Historical fiction readers, if I said “Regency novel” to you, what comes to your mind? Elegant dresses, lavish house parties, coffee house meetings, callous  whispers behind elegant manners and Jane Austen, perhaps?

Well - hands on the table, it did to me. I will go further and say that it's not normally my sort of thing to read – why should I read Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice when there are other books more to my taste? However, Seeker does that difficult thing of taking a Regency style setting and making it into a fantasy story - a flintlock fantasy, if you like. The two shouldn't work together, and yet here they do, admirably.

Shay  Bluefaltlow has for many years been brought up by Ridley Fassinger, a surgeon and doctor, along with the young deaf Peck in her home city of Fivedock. This is generally a happy existence, if somewhat sheltered, until Shay is indentured to Penelope Etherington.

So far, this reads like Dickens’ Great Expectations (I know: later age, but even so..), the story told in the first person about a young person’s rite of passage. It is at this point, however, that things become more fantasy like. We learn that Etherington is Fivedocks’ Chief Archivist, charged with keeping records and monitoring for the Sentinels for the nation. She is told that the Sentinels are ancient leviathans, not seen for hundreds of years, but whose records show that if they return, devastation will result.

Shay’s new occupation is to train to be an assistant to the Sentinel Archivist as a Seeker, a role that involves monitoring for Sentinels as well as maintaining and deciphering some of their old records, using scent song to understand their speech. She takes to her new duties in  this Age of Enlightenment with a passion, even though it means that she must take a poisonous elixir in order to decipher the scents of the ancient creatures.

The story here revels in the scientific wonders and the joy of knowledge that Shay experiences at this point.

Although some of the minor characters are a little unsubtle, Shay herself is an interesting character. Clearly young, she is impetuous, rash and immature. She makes mistakes, but generally learns from them the hard way. This makes her endearing and irritating at the same time, a cause of frustration to the more experienced, less impetuous adults. Her reckless nature also has life-changing consequences for more than one person close to her.

Away from Shay’s new world, things are also changing in the wider world. A war seems to be brewing between different political factions, with neither particularly concerned about the signs that the Sentinels may be returning.

When Etherington is called away on official duties, Shay finds herself put into the position of covering for the Sentinel Archivist and also having to negate a possible coup by negotiating the dangerously civil world of the influential elite. In the finest tradition of regency novels, Griffin  presents Regency style soirees as some sort of battleground, a sneakier, subtler version of what happens on the high seas.

Shay is, of course, an outsider, a fish out of water who would rather be with her books and her studies rather than having to navigate around the barbed conversations of societies’ elite.

The end of the book finds Shay dealing with many issues all at once - tangled with the impending return of the Sentinels, involved in the middle of a sea battle and also attempting to foil a power coup attempted by some of the government’s enemies.

The book’s inner cover describes the book as “Robin Hobb meets Georgette Heyer meets Bernard Cornwell”. To me, it is more like “Jane Austen meets Godzilla”, where regency manners meet legendary monsters. Although the Sentinels only really appear at the end of the book, I’m sure that we’ll read more about them in future books.

Lastly, a mention of the book itself. Shay’s story is illustrated throughout by some lovely black-and-white illustrations by Jonas of Stardust, which add to the story and show us some of the instruments used by Shay in her work. They are not essential but do add to the setting enormously.

It’s always good when you find a book to be more than you hoped it would be. And so it was with Seeker. An unexpectedly good read, and I look forward to reading more stories set in this world in the future.

I received an eARC this book for an honest review from NetGalley. This was a fun book with great characters and wonderful world building. It was some what steampunk with naval background. I was taken in from the beginning when Shay was purchased. I would have liked to have more of Penelope in the story and may at some point a prequel of the history of it all. It was very exciting and I loved the intrigue with all of the characters. I truly enjoyed Hardy and her involvement. I liked that Shay had her anxieties with her development as an archivist and her person in general, The ending was something else and I was on my toes the whole time . Yay for Seeker!

