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2.9 AVERAGE
2.9 AVERAGE
A story about young people becoming who they are meant to be and facing the obstacles of growing in a very particular world of danger and responsibility. Like the Hunger Games or the Divergent series this book takes to the new generation to fix the broken society this characters live in a dystopian world where time and space aren’t unbreakable barriers.
The story follows Quinn, John and Shinobu as they try to save the world, or do they?
The story is fairly easy to read and it is presented from different perspectives which helps us get better knowledge of everything that is going on.
I have this book 4 Stars because i wasn’t into the story and the beggining could have been stronger, i found it a bit confusing as the author first started to explain the particular setting of the story and that made it a bit hard to understand what was going on but as we start to get to know the characters and their traits and capabilities the book flies by.
The story follows Quinn, John and Shinobu as they try to save the world, or do they?
The story is fairly easy to read and it is presented from different perspectives which helps us get better knowledge of everything that is going on.
I have this book 4 Stars because i wasn’t into the story and the beggining could have been stronger, i found it a bit confusing as the author first started to explain the particular setting of the story and that made it a bit hard to understand what was going on but as we start to get to know the characters and their traits and capabilities the book flies by.
Imagine that you were train for one thing your entire life only to find out after you're committed to it that it's not what you thought, which is kind of like what happens when you go to college, if you think about it. This kind of bait and switch happens in the pages of the soon to be released Seeker by Arwen Elys Dayton.
To read this, and other book reviews, visit my website: http://makinggoodstories.wordpress.com/.
Quin Kincaid, her cousin Shinobu MacBain, and Quin's boyfriend John Hart have all been training to become Seekers for years and they're finally ready to face their final tests and are prepared to take their Oaths to join their families' legacies of being a Seeker. Quin and Shinobu are fueled by the ingratiated idea that they will join their families while John is fueled by a different kind of family obligation, which alters the way that he is perceived by those he has lived with for the past couple of years. In the everlasting fight to protect the weak and wronged of the world, these hopeful Seekers learn more about the dark world they live in and about themselves.
I'm going to preface this by saying that, generally, as a whole, the book was readable and it has some potential; however, I found that I was having a lot of issues with the book. The first thing that I was struggling with was placing the events in time. Some events described were provided with a definitive date in the past, but then there were also items and events described that seemed to fit more with a near-future scenario, and still a third time period somewhere between the two extremes that seems as if it could be a plausible option. It was incredibly difficult to place the overall time period of the novel as the descriptions either jump around to various time periods or are horrifically vague, which can leave a reader, such as myself, frustrated.
I also felt that the world building of this near-future/magically infused world was severely lacking. For example, the go-to weapon for the Seekers seems to be a whipsword, but they aren't fully explained. Yes, there are a few descriptions about the whipswords, but they all felt incomplete. Mention of them being able to be altered into a different bladed weapon was made and there were brief descriptions of the fluid nature of the blades, but there wasn't anything concrete about the descriptions to allow for easy envisioning for the reader. Yet, we could all imagine essentially the same things from J.K. Rowling's descriptions of new items in Harry Potter--and, yes, I realize I'm comparing to that famous series, but I grew up with it and while I have my issues with it, the magical world building was pretty good.
And please don't even get me started on the stupid, cliched love triangle so freaking prevalent in YA lit, and even adult lit; it just seemed as if this novel was trying too hard to be considered YA and decided that a love triangle, even with a seemingly incestuous connection, would be a great way to push it toward the category. Bleugh! While I can understand how and why it might be easier to go with a tried and true version of YA lit, it's good (and more often than not eagerly anticipated and encouraged by readers) to break away from the norm and try out something innovative. Also, don't test me on the whole series gambit--seriously, just don't. It's just not always necessary. And the fact that this is already being made into a movie: ehhhhhhhhh, no thanks, I'll pass.
To read this, and other book reviews, visit my website: http://makinggoodstories.wordpress.com/.
