SEEKER (Seeker, #1)

by Arwen Elys Dayton

[violetpeanut]

Seeker is quite the thrill-ride. It's an action packed fantasy with some steampunk-ish elements and a touch of mystery. I thoroughly enjoyed it but there were a couple of issues that kept this from being a 5 star read for me.

From the start, Seeker is exciting. There are great fight scenes and there's always something happening. We jump right from one event to the next at a fast pace which definitely kept me reading. I had to see what would happen next. There's nothing overly graphic, but there's quite a bit of violence.

I loved these characters! I think it's refreshing to see characters who react to crazy situations in realistic ways. Without giving anything away, these characters all find out some horrible things about their families and about what being a Seeker really means. As a result, they each turn to various forms of self-destructive behavior to cope. They're all strong characters but are still vulnerable teens trying to figure out what it is they want and how to deal with what their reality is.

The book is split into three parts. The first is about Quin, Shinobu and John training and testing to become Seekers and the direct aftermath. The second is an "Interlude" in which we are shown flashbacks that fill in some of the back story. The third is set a year and a half after the first part. Many reviews I've read have had a problem with this. For many readers, it felt disjointed and hurt the flow of the book. While I can see their point, I would encourage readers to give it a chance and push through it. While it does slow the pace a little bit, by the end of the book you'll realize that you have all the pieces you need to get to that "Aha!" moment when everything fits together.

My biggest problem with this book is in the world-building. It really needed so much more to flesh it out and make it seem completely real. If asked when this book was set, I don't know that I could give you a good answer. Maybe sometime in the future? Maybe an alternate present-day? I'm not really sure. I wanted to know so much more about the history of the Seekers and why they were started to begin with. We're told it's such an honor and about these special families who are Seekers, but we don't really know anything else. We're shown hints here and there about the history but nothing is explained enough for me to be satisfied. I'm holding out hope that these hints were just seeds and that they'll grow into more as this series continues.

Overall, I really enjoyed this. Tons of action, realistic characters that I loved and an interesting plot that kept me guessing. I wish there was more detail in the history and general world-building but it didn't bother me enough to take away from my general enjoyment of the book and I suspect we'll learn more in the next book. I do not agree with the comparisons to The Hunger Games and A Game of Thrones, but I still think it's worth a read if you're looking for some adventure with family drama and fantasy elements.