Seeker by Arwen Elys Dayton … A Review

A Seeker seeks the truth. It's an ancient following that takes years of training and one in which you must be born into. For Quin, Shinobu and John their training was almost over and the final test of their skills was upon them. Would they pass and become Seekers?

I really enjoyed Seeker by Arwen Elys Dayton. Young love, jealousy, revenge, regret and redemption all play a part in this epic fantasy adventure that has elements of sci-fi and steampunk sprinkled on top.  Quin is 15, the star of this tale, and has endured years of harsh training to become the next Seeker in her family. The Seeker seeks the truth, but the methods can be brutal. A Seeker is basically a highly trained assassin that possesses ancient magic in the form of weapons and mental abilities that give them the choice of life or death. Quin has no idea what is in store for her as a Seeker. There are unimaginable secrets (and horrors) that will change her forever. Her companions are Shinobu, a distant cousin who she's grown up with (and who's had a thing for her), and John, a little older than Quin and Shinobu, who is from another family and is being trained by Quin's father and uncle (who Quin has been in love with).

It's an adventure that starts out in Scotland and travels to Hong Kong thru ancient time portals only accessible by Seekers. The story starts out slow introducing us to the players and turns into a roller coaster ride of an adventure with a soft landing at the very end, leading us into book 2.

What did I think?… It's a great story, the writing is good with a good foundation for developing the story further and the characters are well developed. One of the things that I love about the story is that it's told thru the eyes of more than one character, giving us such a great perspective. I liked Quin, Shinobu and John, although I did think Quin got a bit whiney at times about some things. And I thought the very ending was a bit too quiet, but I definitely want to read the next book to see the choices these characters make and their futures. And this book? I couldn't put it down and read it in 2 days!

This series is being sold as the next "Hunger Games". I don't see Seeker as dystopian, but if you enjoy YA epic fantasy adventures this should be your cup of tea! Definitely write this one down in if you love adventure stories period!

Seeker by Arwen Elys Dayton is coming out February 10th 2015 by Delacorte Books for Young Readers. I want to thank the publishers for sending along the eGalley to me for review!