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2.9 AVERAGE
2.9 AVERAGE
A little slow in the beginning, but when it picked up, IT PICKED UP. I love the details in this story. Usually I get lost with a lot going on, but this really intrigued me with having multiple story lines.
I feel like I accomplished something just by finishing this book when so many people are DNFing it. Haha.
As the story begins, fifteen year old Quin is training to be a Seeker who will help people and right the wrongs in the world. She soon learns that her job as Seeker does not live up to her expectations. She has been training with two boys (love triangle alert), John, who she is in love with, and Shinobu, who is a distant cousin. The story is told by several different characters and covers the beginning, a year and a half later, and the distant past. There is romance, sci-fi/fantasy, and lots of action in this first book in this YA series. I think that readers of YA fantasy will enjoy it.
When I first read the blurb for this book, I was expecting Shadowhunters. But I was extremely off- there was absolutely nothing in this book that even hinted of Cassandra Clare's City of Bones. To sum it up in two words: futuristic ninjas.
It stared off as a typical YA book, and I expected it to be unoriginal and boring but I was wrong once again. The characters had great backstories, which were shown through the wonderful flashbacks (my favorite part of the book). The flashbacks also served to add more depth to all the characters and were extremely interesting.
Although the main point of the story was unclear (the biggest problem I had with the book), there were many side plots that introduced new twists and turns and kept the book exciting. Content-wise, the middle of the book was exponentially better than the beginning or end. The beginning, in my opinion, was too slow and lacked a plot. And the end threw way too much stuff at the reader, failing to competently wrap-up the book (it was NOT a cliffhanger, just an inconsequential ending) and the end did absolutely no justice to the quality of the author's writing.
To address my biggest problem, I did not see the point of this book- I failed to see the big picture and literally have no idea what in the world a Seeker is supposed to do. And while the characters were wonderfully developed, the setting and the World could have been explained a LOT more.
To sum it up:
Awesome:
interesting, fully developed characters
flashbacks
continuous action
Quin was awesome
amnesia
the Young Dread (I absolutely despised the other two)
Shabby:
ending
lack of main conflict
continuous action
dialogue
This book isn't very captivating, and at times, I found myself struggling to finish it. But, overall the book was surprisingly original and I recommend it to anyone who wants a break from the stereotypical YA fiction.
It stared off as a typical YA book, and I expected it to be unoriginal and boring but I was wrong once again. The characters had great backstories, which were shown through the wonderful flashbacks (my favorite part of the book). The flashbacks also served to add more depth to all the characters and were extremely interesting.
Although the main point of the story was unclear (the biggest problem I had with the book), there were many side plots that introduced new twists and turns and kept the book exciting. Content-wise, the middle of the book was exponentially better than the beginning or end. The beginning, in my opinion, was too slow and lacked a plot. And the end threw way too much stuff at the reader, failing to competently wrap-up the book (it was NOT a cliffhanger, just an inconsequential ending) and the end did absolutely no justice to the quality of the author's writing.
To address my biggest problem, I did not see the point of this book- I failed to see the big picture and literally have no idea what in the world a Seeker is supposed to do. And while the characters were wonderfully developed, the setting and the World could have been explained a LOT more.
To sum it up:
Awesome:
interesting, fully developed characters
flashbacks
continuous action
Quin was awesome
amnesia
the Young Dread (I absolutely despised the other two)
Shabby:
ending
lack of main conflict
continuous action
dialogue
This book isn't very captivating, and at times, I found myself struggling to finish it. But, overall the book was surprisingly original and I recommend it to anyone who wants a break from the stereotypical YA fiction.
Goodness this book was horrible! And I am so sad to say that because giving one star? Incredible rare for me. Normally even if I don't enjoy a book I can see the potential in or for the book and give it a medium rating because of that. But this book?
There are no explanations on what the heck is going on, no timeline, there is nothing explained period.
The characters a kind of all over the place, the storyline jumps between more then three characters.., the actual story is not done well at all, we get glimpses at what could be a good story if we could just get a fudging explanation on what the heck is going on!
you think this review is a bit all over the place? Try this book and see how well you can still formulate actual thoughts afterwards and we talk!
Maybe it was the translation since my library only had this book in the German edition. Maybe this writer is just not for me. At all. Or maybe this book is just really this horrible. No matter which one it is, this book was not for me. At all.
And I can not say that I would recommend this for anyone. And I am sorry for that. Because I am sure this book took a lot of work. But maybe ther should have been put even more effort into this to actually make this readable.
There are no explanations on what the heck is going on, no timeline, there is nothing explained period.
The characters a kind of all over the place, the storyline jumps between more then three characters.., the actual story is not done well at all, we get glimpses at what could be a good story if we could just get a fudging explanation on what the heck is going on!
you think this review is a bit all over the place? Try this book and see how well you can still formulate actual thoughts afterwards and we talk!
Maybe it was the translation since my library only had this book in the German edition. Maybe this writer is just not for me. At all. Or maybe this book is just really this horrible. No matter which one it is, this book was not for me. At all.
