#Review - Seeker by Kim Chance #YA #Fantasy

Series: Keeper Duology #2
Format: Paperback, 400 pages
Release Date: September 10, 2019
Publisher: Flux
Source: Publisher
Genre: Young Adult / Fantasy

Teenagers Lainey, Ty, and Maggie struggle against the Master, an evil force who could destroy the world.

Lainey’s normal, bookworm life no longer exists. With her family murdered by the Master, she joins forces with a group of Supernatural rebels. But as she struggles to cope with her new role as Keeper and the uncontrollable power it gives her, Lainey realizes that magic does indeed leave a mark—but it’s not always physical. 

 

Ty isn’t one of the good guys. He’s done terrible things, and he won’t stop until he gets what he wants. Even if it hurts. Even if it means betraying the girl he loves . . . again. 

 

For Maggie, all her comic book dreams have come true, and her new life as a Shifter is just beginning. But with war closing in, is it truly a dream or a death sentence? In the ultimate battle for power, Lainey, Ty, and Maggie must face-off against the Master, and work together to discover the greatest weapon of all. Seek and you will find.

Seeker is the final installment in author Kim Chance's Keeper Duology. This story alternates narratives between Lainey Styles, Ty Marek, and her comic book loving adventure seeking best friend, Maggie. It has been (2) weeks since the Gathering. After being saved by the Hetaeria at the end of Keeper, Lainey is coming to terms with losing her family and learning what her mother accomplished before she was murdered. She's conflicted and confused and devastated by the loss of the man who helped raise her. She also believes that she is a murderer.

She agrees to be trained by Zia, a witch, in understanding her magic which she lost control of in Keeper. She knows that she is more than just a Seeker now. She might actually hold the answers to stopping the Master from getting his hands on the DuCarmont Grimoire which he needs for a specific spell to keep himself alive. The Hetaeria are a group led by Zia who wants to stop the Master and his ever growing followers from spreading their evil. Lainey has to figure out what she is capable of before the Master finds her, and more innocents are killed. 

Maggie is actually pretty happy after being bitten. She believes that her calling has finally come to fruition and that she can become one of her comic book heroes/heroines and help Lainey defeat the Master. When she nearly dies but is saved by Lainey, she brushes it all off and gets right back up o the saddle and encourages others to do what is necessary. I love Maggie. I really do. I love her positive attitude. I adore comparing certain people to comic book characters, and I adore her for not giving up as one of the only humans in the Rebellion. I also love the fact that she finds a connection with Oliver, a shifter with some interesting characteristics.

Ty isn't really a good guy, but then you need to dig deeper into his past and understand what drives him. I am glad that Chance explored Ty's past and what drove him into joining the Masters. Yes, he did betray Lainey, and yes, he is one of the Masters. But, he can't shake the fact that he is Lainey's calling a sort of magical connection. He also wants revenge on the Master but really needs Lainey and her Hetaeria allies to accept that he isn't really the enemy. Ty and Lainey's relationship can be described in one word; complicated. 

One of my other favorites from this story is Teddy. She reluctantly takes Lainey by the hand and tries to guide her into understanding all that she is capable of if she let's go of her anger, and her sorrow. Teddy and Zia are really two different people who just happen to be related to the other. One is a fighter, the other refuses to fight. The twist at the end really blew my mind I don't mind telling you. I loved that, once again, it involved Maggie, and not Ty. Yet another reason to be a Maggie fan.

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Monday #Review - Keeper by Kim Chance #YALit #Paranorml @_KimChance ‏

Series: Untitled # 1
Format: E-Book, 408 pages
Release Date: January 30, 2018
Publisher: Flux Books/North Star Editions
Source: NetGalley
Genre: Young Adult / Fantasy / Wizards & Witches

When Lainey Styles, an SAT whiz and bookworm, discovers she’s a Keeper—a witch with the exclusive ability to wield a powerful spell book that has been stolen by a malevolent wizard—she is forced to leave her life of college prep and studying behind to prepare for the biggest test of all: stealing back the book.

When a 200-year-old witch attacks her, sixteen-year-old bookworm Lainey Styles is determined to find a logical explanation. Even with the impossible staring her in the face, Lainey refuses to believe it—until she finds a photograph linking the witch to her dead mother. After consulting a psychic, Lainey discovers that she, like her mother, is a Keeper: a witch with the exclusive ability to unlock and wield the Grimoire, a dangerous but powerful spell book. But there’s a problem. The Grimoire has been stolen by a malevolent warlock who is desperate for a spell locked inside it—a spell that would allow him to siphon away the world’s magic. With the help of her comic-book-loving best friend and an enigmatic but admittedly handsome street fighter, Lainey must leave her life of college prep and studying behind to prepare for the biggest test of all: stealing back the book.

Kim Chance's Keeper is her debut young adult novel in a yet to be named series. Lainey Styles is the main protagonist of this story. She is a bookworm and a nomad having moved 14 times in a brief 5 year period. Raised by her Uncle Gareth, Lainey is what most people would call a science nerd. As Lainey is preparing to take her SAT so that she can graduate early and get into a top level college of her choice, things slowly start to unravel. 

First, she sees a bloody woman after hearing her name called. Then, the bloody woman leaves a mark on her arm. As they say, magic always leaves a mark. What's more disturbing is that upon further research, the woman appears to be wearing the same pendant that her deceased mother once wore. The woman's name was Josephine, and she, like her own mother, were Keepers. Apparently, Lainey is now the last Keeper who can access a powerful spell book called Grimoire.

What in the wide, wide world of sports is going on here? With the help of her comic-book-loving, adventure-hungry best friend Maggie who absolutely steals the show and keeps you in stitches, and an enigmatic but admittedly handsome street fighter named Tyler (Ty) Marek, Lainey must leave behind her life of books and studying to prepare for the biggest test of all: stealing back the book from the Master. 

There are two other people in Lainey's life who play important parts. Gareth, who raised her since her mother died, and Serena, a seer who is the first person to enlighten Lainey about her calling. Both made vows to keep Lainey safe and hidden until her Seventeen birthday when her powers would come active, and from those that serve the master, like Scavengers, can find her easily. Even though both Gareth & Serena kept major secrets from Lainey, I still can't fault them. 

I will reiterate my feelings about cliffhanger endings. I don't care for them. In Keeper's case, the last 20-30% of the story was by far the most entertaining, the most action packed, and the most troubling in regards to several of the secondary characters. It is filled with revelations, betrayal and life altering situations. Not only do readers meet the diabolical villain and his merry band of Guards, but the Hetaeria, who are rebellious Supernaturals fighting the Master, as well.

Chance also gives readers a back story on Josephine which is both enlightening and connects a whole lot of what happened in the past to what is happening with Lainey and her new role as Keeper. Shall I also mention that there's a whole lot of pop-culture references in this book? I’m talking comic book stories, television shows, and literally anything else you can nerd-out about. Thanks Maggie! I have searched the internet for information regarding a sequel. The author has apparently stated that this is not a standalone. Since the ending leaves a whole lot of unanswered questions, this is a good thing.

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