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2.9 AVERAGE
2.9 AVERAGE
This book seemed like a promising exploration of an interesting new fantasy world - with the idea of a mysterious 'seeker' and what that means. But I was sadly disappointed that this novel focused much more on the character drama and a hunt for the power of the seeker, than to really flesh out what everything means. I would have ideally loved this book if it had balanced those two aspects well, but I didn't really get a strong sense of the world, and only kept reading because I did feel interested in what would happen to the characters.
John, Quin and Shinobu make up the main character cast - if that makes you think there would be a love triangle - then you are right. Although there's really not much of a push and pull between the three since Quin sees Shinobu like the cousin he is (although he's a third cousin kinda?) I don't know that part was a bit confusing for me and I didn't like that aspect- I feel like the story could have easily just made Shinobu a close family friend and functioned the same without the rationalizations that he's related, but far enough removed to be okay to date. And John was an intriguingly flawed character at first, but I quickly became very frustrated with his many excuses and rationalizations. The story is also told through each of their POV's, with each chapter one of the character's POV. I'm not really a fan of multiple POV stories, but this book didn't make me dislike it as much as I normally would.
The story moves around a bit in time too - there are flashbacks in the middle, after a major event has occurred, which was an interesting way to tell the story. And a bit frustrating too, since I really wanted to know what happened next after the major event. If the purpose was to build suspense, I think I just felt more annoyed than anything, unfortunately. I was still invested enough in the story to want to know where it was going, and how the main conflict would be resolved. And the glimpse of Hong Kong was interesting to me as well - it was very vividly described, and I found it fascinating to see this darker side to a foreign city. I don't think that was enough to make me love this book though. It felt very lackluster overall, although the idea of the 'seeker' is promising, and I hope that the next book in the series will expound a bit more on that.
(I received this book from the publisher or author for a fair and honest review. I was not compensated for this review.)
John, Quin and Shinobu make up the main character cast - if that makes you think there would be a love triangle - then you are right. Although there's really not much of a push and pull between the three since Quin sees Shinobu like the cousin he is (although he's a third cousin kinda?) I don't know that part was a bit confusing for me and I didn't like that aspect- I feel like the story could have easily just made Shinobu a close family friend and functioned the same without the rationalizations that he's related, but far enough removed to be okay to date. And John was an intriguingly flawed character at first, but I quickly became very frustrated with his many excuses and rationalizations. The story is also told through each of their POV's, with each chapter one of the character's POV. I'm not really a fan of multiple POV stories, but this book didn't make me dislike it as much as I normally would.
The story moves around a bit in time too - there are flashbacks in the middle, after a major event has occurred, which was an interesting way to tell the story. And a bit frustrating too, since I really wanted to know what happened next after the major event. If the purpose was to build suspense, I think I just felt more annoyed than anything, unfortunately. I was still invested enough in the story to want to know where it was going, and how the main conflict would be resolved. And the glimpse of Hong Kong was interesting to me as well - it was very vividly described, and I found it fascinating to see this darker side to a foreign city. I don't think that was enough to make me love this book though. It felt very lackluster overall, although the idea of the 'seeker' is promising, and I hope that the next book in the series will expound a bit more on that.
(I received this book from the publisher or author for a fair and honest review. I was not compensated for this review.)
4 stars. This was more interesting than I thought it would be! Fantasy novels are pretty similar to each other - obviously, since they're the same genre - but this story felt very fresh to me. I really enjoyed it! It was darker than I expected it to be. Not super dark, but there wasn't much comic relief so it definitely read as a more serious book. It wasn't hard to read though! There was still some action and adrenaline-pumping scenes. My only complaints are how the world wasn't fully explained. I went into this expecting it to take place in a typical fantasy time period, you know when people wear tunics and stuff, and I was a bit surprised when TVs and steel doors were mentioned. Aircars and airlifts were never described in detail, so I also had a hard time picturing those. My final complaint would have to be the love triangle. It isn't that much of a love triangle compared to other YA books, but still enough to bother me. When will authors get the memo? Still, this was a solid YA fantasy book and I'll definitely read the sequel when it comes out!
