peaceful, full of culture and light; it has never known war, and is governed exclusively by queens. The Far World (our Old World), containing regions such as Castille and Araby, is a place of war and greed, famine and disaster. The inhabitants of Tequende are almost exclusively descended from those who fled persecution or war in their home lands, and they are largely artists, scholars, and craft or tradesmen.
The Tequendians seem to all follow the same religion, just different sects; consequently, there is no squabbling over faith. There are three gods – sun, moon, and earth. The gods are equal but different, and earth is the mother of both the sun and the moon. The guild in which your family operates determines your patron god (or perhaps your god determines your guild – chicken or egg?). Farmers and miners are earth guilders, scholars and artists are moon guilders, and traders and merchants are sun guilders. Name, dress, customs and manners, and which parts of religious legends you tell are all dependent on your guild. The only place guilds do not matter is in the Second Guard.
The Second Guard is the nation’s fighting force, comprised of the second-born children of the realm’s families. These children are expected, at the age of fifteen, to offer themselves voluntarily to the nation for several years of guard duty, protecting queen and country from hypothetical invaders. Those who are unfit for or who simply wish to avoid military service may choose to be servants of the court; their term of service is longer than the soldiers’, but they will never see combat. Until the beginning of the book, it seems that most of the guard themselves have never seen combat, either; they exist purely for intimidation purposes, and they are effective.
Despite this, the training the soldiers receive is comprehensive and brutal, and spots in the guard are highly coveted and prized. It is an immense honor to be a solider of Tequende.
All… of this and we haven’t even begun to discuss the “main” story, but all of that is critical to understanding motive and significance of characters’ words and actions throughout the story. Vaughn provides readers this richly detailed history and depiction of his imaginary country in snippets throughout the book, so that the main plot (primarily about a sun guild girl named Tali engaging in Second Guard training as her mother did before her), already rife with political intrigue, lively descriptions of combat training, relevant scenarios of teenagers making friends in a new “school” and learning the ways and rules of a new environment, becomes just that much more engaging and dramatic.
Tali quickly makes friends with two boys, one from each of the other guilds (diversity); she also makes an enemy from her own guild. The trio are well-developed; each teen has believable flaws and strengths, and these help and hinder them throughout the story. The friends balance one another and protect each other; they also learn from each other. Predictably, Tali, Chey, and Zarif all excel at at least one component of their guard training, and end up competing in the most prestigious competition in the land, in which they fight against real guards instead of their contemporary pledges. They don’t win, but they enjoy themselves nonetheless.
Even if the storyline seems a little obvious at times, it is well worth reading. Middle graders who enjoyed Riordan’s Kane Chronicles or Armstrong’s Blackwell Pages will be able to access it because of the writing style (which, I must point out, retains a consistency in formality of language that matches the vibe of the setting – always refreshing and worth noting), and older teens who’ve read Armstrong’s Age of Legends or those who liked Lloyd Alexander’s Book of Three once upon a time and/or who like historical fiction will enjoy it as well.. there’s even something there for those who are looking for romance. The novel rests right on the line between juvenile and young adult, which means more mature teens who are looking for darker mystery or heavier love scenes might be disappointed, and younger readers might be a little thrown by some of the more serious content, such as deception, gruesome battles, and the deaths of beloved characters. However. There is so much to be said for a solid plotline and well-written characters; this book is just good. It will appeal to a wide range of readers, it’s an archetypal story so it resounds with readers’ basic humanity, and it’s clever and imaginative. There isn’t enough speculative fiction about the ancient Latin American peoples, and I, for one, am glad to see a solid example hit the shelves.

[Camden Rudd · Rating 4 out of 5]

*Spoilers* This book was brilliant! It was a very good mix of both a fantasy world with made up kingdoms as well as real world factors of old world history like war and religion. It told the story of a girl named Talimendra "Tali" for short and how in her kingdom second born child like herself are trained from the age of 15 child from across the kingdom "Tequende" Must spend years of service as either warriors or servants from anywhere between 4-6 years before having "proved" their loyalty to The kingdom. Talimendra and her fellow warriors Zairf and Chey while excited from the start hear horrible rumors going around in the higher ups of the kingdom which soon turn their views of their peaceful and Beloved Nation into something much more gruesome. I rate this book a 4 out of 5 for the tension that always is there even if nothing much is happening.
I highly recommend this book if you don't mind scenes of violence but love descriptive use of imagery especially when describing diner, food and festivals.

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don’t know how to rate this.

The idea was interesting. I felt like the raw material was good. The setting and world building were interesting. It was a nice lite read.

The writing was not awesome. It just felt flat. I know it was probably written for middle readers, but that doesn’t mean the characters can’t be well developed.

🤷🏼‍♀️

I would read the sequel. But I’m not going to go out of my way.

[Dr.Given · Rating 4 out of 5]

I met one of the authors through a graduate course for gifted education and she was kind enough to give me a copy. What an amazing read! Full of adventure with a female protagonist and a rich plot - much to enjoy throughout. I'm just glad to know that she and her writing partner have a second book published that I can't wait to read next!

[Chin-Ning Chong · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quite an interesting story, curious cast and I like the worldbuilding! I'm not very fond of Tali and her brash mouth but there was character growth throughout the story so I can appreciate that and appreciate that she has learnt something in her experiences. No stupid romance and blubbering over love and whatnot, so that definitely made this more enjoyable.

[Maria · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another middle-grade fantasy that I could reread over and over again! This one is so much fun. Nuanced enough that it actually reads better than most YA fantasy novels but also simple enough that younger readers will still enjoy it.

The characterization is truly good as well as the very subtle but undeniable romance. Tali is such a good character and so much fun to read about, and all the other characters are interesting and compelling, especially Jaden.

[Christinalovesreading · Rating 3 out of 5]

twice I put it down forever, but kept at it out of curiosity. NOT enough action for me, but I did like the "realm" and plot.. The characters that showed up later were very interesting... I just wish more actually "happened" before 70 percent of the book had passed.

[Madison · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! I read it awhile ago, but have passed it on to many friends and students. It is the riveting tale of a girl fighting for freedom and justice without really knowing it at times. If you're a fan of fantasy and YA, this novel will be a great read.

[Ryn Lewis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Surprisingly decent. Good for fans of Tamora Pierce, although not quite as well-crafted. Plot twist was decently done; characterization and worldbuilding was well done also. Some abruptness in plot and conclusion was rushed, but a good read that kept me engaged.

[Hafiza · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of my favorite tropes.
Common girl becomes a warrior guard and has forbidden crush on the Senior Guard/Trainer

[Marie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Terrible. Don't read it. Ever.

[ur mom · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really like this book!

The plot is good, the world is unique, and the characters are three-dimensional. I'm not going to go into great detail because I'm lazy, but I think this book is great!

[Delana Chalmers · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book and found I couldn't put it down, even years after buying the book!

[Jenna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super fast read. When I picked it up I would fly through it. Kinda sad the next book isn’t in Tali’s perspective but I’m interested in seeing how the story line progresses/ends.

[Nasira Gafur · Rating 5 out of 5]

Honestly one of my most favourite books since middle school! I've read it countless times and fall in love with the story all over again!