A review by asipofcozy
The Keeper of Night by Kylie Lee Baker

dark emotional mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Thank you to Inkyard Press for sending me a review copy of The Keeper of Night. This review is based on my honest opinion and feelings.

CW: bullying, racial slurs, racism, gore, blood, violence, mention of beheading, mention of mutilation and cutting up a pregnant woman, harming of a child, beheading, and animal death.

The Keeper Of Night follows Ren, a Half British Reaper and Half Japanese Shinigami, who was driven out of London after failing to control her Shinigami abilities. Accompanied by her brother, Neven, she travels to Japan to enter the Japanese underworld to earn her place among the Shinigami and gain the respect of the Goddess of Death. Respect that she never received from her fellow Reapers. To earn her place, Ren must kill 3 Yokai demons.

This story was dark, gruesome, and harsh. The reading experience that I can accumulate in this book is if you decided to go for a walk during a dark foggy day and felt like you saw movements in the shadows. That's what this book felt like; every page, you felt like there was evil, death stalking in dark corners. I loved every minute of it. While this is considered young adult literature, I would almost classify this with more new adults due to the themes and how dark this book is. 


"I would drown all the islands of Japan if you asked me to." 
"That's horrible," I said. But still, I didn't push him away. Was this not how humans showed affection? With grandiose declarations of devotion?


Ren is a morally grey character. Simple as that. As the story progresses, we see Ren struggle with what little humanity she has and this absolute obsession of finding her place in this world and doing whatever it takes to achieve that goal. There were many moments where Ren would toe that line between humanity and being a creature of death herself. It was almost like with each page that passed by; Ren would strip herself of another layer of humanity and slowly become that darkness that makes up the Yomi. 


I was a butterfly twisted inside a tornado, the brightest colors between day and night, a little brown bird in the maw of the fox, waiting for the teeth to bite down.


Her only saving grace, and what keeps her humanity in check, is her brother Neven. Oh, Neven. Neven, while a reaper, is the complete opposite of what a Reaper is meant to be. He is caring, loving, afraid of the dark, struggles with doing his reaper duties, and is quite naive. While Ren does love Neven, and I genuinely believe he is the reason for her not ridding herself of humanity, he was a privileged character. Ren uses the word "privileged ignorance," and I couldn't agree more. Neven is ignorant of Ren's pain and struggles. Because Neven is white and isn't discriminated against, he never understands why Ren is so desperate to be a part of her Japanese culture. He looks at her and sees's "sister," not a sister that is part Japanese; he almost ignores it...which goes to show how white privileged he is. 

While Neven is considered an outcast and Ren and Neven's love is wonderful for a brother and sister - I couldn't ignore the ignorance. It almost made me feel anger towards Neven. Also, I struggled with the fact that he cried, whined, and moaned about everything he came across. Especially when it came to the actions of his sister.

I am not giving Ren ANY excuses for her actions in the book, but when you are torn between two ethnicities and not accepted into either culture, you have someone who is blind to your pain...I would be on a rampage as well.

I was impressed by this unique world and how well the author brought together the culture of Japan to the forefront of her story-telling. I loved that she touched on so many issues, especially regarding family dynamics, racial differences, being biracial, heritage, and finding acceptance. 

The writing was well done and I found myself loving every moment of Baker's storytelling. There was never a dull moment and that makes this book all the more worthwhile to read.
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