Shay Bluefaltlow is a war orphan. One vivid day she finds herself being purchased, uprooted, and brought to the city of Fivedock to start her new life as a ward of a Mr. Ridley. She is expected to get an education but is unaware of her importance until some strong willed rebellious decisions lead her to discover her role with the Seekers and the Sentinels. Faced with her new situation, a world of new truths and discoveries unfolds. Shay must put aside her immaturity and become the woman she is meant to be.

This is a decent debut into a new fantasy in a flintlock setting. I did struggle with some of the world building as this first novel is very heavy on the development of Shay’s growth and maturity. At times I would lose the bigger picture or get disinterested which really broke up the flow of the novel. The Seekers and Sentinels were very abstract to me and it took a fair amount of the novel to actually sort out what they are and their purpose. However, with all that being said, I did like the premise of the novel. I think this world has lots of potential to become really engaging. I do enjoy a flintlock style fantasy and hope for good things in the next installment. 3 stars.

Review based on a digital Advanced Reader’s Copy provided by Panthe Press and NetGalley. Thank you!

What a great debut fantasy novel. The writing style took a little bit to get used to but eventually you fall into the crescendo pattern. This is not a book you can rush through. Take your time and allow the world to form. Such a great story and and would absolutely recommend.

The story takes you through Shay's journey from a nobody to being a Seeker, this society is veiled in secrecy and mystery. They are searching for the huge leviathans of the deep. The story is told by Shay but the author tells us the story in a historical Regency era type of prose. This way of writing is not for everyone and felt old and reminiscent of Dickens. I struggled with the voice of the author and it made reading this difficult for me. But if you like that sort of writing I am sure you will enjoy it.

The world is richly imagined and you can tell that the author has put a lot of work into making this world real, a very engaging place. Fivelock is an interesting place and you really get drawn into the story with the rich world building.

If you like this type of writing I am sure you will like this new Flintlock Fantasy from Samuel Griffin.

What an amazing debut from Samuel Griffin. The author is an impeccable descriptive writer and this book goes beyond anything I have ever read. I can’t believe that this is his first book! I haven’t read any books with this sort of regency-era writing style before and I for one can say it is not too difficult, I would say the style is more intriguing and mystical which simply adds to the genre of the books setting, it certainly doesn’t hinder the projection of the story at all. I cannot wait to follow Shay in the next book, counting down the days! I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to delve in to a new magical world with endless possibilities! From golspek harmonisers to outrageous behemoths…I am in my element!

Seeker by Samuel Griffin is the story of an orphan, Shay Bluefaltow, who has a different appearance, a birthmark that covers half of her face and portions of her body. She is ridiculed at school and there is no one to speak up for her. She is headstrong and does not always take advice. Eventually, she is sent into indentured service with a kind doctor who is also taking care of a deaf/mute young boy.

Shay cannot leave well enough alone and makes plans to run away. She asks for help from someone who informs the doctor of her plan and she is sent to a place where she must learn a new job, to be an archivist. This is much more complicated than Shay at first understands. The main archivist and the good doctor have much hope and trust in Shay. She may not deserve their trust, she is just a teenager, her choices are not always what an adult would do.

The writing style is sort of “flowery” or maybe old-fashioned, which makes it seem like a former time. However, the story takes place in a time and place which is undeterminable. Past? Future? It is hard to say. It took me a few chapters to become accustomed to the writer’s style, but it is well worth continuing reading and hard to put down after a point. It is definitely fantasy, but even if you don’t normally read fantasy, you will enjoy this book.

Thank you to Netgalley for the advanced copy to read and review.

This book was quite disappointing. The idea of it is interesting, and the part about the "scent song" was intriguing and original, and there are some good tidbits here and there. I mean, the job of archivist seems pretty cool, even if we just saw the menial parts of it, and they have a lot of strange instruments that seem wonderful and fascinating. And my favorite thing in this book was Peck (view spoiler).

