Author: Arwen Elys Dayton
Genre: YA, Sci Fi, Fantasy, Dystopia
Publisher: Delacourte Books for Young Readers
I received an e-ARC of Seeker through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Summary (via Goodreads)
Quin Kincaid has been put through years of brutal training for what she thinks is the noble purpose of becoming a revered ‘Seeker’.
Only when it’s too late does she discover she will be using her new-found knowledge and training to become an assassin. Quin's new role will take her around the globe, from a remote estate in Scotland to a bustling, futuristic Hong Kong where the past she thought she had escaped will finally catch up with her
Status: DNF (Did Not Finish) 67%
I tried my best to finish this book. I wanted to be able to give an informed review, and I had the feeling that if I stuck it out it would get better. However, as I kept inching my way through it, it didn't seem to be getting any easier, and by the time I hit 67% on my Kindle, I just couldn't continue.
The writing is really what irked me about this book. The writing style was so stilted and repetitive that it made reading difficult. I've heard the advice "Show! Don't Tell" from many creative writing teachers over the years, and the writing in Seeker was definitely telling in a way that distracted from the story being told. Having chapters switch between different characters was interesting, but it became tedious when the characters said the same things. Sometimes using the same words! All of the writing elements just didn't allow the book to flow well and make it enjoyable.
The world was so interesting, but the writing made it hard to enjoy because of constant vagueness. I loved the little details of the world with the seekers, the dreads, There, and the Traveler ship. The Seeker's world is such an interesting construction of rituals and a combination of science and magic, especially the vibrations of the universe. Also I would love to see a sketch of the whipsword because I loved that weapon concept! It was the world the kept me reading for as long as I did. But even then, there were not enough details given about these world details that I found interesting! Bits were hinted at in such a vague way that I got very frustrated by the lack of information.
The characters were interesting at first, but as the book went on, they became so similar: stubborn, untrusting, and dealing some serious family issues. Their descriptions of events were so flat, and all the characters tended to say the same thing. It was only after Shinbou and Quin went to Hong Kong that there was some differentiation, but it didn't last long after they left. The only character that I was fascinated with was Maud. Her perspective of events had a kind of forced detachment because of her duties as the Young Dread. Also her flashback to her discovery and induction as the Young Dread as incredibly interesting! I couldn't have read a whole book just about her.
Rating: 2 out of 5. I probably wouldn't recommend it, but the world had elements I enjoyed.
Um, good call on the DNFing. I finished it, because basically I forced myself. The end got a *little* better, but only like the last maybe 10%, and that was the ONLY thing that saved it from being a 1-Star for me. (It ended up as 2, just because I was kind of curious at the end.) Also, I think everyone I have talked to agrees with you- the Young Dread was the only part anyone liked ;)
ReplyDeleteShannon @ It Starts At Midnight
Wow I applaud you on finishing it! Yeah I read that the ending was pretty interesting, but I just couldn't get there. 67% was probably stretching it.
DeleteYoung Dread was awesome :)