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kpeet's review against another edition
**I received my copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.**
Abandoned.
Once in a while, there comes a book that you just can't finish. It might be that the plot is terrible or there's too much exposition. No matter how hard you try, you can't get past the shortcomings long enough to actually read the words on the pages. Seeker is one of those books for me. I gave up on it at 65% after trying to read it for like six months, maybe even longer than that. SIX MONTHS! That is a long time to try to read the same book.
At first the story was interesting, but then as things went on and got more complicated, I realized nothing was being explained and I was pretty lost. Quin and her friends Shinobu (guess what race he is, go on) and John are Seekers-in-training, which seem like arbitrators of justice or something. They all live and train on a grand estate in Scotland/not-Scotland owned by Quin's dad, who is also their teacher. They go to take their final test and swear their oath, but John (who has a classic I'll-never-be-good-enough chip on his shoulder) fails and decides to get revenge by setting fire to the whole place (or something). Quin and Shinobu also realize that Seekers are just assassins. In the ensuing chaos, Quin and Shinobu jump in a portal to...Hong Kong/not-Hong Kong/someplace...where they live separate lives for 18 months or something until John finds them again.
That's the whole story for 65% of the book! So much of it is intertwined with random backstory that not only has unclear relevance, but is spouted off and then skipped over like it was so obvious what it meant. "Blah blah, he held my mom captive and she's this ghost of a corpse now, okay back to my revenge"...what?!?! Then there was the whole portal time jump or whatever (see, I don't even know what it was) and I'm not sure where in time the rest of the story took place. It says 18 months later, but 18 months from when? From when they landed in Hong Kong/not-Hong Kong but where in time was Scotland/not-Scotland taking place? Several hundred years earlier? In the earlier part in Scotland/not-Scotland, I got the impression they dressed and lived like they were in 1600s or something but they had some pretty advanced technology in Hong Kong/not-Hong Kong. Did they time jump? Did they portal jump? Did they do both? I have no idea.
To top it all off, there is a lot of random stuff with Quin's mommy and daddy issues and her random love triangle (or maybe not? It was hard to tell!) that was confusing. I have no idea what or how or why anything was happening, because nothing was really explained. Are Quin and John in love or is he just lusting after her? Does Quin feel something for Shinobu or is John just paranoid jealous? Are Quin's parents in love or does her dad just let her mom live there? Is Quin's mom a drunk or is she actually someone we should care about? What do all the words the characters keep using mean??
From what I THINK might have been going on, this could've been really good, but it was really poorly executed. Like SO poorly executed that I don't know how anyone could read this and understand anything. How do you categorize this book? How do you read it and come away with a good handle on the plot? It's like the author had a ton of ideas but didn't know how or didn't want to try to integrate them all, so they just DUMPED it all in one book and closed their laptop for the day. Needless to say, it didn't work.
Abandoned.
Once in a while, there comes a book that you just can't finish. It might be that the plot is terrible or there's too much exposition. No matter how hard you try, you can't get past the shortcomings long enough to actually read the words on the pages. Seeker is one of those books for me. I gave up on it at 65% after trying to read it for like six months, maybe even longer than that. SIX MONTHS! That is a long time to try to read the same book.
At first the story was interesting, but then as things went on and got more complicated, I realized nothing was being explained and I was pretty lost. Quin and her friends Shinobu (guess what race he is, go on) and John are Seekers-in-training, which seem like arbitrators of justice or something. They all live and train on a grand estate in Scotland/not-Scotland owned by Quin's dad, who is also their teacher. They go to take their final test and swear their oath, but John (who has a classic I'll-never-be-good-enough chip on his shoulder) fails and decides to get revenge by setting fire to the whole place (or something). Quin and Shinobu also realize that Seekers are just assassins. In the ensuing chaos, Quin and Shinobu jump in a portal to...Hong Kong/not-Hong Kong/someplace...where they live separate lives for 18 months or something until John finds them again.