There are some vague(?) plot spoilers in this review but I don’t think they’re very significant, so I’m not gonna edit it.
Essentially, the first few chapters keep building up to the same thing. The idea that “Seekers” aren’t what they seem.
The start of the book was rather dull. Love triangle, weirdly medieval system if cars do really appear later on in the book, and pretty generic characters as a whole.
But the mystery still showed promise. And so I stayed.
I saw the scene I’d been waiting for approach, slowly but steadily, the promise of a revelation, of finally knowing what the hell was happening, what the hell Seekers truly were. And so I waited and waited, rapping my fingers impatiently against the side of the book, holding out until the initiation scene.
“Finally,” I said to myself as I turned the page.
But there was nothing.
God, there was nothing.
I literally flipped back and forth multiple times, to make sure I wasn’t just imagining it, to make sure that there was true justification for my feelings of dissatisfaction.
I understand withholding information from your reader. But you can’t withhold emotion. Show me how Quin feels. Show me how the events of that day keep flashing through her mind, again and again. Her world has just fallen to pieces. Every single freaking thing she’s believed in has just been questioned. Show me how she feels! Don’t just tell me she’s been damned or whatever. Let her be in shock. Let her laugh hysterically and then collapse to the ground in grief. Let her do something.
I’m gonna assume based on context that they mind controlled her. In that case, what does it feel like to have your mind violated? What does it feel like to have those you’ve always trusted suddenly turn on you? You need to tell this to us, or we simply can’t sympathise with Quin. In fact, the lack of information whatsoever just makes us feel cheated.
Again, Quin’s vision of her own life has just shattered. This might be the most emotional she’s ever been. It might be the most emotional she’ll ever be.
Let us be there. Let us be there to see her at her lowest. If we aren’t allowed to empathise with her at her greatest moment of need, how can we hope to empathise or grow to like her at all?
I wasn’t able to continue reading after this.
Essentially, the first few chapters keep building up to the same thing. The idea that “Seekers” aren’t what they seem.
The start of the book was rather dull. Love triangle, weirdly medieval system if cars do really appear later on in the book, and pretty generic characters as a whole.
But the mystery still showed promise. And so I stayed.
I saw the scene I’d been waiting for approach, slowly but steadily, the promise of a revelation, of finally knowing what the hell was happening, what the hell Seekers truly were. And so I waited and waited, rapping my fingers impatiently against the side of the book, holding out until the initiation scene.
“Finally,” I said to myself as I turned the page.
But there was nothing.
God, there was nothing.
I literally flipped back and forth multiple times, to make sure I wasn’t just imagining it, to make sure that there was true justification for my feelings of dissatisfaction.
I understand withholding information from your reader. But you can’t withhold emotion. Show me how Quin feels. Show me how the events of that day keep flashing through her mind, again and again. Her world has just fallen to pieces. Every single freaking thing she’s believed in has just been questioned. Show me how she feels! Don’t just tell me she’s been damned or whatever. Let her be in shock. Let her laugh hysterically and then collapse to the ground in grief. Let her do something.
I’m gonna assume based on context that they mind controlled her. In that case, what does it feel like to have your mind violated? What does it feel like to have those you’ve always trusted suddenly turn on you? You need to tell this to us, or we simply can’t sympathise with Quin. In fact, the lack of information whatsoever just makes us feel cheated.
Again, Quin’s vision of her own life has just shattered. This might be the most emotional she’s ever been. It might be the most emotional she’ll ever be.
Let us be there. Let us be there to see her at her lowest. If we aren’t allowed to empathise with her at her greatest moment of need, how can we hope to empathise or grow to like her at all?
I wasn’t able to continue reading after this.
I was looking forward to reading this book because it was promoted as being like Hunger Games. Which is a really big thing. I saw some promise to this book but it seemed liked it needed to be developed more. The author did not do any justice by not explaining what a "seeker" is or what type of world the story took place in. So these details did not help in that I was trying to wrap my brain around the concept of this book. Then there is the matter of the characters. I don't know if the author wanted me to hate the characters or like them. Because I felt more like hate or indifference to them. I got to page 140 or chapter 20 and gave up. I was bored with the book. It seems I was not the only reader to feel this way either. There are many.
