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2.9 AVERAGE
2.9 AVERAGE
I expected so much more than I got. The structure didn't make any sort of sense, NONE of the characters were likable, and by about page 50 I didn't care what they were seeking. You don't find out until the last page. Spoiler alert: its "truth." So wildly disappointed.
While Seeker has promise, I lost interest about half way through the book. I was really intrigued by the plot and the the story line in this book however, at times the setting became quite confusing and muddled. The beginning of the book starts in Scotland in what appears to be medieval times but then it goes to a completely modernized Asia and other countries. I couldn't tell if this was happening in the future or what but I just stuck to the idea that this was in a completely different world, which is ok if you think of it that. However, it is still pretty confusing.
I loved all of the characters point of views. It was nice understanding what each person thought and the motivations behind their actions. I felt like I really got to know and sympathize with them even though they might have made bad choices. This gave great depth to the characters and created unique personalities for each one.
The story/plot, while interesting, became quite tedious and eventually it dragged a bit in the middle of the story. So much started to happen, maybe too much, that everything became muddled and it was hard to keep up. It went from moments of actions to long thoughts and ideas. We met so many people and went to some many places it was overwhelming. There were also parts were the story jumped and we had to create our own ideas about what happened. At times, it created a bit of suspense but then it became another tedious part of the story. Having to constantly look at clues as to what happen, created a bit of mystery but sometime it didn't truly work with what was happening but only in certain parts. I think mostly I just wanted to know!! (suspense kills me!)
One thing about Seeker that was amazing was the writing. Arwen Elys Dayton can truly create and weave a great story with words. Maybe too much info but at least it was well written. Reading this book, one constant thought that I had was that this was a very specific type of story for a specific type of person. Someone who is a high fantasy fan or maybe a sci-fi fan would really enjoy this story.
I loved all of the characters point of views. It was nice understanding what each person thought and the motivations behind their actions. I felt like I really got to know and sympathize with them even though they might have made bad choices. This gave great depth to the characters and created unique personalities for each one.
The story/plot, while interesting, became quite tedious and eventually it dragged a bit in the middle of the story. So much started to happen, maybe too much, that everything became muddled and it was hard to keep up. It went from moments of actions to long thoughts and ideas. We met so many people and went to some many places it was overwhelming. There were also parts were the story jumped and we had to create our own ideas about what happened. At times, it created a bit of suspense but then it became another tedious part of the story. Having to constantly look at clues as to what happen, created a bit of mystery but sometime it didn't truly work with what was happening but only in certain parts. I think mostly I just wanted to know!! (suspense kills me!)
One thing about Seeker that was amazing was the writing. Arwen Elys Dayton can truly create and weave a great story with words. Maybe too much info but at least it was well written. Reading this book, one constant thought that I had was that this was a very specific type of story for a specific type of person. Someone who is a high fantasy fan or maybe a sci-fi fan would really enjoy this story.
Somehow this book doesn't quite hold my attention. although the story is entertaining enough it is also predictable to me.
Posted at Down the Rabbit Hole
Seeker was fantasy novel set in something akin to modern day Scotland and Hong Kong. It had huge potential to become something exciting and intriguing. Magical swords, secrets centuries old and a family heritage of honorable warriors. Sounds like a great synopsis doesn't it?
Well, that's where your hopes go south. Dayton turned a very interesting plot into a monotonous journey between 4 narratives. How did it go so very wrong? Why, let me list them out for you.
1) World building
It may be set in Scotland and then in Hong Kong, all very familiar land marks, but that's no excuse for the vagueness in the Seeker's history and uh, what exactly they are and do. All you get is that they're "honourable" and "help to change the world" with their "life or death decisions". Such power. Of course that would mean some would stray from the noble route to follow their selfish heart's desires.
So what exactly are those "bad deeds" that Seekers now do instead? Such terrible things that it scarred Quin and Shinobu so much when they took their oath?
Uh, they became assassins? It doesn't get graphic or anything, but the vagueness of it takes away from their GIGANTIC reaction after realizing they've become "monsters". Quin is so mortified that she wishes to never remember any of it. Shinobu follows the path of self-destruction through drugs, booze and reckless actions like building jumping. These plot elements took up so much space and time in Seeker, you'd expect to be more understanding of their predicament.
