"Delph was expecting me to lead. Hel, I was expecting me to lead. I just hoped I wasn't leading us to our doom." (Vega Jane)
The Keeper is a formulaic and predictable addition to the fantasy genre, but the characters and the world makes it enjoyable.
Vega Jane, the main character of The Keeper is heroic, strong, fiesty and stubborn. She's also smart, curious and practical. There's something about Vega that makes me want to see her succeed. In The Keeper, Vega uses every resource at her disposal to protect herself and her friends. Towards the end of The Keeper, I also started seeing a different aspect of Vega's personality: angry, bitter and jaded and I would like to see more of how Vega's journey has affected her in The Width of the World.
Along for the adventure through The Quag is Daniel "Delph" Delphia, Vega's best friend, and Harry-Two, Vega's canine. I didn't expect Delph to be anything more than Vega's sidekick in The Keeper, but he becomes a character in his own right and has an important role to play in The Quag. Delph is also an awesome best friend. He's loyal and willing to go to the ends of the world for Vega. There's also a developing romance between Vega and Delph, but it's subtle and middle-grade in nature and doesn't take anything away from the main plot. It's also hilarious to Vega get jealous when another character in The Keeper starts paying attention to Delph and Delph is so oblivious about what's going on.
The world-building in The Keeper is quite good. The Keeper builds on the world and information that's in The Finisher. So much more new and exciting information is revealed. I was learning about The Quag through Vega's eyes and experiencing everything with her. The creatures in The Quag are imaginative and well-described and the trials and tribulations that Vega face in The Quag adds to its foreboding and dangerous atmosphere. And while I still have a lot of questions about the events in The Finisher and The Keeper, I was more invested in Vega's journey than the answers to my questions.
I also appreciate that the characters and creatures in The Quag aren't all monsters. Some creatures are helpful and good, others are morally grey and many are atrocious. The characters and creatures in The Quag make The Keeper surprising, unpredictable and exciting.
However, I do have a few gripes with The Keeper. The Keeper is a little too long and has pacing problems. The first half of The Keeper is slow and dragging because nothing much is going on. I also never felt like the characters were in imminent danger. I always had a sense that they would succeed. This is partially because Vega learns about her new powers and abilities through coincidences. Whenever she's in trouble, a new power or ability would emerge that would save her in the nick of time. The Keeper also involves more fantasy and magic than the The Finisher, which has a more dystopian feel. I'm a little sad to see Vega relying more on magic than her smarts and practicality.
I'm extremely invested in Vega Jane's journey to discover the truth and I can't wait to read more about it in The Width of the World.
"I didn't care for blokes who were that agreeable. Give me stubbornness or outright deceit any light and I will readily accept it. But casual kindness will bedevil me all night long." (Vega Jane)