But the book per se is pretty boring, I think that it was, mostly, the writing that didn't work for me, but also the fact that we learn things as the MC learns them, and this would be a good way of telling a story if the MC discovers and learns new things. Here nobody tells Shay a single thing, it's always "trust us, we have your wellbeing at heart, and the wellbeing of the world too. And all will be revealed in time". But nothing is ever revealed. So she is left there, in the dark, and we are right there with her. It is annoying, and it made for a really drab reading.
It is also quite an unbalanced story, we have parts in which we follow Shay in her job, which seems important, and with the fate of the world at stake, but we just know that without really seeing it, and parts in which we follow Shay's day to day life, and in theory is a beautiful thing but here, in this particular case, it is always a drab and small thing after another drab and small thing. I kept reading because I was hoping that later on we would get more but it never happened. And then, suddenly things are moving and big things are happening, almost out of the blue, and... the ending is not bad, but it is how the book should have been as a whole.

I'm not a fantasy reader, I prefer romance (Dark, Sports etc) but this cover pulled me in.

Once I started reading, I was sucked in from the start til the end, It wouldn't let me go and I'm happy to be it's hostage..

This is one of those books that will stay with me forever.

Watching the world be built as I read was such an experience. The character building, watching them make mistakes as they go and growing from them was imo amazing.

I tend to get bored easily (ADHD), but I couldn't put this down until it was over & then I was sad. I was sad that the story was over and I wouldn't be with these characters until the next book. I can't wait to have this in my hands and on my bookshelf when it's released in Hardback..

Samuel take a bow, what an amazing debut.
I had the honour of getting this debut as an earc from the publisher.

Seeker is the debut book for Samuel Griffin and the first book in The Sentinel Archives Series. This isn’t going to be for everyone due the the nature of the prose of the writing. Written as a regency or in a historical voice of sorts, the main character takes the reader through her personal journey to become a Seeker, someone in a secret type of society looking for huge leviathans of the deep. They are who are stirring once more and will the the force that could turn the tide of a the war.

Shay Bluefaltlow takes us through her journey as she struggles to live up the expectations placed on her to become one of the few secretly searching for the elusive scent song unique to each of the leviathans. A young girl in a strange place, the story is almost written in the flowery musings of a teen in her diary, if said diary was from a regency era. She is introduced to a strange world full of dangers and some espionage as she tries to make her way. Sponsored by a group of benefactors yet to be revealed she is guided through her training. Because of her age some of her rebellions, secrets and poor choices, while frustrating, can at least be understood. The action at the end was the most interesting part of the book as the actual leviathans come into play in a battle at sea.

The actual story is pretty decent and the world interesting with the idea of the Seekers and Leviathans and whatever their connection will end up being. However, I really struggled with the writing style. At times it was really hard to focus on the story through the prose as it took awhile to get from point A to B to C in the story. I believe the author lives on the poetical side of the fence and that is very much reflected in the story. So if you are a fan of some of other authors of the past like Dickens this will probably be an easier and more enjoyable read for you than it was for me. I do applaud the author for committing to this writing style whole heartedly but I think it will really factor into how much a reader likes the story within.

I really enjoyed the idea of the story and the plot is really interesting in the fantasy aspect. I’m not huge into the classics though and so I struggled through reading.

I enjoyed the first 1/4 of this story because of the way the story was written and the set up for a grand adventure. Shay has been brought as an indentured servant to live with a surgeon and educated for some reason that she isn't being told. Eventually her attempt to find an ally to help her run away forces the surgeon to deliver her to the woman who will explain everything to her. And this is where I feel like the story lost it's way. Things are sort of explained to Shay but not in very clear terms. At this point, the book seemed to jerk around in a variety of directions without really fleshing any of them out. I kept thinking 'oh, now the story will really get going', only to be whisked away to some other problem before really understanding anything. Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy in return for my honest opinion.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It's a spellbinding fantasy with steampunk elements following the story of Shay as she embarks on an exciting, dangerous and thrilling new chapter of her life. I really liked the way it was written, reminding me of the old classic books I've enjoyed. I have read others saying it was a little hard to get through but I was invested all the way through. It was hard to put down, and I will definitely be reading the next book to follow Shay's adventures. A really good debut novel.
Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a copy of the book in exchange for a review.