And then there's also the confusion regarding the Seeker's abilities. It takes a while into the novel before things start becoming more clear. Just what the heck do they do? Why are they so special or powerful? But the long-winded way it took to reach those answers could've driven many people away from the book by then.
2) Plot pacing
It was so BORING in the middle. I was occasionally flipping ahead just to see whose narrative we'd get to follow next 'cause the one I was on just wasn't cutting it for me. Nothing truly exciting happened. Bad men chase the "good guys". They fight back or they're too busy drowning in their own problems to even notice or want to get away from danger. More mysterious tidbits into the Seekers but nothing solid to lure your undivided attention in.
The last 10-15 chapters picked up a bit, and I kinda wished the novel was like this for the most of it. The sections in Scotland in the first part was the hardest to get through. I can totally understand why so many people just DNFed. It took way too long to get the action going.
3) Characters
In Seeker, everything is written in 3rd person but we switch between following 4 different people. Quin and Shinobu are your typical protagonist narratives. They weren't so bad to follow, except when they both bugged me to no end.
Quin was torn after learning of her beloved John's other side, the darker side he kept hidden from her. The side that sought revenge over anything else. I just wanted to shake her. Can't she see he's so broken that she can't heal him? I know love makes people blind, but it took a while for her to stop letting his mere presence interfere with proper thinking.
Shinobu's walk into reckless self-destruction was so selfish. He thought he was only hurting himself, but he hurt those around him by being the way he was. They were so broken after becoming full-fledged Seekers and doing their "evil deeds", but I wanted to poke at him to throw off the self-pity party already. He could still be the honourable hero he had always wanted to be. Drowning his sorrows like this didn't make him any better of a person. However, I'm glad that it doesn't end with him in his poor state, and for that it helped redeem his character as it showed a true depth to his growth and ability to find redemption for himself.
As for John, he's like the book's minor antagonist. There's the big antagonist that is Quin's awful Seeker father, but at least I could outright hate him. John? He was a different story. From his backstory that very slowly unfolded through his narrative, I couldn't help but pity his descent into hatred and bitterness. It's not simple to call him "evil" and be done with that. He cares for Quin (to my utmost chagrin, 'cause I don't think he's good enough for her), but he let his promise for retribution take over. His obsession for revenge drove everyone away. Maybe we're supposed to feel bad for him, but all I can feel is tons of pity.
The last narrative is a girl named Maud. She's something called a Dread, the youngest one in fact. Something else that belongs to Seeker history that we're not so clearly explained for a long while. Actually, it's still not fully explained by the end of it, but at least you learn a little bit more from her backstory. Her role is like to judge and monitor the actions of the Seekers, to prevent them from abusing such power. Ha! Where were they for the last few centuries? Although her narrative was the most confusing, she was the one person whom I didn't want to strangle at some point through the novel. I'd say that's a pretty good thing.
So that actually wasn't all that short, but those were the things that annoyed me incessantly. Why the heck did I finish it? you may ask. Well, that's a very good question. Sure, I was still a little bit curious about the Seekers. But mostly, it went down to the fact that a) I hate not finishing a book unless absolutely necessary, and b) I rushed through it to make sure Quin chose Shinobu. He was clearly the better candidate, and he understood her feelings perfectly. They were IN THE SAME BOAT. The sequel better have something nice going on for them, 'cause this book was NO ROMANCE. It would've spiced things up a little bit, especially when the plot action lacked so badly. It's a shame it really didn't go that way until the very end.
Oh, and you know what bothered me the most?
Wait for it.
The cheesy way Quin and Shinobu would always say "evildoers beware" over and over again. I think I just found a new pet peeve.
Overall Recommendation:
Seeker has many points against it, from slow pacing to annoying characters and very vague world building. This urban fantasy set in such beautiful settings like Scotland and Hong Kong could've made it truly adventurous and exciting, especially with a plot about secret powerful families. But it truly was missing the excitement factor, whether it be from learning more about Seekers or a forbidden romance. However, it literally read like a magical version of Revenge or something. All I can say is that there are not a lot of redeeming qualities to it, so here's to hoping the sequel would be lots better from the low beginning.
------------------------------------------------------
For more of my reviews, check out Down the Rabbit Hole:
Seeker was fantasy novel set in something akin to modern day Scotland and Hong Kong. It had huge potential to become something exciting and intriguing. Magical swords, secrets centuries old and a family heritage of honorable warriors. Sounds like a great synopsis doesn't it?
