Source | Format | Pages | Publisher | Genre | Publication Date |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Random Things Tours | Ebook | 392 | BHC Press | YA/Fantasy/Romance | May 28th, 2019 |
What if all our lives were mapped out before birth? Does anyone have the power to change their destiny?
Ella hates London. She misses her old life in Spain and is struggling to get over her past—until she meets Zac. He’s always loved her but isn’t meant to be part of her story. Not this time. Not ever. Little does she know that his secret is the one thing that will tear them apart and force her to live in a world that no longer makes sense. A world full of danger, lies and magic.
THE PATH KEEPER is a passionate tale of first loves, second chances and the invisible threads that bind us. Can love ever be stronger than fate?
At first glance, a romantic YA title which centres around forbidden love that spans centuries yet quickly becomes controversial by making use of content that requires a trigger warning.
I took a chance with this title and personally, I quite enjoyed it, trigger warnings and all. Admittedly, whilst The Path Keeper does not tread on paths and plots wholly new, the spin on fallen angels and the unrelated to the romantic aspect of the story conflict was interesting! And maybe that’s what made this story more than just an urban fantasy chick flick- in between the love interest, there was more than one conflict presented and the overall story pulled all of the points together perfectly.
So, what are we dealing with in the story? First, Ella, our main character is quite a firecracker of a 17 year old and I could level with her nicely. Yes, she got a bit OTT at times but it’s understandable… Especially when your love interest frustrates the hell out of you and your mother is a shallow accessory to society and you don’t know your real father! Not good!
Talking of love interest- Zac is one of those uber brooding types that could easily weasel their way to anyone’s panties but dude, he makes some bad decisions. Now, granted, his whole existence is a bit more than even he or anyone else ever realizes. In a twisted way he makes sense to himself and he tries to follow the rules that have been set… however cruel they may sound. Cruel… yes, our lives are just a constant obstacle course of utter P&S but the take on fate in this book puts the laws of the animal kingdom to shame! I can understand why some would find some of the reasonings in this book unnecessarily wicked, but cruelty aside… I liked how the author has pulled on elements from reincarnation and fate and mapping our lives… It’s a mind-bending concept and if real? Well, we shall see when we all get to that point!
This story is ultimately about fate… and the love that reincarnates as generations pass. Interestingly, whilst it’s not my first choice of a plot device, I was eagerly engaged by the past lives and ‘indirect’ timetravel element Simmonds decided to use in this story. They’re all very unique to each other and yet link perfectly with each other in the past and with the future. There was a whole lot of story within this book and the characters really delivered an enriched visual of what was, what could have been and what never was.. the emotion was real!
So, yes, in many ways, The Path Keeper is not just a story about 2 young people who can’t keep their hands away from each other. It’s also about lessons learnt, mistakes made and importantly- admitting that mistakes were made. It’s about redemption and second chances. I have to say, and dare I say it even, that the occasional sexy time felt unnecessary for me.. with the story itself and all of the different conflicts it presented, the love could have remained pure and innocent and that would have worked beautifully, too… Alas, sex sells, it’s everywhere and in everything so I have no further comment on that. But, I don’t think I would recommend this title to a 15 year old… not to a 15 year old… but, that’s just me.
Overall, pleasantly surprised by this book and I can’t wait to see what the sequel delivers because not only was The Path Keeper a fast paced read, it delivered some serious bang with the ending! Intrigue aplenty!
Natali Drake, who writes under the pen name of N.J. Simmonds, has written articles for various UK newspapers and online publications. In 2015 she co-
founded the online magazine The Glass House Girls and is a regular contributor. Originally from north London, she now divides her time between her two homes in the Netherlands and Spain with her husband and two daughters.
Lovely review. I liked the book too in most parts
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Thank you! I’ve got to pop over and read your review asap 🙂
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Romantic YA … probably not for me. I really like the simplicity of the cover.
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Yeah, the cover versions are both ace! and the book really is for a specific target audience… which is solid, you know, but I can see you not really digging this one 🙂
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Wonderful review! I’m not sure if this one would be for me, although the blurb does sound interesting.
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That’s just it- the blurb is proper intriguing.. and the book is great too, in many aspects. Not sure it would be your favorite but who knows, maybe the book will end up on your path in the future 😉
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Who knows? 😉
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That cover looks so appealing 🤩 , that genre tag so isn’t though 😞
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hehehe 🙂 I agree, the cover is amazing! 🙂
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I’m glad this wasn’t *that* kind of book, despite the occasional sexy time hahaha It’s nice to have something deeper than just that, however, and “lessons learned” sounds like a great premise.
I have a special fondness for generational stories, so this book already looks like a keeper. Not to mention the forbidden love aspect (which is another favourite trope of mine).
I’m a bit hesitant towards Zac but we’ll see. Ella, on the other hand, sounds epic! I can’t wait to meet her 🙂
Amazing review, Liz, and so glad you enjoyed this ^^ It’s not the type of book I would think you’d read but hey, I’m happy to be surprised once in a while! xD
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Another YA book that should have had the MC be a year older and been published as NA. Putting mature sexual content in YA to sell books to adults who read YA is a huge button pusher for me, as you know. Thanks for the heads up about this one. 😒
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Yeah, for YA could have totally done without the sex and been a real wonderful story! There’s so much sex everywhere it’s becoming a pet peeve, a serious pet peeve… you can’t have too much of the good stuff or it’ll become a bleh, whatever thing.
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Wonderful review! I don’t find many books that do “fated love” very well, but a good story’s all about characters evolving and learning from their mistakes, so I can see how that alone would make you invested in this book. Shame that the “sex sells” tactic is used here though…it’s largely why I kept away from YA in my teens, so I do wish less authors would go down that route.
Still, I’m glad you enjoyed this book! 😊
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Thank you!
I swear, it feels weird to say it, but this whole sex sells thing is starting to become really old… like, stop noodling all the time folks, there’s more to life 😀
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Hahaha exactly! I think most people (including me) weren’t ever into the sex sells concept when it came to books or movies, but then again, when it’s right there, our curiosity does compel us to pick ’em up and see what they’re all about. 🤔
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It’s good that this ended up pleasantly surprising you! Great review!
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