Oh man, where do I even start?
I think this is possibly one of the worst books I have ever read. Let's take this one at a time:
Worldbuilding - A poorly drawn map with little dots and labels isn't going to cut it if you do not take any extra time to explain the world. Characters were using modes of transportation or going places that were either never explained or explained after they had been used/gone to that location several times. Nothing was descriptive, and the world was completely unimaginative.
Characters - It has been a while since I have read a book where I do not fall in love or feel any sort of possessive feelings about any of the characters in a novel, but this is 0ne of the first times I have strongly disliked every single character despite the author's attempt to make them appeal to the readers. All of them had very little personality, and what personality that they did show throughout the novel was odd and poorly developed. Shinobu has this weird fascination with his cousin that he refuses to drop even though he recognizes that it is incest, Quin loses all of her memories with her only explanation being "the past is the past so I am just going to completely forget anyone and everything that I have done in the last decade of my life," and John is literally just a manipulative piece of crap that likes to peek under Quin's clothes when she is not all with it. Seriously, what a piece of garbage. Ew. Also, half of the titles were never explained or were glossed over quickly, and that is pretty important for a fantasy novel since things like "Dreads" are not common titles in real life.
Dialogue - I think I laughed every time someone spoke in the novel. The grammar in Seeker made every line of dialogue seem out of place and did not align with what little personality the characters had. Half of it added nothing to the development of the plot or characters, and it distracted more than anything else.
If you pick up this book and you do not like the beginning of it, do NOT try to push through like I did. You will be wasting your time; there are so many other interesting novels with better characters and worlds to read about. There is so much more I could write about this book, but I have already wasted enough of my time fixated on how awful it is. Trust me--it doesn't get better.
I think this is possibly one of the worst books I have ever read. Let's take this one at a time:
Worldbuilding - A poorly drawn map with little dots and labels isn't going to cut it if you do not take any extra time to explain the world. Characters were using modes of transportation or going places that were either never explained or explained after they had been used/gone to that location several times. Nothing was descriptive, and the world was completely unimaginative.
Characters - It has been a while since I have read a book where I do not fall in love or feel any sort of possessive feelings about any of the characters in a novel, but this is 0ne of the first times I have strongly disliked every single character despite the author's attempt to make them appeal to the readers. All of them had very little personality, and what personality that they did show throughout the novel was odd and poorly developed. Shinobu has this weird fascination with his cousin that he refuses to drop even though he recognizes that it is incest, Quin loses all of her memories with her only explanation being "the past is the past so I am just going to completely forget anyone and everything that I have done in the last decade of my life," and John is literally just a manipulative piece of crap that likes to peek under Quin's clothes when she is not all with it. Seriously, what a piece of garbage. Ew. Also, half of the titles were never explained or were glossed over quickly, and that is pretty important for a fantasy novel since things like "Dreads" are not common titles in real life.
Dialogue - I think I laughed every time someone spoke in the novel. The grammar in Seeker made every line of dialogue seem out of place and did not align with what little personality the characters had. Half of it added nothing to the development of the plot or characters, and it distracted more than anything else.
If you pick up this book and you do not like the beginning of it, do NOT try to push through like I did. You will be wasting your time; there are so many other interesting novels with better characters and worlds to read about. There is so much more I could write about this book, but I have already wasted enough of my time fixated on how awful it is. Trust me--it doesn't get better.
I am surprised how well this book is and also it is not YA. It is quite graphic and has some very adult content. I found myself invested quickly and trying to put all the pieces together. A new light came every time you turned the page. I am excited to read the second one of the series.
Thanks to Netgalley and Random House Children’s Publishers UK for giving me this book to review.
In Scotland, Quin has been training her entire life to become a Seeker along with her two closest friends. However, the night she takes her oath, she discovers that the Seekers are not at all that she had been told. With everything she has known be to not true, will she be able to trust anyone.