That's the whole story for 65% of the book! So much of it is intertwined with random backstory that not only has unclear relevance, but is spouted off and then skipped over like it was so obvious what it meant. "Blah blah, he held my mom captive and she's this ghost of a corpse now, okay back to my revenge"...what?!?! Then there was the whole portal time jump or whatever (see, I don't even know what it was) and I'm not sure where in time the rest of the story took place. It says 18 months later, but 18 months from when? From when they landed in Hong Kong/not-Hong Kong but where in time was Scotland/not-Scotland taking place? Several hundred years earlier? In the earlier part in Scotland/not-Scotland, I got the impression they dressed and lived like they were in 1600s or something but they had some pretty advanced technology in Hong Kong/not-Hong Kong. Did they time jump? Did they portal jump? Did they do both? I have no idea.
To top it all off, there is a lot of random stuff with Quin's mommy and daddy issues and her random love triangle (or maybe not? It was hard to tell!) that was confusing. I have no idea what or how or why anything was happening, because nothing was really explained. Are Quin and John in love or is he just lusting after her? Does Quin feel something for Shinobu or is John just paranoid jealous? Are Quin's parents in love or does her dad just let her mom live there? Is Quin's mom a drunk or is she actually someone we should care about? What do all the words the characters keep using mean??
From what I THINK might have been going on, this could've been really good, but it was really poorly executed. Like SO poorly executed that I don't know how anyone could read this and understand anything. How do you categorize this book? How do you read it and come away with a good handle on the plot? It's like the author had a ton of ideas but didn't know how or didn't want to try to integrate them all, so they just DUMPED it all in one book and closed their laptop for the day. Needless to say, it didn't work.
earthtokate's review against another edition
2.0
This book's great in the beginning! But as I read it more, I didn't make it half way.... the storytelling's really boring.
bookgirl4ever's review against another edition
3.0
Quin, John, and Shinobu come from long lines of Seekers, warriors who exact justice by killing people who seem to deserve it-at least that is what Quin's father Briac, a Seeker trainer, tells her and her third cousin Shinobu. John knows better. His mother was a Seeker whose final words committed him to becoming a Seeker and exacting revenge for his family's grievances. When John doesn't past the final test to become a Seeker, Briac decides to end his training. Quin and Shinobu proceed to take the Seeker oath and perform their first true Seeker mission, which is a gross violation of everything they have learned. A great premise, slow moving story, and a lot of annoyance at revenge-driven John, obstinate Quin, and druggy Shinobu. Still may read the sequel, though.
HS
HS
kmchane's review against another edition
2.0
I had a really hard time getting into this book and found it a little confusing.
golden_lily's review against another edition
Read This Review & More Like It At Ageless Pages Reviews
DNF at 160 pages, end of part one.
I gave Seeker more than one chance in hopes that it would improve. Unfortunately, I can't find anything positive to say and no longer wish to try.
The world building is poor. The main characters, Quin, John, and Shinobu, are training to become Seekers in a rural, medieval Scottish village. They are the apprentices to the only two Seekers left, Quin's father Briac and her uncle Alistair. Shinobu is Alistair's son and Quin's cousin, but he's also one half of the love triangle, which requires him to repeatedly mention that though they were raised together, they're not first cousins! It's gross. John is Quin's boyfriend, though Briac hates him for mysterious mystery reasons.
Seekers are not adequately explained. They fight with magical whipswords, weapons made of a mysterious metal that rearranges itself into a whip or any kind of sword based on how the owner flicks their wrist. Their biggest fear is the Disruptor, a weapon that shoots sparks that invade a person's mind and drives them insane by disrupting the brain's pathways, so anything a victim tries to do, it's turned around.
In addition, the world is revealed to actually be a highly technologically evolved future. There are flying cars, and regular cars, and airships where Seekers can't invade. (Why regular and flying cars? Why trains and airships? Why would Briac keep horses? The travel makes no sense.) But the Chinese healer still uses acupuncture needles with mysterious herbs. *coughracistcough*
Scenes are completely skipped. We jump from Quin discovering the Seekers may not be as good as she was taught, to her vomiting and covered in blood from her first mission. John is told he's going to take a train home, he's on his grandfather's airship two days later. People die off camera. I found the pacing odd enough without sudden jumps a month into the future.
