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2.9 AVERAGE
2.9 AVERAGE
i was a bit skeptical of this book at first, lowest rating on my tbr list but i was pleasantly surprised. one of the first fantasy books i’ve read and i didn’t want to put it down. can’t wait to start reading the next book in the series.
THIS BOOK WAS *singing it* A MAZING.
I think I ship Quin and Shinubo( is that the correct spelling?)
The concept was unique and the characters were well crafted
And the best thing is ....... ITS SET IN SCOTLAND :D
I think I ship Quin and Shinubo( is that the correct spelling?)
The concept was unique and the characters were well crafted
And the best thing is ....... ITS SET IN SCOTLAND :D
3.6 stars
I don't know why I thought this'd be a much less intense book. When I read the summary, I was picturing a soft adventure. But the "summary" wasn't actually a summary - it was more like an exposition, which was very good. Instead of telling you what happens in the book, it tells you what happened in like the beginning or before the book. There's a lot more adventure than was disclosed.
I personally was confused for the majority of the time I was reading this book. I really suck at paying attention to detail, and in this book, that's essential. Every word of every paragraph was relevant. And in a book where the POVs change every chapter, it's really hard to pay attention.
I didn't necessarily hate this book, but I thought it was kind of ADD. And they didn't tell you the details that you actually wanted to hear. Like, at first it was like: Quin, John, and Shinobu want to be Seekers. Quin and John are in love. And then everyone was trying to get them to not be Seekers, so you knew something was up. Then Quin and Shinobu become Seekers and John is rejected. And instead of telling what happened when they went on their first "mission", it just skips that and moves on (if only to include it in various flashbacks later). Then John leaves, and Q and S live out their miserable week of being Seekers. Then John comes back and burns the estate, and Q and S run away. At that point, I was confused enough.
Then they're in Hong Kong and Q was shot so she has to go to a healer and S leaves for some reason. THEN there's an entire section filled with flashbacks which are EXCRUCIATING. And then a year and a half pass.
So then S is on drugs, Q forgot everything about her past, and J is obsessed with getting the athame back. S is still, for some reason, harboring a years-long crush on Q. Their paths intertwine as they go through with these conflicts. Also, Maud, the Young Dread, is trying to be a better Dread, I guess.
I liked the plot, but it wasn't well-organized. I liked the romance, I guess, but I wished it was more developed and addressed. It was interesting enough for me to want to read the next book, so I'll be anticipating that.
REREAD JUNE 2016
I still have pretty much the same feelings on this book, but I suppose I understand a bit more.
So now we know there's like 7 other Seeker families, and Quin is trying to find them for some reason. And John was mad and vengeful because Briac killed off his house, but I'm not sure why. And I guess Quin is going to try to find John and kill him or convince him to be on her side. The thing with the Dreads was the most confusing, though; I still have barely any idea what was going on with that. So I'll just read the next book now, and see if it helps clear some stuff up.
I don't know why I thought this'd be a much less intense book. When I read the summary, I was picturing a soft adventure. But the "summary" wasn't actually a summary - it was more like an exposition, which was very good. Instead of telling you what happens in the book, it tells you what happened in like the beginning or before the book. There's a lot more adventure than was disclosed.
I personally was confused for the majority of the time I was reading this book. I really suck at paying attention to detail, and in this book, that's essential. Every word of every paragraph was relevant. And in a book where the POVs change every chapter, it's really hard to pay attention.
I didn't necessarily hate this book, but I thought it was kind of ADD. And they didn't tell you the details that you actually wanted to hear. Like, at first it was like: Quin, John, and Shinobu want to be Seekers. Quin and John are in love. And then everyone was trying to get them to not be Seekers, so you knew something was up. Then Quin and Shinobu become Seekers and John is rejected. And instead of telling what happened when they went on their first "mission", it just skips that and moves on (if only to include it in various flashbacks later). Then John leaves, and Q and S live out their miserable week of being Seekers. Then John comes back and burns the estate, and Q and S run away. At that point, I was confused enough.
Then they're in Hong Kong and Q was shot so she has to go to a healer and S leaves for some reason. THEN there's an entire section filled with flashbacks which are EXCRUCIATING. And then a year and a half pass.
So then S is on drugs, Q forgot everything about her past, and J is obsessed with getting the athame back. S is still, for some reason, harboring a years-long crush on Q. Their paths intertwine as they go through with these conflicts. Also, Maud, the Young Dread, is trying to be a better Dread, I guess.
I liked the plot, but it wasn't well-organized. I liked the romance, I guess, but I wished it was more developed and addressed. It was interesting enough for me to want to read the next book, so I'll be anticipating that.
REREAD JUNE 2016
I still have pretty much the same feelings on this book, but I suppose I understand a bit more.
So now we know there's like 7 other Seeker families, and Quin is trying to find them for some reason. And John was mad and vengeful because Briac killed off his house, but I'm not sure why. And I guess Quin is going to try to find John and kill him or convince him to be on her side. The thing with the Dreads was the most confusing, though; I still have barely any idea what was going on with that. So I'll just read the next book now, and see if it helps clear some stuff up.
I was given an eARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
I really had a hard time reading this book. I can see a lot of early high school students liking this book, especially if they are into dystopian books and love triangles. The idea for this book seemed very promising, but by the time I got to the end, I couldn't wait to just get it over and done with. Part of the problem I think is the characters. Most of them are just not very likable. I didn't really care for Quin because she couldn't make her own decisions for the first half of the book. I didn't like Shinobu because of the drugs. I didn't like Fiona because she was drunk. I didn't like Briac, because he's Briac. And John was just a misguided jerk. Really, I only liked Maud/the Young Dread. She seemed to be the only character that really knew what was going on.