Seeker sounded really good but I just could not get into it and I had to stop reading at 35%. I was expecting a fantasy novel based on the description but it is not. While there is a lot of implied action, none of it happened in the book, and nothing is explained, especially a major point in the book.
Quin is unlike most 15 year olds as she is not really curious about her future and did everything her father wanted her to do. I just could not the characters of John and Shinobu, as all John wanted to do was restore his family honour and nothing else, and Shinobu is in love with his cousin (although distant) and I found it a bit creepy.
Seeker seems to be a bit of a Marmite book, you either love it or hate it.
This and my other reviews can be found at Amethyst Bookwyrm
In Scotland, Quin has been training her entire life to become a Seeker along with her two closest friends. However, the night she takes her oath, she discovers that the Seekers are not at all that she had been told. With everything she has known be to not true, will she be able to trust anyone.
Seeker sounded really good but I just could not get into it and I had to stop reading at 35%. I was expecting a fantasy novel based on the description but it is not. While there is a lot of implied action, none of it happened in the book, and nothing is explained, especially a major point in the book.
Quin is unlike most 15 year olds as she is not really curious about her future and did everything her father wanted her to do. I just could not the characters of John and Shinobu, as all John wanted to do was restore his family honour and nothing else, and Shinobu is in love with his cousin (although distant) and I found it a bit creepy.
Seeker seems to be a bit of a Marmite book, you either love it or hate it.
This and my other reviews can be found at Amethyst Bookwyrm
This book gets complicated fast- but only in the best possible way. You really have to be able to devote continuous reading time to be able to dive into this story.
That said, this story is a great one, filled with imaginative twists and turns that the reader never sees coming. Ultimately a story of how to deal with betrayal and survive when your whole world turns against you, the characters are interesting and deep and make you want to keep reading.
That said, this story is a great one, filled with imaginative twists and turns that the reader never sees coming. Ultimately a story of how to deal with betrayal and survive when your whole world turns against you, the characters are interesting and deep and make you want to keep reading.
DNF at 30 %
I have too many motives to quit reading. They range from unbelievable and cringe-worthy romance to a total lack of world building, along with little to none explications of terms. This book wasn't what I first expected it to be, and even managed to disappoint me on several levels. What could have been a great novel, turned out to be one I'd rather forget.
I have too many motives to quit reading. They range from unbelievable and cringe-worthy romance to a total lack of world building, along with little to none explications of terms. This book wasn't what I first expected it to be, and even managed to disappoint me on several levels. What could have been a great novel, turned out to be one I'd rather forget.
Review originally published on my blog: http://vanillamoonbooks.blogspot.ro/2015/01/review-seeker-seeker-1-by-arwen-elys.html
(e-book ARC received from NetGalley - this does not influence my review in any way)
Before I begin, let me just take a deep breath. I have a lot of mixed feelings about this book.
Did I enjoy reading it? Definitely! It was different than what I usually pick up when it comes to the Fantasy genre. And I did expect that. The blurb, not revealing too much information, clearly suggested it (or I simply had a good instinct when I thought it would be an intriguing read and requested it from NetGalley.) However, there were some things about it that really frustrated me for all the right reasons.
Quin, John and Shinobu are training to be Seekers. They have been since they were kids, though John started later than he was supposed to because of reasons you'll find out later in the book. So, what are these Seekers you are talking about, you might ask. Well, you'll also discover this later in the book. Much, much later... towards the end. And it still isn't very clear.
The concept of the book is very interesting, however and I was very excited to learn more. The story is told in third person narrative, each chapter focusing on the perspective of a different character - Quin, John, Shinobu, Maud (or the Young Dread)... Which brings me to the most mysterious, intriguing characters - the Dreads. While at first it sounded weirded to me and I didn't get their purpose, it was a lot clearer with each action or explanation from the Maud chapters.
A little warning, there's a love triangle in there. Quin and John are supposedly a couple, but John turns out to be manipulative and abusive. Shinobu is a distant cousin of Quin's, though barely related to her since one of their relatives remarried and he was in love with her since the beggining. I personally didn't mind this particular love triangle because of how the author dealt with it. The only problem I had was with John actions - I hated him more and more with each chapter.