And I can not say that I would recommend this for anyone. And I am sorry for that. Because I am sure this book took a lot of work. But maybe ther should have been put even more effort into this to actually make this readable.
Disclaimer: I received an advanced copy of this book in exchange for a review.
This book bills itself as a cross between The Hunger Games and Game of Thrones. I would say that if you're a fan of Game of Thrones, you would be very much disappointed by this book. This is very much a young adult book, so it can't really come close to the level of content that GoT can achieve and still remain readable and appropriate for young adults. It's definitely very much in the vein of young adult dystopian future-type books. I'd put it a little closer to Divergent than Hunger Games in terms of comparisons.
Strengths: The book's strength is definitely in the plot and pacing. The plot is full of interesting twists and turns and moves quickly. Each chapter contains some sort of reveal that furthers the plot and there is a lot of action with little down time.
Weaknesses: Character and world-building. In books like these, world-building is key because we are in a world that resembles our own, but is not our own. Understanding the differences and how the world of the book relates to the world we know is important. Unfortunately, Seeker is very lacking in this aspect. I am not sure if this was meant to be a future earth, or some kind of alternate earth. There is never any reference to what year this takes place. There are televisions and cell phones, but also airships that orbit London and strange shapeshifting weapons. It's also impossible to tell how the Seekers fit into this world. Are they known or secret? We are given no indication. I kept waiting for the book to flesh out the world and the organization and history of the Seekers, but it never did. Granted, this is the first in the series but it's hard to continue on when there's not enough detail to keep you interested in the world or the group of people at the heart of the story.
Similarly, the characters didn't stand out quite enough. Much of the success of The Hunger Games is due to Katniss' unique voice and Quin is no Katniss. She is plucky and good-hearted, but the hardships she faces never seem to really touch her. Every opportunity for character growth is skipped over with magic. Instead of having to face the consequences of what they have done and grow from that, the characters are given magic, fast-acting character growth potions so they can get over their damage and get on with the plot. It certainly keeps the pace quick, but it makes the characters feel like mannequins, placed where they need to be to advance to plot, rather than human beings with all of the messiness that entails.
TL;DR: If you love dystopian future young adult series and are looking for something with fast-moving plot that's full of action, then by all means go for it. If you are looking for something a little deeper, this is probably not the book for you.
This book bills itself as a cross between The Hunger Games and Game of Thrones. I would say that if you're a fan of Game of Thrones, you would be very much disappointed by this book. This is very much a young adult book, so it can't really come close to the level of content that GoT can achieve and still remain readable and appropriate for young adults. It's definitely very much in the vein of young adult dystopian future-type books. I'd put it a little closer to Divergent than Hunger Games in terms of comparisons.
Strengths: The book's strength is definitely in the plot and pacing. The plot is full of interesting twists and turns and moves quickly. Each chapter contains some sort of reveal that furthers the plot and there is a lot of action with little down time.
Weaknesses: Character and world-building. In books like these, world-building is key because we are in a world that resembles our own, but is not our own. Understanding the differences and how the world of the book relates to the world we know is important. Unfortunately, Seeker is very lacking in this aspect. I am not sure if this was meant to be a future earth, or some kind of alternate earth. There is never any reference to what year this takes place. There are televisions and cell phones, but also airships that orbit London and strange shapeshifting weapons. It's also impossible to tell how the Seekers fit into this world. Are they known or secret? We are given no indication. I kept waiting for the book to flesh out the world and the organization and history of the Seekers, but it never did. Granted, this is the first in the series but it's hard to continue on when there's not enough detail to keep you interested in the world or the group of people at the heart of the story.
Similarly, the characters didn't stand out quite enough. Much of the success of The Hunger Games is due to Katniss' unique voice and Quin is no Katniss. She is plucky and good-hearted, but the hardships she faces never seem to really touch her. Every opportunity for character growth is skipped over with magic. Instead of having to face the consequences of what they have done and grow from that, the characters are given magic, fast-acting character growth potions so they can get over their damage and get on with the plot. It certainly keeps the pace quick, but it makes the characters feel like mannequins, placed where they need to be to advance to plot, rather than human beings with all of the messiness that entails.
TL;DR: If you love dystopian future young adult series and are looking for something with fast-moving plot that's full of action, then by all means go for it. If you are looking for something a little deeper, this is probably not the book for you.
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I almost didn't make it all the way through this book. I wasn't that interested in the characters and I'm not all that concerned about what happens in the next book. It was a good idea, but just couldn't keep my attention. I never felt a bond to any of the characters, so it just got boring after a while.
Well, love triangles aren't my thing. And I very much dislike how she moves on to say I love you to the next boy when she just realized that she couldn't live without him. and then I just found the main character naïve. so that didn't help.
I did not dislike this book but I also did not think it lived up to all the hype I saw leading up to its release. I found the world building to be rather weak and frankly I was bored by the story and had to force myself to finish it.