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waywardbookshelf 's review for:
Seeker
by Arwen Elys Dayton
This book was just alright. After reading the whole book, I'm still not sure what a Seeker is actually supposed to do beyond create time/space portals, and be good at weapons. You get the impression that there is some great legacy and purpose, but beyond a couple vague statements about truth towards the end of the book, Seekers are pretty much undefined. Also, who realistically takes a lifelong oath to be something they don't understand? That's exactly what these kids do, and their parents who could really warn them what they're about to get into just leave them out to dry with some cryptic "are you sure?" nonsense. Not believable at all in that sense. A couple characters were fairly compelling (Shinobu & Maud to be specific), the plot meandered a bit, but had some okay elements & surprises. The hardest thing for me to deal with was the setting/world building (or lack thereof) which wasn't all that cohesive. Initially, the book feels like a historical science fiction, and then about halfway through you get more context and realize it's present-day. So with no clear setting, and no clear purpose on the part of most of the characters, and several sides fighting over control of some ancient daggers, I just couldn't figure out how to care about the outcome. Not to mention, there's kinda an icky love triangle.
So, some decent concepts, but not the best execution. Perhaps that's because it was optioned for a movie before it was even published (My ARC claims its soon to be a major motion picture). There were a couple reveals and hints by omission that might work well on screen, but don't fly in a book.
So, some decent concepts, but not the best execution. Perhaps that's because it was optioned for a movie before it was even published (My ARC claims its soon to be a major motion picture). There were a couple reveals and hints by omission that might work well on screen, but don't fly in a book.