Well, that's where your hopes go south. Dayton turned a very interesting plot into a monotonous journey between 4 narratives. How did it go so very wrong? Why, let me list them out for you.
1) World building
It may be set in Scotland and then in Hong Kong, all very familiar land marks, but that's no excuse for the vagueness in the Seeker's history and uh, what exactly they are and do. All you get is that they're "honourable" and "help to change the world" with their "life or death decisions". Such power. Of course that would mean some would stray from the noble route to follow their selfish heart's desires.
So what exactly are those "bad deeds" that Seekers now do instead? Such terrible things that it scarred Quin and Shinobu so much when they took their oath?
Uh, they became assassins? It doesn't get graphic or anything, but the vagueness of it takes away from their GIGANTIC reaction after realizing they've become "monsters". Quin is so mortified that she wishes to never remember any of it. Shinobu follows the path of self-destruction through drugs, booze and reckless actions like building jumping. These plot elements took up so much space and time in Seeker, you'd expect to be more understanding of their predicament.
And then there's also the confusion regarding the Seeker's abilities. It takes a while into the novel before things start becoming more clear. Just what the heck do they do? Why are they so special or powerful? But the long-winded way it took to reach those answers could've driven many people away from the book by then.
2) Plot pacing
It was so BORING in the middle. I was occasionally flipping ahead just to see whose narrative we'd get to follow next 'cause the one I was on just wasn't cutting it for me. Nothing truly exciting happened. Bad men chase the "good guys". They fight back or they're too busy drowning in their own problems to even notice or want to get away from danger. More mysterious tidbits into the Seekers but nothing solid to lure your undivided attention in.
The last 10-15 chapters picked up a bit, and I kinda wished the novel was like this for the most of it. The sections in Scotland in the first part was the hardest to get through. I can totally understand why so many people just DNFed. It took way too long to get the action going.
3) Characters
In Seeker, everything is written in 3rd person but we switch between following 4 different people. Quin and Shinobu are your typical protagonist narratives. They weren't so bad to follow, except when they both bugged me to no end.
Quin was torn after learning of her beloved John's other side, the darker side he kept hidden from her. The side that sought revenge over anything else. I just wanted to shake her. Can't she see he's so broken that she can't heal him? I know love makes people blind, but it took a while for her to stop letting his mere presence interfere with proper thinking.
Shinobu's walk into reckless self-destruction was so selfish. He thought he was only hurting himself, but he hurt those around him by being the way he was. They were so broken after becoming full-fledged Seekers and doing their "evil deeds", but I wanted to poke at him to throw off the self-pity party already. He could still be the honourable hero he had always wanted to be. Drowning his sorrows like this didn't make him any better of a person. However, I'm glad that it doesn't end with him in his poor state, and for that it helped redeem his character as it showed a true depth to his growth and ability to find redemption for himself.
As for John, he's like the book's minor antagonist. There's the big antagonist that is Quin's awful Seeker father, but at least I could outright hate him. John? He was a different story. From his backstory that very slowly unfolded through his narrative, I couldn't help but pity his descent into hatred and bitterness. It's not simple to call him "evil" and be done with that. He cares for Quin (to my utmost chagrin, 'cause I don't think he's good enough for her), but he let his promise for retribution take over. His obsession for revenge drove everyone away. Maybe we're supposed to feel bad for him, but all I can feel is tons of pity.
The last narrative is a girl named Maud. She's something called a Dread, the youngest one in fact. Something else that belongs to Seeker history that we're not so clearly explained for a long while. Actually, it's still not fully explained by the end of it, but at least you learn a little bit more from her backstory. Her role is like to judge and monitor the actions of the Seekers, to prevent them from abusing such power. Ha! Where were they for the last few centuries? Although her narrative was the most confusing, she was the one person whom I didn't want to strangle at some point through the novel. I'd say that's a pretty good thing.
So that actually wasn't all that short, but those were the things that annoyed me incessantly. Why the heck did I finish it? you may ask. Well, that's a very good question. Sure, I was still a little bit curious about the Seekers. But mostly, it went down to the fact that a) I hate not finishing a book unless absolutely necessary, and b) I rushed through it to make sure Quin chose Shinobu. He was clearly the better candidate, and he understood her feelings perfectly. They were IN THE SAME BOAT. The sequel better have something nice going on for them, 'cause this book was NO ROMANCE. It would've spiced things up a little bit, especially when the plot action lacked so badly. It's a shame it really didn't go that way until the very end.
