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momwithareadingproblem 's review for:

Seeker by Arwen Elys Dayton
4.0

I received an eARC of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of this review.

Hmph....I'm not sure where to begin. There were aspects of Seeker that I loved then there were parts I just couldn't overlook. Seeker tells the story of three friends who have trained a majority of their lives to become...well, Seekers. Though none of them really know what this means and won't know until they take their oaths. When the ugly truth is revealed, one turns on another and the whole thing comes crashing down. Quin (one of the main characters), her mother, and Shinobu escape to Hong Kong and start new lives while John is left seeking revenge.

Let's start with what I liked...I really liked the multiple points of view. I know a lot of people don't like this, but I kinda <3 it. There are four specific points of view: Quin, John, Shinobu, and Maud the Young Dread. Quin is really the main character as the synopsis suggests as plot revolves around her and her family, but the others are important too. Quin, John, and Shinobu grow up together and train to become Seekers together, but John is hiding a secret from his friends that once known tears them apart.

There's a bit, well more than a bit, of a love triangle :eyeroll: which you all know I hate. This one is no different, except the author did something that is fairly hard to do with me. She made me want Quin to like the other love interest!!! I really rooted for the guy and swooned over him ;) In fact I'll just say it, I love Shinobu! He is my favorite character and does the most changing throughout the book.

Now for what I didn't like...the plot holes. There were multiple times while reading that I felt like I skipped pages because there was that much of a hole in the story. The chapters skipped around as they bounced from one character to another and they were hard to overlook. Once the book got through the first part and started into the next section it flowed better for me. However I was ready to sit the book down by then, but forced myself to continue. And I'm glad I did. About 75% into the book, the plot and action really picked up and I found myself unable to turn the pages fast enough.

Overall, I was disappointed in the plot holes as well as the setting. I was very confused as to when this book was taking place. The training of the characters and their weapons choice led me to believe this book set in medieval times or at least long ago, then a flying ship (car) appeared and I was thrown for a loop. I was confused a majority of the book and would have liked more explanation. However the ending of this book saved it for me. I'm curious for the next one and am looking forward to reading more about this world and its characters. If you enjoy young adult literature, science fiction/fantasy, then give it a try. If you've already read it, I'd love to know your thoughts ;)

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