Take a photo of a barcode or cover
2.9 AVERAGE
2.9 AVERAGE
I’ve been having a run of just ok to bad books lately, so I wasn’t expecting much from this new YA fantasy series. As soon as I began reading it, I realized this one is actually good! We begin in Scotland, with children learning to be Seekers, an ancient sort-of-magic-sort-of-knight order, and progress to Hong Kong and London. At first I thought it was set in historical times, but it’s actually slightly in the future. The book ends up following three teens as they discover what they’ve been raised to become, their family history and honor, and struggle to make that fit with their values. What I like about it is that everyone isn’t black and white good and evil. In fact, there are no totally good people in this book, most people are grey, which is how things really are. YA books can oversimplify that but not here. The book pretty much just ends, but luckily the second volume was available at the library so I can continue and let’s see how their powers develop and how they reconcile things in their lives.
Very disappointing read. It lacked depth and purpose. I felt very betrayed; when I opened the book, a review said "Katniss and Tris would approve-" (TeenVogue.com). This wasn't even a wannabe novel. I wish they hadn't compared this book to Hunger games and Divergent.
John, Quin, and Shinobu are apprentice Seekers. Seeker lines are ancient, descending over centuries through families, secret and secretive. But can becoming a Seeker live up to the expectations? Does wielding the tools and knowledge of a Seeker bring the nobility of character they anticipate?
The Old Dread, Middle Dread, and Young Dread are another line. They live among the Seekers to mete justice. They are stretched over time, with the Old Dread many centuries old. Can they remain fully impartial? Does their concept of justice align with that of the Seekers?
Seekers is the first book of a new series by Arwen Elys Dayton. Part fantasy, part mystery, part history, part romance, readers must determine truth and justice for themselves. With whom will you side?
The Old Dread, Middle Dread, and Young Dread are another line. They live among the Seekers to mete justice. They are stretched over time, with the Old Dread many centuries old. Can they remain fully impartial? Does their concept of justice align with that of the Seekers?
Seekers is the first book of a new series by Arwen Elys Dayton. Part fantasy, part mystery, part history, part romance, readers must determine truth and justice for themselves. With whom will you side?
I would have probably enjoyed this book more when I was 10.
I wrestled with Seeker. I fell in love with the cover and the general description from the minute the email from NetGalley hit my inbox. And then I saw reviews coming in and the fear started to creep in and then the dread. Most of the reviews I read were not positive, but I was determined to start Seeker with an open mind. Many times I love books that others do not. Heck, after a time even Gone Girl grew on me. So there was a chance that Seeker wasn't all that bad, right?
Seeker wasn't exactly bad. The book is written well. The Scottish property Quin, Shinobu, and John lived on came alive for me. The weapons they used—the whip sword and disruptor—were amazing weapons that instilled fear and wonder in me. The Dreads had me mystified by their inaction, but I wanted to figure them out. By the end of the book, I figured that the Seekers were a League of Assassins that started with good intentions and then somehow were lead astray as the centuries went on. But I still struggled.
And here's where I struggled. Time. When does this book take place? Obviously the athames offered the ability to move through time and space. The whip sword and disruptor seem advanced, but it appeared Quin and her family were roughing it in the Scottish highlands. I almost thought it was like the 1700s or thereabouts, and then an airship arrived. Fast forward to London and it seems pretty up and coming technology-wise. Fast forward again to Hong Kong and it seems even more advanced than London and ages ahead of Scotland. The book is out of time and place. This left me feeling disoriented not being able to pin down a time and knowing a bit of what to expect from the people, the place or the technology.
Four different points of view. Now each character did have a unique voice, but I'm not sure the different voices were needed because they all know about the same amount about their predicament which amounts to NOTHING. No one added knowledge to the plot. They all just dumped their confusion out and it just sat there going no where. No one was working together. And at the end, all the jumping caused a lot of actions to be rehashed as characters encountered each other. See the end of Chapter 46 (Quin's POV) and the start of Chapter 47 (John's POV). When this would happen all I could think was, "Get on with it! I've read this already!"
I think Seeker had the potential to be a good book. The basic premise of a secret society controlling events throughout time and space and the corruption within is compelling. I'm just not sure it was executed properly. The lack of time and place and a group of characters who know nothing about the nature of the society accompanied with a group of angry adults not willing to share even a shred of history about the organization leads to a major, bloated disappointment in the end. Seeker receives a thumbs down.
I received this book for free in exchange for a honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
This review was originally posted on Second Run Reviews.
Seeker wasn't exactly bad. The book is written well. The Scottish property Quin, Shinobu, and John lived on came alive for me. The weapons they used—the whip sword and disruptor—were amazing weapons that instilled fear and wonder in me. The Dreads had me mystified by their inaction, but I wanted to figure them out. By the end of the book, I figured that the Seekers were a League of Assassins that started with good intentions and then somehow were lead astray as the centuries went on. But I still struggled.
And here's where I struggled. Time. When does this book take place? Obviously the athames offered the ability to move through time and space. The whip sword and disruptor seem advanced, but it appeared Quin and her family were roughing it in the Scottish highlands. I almost thought it was like the 1700s or thereabouts, and then an airship arrived. Fast forward to London and it seems pretty up and coming technology-wise. Fast forward again to Hong Kong and it seems even more advanced than London and ages ahead of Scotland. The book is out of time and place. This left me feeling disoriented not being able to pin down a time and knowing a bit of what to expect from the people, the place or the technology.
Four different points of view. Now each character did have a unique voice, but I'm not sure the different voices were needed because they all know about the same amount about their predicament which amounts to NOTHING. No one added knowledge to the plot. They all just dumped their confusion out and it just sat there going no where. No one was working together. And at the end, all the jumping caused a lot of actions to be rehashed as characters encountered each other. See the end of Chapter 46 (Quin's POV) and the start of Chapter 47 (John's POV). When this would happen all I could think was, "Get on with it! I've read this already!"
I think Seeker had the potential to be a good book. The basic premise of a secret society controlling events throughout time and space and the corruption within is compelling. I'm just not sure it was executed properly. The lack of time and place and a group of characters who know nothing about the nature of the society accompanied with a group of angry adults not willing to share even a shred of history about the organization leads to a major, bloated disappointment in the end. Seeker receives a thumbs down.
I received this book for free in exchange for a honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
This review was originally posted on Second Run Reviews.
I have no idea what this book was supposed to be and I think the book didn't know either.
Seeker moved really slowly and I had a hard time connecting with the story through the first 1/3. The first 50 pages were plodding. The second 1/3 moved better, but I still had questions about what was happening, why should I care about the characters, and when on Earth it was happening. By the last 1/3, I had just given up on understanding certain plot points and plugged through. The last few chapters were really quite compelling. There were many small things I enjoyed. I really liked the premise, the Dreads were a great story line, and Shinobu's rise as a round character.
Not sure exactly what I read, but it was enjoyable. For some reason I couldn't put it down. Especially the last 50 pages or so were really good.
BUT I hate the "we're hardly related so it is okay for us to date" trope, it is disgusting.
BUT I hate the "we're hardly related so it is okay for us to date" trope, it is disgusting.
Fantastic novel. Loved the characters, it's definitely a suspension of belief in terms of location and era setting. Wonderful fantasy read 10/10 recommend