Oh, and you know what bothered me the most?
Wait for it.
The cheesy way Quin and Shinobu would always say "evildoers beware" over and over again. I think I just found a new pet peeve.
Overall Recommendation:
Seeker has many points against it, from slow pacing to annoying characters and very vague world building. This urban fantasy set in such beautiful settings like Scotland and Hong Kong could've made it truly adventurous and exciting, especially with a plot about secret powerful families. But it truly was missing the excitement factor, whether it be from learning more about Seekers or a forbidden romance. However, it literally read like a magical version of Revenge or something. All I can say is that there are not a lot of redeeming qualities to it, so here's to hoping the sequel would be lots better from the low beginning.
------------------------------------------------------
For more of my reviews, check out Down the Rabbit Hole:
Oh my gods, this book was SO good! I need Traveler right now. Aaaargh! Why can't books just appear when you want them?!
Yes, there is a love triangle in this book/series. I actually hate love triangles. They're horrible when the girl (it's usually a girl!) chooses the guy you don't like over the guy you do like. An example? The love triangle from the Infernal Devices trilogy by Cassandra Clare.
So it surprised me when I realized I did liked this love triangle. In a bad way.
I ship Quin and Shinobu. John? No. Definitely no. And I enjoyed the jealousy John felt when he thought about Quin and Shinobu together. It was amazing! Oh, sorry. I'm sure the Sorting hat is thinking that he put me in the wrong house. Maybe I had to go to Slytherin instead of Ravenclaw. Maybe...
Where can I compate this book to? People are comparing it to Legend, by Marie Lu, Divergent, by Veronica Roth and The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. I have not read Legend yet, but I can tell you that Seeker is nothing like Divergent and The Hunger Games. Seeker has it's own story. Where do I compare it to? It's kind of like Endgame by James Fray. Kind of. Kind of like The Illuminati (do you spell it like this?). It is impossible to compare it to another book and why do people need to compare books anyway?
I don't know why, but I thought this book took place in a medieval setting. Well, it wasn't. It was kind of futuristic. When I read there were phones and cars and stuff like that, I was like: huh?
Favorite characters? Quin and Shinobu.
Why Quin? Quin is cool. She wanted to forget her old life and start a new one. She did. But then, one year and a half later, she discovers it is impossible to forget everything and everyone she knew.
Why Shinobu? Shinobu wanted to start a new life too. But in a different way. Using opium (Is that how it's called in English? I read the book in Dutch) and jumping off high buildings and bridges. Kind of like Noah from I'll give you the sun.
His love for Quin! And ofcourse, his heritage. As a "halfblood" myself... Well, I love characters with a Europian/American father and an Asian mother. Examples? Park from Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell. His mother is Korean. His father American.
Shinobu is half Scottish half Japanese. I'm half Dutch half Taiwanese. It's nearly the same. Maybe I love halfblood characters because I kind of understand them?
Least favorite character? John. In the beginning, he was kind of cool, but later in the story I had the feeling he was kind of crazy. He kept looking for an athame and still thought that Quin loved him. He turned EVIL.
*SPOILER* *SPOILER* *SPOILER* *SPOILER*
Favorite scene? This is not going to be spoiler free, so if you have not read this book, don't read the next sentence. My favorite scenes are when Quin and Shinobu (What is their shipping name!?) nearly kiss and kiss. Yeah, it's weird to have these parts in the book as your favorite parts, but it was like: Look Shinobu! Don't commit suicide! You have someone that loves you! And it's no ordinary girl, no, it's Quin! Hehe. I re-read those scenes. Hehe.
Yes, there is a love triangle in this book/series. I actually hate love triangles. They're horrible when the girl (it's usually a girl!) chooses the guy you don't like over the guy you do like. An example? The love triangle from the Infernal Devices trilogy by Cassandra Clare.
So it surprised me when I realized I did liked this love triangle. In a bad way.
I ship Quin and Shinobu. John? No. Definitely no. And I enjoyed the jealousy John felt when he thought about Quin and Shinobu together. It was amazing! Oh, sorry. I'm sure the Sorting hat is thinking that he put me in the wrong house. Maybe I had to go to Slytherin instead of Ravenclaw. Maybe...