Quin Kincaid, her cousin Shinobu MacBain, and Quin's boyfriend John Hart have all been training to become Seekers for years and they're finally ready to face their final tests and are prepared to take their Oaths to join their families' legacies of being a Seeker. Quin and Shinobu are fueled by the ingratiated idea that they will join their families while John is fueled by a different kind of family obligation, which alters the way that he is perceived by those he has lived with for the past couple of years. In the everlasting fight to protect the weak and wronged of the world, these hopeful Seekers learn more about the dark world they live in and about themselves.
I'm going to preface this by saying that, generally, as a whole, the book was readable and it has some potential; however, I found that I was having a lot of issues with the book. The first thing that I was struggling with was placing the events in time. Some events described were provided with a definitive date in the past, but then there were also items and events described that seemed to fit more with a near-future scenario, and still a third time period somewhere between the two extremes that seems as if it could be a plausible option. It was incredibly difficult to place the overall time period of the novel as the descriptions either jump around to various time periods or are horrifically vague, which can leave a reader, such as myself, frustrated.
I also felt that the world building of this near-future/magically infused world was severely lacking. For example, the go-to weapon for the Seekers seems to be a whipsword, but they aren't fully explained. Yes, there are a few descriptions about the whipswords, but they all felt incomplete. Mention of them being able to be altered into a different bladed weapon was made and there were brief descriptions of the fluid nature of the blades, but there wasn't anything concrete about the descriptions to allow for easy envisioning for the reader. Yet, we could all imagine essentially the same things from J.K. Rowling's descriptions of new items in Harry Potter--and, yes, I realize I'm comparing to that famous series, but I grew up with it and while I have my issues with it, the magical world building was pretty good.
And please don't even get me started on the stupid, cliched love triangle so freaking prevalent in YA lit, and even adult lit; it just seemed as if this novel was trying too hard to be considered YA and decided that a love triangle, even with a seemingly incestuous connection, would be a great way to push it toward the category. Bleugh! While I can understand how and why it might be easier to go with a tried and true version of YA lit, it's good (and more often than not eagerly anticipated and encouraged by readers) to break away from the norm and try out something innovative. Also, don't test me on the whole series gambit--seriously, just don't. It's just not always necessary. And the fact that this is already being made into a movie: ehhhhhhhhh, no thanks, I'll pass.
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I received this free from the publishers via NetGalley
Quin has been training all her life to be a 'seeker', a purpose she believes is honorable and noble, yet when the day comes to take her oath everything she believed about being a 'seeker' was false and her world has turned upside down. Her adventure takes her across the world from Scotland to Honk Kong to There.
I'm a bit unsure of what to write in this review. For the majority of the book I was left confused and the story just didn't really seem to make any sense to me? At about 50% I started to skim read because I was just not enjoying it. While the first 10% grabbed my interest, it just went downhill from there. The majority of the book just seemed to want to keep what a Seeker is a mystery. What is a Seeker? And while it hinted at it, it took far too long for them to come out with it. They did a task to swear their oath, and they ended up covered in blood and vomiting, but it took far too long to actually get told what they did. I felt like I missed pages or something because the jump from the start of the task to the end was so sudden. Ok, Quin killed people, but why? Who were they? Too many questions get answered too late in my opinion. But even so, what did Quin think a Seeker was in the first place? It wasn't suspenseful, but rather irritating.
The magic seemed to be explained poorly as well. The world building was very poor, I didn't understand the setting, was it steampunk? It seemed to be medieval, but I'm not so sure, was it actually the future? I still have no clue. All this really took away from my enjoyment of Seeker. Also, I don't really understand what the Dreads were, just mediators? But they couldn't intervene in anything?
I wasn't really fond of the characters, and I definitely did not connect with any of them. I really disliked Quin and her father's relationship. A 'obey me because I say so' type of relationship, and Quin doesn't really question that? Or stray too much from that thought. Other characters weren't impressive either, one ended up an opium addict, another turned from a love interest to Quin to the antagonist of the story. While I get his motivations, there just seemed to be little depth and he was willing to betray the ones he loved, well supposedly, so quickly. So , little depth or development for the characters which stopped me empathizing or connecting with them.
Overall, a book I wouldn't personally recommend. Poor world building, poor writing, poor plot and structure, and poor characters and development.
