Disclaimer: I received this e-arc and arc from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Book: Keeper of the Night

Author: Kylie Lee Baker

Book Series: Keeper of the Night Book 1

Diversity: Japanese MC and side characters

Rating: 5/5

Recommended For...: young adult readers, fantasy, Japanese mythology and legend

Genre: YA Fantasy

Publication Date: October 12, 2021

Publisher: Inkyard Press

Pages: 394

Recommended Age: 15+ (Death, Violence, Gore, Racism, Language, Animal Gore, Animal violence)

Explanation of CWs: Racism is throughout the book. Gore and violence is frequent. There is one scene with animal gore and violence. There is also slight language.

Synopsis: Death is her destiny.

Half British Reaper, half Japanese Shinigami, Ren Scarborough has been collecting souls in the London streets for centuries. Expected to obey the harsh hierarchy of the Reapers who despise her, Ren conceals her emotions and avoids her tormentors as best she can.

When her failure to control her Shinigami abilities drives Ren out of London, she flees to Japan to seek the acceptance she’s never gotten from her fellow Reapers. Accompanied by her younger brother, the only being on earth to care for her, Ren enters the Japanese underworld to serve the Goddess of Death… only to learn that here, too, she must prove herself worthy. Determined to earn respect, Ren accepts an impossible task—find and eliminate three dangerous Yokai demons—and learns how far she’ll go to claim her place at Death’s side.

Review: Overall I really liked this read! It was a fun and fast paced. The book had a lot of action sequences and a lot of interesting and informative Japanese mythology. I loved the character development and world building. I also thought the writing was well done overall and the book was well plotted.

The only issue I had is that the book slowed down it's pacing in a few places, but other than that it was a fun read.

Verdict: I loved it! Highly recommend.