The Keeper of Night (The Keeper of Night, #1)
by Kylie Lee BakerPublished by: Inkyard Press on October 12, 2021
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Historical
Pages: 400
Format: ARC
Source: Publisher
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.
Content Tags:
Perfect for readers who want:
- Grimdark YA fantasy in a world that will absolutely give you chills.
- A world where Japanese mythology exists, including Shinigami and Yokai.
- To adventure through the depths of Yomi, the Japanese land of the dead.
- A quest filled with danger and nearly impossible odds.
- A suave, charming love interest that’ll likely win your heart.
- A biracial protagonist who’s just trying to find her place in life.
Many thanks to Inkyard Press and TBR and Beyond Tours for an ARC in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.
As soon as I read the synopsis for this book, I knew I needed to read it! It almost had a Bleach vibe to it that made me really curious. Plus, the cover’s all dark and mysterious. And Japanese mythology! Which of course lends itself well to dark fantasy. There was just no way I wasn’t picking this one up.
The Keeper of Night is a dark fantasy set in a world you won’t want to visit but will love reading about. Packed with Japanese mythology, Shinigami, and Yokai, this book will ensnare you and refuse to let go.
The world Baker creates is absolutely fantastic and pulled me right in! However, this book employs a couple of my least favorite tropes, including instalove and “person you’ve known all your life is suspicious of this newcomer but for some reason you completely ignore them in favor of this person you’ve known for 30 seconds,” which always frustrates me. Readers who enjoy or don’t mind these tropes will likely have a better time with this one than I did. Despite those, though, I really enjoyed this book and I’ll be looking forward to reading the next book!
The grimdark world Baker sets up in The Keeper of Night isn’t for the faint of heart . . . but it is wonderfully immersive and likely to suck you in and refuse to let you come up for air.
I mean, you can read that sentence in a lot of different ways, and whatever interpretation you come up with is probably correct. Yes, it’s gripping. Yes, it’s addictive. It would also drown you without blinking an eye and feast on your corpse. Welcome to Yomi!
In this world, Reapers and Shinigami exist as agents of death, and Japanese mythology is real, including the idea of Yokai.
If you’ve ever heard any stories about Yokai, you’ll understand why this might be a problem. Sure, there are some mostly harmless and sometimes adorable Yokai . . . but then again, adorable Yokai are just as likely to eat your soul as any other. Don’t be fooled!
This world is dark and gory and often bloody, so if that’s not your thing, turn away now and save yourselves. If you’re like me and are easily tempted to the dark side, you will definitely appreciate this world and all the creatures you meet along the way!
First, you’ll see a streak of silver across the sky, like a comet burning through the fog.
Then, the clock hands will still halfway between this second and the next.
The world will fall silent, and the Reaper will knock three times on your bedroom door.
Whether you answer or not, Death will enter through the light in the keyhole.
Ren isn’t a particularly sympathetic or likeable character (a fact which she reiterates several times and is obviously aware of), but she gets the job done.
It’s hard not to empathize at least a little with Ren, who is biracial (half British Reaper, half Japanese Shinigami). She’s spent her life with a father who didn’t want her, tortured by other Reapers who call her a foreigner (and that’s when they’re being nice about it). All she really wants is a place where she can belong.
If you’re the sort of reader who needs a sympathetic or likeable protagonist, you’re probably not going to find it in Ren. She’s very upfront and honest about what a horrible person she is, though she flip-flops between wanting not to be a horrible person and just accepting that it’s who she is. I usually love gray characters, but I have to say I didn’t love Ren. Didn’t hate her, either. I admired her determination and ingenuity in the face of adversity, but I didn’t always understand her actions.
“It’s not as remarkable as you’re imagining,” I said. “They’re more like large, handsome insects that try to con you into making wishes.”
“Can you eat them?”
“You can eat anything, but that doesn’t mean you should.”
“Then what is their purpose, if not food?”
“To maintain the flora and exasperate Reapers.”
Ren is joined on her quest by her half-brother, Neven, who is a full Reaper but softer than any Reaper has the right to be.
Like Ren, Neven doesn’t exactly belong in Reaper society, either. He, at the very least, was wanted and loved and given attention by his parents while being raised, but he was also mentally abused in an attempt to harden him into the Reaper he was meant to be. After all, Reapers should be cold and unfeeling, and Neven is anything but.