Quin has been training all her life to be a 'seeker', a purpose she believes is honorable and noble, yet when the day comes to take her oath everything she believed about being a 'seeker' was false and her world has turned upside down. Her adventure takes her across the world from Scotland to Honk Kong to There.
I'm a bit unsure of what to write in this review. For the majority of the book I was left confused and the story just didn't really seem to make any sense to me? At about 50% I started to skim read because I was just not enjoying it. While the first 10% grabbed my interest, it just went downhill from there. The majority of the book just seemed to want to keep what a Seeker is a mystery. What is a Seeker?
Spoiler
an Assassin I'm assumingThe magic seemed to be explained poorly as well. The world building was very poor, I didn't understand the setting, was it steampunk? It seemed to be medieval, but I'm not so sure, was it actually the future? I still have no clue. All this really took away from my enjoyment of Seeker. Also, I don't really understand what the Dreads were, just mediators? But they couldn't intervene in anything?
I wasn't really fond of the characters, and I definitely did not connect with any of them. I really disliked Quin and her father's relationship. A 'obey me because I say so' type of relationship, and Quin doesn't really question that? Or stray too much from that thought. Other characters weren't impressive either, one ended up an opium addict, another turned from a love interest to Quin to the antagonist of the story. While I get his motivations, there just seemed to be little depth and he was willing to betray the ones he loved, well supposedly, so quickly. So , little depth or development for the characters which stopped me empathizing or connecting with them.
Overall, a book I wouldn't personally recommend. Poor world building, poor writing, poor plot and structure, and poor characters and development.
Leí este libro gracias al club de lectura y la verdad quedé bastante decepcionada.
En general, la historia es muy débil, una mezcla de muchos otros libros, con una narración simple que se saltaba de lugar en lugar sin llegar a terminar muchas ideas, además, nace un romance de la nada y sigue así, totalmente superficial y nada interesante.
En ocasiones el libro se tornaba tedioso y simplemente querías terminarlo rápido para no tener que sufrir más con él, era insoportable, los personajes eran confusos y no lo digo de forma adulante, en un momento están traumados de por vida por algo pero siguen haciéndolo sin mayor problema.
Definitivamente no leeré los otros, es una mezcla de varias situaciones, objetos y en cierta manera de "etapas" y nada acaba de encajar, de verdad me decepcionó muchísimo.
En general, la historia es muy débil, una mezcla de muchos otros libros, con una narración simple que se saltaba de lugar en lugar sin llegar a terminar muchas ideas, además, nace un romance de la nada y sigue así, totalmente superficial y nada interesante.
En ocasiones el libro se tornaba tedioso y simplemente querías terminarlo rápido para no tener que sufrir más con él, era insoportable, los personajes eran confusos y no lo digo de forma adulante, en un momento están traumados de por vida por algo pero siguen haciéndolo sin mayor problema.
Definitivamente no leeré los otros, es una mezcla de varias situaciones, objetos y en cierta manera de "etapas" y nada acaba de encajar, de verdad me decepcionó muchísimo.
I received this from Netgalley, but unfortunately about a third of the way in, I had to set it aside. I suspect the readership who would enjoy this book would be the junior high to high school aged reader who haven't read many books beyond the Hunger Games and Divergent.
The plot, as well as the (confusing in a non-intriguing way) world building, seemed put together from marketing plot points, complete to the requisite love triangle, the two fellows again following plot points for love triangle boys. The prose might appeal to Divergent fans.
If you are looking for more "like Divergent" you might give this one a try.
The plot, as well as the (confusing in a non-intriguing way) world building, seemed put together from marketing plot points, complete to the requisite love triangle, the two fellows again following plot points for love triangle boys. The prose might appeal to Divergent fans.
If you are looking for more "like Divergent" you might give this one a try.
1 Star for the interesting world that Arwen Dayton attempted to create, but ultimately failed miserably. I wanted to read this but had to call it quits a little under a quarter of the way through because this book turned into such an impossible read.
This story is about Quin, who is being trained by her family for her legacy. What that legacy is other than being a warrior she doesn't know. Then she takes her oath and is illuminated to the truth and regrets all her decisions and mistrust her trainers. One of which is her father.
