#thekeeperofnight

[mistandstardust]

The Keeper of Night An ARC Review

Yōkai and Reapers and Darkness…oh my.

The Keeper of Night was deliciously written. Teeming with Japanese folklore, this was much more eerie than I had expected (but in the most wonderful of ways). Unlike most young adult books, Kylie Lee Baker brought forward main characters who are morally ambivalent. The shadows that she cast in our main character, Ren Scarborough, and the questionable motives of Hiro, were chased with the light that Ren’s brother, Neven, carried. For me, this added a thick sticky, sludge of emotions as the story revealed itself to me. I liked this. The morally grey, or questionable, sections of this book added teeth that scraped at my skin, threatening to draw blood. The underlying themes that followed Baker’s morally ambivalent characters, like a creature stalking in the night, stuck with me. I reflected on them long after I closed the book. There were sections of The Keeper of Night that left a bitter taste in my mouth. Particularly near the beginning of the book, but I’m glad that I pushed forward. Parts of The Keeper of Night were written so vividly that I felt like I could see a movie reel playing in my mind, but other sections of the book were dancing on the edge of purple prose. Overall, the writing was most enjoyable. I feel like my heart was torn out of my chest at the end. And although I know there’s a second book coming, I would also like to say that I think The Keeper of Night could have been a very strong standalone with a bit of finessing at the end. But since Baker tore my heart out, I’ll certainly be picking up the second book. Baker, please give me my heart back. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an eARC. This review has been written voluntarily because I think books are cool.

Photo Credit: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56030267-the-keeper-of-night

[tessatalksbooksblog]

Happy Wednesday! Yesterday, I was so exited to receive The Empress of Time by Kylie Lee Baker - a YA fantasy . It’s the conclusion to The Keeper of Night, which is a story about Reapers from many different cultures. There are Japanese gods and mythical creatures that are so interesting to explore. I just loved the first book, so I can’t wait to read the conclusion. (QOTD) The question today is a predictive. Just type the beginning of the sentence and let your device dictate the rest with its suggestions: My favorite mythical creature is ____. Here’s mine: My favorite mythical creature is a wonderful one. . . . . #allthebooksaug22 #theempressoftime #thekeeperofnight #kylieleebaker #htpbooks #inkyardpress #yafantasy #yafantasybooks #yafantasyseries #ya #yawritersofinstagram #yareader #yabooks #fantasyreaders #fantasyreader #fantasy #reading #readersofinstagram #reapers #booksbooksbooks #bookworm #books #booklover #bibliophile #bookaholic #bookstagram #bookaddict #booknerd #bookblogger #bookcommunity (at Lake Davidson) https://www.instagram.com/p/ChpJPp3rx8S/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[raeiolene]

11 February 2022 * * * The Keeper of Night is still on my TBR list. 🗡 * * * #fms_kisfor #thekeeperofnight #books #iowa #read #reading #fmsphotoaday #fmspad #february #februaryphotochallenge #photoaday #fantasybooks #tbrlist #tbr https://www.instagram.com/p/CaN8MGAOQrL/?utm_medium=tumblr

[flavialately]

I’m so excited to read The Keeper of Night by Kylie Lee Baker and hope to be able to pick it up before 2021 comes to a close! ⛩🍂🏮 Synopsis: Death is her destiny. Half British Reaper, half Japanese Shinigami, Ren Scarborough has been collecting souls in the London streets for centuries. Expected to obey the harsh hierarchy of the Reapers who despise her, Ren conceals her emotions and avoids her tormentors as best she can. When her failure to control her Shinigami abilities drives Ren out of London, she flees to Japan to seek the acceptance she’s never gotten from her fellow Reapers. Accompanied by her younger brother, the only being on earth to care for her, Ren enters the Japanese underworld to serve the Goddess of Death…only to learn that here, too, she must prove herself worthy. Determined to earn respect, Ren accepts an impossible task — find and eliminate three dangerous Yokai demons — and learns how far she’ll go to claim her place at Death’s side. ⛩🍂🏮 [Image Description: A photograph of an advanced reader copy of The Keeper of Night by Kylie Lee Baker bring help up by a hand in a living room setting. Description end.] #TheKeeperOfNight #KylieLeeBaker #AdvancedReaderCopy #DiverseYA #YoungAdult #YoungAdultBook #YoungAdultBooks #WeNeedDiverseBooks #HistoricalFiction #HistoricalFantasy #HistoricalYA #FantasyYA #DiverseHistoricalFiction (at Waterloo, Ontario) https://www.instagram.com/p/CXefCyJLeQm/?utm_medium=tumblr