Where can I compate this book to? People are comparing it to Legend, by Marie Lu, Divergent, by Veronica Roth and The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. I have not read Legend yet, but I can tell you that Seeker is nothing like Divergent and The Hunger Games. Seeker has it's own story. Where do I compare it to? It's kind of like Endgame by James Fray. Kind of. Kind of like The Illuminati (do you spell it like this?). It is impossible to compare it to another book and why do people need to compare books anyway?
I don't know why, but I thought this book took place in a medieval setting. Well, it wasn't. It was kind of futuristic. When I read there were phones and cars and stuff like that, I was like: huh?
Favorite characters? Quin and Shinobu.
Why Quin? Quin is cool. She wanted to forget her old life and start a new one. She did. But then, one year and a half later, she discovers it is impossible to forget everything and everyone she knew.
Why Shinobu? Shinobu wanted to start a new life too. But in a different way. Using opium (Is that how it's called in English? I read the book in Dutch) and jumping off high buildings and bridges. Kind of like Noah from I'll give you the sun.
His love for Quin! And ofcourse, his heritage. As a "halfblood" myself... Well, I love characters with a Europian/American father and an Asian mother. Examples? Park from Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell. His mother is Korean. His father American.
Shinobu is half Scottish half Japanese. I'm half Dutch half Taiwanese. It's nearly the same. Maybe I love halfblood characters because I kind of understand them?
Least favorite character? John. In the beginning, he was kind of cool, but later in the story I had the feeling he was kind of crazy. He kept looking for an athame and still thought that Quin loved him. He turned EVIL.
*SPOILER* *SPOILER* *SPOILER* *SPOILER*
Favorite scene? This is not going to be spoiler free, so if you have not read this book, don't read the next sentence. My favorite scenes are when Quin and Shinobu (What is their shipping name!?) nearly kiss and kiss. Yeah, it's weird to have these parts in the book as your favorite parts, but it was like: Look Shinobu! Don't commit suicide! You have someone that loves you! And it's no ordinary girl, no, it's Quin! Hehe. I re-read those scenes. Hehe.
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I'm giving it two stars because the first 20% wasn't so bad. I could deal with it, but after that omg too many POVS. Is this Scifi or Fantasy? I don't even know anymore.
I picked up an ARC of Seeker from NYCC. It was an enjoyable read. The world building was well done. It is very much secluded to their world though. I often wondered if the consequences of the Seekers' actions in the world would come back and have a bigger impact on the whole of the story. It was briefly mentioned in passing, but this is the first book of a series and so it is possible that we'll see the repercussions of that night on global scale.
The start to developing the characters was good. They have a mix of strength, determination and flaws. You certainly understand their motivations. I liked that it was told from different point of views. I must say though that that love triangle was weak, especially on Quin's part. Some of her feelings came on too suddenly.
Maud was my favorite character. I found her and her history to be the most interesting of all.
It is described as "For readers of A Game of Thrones and The Hunger Games comes an epic new series." It is a very tame GoT (the PG-13 version).
The action was good, however, some parts lacked suspense. I put the book down for a week around the beginning of part three. Also, and maybe it's not fair to judge too harshly since it is an ARC, but it did get repetitive about the time jump. It got to a point where I would think to myself how many times in a chapter will we be reminded that some time has past? I lost count.
Although I lost some motivation to continue reading, I did finish and it has interested me enough to see what the next book brings to the story.
3 out 5 athames
The start to developing the characters was good. They have a mix of strength, determination and flaws. You certainly understand their motivations. I liked that it was told from different point of views. I must say though that that love triangle was weak, especially on Quin's part. Some of her feelings came on too suddenly.
Maud was my favorite character. I found her and her history to be the most interesting of all.
It is described as "For readers of A Game of Thrones and The Hunger Games comes an epic new series." It is a very tame GoT (the PG-13 version).
The action was good, however, some parts lacked suspense. I put the book down for a week around the beginning of part three. Also, and maybe it's not fair to judge too harshly since it is an ARC, but it did get repetitive about the time jump. It got to a point where I would think to myself how many times in a chapter will we be reminded that some time has past? I lost count.
Although I lost some motivation to continue reading, I did finish and it has interested me enough to see what the next book brings to the story.
3 out 5 athames
I selected this book because I enjoy young adult, including dystopian and fantasy YA. The promo copy said the book would appeal to fans of Divergent, which I really enjoyed, and The Hunger Games, which I found okay.
The book’s cover is compelling and mysterious.
CRITIQUE
My expectations for this book were not met. If I could sum up the story in one word, it would be “confusing.” I read many genres of books, a lot that have a confusing start. But the author manages to pull it all together and make sense of it in the end. Not so here. I was sorely disappointed in this book.
The story’s prose is choppy. The dialogue (even the internal dialogue of the characters) doesn’t seem natural. It’s all very stilted in its feel. Additionally, while some of the time jumps in the narrative make sense, others are completely random (For example, the chapter on Maud’s childhood that comes in the middle of things that have no connection.)
There were similes and metaphors that either didn’t make much sense in context or jolted me out of the story to try to rationalize out.
Characters & Points-of-View
I don’t believe any of the main characters were fully developed. Most are decidedly bad and only bad. Quinn, the main character, is a bit more complex but still seems to vacillate between being all good or all bad depending on the section of the story we’re in.
Nothing in the story really made me concerned about the characters, their well-being, how they would end up, etc. It was all very superficial.
Some supporting characters just popped in and out randomly (Shinobu’s mother) without really contributing to the story or main characters at all.
The multiple points of view (which I’m generally good with in a book) just added to the overall tangle.
Story Structure & Pace
I really was lost in this book from the start. Just as things would start to make sense and I’d feel like I was getting a grasp on the story or characters, something random would be there to confuse me again.
There were also many inconsistencies in the story where the characters were doing one thing but all of a sudden they weren’t. For example, the Drudges were cleaning and working on their weapons but the text said that “neither moved as they spoke.” They were cleaning their weapons; that requires movement.
Back story was interspersed throughout. Sometimes that helped. Sometimes it just made the reading more confusing.
As far as the ending, I don’t even know what to say about that other than I finished the book wanting it to be so much more than it was.
Conflict & Tension
All of the conflict and tension seemed contrived. The characters were definitely at the mercy of their situations instead of being decision makers for their own destinies.
Research & Story World
The author’s note indicated that Dayton does extensive research for her books, visiting the various locales mentioned (Hong Kong, London, Scotland). I don’t know how much of that comes across in the book since the story is set in the future.
Romantic Tension
There is a romantic triangle that is predictable from the start.
Spiritual Connection & Speculative/Supernatural Elements
I don’t believe there were necessarily spiritual connections or supernatural elements in this book. There was time travel and fantasy.
Although there is mention at a few points about energy fields around people’s bodies and how the healers can fix anomalies in those. I guess that would be a bit New Age.
Questionable Content
More conservative readers would want to know there were sexual vibes, and implications between characters. Many violent descriptions of fights and murder. Drug use, drug dens and drinking were common in the story line. Also, one of the characters is involved in prostitution.
Originality & Predictability
I think that the concept Dayton was working with is a good one. Characters traveling through time and space (although most of the characters in this book it was just from location to location) to change the past/alter the present/affect the future is interesting. Having teens train their childhoods in order to do so and believing that it is to right wrongs only to discover something different is compelling.
The story was just too confusing to hash out that plot line. I spent most of the book trying to figure out what was going on and why that I never was able to engage in the bigger picture.
I was guessing all the way to the end…and even at the end. In this case, that’s not a positive.
Audience Appropriateness & Appeal
The target audience is young adults 14 and older. And I believe it would appeal to some. Readers that age don’t necessarily look for depth of character or consistency in story. However, I would say some of the content is best left to those who are older. What is the target audience?
As a movie, I believe it would be rated PG-13 based on the violence and drugs.
Despite the comparisons made on Amazon, this book has very little in common with Divergent, Hunger Games, and the like.
Engagement, Entertainment & Investment
Seeker was a quick read, as is the nature of most YA books. I did keep turning the pages in the hopes it would start to make sense and things would fall into place. It didn’t.
It is the start of a series. So perhaps it becomes clear in later books; I have no desire to find out.
This is not a book I would recommend to others.
CONCLUSION
Pros
• The concept could have been interesting
Cons
• Confusing
• Story has little to no flow
***This review will also be posted on The Christian Manifesto review website on 2.26.15
The book’s cover is compelling and mysterious.
CRITIQUE
My expectations for this book were not met. If I could sum up the story in one word, it would be “confusing.” I read many genres of books, a lot that have a confusing start. But the author manages to pull it all together and make sense of it in the end. Not so here. I was sorely disappointed in this book.
