Scan barcode
A review by ozshark
The Keeper of Night by Kylie Lee Baker
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Thank you to NetGalley and Inkyard Press for the e-arc.
I am unsure about this one. I love books that explore & personify Death (particularly the Scythe trilogy and Pratchett's Discworld novels), so the premise of this one was interesting. It also kept me engaged enough throughout to finish the book. However, too much just grated for me to rate it highly.
The very start sees 200 year-old Reapers, beings with the power over time and life & death itself, having petty fights and struggles like any teenager. And there were consistency problems throughout, some of which come with any aspect of fiddling with time. Sometimes the author has Ren freeze time to slip by someone unnoticed, or to gather/steal supplies, but other times she seems to forget she has this ability which could solve her problems. "I looked longingly at the kimonos that all the women wore. I wanted their floral fabrics and wooden sandals...instead of the corset and heavy skirts I was wearing. Just like in England, I was a spectacle." Another example, early on the author often makes a big point of Ren's (literal) cold-bloodedness compared to humans, but later "My face birthed with a sudden fever, my heart beating too fast to be healthy, pushing hot blood to my fingers that felt like white hot stars in my hands." This new hot-bloodedness was then referenced several times throughout the novel.
Despite these inconsistencies, which kept taking me out of the story, some aspects were extremely interesting. I liked the exploration of Japanese folklore, which I know very little about. The idea of the power of Death itself was also really well done. Being in the presence of personifications of Death had a physical weight to it, speaking the language of Death had physical consequences too (however, they were then often ignored by the next paragraph).
In the end, there were some too predictable bertayals and the character of Ren was too selfish to care about for me to enjoy the novel more.
I am unsure about this one. I love books that explore & personify Death (particularly the Scythe trilogy and Pratchett's Discworld novels), so the premise of this one was interesting. It also kept me engaged enough throughout to finish the book. However, too much just grated for me to rate it highly.
The very start sees 200 year-old Reapers, beings with the power over time and life & death itself, having petty fights and struggles like any teenager. And there were consistency problems throughout, some of which come with any aspect of fiddling with time. Sometimes the author has Ren freeze time to slip by someone unnoticed, or to gather/steal supplies, but other times she seems to forget she has this ability which could solve her problems. "I looked longingly at the kimonos that all the women wore. I wanted their floral fabrics and wooden sandals...instead of the corset and heavy skirts I was wearing. Just like in England, I was a spectacle." Another example, early on the author often makes a big point of Ren's (literal) cold-bloodedness compared to humans, but later "My face birthed with a sudden fever, my heart beating too fast to be healthy, pushing hot blood to my fingers that felt like white hot stars in my hands." This new hot-bloodedness was then referenced several times throughout the novel.
Despite these inconsistencies, which kept taking me out of the story, some aspects were extremely interesting. I liked the exploration of Japanese folklore, which I know very little about. The idea of the power of Death itself was also really well done. Being in the presence of personifications of Death had a physical weight to it, speaking the language of Death had physical consequences too (however, they were then often ignored by the next paragraph).
In the end, there were some too predictable bertayals and the character of Ren was too selfish to care about for me to enjoy the novel more.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Body horror