There are too many points of view, too many characters, and not enough motivation. The villain has no depth. Almost 200 pages into a book, I should have a far better idea of the plot. It's not for me.
DNF at 160 pages, end of part one.
I gave Seeker more than one chance in hopes that it would improve. Unfortunately, I can't find anything positive to say and no longer wish to try.
The world building is poor. The main characters, Quin, John, and Shinobu, are training to become Seekers in a rural, medieval Scottish village. They are the apprentices to the only two Seekers left, Quin's father Briac and her uncle Alistair. Shinobu is Alistair's son and Quin's cousin, but he's also one half of the love triangle, which requires him to repeatedly mention that though they were raised together, they're not first cousins! It's gross. John is Quin's boyfriend, though Briac hates him for mysterious mystery reasons.
Seekers are not adequately explained. They fight with magical whipswords, weapons made of a mysterious metal that rearranges itself into a whip or any kind of sword based on how the owner flicks their wrist. Their biggest fear is the Disruptor, a weapon that shoots sparks that invade a person's mind and drives them insane by disrupting the brain's pathways, so anything a victim tries to do, it's turned around.
Spoiler
Except, apparently, kill themselves or give vital clues to one of the kids. That's easy enough to do.In addition, the world is revealed to actually be a highly technologically evolved future. There are flying cars, and regular cars, and airships where Seekers can't invade. (Why regular and flying cars? Why trains and airships? Why would Briac keep horses? The travel makes no sense.) But the Chinese healer still uses acupuncture needles with mysterious herbs. *coughracistcough*
Scenes are completely skipped. We jump from Quin discovering the Seekers may not be as good as she was taught, to her vomiting and covered in blood from her first mission. John is told he's going to take a train home, he's on his grandfather's airship two days later. People die off camera. I found the pacing odd enough without sudden jumps a month into the future.
There are too many points of view, too many characters, and not enough motivation. The villain has no depth. Almost 200 pages into a book, I should have a far better idea of the plot. It's not for me.
kuyakojo's review against another edition
4.0
A young adult fantasy featuring ancient orders, family secrets, complicated love interests, and more. It's sometimes difficult to watch as certain characters succumb to desperation and obsession, but I guess that's kids these days. The pace is good and quickens toward the end.
junggo_okie's review against another edition
4.0
FINALLY A JAPANESE MALE LOVE INTEREST! I've waited SO LONG for this! No longer is the heroine's lover a white male, but multiracial!!!
YES~!
IT'S PERFECT!
The beginning was pretty good and the action very nice, but I felt that the events in Hong Kong could have been better executed. The romance where Shinobu and Quin finally hook up (I ship) is a little more natural but a little too fast paced.
Contradicting?
I dunno.
Good book though, hate that the sequel comes out next year. ;~;
YES~!
IT'S PERFECT!
The beginning was pretty good and the action very nice, but I felt that the events in Hong Kong could have been better executed. The romance where Shinobu and Quin finally hook up (I ship) is a little more natural but a little too fast paced.
Contradicting?
I dunno.
Good book though, hate that the sequel comes out next year. ;~;
melissadelongcox's review against another edition
3.0
Overall: 2.5 - 3, very middle of the road for me. Received as an ARC from NetGalley.
While I finished the book, it was difficult for me to get through - which really surprised me, considering that the description of the book sounded so enticing! The story went up and down... at times, I couldn't put it down and at other moments, I found myself considering not even finishing (which is strange for me!).
I enjoyed it - and would've purchased or at least borrowed had I not received an ARC copy - but I'm not sure that I would purchase for my bookshelf to read again. I was hoping for more, especially given the description that it would be a series similar to The Hunger Games.
While I finished the book, it was difficult for me to get through - which really surprised me, considering that the description of the book sounded so enticing! The story went up and down... at times, I couldn't put it down and at other moments, I found myself considering not even finishing (which is strange for me!).
I enjoyed it - and would've purchased or at least borrowed had I not received an ARC copy - but I'm not sure that I would purchase for my bookshelf to read again. I was hoping for more, especially given the description that it would be a series similar to The Hunger Games.
emjay24's review against another edition
4.0
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.