Book Review: Seeker

by Arwen Elys Dayton (Seeker, #1)

Published: February 10th 2015

Genres: Fantasy

Narrator:

Audio:

Source:

Rating: 1.5 Stars

Synopsis:  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.  ~ goodreads

I did not like this book. I tried, I tried really hard to like this book but I kept putting this book down. I set it aside 4 times.   I complained about the book and was told to DNF the book several times (cringe, if I can make it through the Fallen series I can make it through almost anything).  I even went as far as letting all my book friends know not to pick this book up, it’s not worth their time (and that was after only 24 pages).  I kept hoping and hoping that the book would save itself.   You should have seen my face when I realized when the book was close to ending, that nothing was getting solved, I was still confused as to what the Hades was going on, and that the book was a never-ending series of starting something with no intention of finishing it and it is book one of a series. 

Synopsis

The synopsis I read on the book cover flap is not the book I read.   See, I read the book and then went to goodreads.  The synopsis on goodreads describes the book a little better (not much better but it is more accurate than the book cover flap), and if I had read goodreads synopsis FIRST, I never would have read the book.  It really bothered me that the book cover flap gave me a certain impression of the book, and the author didn’t fulfill that description.  It was a major letdown.  Here is the synopsis from the book cover flap:

“The night Quin Kincaid takes her Oath, she will become what she has trained to be her entire life. She will become a Seeker. This is her legacy, and it is an honor.  As a Seeker, Quin will fight beside her two closest companions, Shinobu and John, to protect the weak and the wronged. Together they will stand for light in a shadowy world.  And she’ll be with the boy she loves–who’s also her best friend. But the night Quin takes her Oath, everything changes.  Being a Seeker is not what she thought. Her family is not what she thought. Even the boy she loves is not who she thought. And now it’s too late to walk away.”

Also if you go to the author’s web page ( http://www.arwendayton.com/) the marketing of the book is totally off-kilter . 

“Fans of The Hunger Games and Divergent will love Seeker by Arwen Elys Dayton”.

 ~ Teen Vogue

“A tightly-woven, action-packed story of survival and adventure, Seeker is perfect for fans of Game of Thrones.”

 ~ Tahereh Mafi, author of NYTimes Bestselling Shatter Me series

What book did THEY READ because that is not the book I got!!!  This book is nothing, NOTHING like The Hunger Games, Divergent or Game of Thrones.  I’m highly offended that people are trying to compare it to them.  NO WAY!  If I had read this book first and then seen THG, Divergent and GOT as recommendations, I never would have read them.  I would have thought they would be as terrible as this book. 

Genre

What Genre of book is this?  Goodreads labels this as Fantasy.  Barnes and Noble labels this as Teen Fiction (which is totally different then Teen Fantasy).  If you read through some of the reviews from various sites, the book genre ranges from Sci-Fi,  YA Fantasy, Young Adult, Fiction, Romance and even Dystopian.   It is all over the board!  I was duped into thinking it was a fantasy book set in the 15-16 century.  I was wrong!  The best description for this book is Teen Fiction. 

The Plot

OOHHHHHH the plot holes!!  Like I said in the beginning, this book is wonderful at starting something and then diverting your attention elsewhere leaving you hanging and NEVER COMING BACK TO IT TO CLOSE IT OUT (GGGGGRRRRRRR).  Example: the book title is called Seeker.  The book never tells you what a Seeker is.  You would think that if this was book #1 of a series, she could at least clear that up for you.  I mean it is the title of the book after all!!!  To be honest, you really don’t know what this book is about.  When I say plot holes I mean it.  This book starts nowhere and ends nowhere.  The characters are typical and weak and annoying after five minutes.  She gives you vague descriptions about Scotland, England and Hong Kong.  No point in using your imagination with this book.  There isn’t enough information provided to form an image in your head.  As you read, you secretly hope Hollywood does not pick this book up because there isn’t an actress, screenwriter, director or cast that can salvage this story. 

Characters

Time is one of the main characters. Not an actual person called Time but "time" as in hours, days, weeks, months, etc. There is no sense of time.  During one of my many reading rants, I was asked why I was so hung up on time.  Was it really a big deal to me that you don’t know when the story takes place?  I hesitated before I answered.  I saw the logic in their words, but . . . YES, yes it bothers me that we never know the day, month or year of the story.  When one of your main characters is “Anomalies” and “Time Travel”, I really do think you should know this information!   It is part of the character.  And I do believe it is a character of a sort. 

Summary

I think the only reason I was able to finish the book was because it was an audible version.  There was no way I could have finished it if it was in paper form (I would have demanded my money back if I bought the book, it isn’t good enough for donation).  The narrator was … how should I say … ehh

The narrator was mediocre at best.  Nothing spectacular about the narrator.  I don’t even think the narrator liked the book. 

I would not recommend this book to anyone.  I will race all over town and the internet to stop people from reading this book.  As a matter of fact I would re-read the whole Fallen series 10 times in a row and praise it before I even want to remember that I read this book.  Want a good read about this book, go to Goodreads and read all the reviews already posted.  You will scratch your head in amusement and wonder what book some people read and how come you didn’t read that book, that rated this book 4 Stars and above.  

1.5 Stars because I am generous

Tune in next week for Season 04, Episode #03 on PMDD and What it meant for Me