I enjoyed the sibling bonds in the beginning of the book, where each sibling would do anything for the other and they were a force to be reckoned with as they supported each other and stood together.
Their characters are very different, of course, but they balanced each other out in an interesting way. Which made it a little disheartening when Ren begins turning on Neven and trusts a stranger over the brother she’s known for a century. This is my least favorite trope, because it makes no sense! Whyyyyy?! I’m not nearly as close to my siblings as Ren and Neven are, but if one of them told me someone was acting shady, I’d at least entertain the idea and listen to their reasoning, rather than casually dismiss them!
In any case, Neven is a joy, and his character growth is just *chef’s kiss*. He provides a nice contrast to Ren, who may be stronger and more powerful in general, as he starts meek and discovers his inner strength when it matters most.
“He’s fine! I aimed away from his nose and teeth.”
“You hit his head!”
“Bone heals faster than cartilage!”
Then we’ve got the mysterious Hiro, who our duo meet while searching for Yomi, the land of the dead. And boy is he charming!
He’s apparently handsome (which is overrated), but more than that, he’s just plain funny! I loved Hiro’s banter. It’s hard not to feel for him, too. Due to a foot deformity, he’s outcast from the Shinigami and looked down on by them, even though, by all rights, he is one.
There’s a bit of instalove going on between Ren and Hiro, so if that’s your thing, you’ll probably love this pair! I mean, it’s hard not to love Hiro in general, regardless of how you feel about Ren. For me, though, I’m not a fan of instalove, and I just wasn’t feeling this romance.
He let out a sharp laugh. “Not recently, no. I sustained a severe paper cut on Tuesday, though, and I’ll have you know that I didn’t even cry.”
“I mean . . .” My gaze drifted to his foot again.
“Oh, that? Well, my mother always insisted that I eat my peppers as a child, but I never listened. Of course, she was right, because one day I woke up and my foot had changed. I swallowed crates and crates full of peppers after that. But tragically, it was too late for me.”
“Oh.” I frowned. What a mundane reason. “Is that problem common for Shinigami?”
Hiro sighed. “Have you heard of ‘jokes’ in England? My humor is wasted on you.”
There’s a lot of blending the lines of good and evil in this book, which I really enjoy.
The whole world is shades of gray, which is the best sort of world, of course. You’ll never know who is the villain and who is the hero . . . and sometimes characters can be both at the same time. Because people are complicated, okay?
I love the complexities of worlds like this, especially the way they lend themselves to plot twists! There’s plenty of those to be had in this book, too.
About Kylie Lee Baker
Kylie Lee Baker grew up in Boston and has since lived in Atlanta, Salamanca, and Seoul. Her work is informed 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 find the full tour schedule here.
October 11th
A Court of Coffee and Books – Interview & Top 5 Reasons to Read The Keeper of Night
Books Over Everything – Review
paperbacktomes – Review & Mood Board
Clouded Galaxy Reads – Review
October 12th
Stuck in Fiction – Promo Post
thisbellereadstoo – Review, Favorite Quotes & Mood Board
Books With Michelle – Review & Journal Spread
October 13th
An Ode to Fiction – Review, Playlist & Favorite Quotes
Books Forever – Review
The Bookwyrm’s Den – Review & Favorite Quotes
October 14th
Nine Bookish Lives – Promo Post
The Fictional Journal – Review
October 15th
AndOnSheReads – Interview & Top 5 Reasons to Read The Keeper of Night
Discover Elysian – Review & Favorite Quotes
Book Lover’s Book Reviews – Review
Binded By Letters – Review & Favorite Quotes
October 16th
The Book Dutchesses – Promo Post
dinipandareads – Review, Journal spread
Confessions of a YA Reader – Review & Favorite Quotes
October 17th
Earthly Abode – Interview & 15 Reactions While Reading The Keeper of Night
Justice For Readers – Review
Books and Bookish – Review & Favorite Quotes
Quill Tree Fox – Review
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Hmm. The tropes you mentioned both annoy me a lot, too. On the other hand, I do love it when books combine mythology from multiple cultures instead of sticking with just one. It sounds like this is a series to watch!
Nicole @ BookWyrm Knits recently posted…WIP Wednesday for 13 October 2021 ~ the blanket edition
It was a really hard one to review, because there were ups and downs, but all told, I really enjoyed it. Even if I didn’t love the tropes. xD