This book sounded so interesting and I couldn't help but pick it up. But it just completely failed.
My main issue is the characters. In this book the characters were sporadic. Which basically means they had absolutely no reasoning behind their actions. The characters didn't have the necessary predictability that comes with a well-written personality. These characters had no personalities, even the main ones, they were just there to further the plot. I know predictability has a bad tag lately, but it is okay to be predictable. It is okay to have predictable characters. This lends familiarity to the reader and allows the reader to feel closer to the book because they want to see if their theories are correct. This book completely breaks that. And not it a good way.
The setting was interesting, but also poorly done. Each chapter switched characters. I am not sure why that was necessary, because it really didn't add much to the story.
If you are thinking of reading this: don't. I know its YA and some may think I am being harsh, but this book should have never been published. There are so many issues in this book it isn't worth the time. There are so many other YA books that are poorly written but 100% better than this. Read one of those, and spare yourself.
*Spoiler*
I will now describe a scene that will give some parts of the book away. Read at your discretion.
So basically Quin's dad is an evil bastard. He is still her dad. In this scene he is losing a fight with another character that may or may not be an antagonist, I never found out because I quite reading. Anyway Quint sees her dad struggling and is pulling her mom away from the fight, trying to escape without being seen. Her mom is worried for her dad and is all, "But your dad!" And then Quint thinks, "He is a monster. Let him die. I don't care." And that's it. End scene.
No reasoning, no supportive argument for why her father is this horrible person. No emotion. No small twinge of guilt. Just, "He's a horrible beast let him die." (None of these are direct quotes, but extremely close enough.) In any decent book there would be a paragraph explaining the decision. Giving support for the character feeling nothing at leaving her father behind to die. But yet this book has none of that. And this wasn't the only scene where the characters gave no reasoning, no support for their actions or feelings.
Honestly I can't believe that someone actually published this. This book is quite literally the worst I have ever read and it a major trainwreck.
This story is about Quin, who is being trained by her family for her legacy. What that legacy is other than being a warrior she doesn't know. Then she takes her oath and is illuminated to the truth and regrets all her decisions and mistrust her trainers. One of which is her father.
This book sounded so interesting and I couldn't help but pick it up. But it just completely failed.
My main issue is the characters. In this book the characters were sporadic. Which basically means they had absolutely no reasoning behind their actions. The characters didn't have the necessary predictability that comes with a well-written personality. These characters had no personalities, even the main ones, they were just there to further the plot. I know predictability has a bad tag lately, but it is okay to be predictable. It is okay to have predictable characters. This lends familiarity to the reader and allows the reader to feel closer to the book because they want to see if their theories are correct. This book completely breaks that. And not it a good way.
The setting was interesting, but also poorly done. Each chapter switched characters. I am not sure why that was necessary, because it really didn't add much to the story.
If you are thinking of reading this: don't. I know its YA and some may think I am being harsh, but this book should have never been published. There are so many issues in this book it isn't worth the time. There are so many other YA books that are poorly written but 100% better than this. Read one of those, and spare yourself.
*Spoiler*
I will now describe a scene that will give some parts of the book away. Read at your discretion.
So basically Quin's dad is an evil bastard. He is still her dad. In this scene he is losing a fight with another character that may or may not be an antagonist, I never found out because I quite reading. Anyway Quint sees her dad struggling and is pulling her mom away from the fight, trying to escape without being seen. Her mom is worried for her dad and is all, "But your dad!" And then Quint thinks, "He is a monster. Let him die. I don't care." And that's it. End scene.
No reasoning, no supportive argument for why her father is this horrible person. No emotion. No small twinge of guilt. Just, "He's a horrible beast let him die." (None of these are direct quotes, but extremely close enough.) In any decent book there would be a paragraph explaining the decision. Giving support for the character feeling nothing at leaving her father behind to die. But yet this book has none of that. And this wasn't the only scene where the characters gave no reasoning, no support for their actions or feelings.
Honestly I can't believe that someone actually published this. This book is quite literally the worst I have ever read and it a major trainwreck.
adventurous
tense
slow-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