Seekers have their unique weapons - whipswords, which change their form at their will. There are also Disruptors, which are as scary as they sound, and are mostly used for this reason only: to induce fear. A hit from such a thing... destroys people; it doesn't kill - it's worse than that but I don't want to give you any spoilers. Each family also has its own athame (which I just now learned it is a Wiccan ritual tool) with a carving of an animal, and a lightning rod. They use it to get "There" - yes, another thing you will ache to know its meaning.
I like puzzles, I love being kept in the dark and introduced to bits of truths, and as much as I enjoyed being clueless when I started the book (heck, even when I passed half of it,) I wasn't pleased with the vague answers I was finally given. Imagine it like this: your friend tells you everyday how she is learning to make the best cake you could ever imagine from *insert-famous-chef's-name-here*. Okay? She tells you this thing over and over again, until you start drooling whenever you see her. Alright. So then she finally invites you over. She has made the cake. You see it for only a milisecond, and it's the most delicous deliciousness you have ever seen and you can practically taste it. You know it's gonna be good, you know there's a lot more to it. But you are just not allowed to take even the tiniest bite. Yet, I want it so bad. That's how I feel about this book. I am willing to risk it all and read the rest of the series, even if it turns out to be an average "cake". Are you? :)
(e-book ARC received from NetGalley - this does not influence my review in any way)
Before I begin, let me just take a deep breath. I have a lot of mixed feelings about this book.
Did I enjoy reading it? Definitely! It was different than what I usually pick up when it comes to the Fantasy genre. And I did expect that. The blurb, not revealing too much information, clearly suggested it (or I simply had a good instinct when I thought it would be an intriguing read and requested it from NetGalley.) However, there were some things about it that really frustrated me for all the right reasons.
Quin, John and Shinobu are training to be Seekers. They have been since they were kids, though John started later than he was supposed to because of reasons you'll find out later in the book. So, what are these Seekers you are talking about, you might ask. Well, you'll also discover this later in the book. Much, much later... towards the end. And it still isn't very clear.
The concept of the book is very interesting, however and I was very excited to learn more. The story is told in third person narrative, each chapter focusing on the perspective of a different character - Quin, John, Shinobu, Maud (or the Young Dread)... Which brings me to the most mysterious, intriguing characters - the Dreads. While at first it sounded weirded to me and I didn't get their purpose, it was a lot clearer with each action or explanation from the Maud chapters.
A little warning, there's a love triangle in there. Quin and John are supposedly a couple, but John turns out to be manipulative and abusive. Shinobu is a distant cousin of Quin's, though barely related to her since one of their relatives remarried and he was in love with her since the beggining. I personally didn't mind this particular love triangle because of how the author dealt with it. The only problem I had was with John actions - I hated him more and more with each chapter.
Seekers have their unique weapons - whipswords, which change their form at their will. There are also Disruptors, which are as scary as they sound, and are mostly used for this reason only: to induce fear. A hit from such a thing... destroys people; it doesn't kill - it's worse than that but I don't want to give you any spoilers. Each family also has its own athame (which I just now learned it is a Wiccan ritual tool) with a carving of an animal, and a lightning rod. They use it to get "There" - yes, another thing you will ache to know its meaning.
I like puzzles, I love being kept in the dark and introduced to bits of truths, and as much as I enjoyed being clueless when I started the book (heck, even when I passed half of it,) I wasn't pleased with the vague answers I was finally given. Imagine it like this: your friend tells you everyday how she is learning to make the best cake you could ever imagine from *insert-famous-chef's-name-here*. Okay? She tells you this thing over and over again, until you start drooling whenever you see her. Alright. So then she finally invites you over. She has made the cake. You see it for only a milisecond, and it's the most delicous deliciousness you have ever seen and you can practically taste it. You know it's gonna be good, you know there's a lot more to it. But you are just not allowed to take even the tiniest bite. Yet, I want it so bad. That's how I feel about this book. I am willing to risk it all and read the rest of the series, even if it turns out to be an average "cake". Are you? :)