The Keeper of Night by Kylie Lee Baker Book Review

The Keeper of Night by Kylie Lee Baker is a YA fantasy horror book which released on 12th October 2021. I was fortunate enough to receive the ARC for my participation in Turn The Pages Blog Tour for The Keeper of Night. A huge thanks to them and the publisher. 

Moving onto the review of the book. 

This book was too much, and by that, I meant too much good stuff. The story starts with Ren, who is half Japanese Shinigami, half British reaper, and due to which she is never really accepted in the reaper community where she has spent more than two centuries of her existence serving to Ankou. 

"When you have enough souls in one place, suffering is inevitable."

 

Everything was going like always until a group of high reapers started to bully her one night, they did it every time, but the difference this time was Ren couldn't control her Shinigami ability which is to control light. The nearby lamp exploded like a star, leaving nothing but screaming, crying reapers in pain. Which eventually forced her to flee Britain, otherwise she would've to face the council for the justice of the highest reapers and the punishment would be worse than death itself. She left, but not alone, Never, her younger half-brother was with her as well. 

"I wouldn't give her my story to add to her collection, because it wasn't over yet."

 

They traveled across half the world until they reached the shores of Japan. On their way to meet Lady Death, they met fellow Shinigami Hiro, who eventually joined them in the quest to complete the task given to Ren by lady death, to prove her worth as a Shinigami. But can she really complete the task? And that too without putting anyone's life at stake? Was becoming a Shinigami worth it?

Okay! So I loved this book so much, it was one of my most anticipated books of this year and yes it did not disappoint me at all. Firstly, Ren is such a badass, yes, she is strong, independent, can stand up for herself, and loves her brother to death. But these are not the only reasons why I love her, but the way she is flawed and she knows it, even though she realized her mistakes very late, but she acknowledged it, she is willing to improve and make things right where they went wrong.

"We don't need to fear children's tales. They should fear us."

 

Now, as we are only the topic of her brother, how am I supposed to survive knowing a precious baby Neven is living out there and I cannot meet him, no that's too cruel of you universe. Anyway, Neven is so adorable, precious, but please do not forget that he is a reaper, who collects souls and can command time just because of my fangirling over him. My most favorite thing about the book was the bond between Neven and Ren, the sibling dynamic, the way they annoy each other, yes relatable, but also the way they hold onto each other, as if their sibling is the only anchor which is holding them in this world, the moment they let go, they'll fall into oblivion. NOW TELL ME HOW MANY TIMES HAVE YOU SEEN THIS KIND OF SIBLING RELATIONSHIP? 

Moving onto the story building, I'm a big fan of Japanese urban legends and horror stories about Yokai demons, and when I read about them in the book, my heart leaped because of the happiness I felt. The spooky aura of the story intertwined with the scary legends of the demons can keep you up for nights to come, it was scary, your heart will skip a beat or more beats who knows. But this is a perfect read for Halloween while cozying up into your bed with a warm coffee, and a story that will keep you for nights to come.

"Everything I saw was a piece of memory that had been stolen from me." 

 

A story that will engulf your mind in the darkness of its depth, makes you fall in love, break your heart into pieces, and will leave you craving for more.

Buy the book from

Amazon
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Book Depository
Indigo
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 About The Author

Kylie Lee Baker grew up in Boston and has since lived in Atlanta, Salamanca, and Seoul. Her work is inspired by her heritage (Japanese, Chinese, & Irish) as well as her experiences living abroad as both, a student and teacher. She has a BA in creative writing and Spanish from Emory University and is pursuing a master of library and information science degree at Simmons University. In her free time, she plays the cello, watches horror movies, and bakes too many cookies. The Keeper of Night is her debut novel.

 You can visit her on her website, Twitter, Instagram, and GoodReads. 

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