The pacing of the story was also a little weird. Some parts went too fast, while others were too slow. I wish there was a bit more world building and I would have liked to know more about the Dreads. I guess that information will come in the sequel.
Overall, it was not a horrible book. It was just a story that I couldn't get into and really didn't care what happened next. There is definitely an audience for this though.
I really had a hard time reading this book. I can see a lot of early high school students liking this book, especially if they are into dystopian books and love triangles. The idea for this book seemed very promising, but by the time I got to the end, I couldn't wait to just get it over and done with. Part of the problem I think is the characters. Most of them are just not very likable. I didn't really care for Quin because she couldn't make her own decisions for the first half of the book. I didn't like Shinobu because of the drugs. I didn't like Fiona because she was drunk. I didn't like Briac, because he's Briac. And John was just a misguided jerk. Really, I only liked Maud/the Young Dread. She seemed to be the only character that really knew what was going on.
The pacing of the story was also a little weird. Some parts went too fast, while others were too slow. I wish there was a bit more world building and I would have liked to know more about the Dreads. I guess that information will come in the sequel.
Overall, it was not a horrible book. It was just a story that I couldn't get into and really didn't care what happened next. There is definitely an audience for this though.
**Thank you to Random House Childrens and NetGalley for providing me with a digital ARC of this novel**
2.5/5
This book was infuriating. I didn't want it to be and, perhaps, it's just me...but I found it absolutely infuriating. Why, you may ask? Well, probably because it's part high fantasy, part urban fantasy, part romance, and ALL CONFUSION.
I'm good with seemingly confusing fantasy novels -- in fact, I tend to make it my mission to make sense of complex and complicated fantasy novels. Nine times out of ten, I find that these books aren't confusing: they just have an intricate magic system or multi-faceted world-building. SEEKER, however, does not fall under that category -- not entirely, at least. There is technically a magic-system and even some world-building, but it's vague and clunky.
Actually, "clunky" is the perfect word to describe this entire book. It has sparks of excitement/entertainment what flash up like fast-fading fireworks, only to return to a massive brick of boring. Not much actually occurs and even less is properly explained to the reader. In other words: this is not how you want to start a fantasy series. There must be a foundation, some sense that the learning curve has, at the very least, been started. Even GRRM, who writes very, very complex fantasy novels with extremely steep learning curves, gives the reader a sense that they have made headway while reading the first ASOIAF novel. Ms. Dayton does not. And that is frustrating.
What infuriates and disappoints me most about this novels is how much potential it had to truly be great. As it stands, it's a passable, even good, YA fantasy novel. But it could have been a really great YA fantasy novel. The characters are there -- though their narrative voices are indistinct from each other -- and even the set-up is there as well. This is one of the few times where I am going to ask for more exposition, more explanation of the magic-system and of the world.
2.5/5
This book was infuriating. I didn't want it to be and, perhaps, it's just me...but I found it absolutely infuriating. Why, you may ask? Well, probably because it's part high fantasy, part urban fantasy, part romance, and ALL CONFUSION.
I'm good with seemingly confusing fantasy novels -- in fact, I tend to make it my mission to make sense of complex and complicated fantasy novels. Nine times out of ten, I find that these books aren't confusing: they just have an intricate magic system or multi-faceted world-building. SEEKER, however, does not fall under that category -- not entirely, at least. There is technically a magic-system and even some world-building, but it's vague and clunky.
Actually, "clunky" is the perfect word to describe this entire book. It has sparks of excitement/entertainment what flash up like fast-fading fireworks, only to return to a massive brick of boring. Not much actually occurs and even less is properly explained to the reader. In other words: this is not how you want to start a fantasy series. There must be a foundation, some sense that the learning curve has, at the very least, been started. Even GRRM, who writes very, very complex fantasy novels with extremely steep learning curves, gives the reader a sense that they have made headway while reading the first ASOIAF novel. Ms. Dayton does not. And that is frustrating.
What infuriates and disappoints me most about this novels is how much potential it had to truly be great. As it stands, it's a passable, even good, YA fantasy novel. But it could have been a really great YA fantasy novel. The characters are there -- though their narrative voices are indistinct from each other -- and even the set-up is there as well. This is one of the few times where I am going to ask for more exposition, more explanation of the magic-system and of the world.
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I'm only 100 pages in, and I can't go on. Weak plot line and character development, as well as genre-blending that just doesn't fit or help the story. There isn't a likable character in the bunch, with every one of them going along with the horrific family occupation simply because they are told to or because of some ancient loyalty.
This book is confusing but it becoming better but still not clear enough. I'm looking forward
I received an ARC of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review!
This book was a hot mess. I wanted to love everything about it because the blurb sounded so good! The execution, however, was so terrible I spent 95% of the book wondering what the hell was going on.
The basic premise was so good morning which is why I gave it two stars instead of one. I hated every character, none of them had any redeeming factors. I spent the whole book hoping it would get better and it just... didn't.
This book was a hot mess. I wanted to love everything about it because the blurb sounded so good! The execution, however, was so terrible I spent 95% of the book wondering what the hell was going on.
The basic premise was so good morning which is why I gave it two stars instead of one. I hated every character, none of them had any redeeming factors. I spent the whole book hoping it would get better and it just... didn't.