The story’s prose is choppy. The dialogue (even the internal dialogue of the characters) doesn’t seem natural. It’s all very stilted in its feel. Additionally, while some of the time jumps in the narrative make sense, others are completely random (For example, the chapter on Maud’s childhood that comes in the middle of things that have no connection.)
There were similes and metaphors that either didn’t make much sense in context or jolted me out of the story to try to rationalize out.
Characters & Points-of-View
I don’t believe any of the main characters were fully developed. Most are decidedly bad and only bad. Quinn, the main character, is a bit more complex but still seems to vacillate between being all good or all bad depending on the section of the story we’re in.
Nothing in the story really made me concerned about the characters, their well-being, how they would end up, etc. It was all very superficial.
Some supporting characters just popped in and out randomly (Shinobu’s mother) without really contributing to the story or main characters at all.
The multiple points of view (which I’m generally good with in a book) just added to the overall tangle.
Story Structure & Pace
I really was lost in this book from the start. Just as things would start to make sense and I’d feel like I was getting a grasp on the story or characters, something random would be there to confuse me again.
There were also many inconsistencies in the story where the characters were doing one thing but all of a sudden they weren’t. For example, the Drudges were cleaning and working on their weapons but the text said that “neither moved as they spoke.” They were cleaning their weapons; that requires movement.
Back story was interspersed throughout. Sometimes that helped. Sometimes it just made the reading more confusing.
As far as the ending, I don’t even know what to say about that other than I finished the book wanting it to be so much more than it was.
Conflict & Tension
All of the conflict and tension seemed contrived. The characters were definitely at the mercy of their situations instead of being decision makers for their own destinies.
Research & Story World
The author’s note indicated that Dayton does extensive research for her books, visiting the various locales mentioned (Hong Kong, London, Scotland). I don’t know how much of that comes across in the book since the story is set in the future.
Romantic Tension
There is a romantic triangle that is predictable from the start.
Spiritual Connection & Speculative/Supernatural Elements
I don’t believe there were necessarily spiritual connections or supernatural elements in this book. There was time travel and fantasy.
Although there is mention at a few points about energy fields around people’s bodies and how the healers can fix anomalies in those. I guess that would be a bit New Age.
Questionable Content
More conservative readers would want to know there were sexual vibes, and implications between characters. Many violent descriptions of fights and murder. Drug use, drug dens and drinking were common in the story line. Also, one of the characters is involved in prostitution.
Originality & Predictability
I think that the concept Dayton was working with is a good one. Characters traveling through time and space (although most of the characters in this book it was just from location to location) to change the past/alter the present/affect the future is interesting. Having teens train their childhoods in order to do so and believing that it is to right wrongs only to discover something different is compelling.
The story was just too confusing to hash out that plot line. I spent most of the book trying to figure out what was going on and why that I never was able to engage in the bigger picture.
I was guessing all the way to the end…and even at the end. In this case, that’s not a positive.
Audience Appropriateness & Appeal
The target audience is young adults 14 and older. And I believe it would appeal to some. Readers that age don’t necessarily look for depth of character or consistency in story. However, I would say some of the content is best left to those who are older. What is the target audience?
As a movie, I believe it would be rated PG-13 based on the violence and drugs.
Despite the comparisons made on Amazon, this book has very little in common with Divergent, Hunger Games, and the like.
Engagement, Entertainment & Investment
Seeker was a quick read, as is the nature of most YA books. I did keep turning the pages in the hopes it would start to make sense and things would fall into place. It didn’t.
It is the start of a series. So perhaps it becomes clear in later books; I have no desire to find out.
This is not a book I would recommend to others.
CONCLUSION
Pros
• The concept could have been interesting
Cons
• Confusing
• Story has little to no flow
***This review will also be posted on The Christian Manifesto review website on 2.26.15
abandon qui date d'il y a un moment.. je préfère ne même pas développer.
cependant il y a de nombreux points positifs à ce livre: l'introgue qui, si elle avait été mieux menée aurait pu donner quelque chose de vraiment bien.
malheureusement, ce livre n'était pas pour moi
cependant il y a de nombreux points positifs à ce livre: l'introgue qui, si elle avait été mieux menée aurait pu donner quelque chose de vraiment bien.
malheureusement, ce livre n'était pas pour moi