What a brilliant ending to this book, and this series!
Mind you, I'm as sad as can be for the series ending, but I always read the Author's Notes after every story, and have been reassured that Barnabas and the gang will be back again, so I'm extremely happy about that! 😁
I've actually - probably - got the new Barnabas series written by them (I'm reading their books around two years after they were first written, as I only discovered them at the beginning of 2022) but, due to memory problems, can't think what it might be called, or where in TKU that it's placed - but I'm used to that, and so my life is always full of nice surprises when I come across things I've forgotten!
But, getting back to my review of this particular book, Protector kept me enthralled from start to finish, and I loved that it ended on a promise of more things to come, especially in the relationships stakes.
It was such fun to read of an embarrassed Barnabas! He was adorable. I imagine the whole team will have a lot of fun teasing him, too! Lol
But the plot line of this book wasn't all light and breezy. There were some really serious issues throughout both this book, and the whole series, and I loved the way that it was dealt with by both Natalie Grey, and Michael Anderle.
All I can say, is that I'm glad that I bought everything published, so far, by both authors, as they are awesome writers, and I want more of that.
The characters in both book, and series are, like any beings: complicated.
As with everyone I know, there are things kept hidden, and things you might not expect, that the people you think you know have kept deep inside themselves.
It's reading all of this, about all of those written in this book, that kept my attention latched on to them. It made me want to know more about each of them, to know their back stories, and to watch as life, and deliberate conflict, changed them all - some for the worse, and some the better!
I've never understood why some people look down on SciFi, or fantasy, books. If they are as well written as these so obviously are, then you can explore all of life's lessons while tucked up, reading them.
They might take place in space, or strange planets. There might be strange, or complex, civilisations to deal with, or ideas that you might not have come across in your life before but, no matter how strange the places, and the people's inhabiting them, in the end, they are just like you and I, wanting to live a decent life, and to thrive without hurting others.
To be able to get all of this, by opening the pages of a book - whether of the printed kind, or by eBook - is an amazing, and sometimes humbling, thing to me.
We are so very lucky in our society, to have such instant access to the written word, and if it entertains us, or even educates us at the same time, as these books often have, then what a blessing that is for us all!