[ktienh]

🎊 Happy Release Day 🎊 The Keeper of Night by Kylie Lee Baker 🏮🏮🏮🏮 As I grew up reading a tonne of manga, I’m always keen for any Japanese inspired fantasy novels. The Keeper of Night is a beguiling tale, set in the beginning of the 19th century Japan, of a mixed race child seeking her place and identity in worlds that neither recognise nor welcome her. . The story is told solely from main protagonist’s, Ren’s, view, so readers are privy to all her thoughts; from her confusion as to her identity, her desperate dream to feel that she belongs, to her destructive intent to do and sacrifice all to be loved. By definition, Ren is a monster without any feelings but, in fact, she feels too much and darkness is ever encroaching. In her journey, she is accompanied by her half brother who loves her & wants the best for her and an enigmatic ally who appears to also wants her to have what she wants but why is he being so helpful? . I found author’s prose to be beautiful and I have really enjoyed this book. There was just something mesmerizing even if, now that I’ve finished and am reflecting upon the it, it was all very heartbreaking and very very dark. As a migrant myself, I can sort of sympathise with protagonist’s struggle in seeking her place of belonging though I obviously have no wish to do the things she did! That twist at the very end just crushed me. I look forward to its conclusion in the next book. . My thanks to @harlequinaus for this paperback copy of book in exchange of my honest thoughts . #TheKeeperofNight #KylieLeeBaker #fantasy #japanesemythology #retelling #ausbookstagram #ausbookishfeatures #booktopia https://www.instagram.com/p/CVgrZWEh-V4/?utm_medium=tumblr

[hollymbryan]

🏮 BOOK REVIEW 🏮 I reviewed THE KEEPER OF NIGHT by @kylieleebaker on my blog yesterday for the @inkyardpress in-house blog tour, and what an absolute delight it was! You can find the full 5⭐ review at the blog (link in bio), but I'll say here that it's dark and gritty and I loved it so much. It's steeped in Japanese lore/mythology - if you love the anime and manga dealing with shinigami, you'll love this - and it's an excellent examination of the feelings of never wholly belonging that a lot of bi- or multi-racial people feel. Please pick this one up!! It's so good, and I can't wait to see what comes next for Ren. Thank you to Inkyard Press for having me on the tour and for the eARC, and to Kylie Lee Baker for sharing this with us! 🏮🏮🏮 #thekeeperofnight #kylieleebaker #inkyardpress #harlequintradepublishing #harlequintrade #yaliteraturejunkie #yaliterature #yalit #BookKeepingBlog #bookrecommendations #bookreviews #bookreviewer #bookreview #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #ncbookstagrammer #ncbooklovers #shinigami #reaper #reapers #japaneselore #japan #blogtour #booksofinstagram #booksbooksbooks #arcreview #5stars #5starread #5starreview https://www.instagram.com/p/CU-uAhErAZR/?utm_medium=tumblr

[tessatalksbooksblog]

Happy Tuesday and Happy Publication Day to The Keeper of Night by Kylie Lee Baker! . The Keeper of Night is an original and creepy new YA fantasy that delves deep into Japanese lore. I always love Asian-lore inspired stories. I find them endlessly fascinating. The kitsune, my favorite folklore being, even makes an appearance in this story. The full review and an excerpt can be found on my blog. . What is your favorite creature from folklore? And what country’s folklore does it come from? . . . . #allthebooksoct21 #booksandleaves #fallvibes #thekeeperofnight #kylieleebaker #wednesdaybooks #blogtour #ownvoices #yafantasybooks #yafantasy #yafantasyseries #yafantasyfiction #fantasy #fantasybooks #fantasyfiction #readmorefantasy #fantasylovers #fantasyreads #fantasyreader #fantasyreaders #bookreview #bookreviews #bookreviewer #bookreviewblog #bookreviewsofinstagram #bookrecommendations #bookdragons #bookdragon #book #booklover (at Lake Davidson) https://www.instagram.com/p/CU7dRMRLKCH/?utm_medium=tumblr