We follow the education of the principle character from her indenture as a child through increasingly important positions. Decisions are made that seem unwise, but then you realize that she is a naive child coming into her own. I do wish that there was a map of the territory. Maybe in the next book?

Thank you NetGalley and Panthe Press for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

I received a free e-arc of this book through Netgalley.
Shay is an interesting character. We find her in a school/orphanage type setting from which she is purchased and taken on a month-long seasick-inducing voyage without any idea of what she is getting into. But she is not downtrodden. In fact, she starts figuring out how to escape. Soon she is involved in elaborate investigations to discover what is going on as war starts to break out. She trusts the wrong people at times and gets into trouble, but eventually finds her true self. I feel that some parts of the story are glossed over when it would be nice to have more information. This story has the feeling of an epic series, but the length was about right.

There is so much to like about this book...the prose, for one, is beautiful. As is the underlying story and the themes it covers, along with the mystery of the Sentinels. Unfortunately, for me at least, it felt as if the story played second fiddle to the writing style and there just wasn't enough substance to engage me. I'll definitely be keeping an eye on this series though as it certainly has some potential!

Although the beginning of the book was a bit of a slow start, the test of the story was interesting and following Shay through out the journey was enjoyable, if not, frustrating at times. The writing and world building is not for a person that wants a quick easy read. It does take some effort to really see the story, but I don't think that's a bad thing in my opinion. I enjoyed the read! Thank you for letting me be part of the ARC for an honest review!

Shay Bluefaltlow is an orphan who has lived till here teens in a closed community, where teens are then sent or purchased to a variety of professions. Shay is obtained by Ridley Fassinger, a surgeon who takes her across the ocean to the city of Fivedock where she begins her education in a plethora of subjects. Shay is suspicious of everything and as a character is self centred and unappreciative of her situation, and how much worse it could be. In Ridley's household she befriends Peck, a deaf serving boy, the first of her friendships for which she has a deep longing - Shay is impulsive an determined to find out more about her mysterious benefactors which leads her to some unwise decisions. Despite this Shay finds that she is an apprentice to Penelope Etherington, Sentinel Archivist to the Concord and from this point the story start to gather pace.
Shay faces, betrayal, conspiracies, unlocks her gifts as a Seeker and launches into war - all making a stirring tale, however for me I found connection with the main characters lacking.
A decent story with echoes of a Regency time, worth trying.
My thank to Netgalley and the publisher for access to this ARC.

In Seeker we follow Shay Bluefaltlow from the Orphaned War Girls School to her new life in a new country with mysterious masters and a sense of destiny that she doesn't quite feel worthy of.

'I will always remember the day I was bought. Which may be of little surprise, for who could expect to forget such a thing? And I shall tell of it, for I believe I have earned that right.'

The world of the book was beautifully described and felt slightly familiar whilst also magically different. The reader discovers this world and its curious inhabitants alongside Shay as the story unfolds, we are carried along with her experiences and feelings until the culmination of the book. I can't wait to see where Shay's story goes from here and eagerly await the next instalment of the archives.



#seeker #thesentinelarchives #netgalley #fantasy #magic

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC!

The book is written in a decidedly historical voice and pen. The author uses the language, technique and style that readers would find in such classics as Dickens, Collin’s, the Bronte’s and the like. It is almost lyrical and lovely to read.

The novel's world-building is set in the Regency Era and exudes an academic vibe, drawing readers into a captivating and immersive setting.

This is the start of a fantasy series that promises to be quite interesting and entertaining as the world building is original and the characters fleshed out.
This first novel is the introduction to the world and the characters. I enjoyed it even if a the language is quite XIX-like and it can be a bit too wordy at times.
I look forward to reading the next story, this one is recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine