*Received an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

First thing first - I would completely love a best friend like Maggie! I loved her little superhero references and other references to things like Supernatural. I also loved the character of Serena, I think it's possibly because I'd say I'm a little bit like both Maggie and Serena though? Like I'd happily cleanse my whole house if I thought there were spirits there and I'd be more than likely to be found reading a graphic novel... On that note, I think there should be more events at comic book stores like the one this starts with.

Anyway! The book hooked me from the start with Maggie's quirky quips and at the end of the first chapter it sucks you in with an incident that makes you want to read more and understand. The town of Lothbrook is your average little quiet town but Chance describes everything so well it's as though you can place yourself right next to Lainey. The way Chance writes about both the past and present too is such a smart way of introducing the reader to this new world and it's easy to get lost in the story completely.

The characters though, and I know I keep going back to this but I loved the way that each character was slowly unravelled, especially those closest to Lainey. Maggie's optimism especially is an amazing breath of fresh air to read about. For instance, one of the parts of the book that sent a massive chill down my spine was when she said the following (about life not being fair):

"No, it's not," Maggie agreed. "But this is your life now. This is who you are, and you can't run away from it. You have to face it."

Whenever Lainey needed someone she was there, the only human main character and yet she was such a strong element of the book.

I also loved how Keeper has so many well known supernatural elements but the story itself seemed so fresh and new from how Chance puts it all together. I mean there are Witches, Seers, Faeries and even Lycans and Shifters and more supernaturals and just the whole history that ties them all together is brilliant to read about.

I love the book cover also, green is such an important colour throughout the book so it represents it so well. I don't want to spoil the ending, because you have to read this book (especially if you're a fan of Harry Potter), but I wasn't expecting it whatsoever and it was such a brilliant twist! I really hope there's a sequel out because I need to know more.

Very good story! I fell in love with the characters and I loved the girl power and friendship between Maggie and Lainey!

Some of the plot twists didn't seem like plot twists to me and felt at times cliche whether because I've read too many YA Paranormals could be the case. If you've never YA Paranormal this would definitely be a good start!!

"I'm a witch. My uncle is a Faerie. You're some kind of magical bodyguard. I have lightning that apparently shoots through my fingers when I'm overwhelmed. It's absolutely crazy!"

This book is a really fun entry for those younger readers just getting into YA. It has all the familiar tropes avid readers of the genre have come to know so well, and drops just the right amount of pop culture references for some giggles.

While I did find myself rolling my eyes during some of the book, I also really enjoyed it more than I thought I would. There are some really great twists towards the end of the book that I was not expecting, and honestly hooked me enough to consider reading the follow up, when that eventually rolls out.


Thank you to Netgally for providing me with an ARC copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you Netgalley for the arc!

4.5/5*

*Potential Spoilers*

OMG the twists and turns in this novel were insane! I absolutely loved it!

The writing was so easy to follow which made sure that I was able to keep up when a new twist happened but also complex enough to make the novel interesting.

I loved the girl power friendship between Lainey and Mags - it is definitely something that as a reader I would love to see more of. (Plus the undeniable comic book nerd in Mags made for major entertainment).
Using various different comic book references made it easier to understand certain things that were happening and definitely gave me a better understanding of the environment Lainey found herself in.

Another element that had me falling in love with the story was the historical element - Josephine and the other Keepers. Using that gave such great depth to the story and added more to my understanding of what the characters where having to face - which I feel is not a totally common thing in the genre.

This is definitely a book that keeps you on your toes through out and would definitely be something that should be read by fans of Fantasy and witches. (of which I am a fan of both!)

3,5 stars

What a fun ride! An enjoyable debut novel with lovable characters and an interesting plot. I really liked our main protagonist Lainey, she is smart and precious. I LOVED her friendship with Maggie, Maggie is such a hoot and also a comic geek!

The secondary characters pale in comparison to Lainey, though, I hope that in a possible future sequel they will be more developed. The insta love also bugged me in this book, I'm just so not a fan of that.

But that ending! GAAHHHH, I need more!

This book is what I like to call a "slow burn". It started off at a steady pace and continued at a steady pace until the end where it exploded into an awesome end.

The book starts off introducing the Lainey and her "sidekick" which is referred to often in the book, and who I personally adore - I don't know what it is with me and the side characters in books but damn she's just so awesome I can't help myself.

The book progresses into learning about the Lainey's past and her role as being the Keeper of the Grimoire - reminded me truly of Charmed and their protection of the Book of Shadows and that's one of my favourite shows of all time - and then we learn about all the twists and turns of Lainey's past (spoilers upon spoilers so no mention here) but some twists, some turns, some predictable spots but overall exciting.

The one liners in this book are epic - by one liners I mean solid laugh out loud lines that I just had to re-read multiple times for more chuckles before I moved on because they were that entertaining. I did not think this book would have that much humor in it and I absolutely adored that! SUPER AWESOME.

I definitely recommend this book - I don't read much about witches, etc. this had a plethora of supernatural beings in it which is exciting and I definitely think it's set up for another book - at least I hope so, I'd read more of this world.

How would you react if you went from being a normal high school kid with a plan for your future to seeing ghosts, finding out the paranormal is real, and everything you thought you knew about your family was wrong? These are the challenges Lainey faces in this book.

Lainey is almost 17. She is a straight A student, with a plan for her life. Then she starts seeing a ghost, which sets events into motion. With her best friend, and a cute guy she just met to help her figure out what's going on. Then the help of her Uncle and his girlfriend Lainey tackles struggles bigger than any high schooler should have to handle.

This book was amazing. It had me on the edge of my seat, grinning from ear to ear and crying at times. I would highly recommend it. With a few minor kissing scenes and a couple of violent scenes I would say it is still appropriate for kids over the age of 13.

I really loved this book. It was so fast-paced and incredibly action-packed. The characters and their relationships were so great and incredibly relatable. I loved the story-line and how there were two storylines that almost paralleled and crossed over each other at times. One of the things I loved the most was how the story was grounded in reality with all the pop-culture and comic book references; it made it so much more real.

Keeper, the debut novel by Kim Chance, is a coming of story. Keeper is the story of Lainey Styles. She is your typical everyday overachiever. She wants to leave her little sleepy town for college. Lainey has a quirky best friend, Maggie, who is into comic books and tries to keep her active in social life. While at a party she really doesn't want to be at, Lainey meets a guy named Ty. But she also gets a fright when she sees a ghostly image that calls her by name and then she blacks out. As if this isn't bad enough, her world is about to get flipped upside down when she learns her family secret. Together, with her Uncle, her Uncle's gf, her best friend, and this new guy, Lainey ventures down memory lane to figure out how all these pieces fit together.

I really enjoyed this book. It was well written and entertaining throughout. The book left me wanting more of the story. I am looking forward to book 2.

I received a copy of this book thru NetGalley in return for my honest review.

So, this is sort of a follow-up review to the one I wrote way back in 2016 when I was a beta for this novel. Now as a part of Kim’s street team, I was generously given an ARC by Netgalley and Flux Books in exchange for an honest review. As I am reading this for the second time, and since gaining experience as a freelance editor, I will likely be more critical than the average first-timer. With that in mind…

Pros

Characters: All of the characters felt authentic and I could easily relate them to people I’d met in my own life.

I saw the most of myself in Lainey, who prides herself on having everything totally figured out, is extremely dedicated to her studies, and won’t hesitate to call people out when they try to bullshit her. Sometimes, though, she can be a little bit too set in her ways. Thankfully, she has Maggie to mellow her out.

Maggie is the classic best friend character. She’s always optimistic and obsessed with the heroes from her favorite comic books. Her fun-loving, slightly over-the-top personality is a great counterbalance to Lainey’s fact-driven, down-to-earth mindset. I do wish we got a little more insight as to how they met and why the two of them are such good friends in the first place. Even though story-wise they work well as foils for one another, they don’t seem to have much in common. There was a lot of time when Lainey was still grasping at straws for a normal life and I wish some of that had been used to show their bond. It was easy to understand that they cared a lot about each other, but I wanted to know more about the reason behind that connection separate from the plot.

Then there’s Ty, the mysterious, attractive bad boy. He is also, as you might have guessed, the love interest. Though the initial introduction of the character is very much in line with the tropes of YA love interests, throughout the book, Ty is given some depth and a backstory to set him apart. There is a twist at the end that particularly turns the trope on its head, and I applaud the author for that. I’m curious how it will play out in subsequent books.

Finally, we have Josephine, whose story arc plays a large part in this book skirting the line between traditional “Chosen One” stories ala Harry Potter and uncharted territory. I don’t want to say too much in order to stay away from spoilers, but there were times when I found myself more interested in Josephine than Lainey. She had roots deeply set in the magical history of the world and was on a different journey than the classic self-discovery. She also gave readers a glimpse into a unique time period that I hope we get another chance to explore in the future.

World-Building: I do have some questions about the magic system used in this book, which I will address later. For the most part, though, all the elements necessary to the readers’ comprehension of the story were explained concisely and not before they were needed to propel the plot forward.

Twists and Turns: As a first-time reader, I remember loving the way everything gradually unfolded. The moment you thought everything that could be revealed had been, something else would throw a wrench in the works. It made for a very exciting read.

Cons

Dialogue and Pop Culture References: I will be the first to admit that dialogue isn’t my strong point as a writer right now, though I am working hard to improve. I could definitely tell, though, that some of the speech was modeled after the cadence if the author. Expressions like “holy crapkittens” and “good gravy” are things that I’ve often heard the author say via social media, and being able to recognize them had the tendency to take me out of the story in the same way that the pop-culture references did. Now, if you are a big fan of comic books or the TV show Supernatural, you will likely find a lot of the references very entertaining and possibly funny. But for someone like me who has an appreciation for those medias but does not watch or engage in a lot of fan activities revolving around them, they were hit or miss. The first few were entertaining enough and gave Maggie some character. After a while though, they got a bit stale for me because I couldn’t relate.

Villain Motivation: Basically, the Master wants to be all powerful. That in itself is not a bad motivation, but it lacked a reason. The only explanation we get is that (MINOR SPOILER) he used to be a member of the magical government, but grew tired of their beliefs and struck out on his own. I think the author missed an opportunity to give him some real depth here. One of my favorite villains is Rumpelstiltskin from the show Once Upon a Time. He, too, wants to be all powerful, but the writers go a step further by explaining that the reason he is so attached to his dark power is because he injured himself in the front lines of a war so that he could come home to raise his son and would not leave him fatherless the way he had been. But people called Rumple a coward for that and he lost every ounce of respect they once had for him. The power was the only way he felt he could regain those things, even if that devotion was born of fear. I wish the author had taken the time to incorporate something like that in order to make the villain a more well-rounded person. The fact that he had most of his henchmen do his dirty work did not help matters either. I think the author meant to make the Master menacing because he had so much control over the Supernatural race. Instead, his lack of response until the climax made me think that he was not only power hungry, but unwilling to work for what he wanted. Rumpelstiltskin did all of his misdeeds himself. Even though his reputation was heinous, he had taken the time and initiative to earn it. The Master, however, did not.

Bait and Switch Personalities: Two characters in particular, Lainey, and one that I cannot reveal for fear of having to dive into a plot twist, did not have consistent characterization throughout the novel. In the opening chapters, Lainey is introduced as a level-headed, fact-oriented, logic-driven character, even going so far as to quote definitions of SAT words in an effort to distract or calm herself during a stressful situation. Yet when her life is turned upside down, she lets her emotions rule. While I appreciate the fact that the author took her emotional growth as a character into account during the course of this novel, I thought, at times, it went a little too far. It was not properly balanced out with the logical side of her personality. For example, I am a pretty rational person and when I get upset by something, the first thing I try to do is break said thing down into smaller, more manageable pieces so that I can look for a logical explanation. Knowing the reason behind someone’s thoughts or actions always makes them less scary to me.

Now, obviously, I am not Lainey, but based on the personality that we are given within the first few pages, I kind of expected logic to be in the driver’s seat and her emotional journey to be a secondary development once she realized that sometimes you just have to take a leap of faith. In this case the opposite seemed to be true. There were many times when Lainey would be doing something irrational to cope with her emotions and small hints of logic would creep into her mind. In reality, I would think the logical side would have been louder, but her emotional impulses would have propelled her forward in spite of the risk involved.

I don’t want to say too much about the second character as far as a bait and switch goes, but I will say that as much as I enjoyed the plot twist for its uniqueness, it punched a hole in my understanding of the magic system.

Magic: I had several questions about the magic system in this book. There will be SPOILERS in this section so that I can properly explain myself, so if you haven’t read the book, SKIP THIS. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.

What is a Praetorian? If it is literally branded into Ty’s DNA for him to protect Lainey with his life, how is it possible for him to betray her? Unless he was actually a Scavenger posing as a Praetorian (which I don’t think is possible because, if I remember correctly, they look kind of werewolf-ish) or if he is the Master’s son. We learn that his father taught him how to fight, but I think the Master is too power-hungry to have a family. This seems like a large case of the author breaking her own rules. Perhaps it will be explained in the future books, but based on the way he exited, I don’t see that happening. He’s become an antagonist and Lainey would be nuts to trust him again. (Though, if I know the YA genre, she probably will).
Limits: I understand that the DuCarmonts are super powerful, but even if Lainey is going to start her formal training in the next book, it would have been nice to see her try something and fail, not for lack of control, but lack of ability. After all, if DuCarmonts can perform any spell imaginable, then who’s to say they can’t imitate powers of other Supernaturals? By giving clear limits, the suspense would’ve been heightened that much more.
Overall Rating: 3/5 stars. Recommended for those who enjoy Chosen One, witch, and supernatural stories with a twist.

First off, I wanted to thank Net Galley for my ARC copy of this book. I'm beginning to love the reviewing world, even though I'm still a "Newb".

I don't honestly have much to say other than I truly loved this book. I needed a book that was geared to YA to refresh my mind, and bring me back to pace after a very rough end of the school year. It was pleasant, and Chance kept me guessing. I would think I know what's going on, then she would switch it up. This series, whether it be two books or more, has great potential. If you love witches, magic, fantasy and strong female characters this book is for you.

The writing in this book is geared towards younger ages, however, I'm not one of those that has a problem with that. After all, I've said before: When reviewing books it's important to remember who actually tried and successfully wrote and published the book and who is just reviewing. This writer will do well I think, and I for one am looking forward to any of her future books!

It reminded me a lot of Trial by Fire by Josephine Angelini. TBF is one of my favorite series, so Keeper was bound to be amazing. I throughly enjoyed it. It was exciting, twisty, dark, and I couldn't put it down! Well done!

I really enjoyed reading Keeper! It took so many turns I hadn't expected, which kept me reading more! I got attached to all the characters and thought the plot was solid. I am really a fan of Kim's writing style, the kind of no-nonsense writing where there's the perfect amount of description, dialogue, and prose. I can't wait for the sequel!

Lainey Styles has her life planned out and it doesn't involve staying in Lothbrook , Georgia where Superhero Saturday at the comic book store is a major event. While her best friend Maggie is busy flirting with the other "super-nerds", she is trying to study for her SAT's. Lainey is rescued from an obnoxious "Thor" when the handsome new guy in town, Ty, pretends to be her boyfriend. Later that night when she steps outside Lainey hears a woman screaming her name; she is covered in blood...only nobody else can see her.
Lainey soon learns that she is linked to this woman, Josephine DuCarmont, who was a powerful witch, a Keeper. She was murdered by an evil Warlock who stole the Grimoire in order to siphon its power. Lainey must steal back the Grimoire and hide it before the Warlock's henchmen find her and hurt those she loves.

Overall this novel had a good storyline that might appeal more to the younger end of the YA scale. The story line felt unfinished and I am not sure if there is a plan for a second book to tie up loose ends. The novel takes a while to explain what is happening to Lainey and you don't really get a chance to explore the mythological and magical aspect of the novel before it ends. Overall this YA fantasy has a good storyline that could be well developed as a series or at least second novel.

I really enjoyed this book, the pacing is fast, it's a total page turner and the paranormal elements are delivered and built at just the right speed to draw the reader in. The dialogue between Lainey and Maggie works really well, it's bubbly and girly and makes the MC very likeable.
The paranormal elements were so very intriguing, I didn't know if I would like a paranormal book, but I've changed my mind! I really felt that the author's imagination came alive with the paranormal world building and I feel like there's so much more to be explored in a sequel.

Despite this book having a very young adult feel to it, mainly due to the writing and the dialogues, I was positively surprised by how much I ended up enjoying it.

Things that really worked for me:
• Those great, lovable characters
• That adorable and precious friendship between the protagonist and her BFF
• The intriguing plot and world building
• The action sequences
• The tragedies
• The ending

Things I didn't love:
• Sometimes drawn-out writing
• The flashbacks (though that's just me - I don't like flashbacks, no matter how important they are for the storyline)

This was exciting and original. Can't wait to get my hands on the sequel.

This was a wonderful title with magic, romance, humor, and suspense. I enjoyed Lainey’s character from the beginning. She was highly relatable and easy to understand. Her reluctance to believe was quite believable and her eventual acceptance was kept to nice pace. Maggie’s character was a little harder for me to embrace. Her constant comic book references were annoying at first, yet became bearable as the book went on. These references can become confusing to those not in the know, yet are seen that way through Lainey’s eyes, which does help. I feel that these references, and some about pop culture (minions t-shirt), may date the book and keep it from the test of time.

The story moved along very nicely, with continuing action abound. The beginning chapters seemed to drag on a little bit, but I was quickly sucked in. The romance was played out uniquely and with lots of heart and sweetness. There was an unexpected twist towards the end that keeps the reader guessing, and hoping, long after the book is finished. The book was left with plenty of room for a series to follow, and one that will be eagerly waited for.

the link goes likes on the blog on January 21st 2018.

The cover for this book is absolutely stunning. I love the green colour and after reading this book I can tell you the girl on the cover is exactly how I pictured the MC, Lainey. The blurb definitely has that, I need to know more vibe.

To begin, I want to start with the bad points. I found the pacing of this novel really hard as it was super slow. Normally it takes me about ten days to read a book on my kindle as I aim for 10% each evening that I read. But this book was so slow it made my brain hurt. Things definitely picked up again towards the end of the book which was amazing. It gave me the same vibe as Zoe Sugg's book Girl Online where it was clearly written for a younger audience. 

There's a lot of modern references in this book. As someone who is used to things like comic book stores (thank you Big Bang Theory), this was easy to follow but I feel like younger audiences might get a little confused or have to look up a few things. 

The story brings us Lainey, a teenage girl who knows nothing about the truth of her past. A mysterious boy shows up and a lot of unexpected things start to happen in her life. Lainey's best friend is quirky and I love how she's always willing to help her no matter what the issue is. 

Side note: I also love the fact our villains have the same nickname - The Master.

The story itself isn't too bad. There are lots of twists and turns, along with a whole cast of supernatural characters. Overall, I did enjoy the story, but the pacing kept me from being able to fully immerse myself in it. 

If you like YA then it's definitely a book to try. I loved all the supernatural elements to it.

3.5 stars – This novel deserves more than a generic “like” but I can’t put it with those novels that I “really like”. I enjoy that occasional novel that you don’t have to work too hard at but is still fun and engaging. What isn’t enticing about witches, ghosts and magic? This story succeeded at entertaining me without a lot of insulting fluff. This was all I was really looking for at the time. While the characters and plot were not in-depth, the writing flowed easily and the characterization was good. I really liked Lainey and her best friend Maggie. I am curious about Ty. The dialogue didn’t feel forced, the banter seemed realistic and the story was fast paced.

I am generally annoyed by too many pop references in a story. I don’t read comics so all the super hero references were lost on me. They did seem appropriate for the target age group though. Many novels in this genre seem to have no ending but rather set the reader up to buy another and another book. I always feel cheated by these cliff hanger novels. The author assumes the reader will enjoy the book enough to keep buying them. This is something I expect from chapter books but for an actual novel, this tactic rarely works for me. I was pleased that this book did have an ending but left no doubt that another novel would follow. This will not be (for me) a particularly memorable novel. Still, it was enjoyable and should the next novel come out before it leaves my memory then I am sure I will buy it. If you want a fun, fast read then Keeper fits the bill.

Thank you to Flux and NetGalley for providing a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Kim Chance’s “Keeper” is a refreshing breath of air when it comes to contemporary fantasy, a popular YA genre these days. It has heart, action, a love interest, and a strong female friendship. The cast of characters were developed enough to stand on their own feet and feel real. None of the side characters melted into each other or the background. I enjoyed each of them for their unique personalities and contribution to the plot.

The dialogue flowed and was realistic. Descriptions made me feel as if I was experiencing everything firsthand and drew me into the story. Many scenes were unpredictable and that increased their excitement and my enjoyment of them. The story flowed naturally and no scene felt forced or out of place. There were no filler scenes, each scene contributed to and progressed the plot.

The main character Lainey had a definite character arc, which is more than a lot of books on the market can say. She is smart, and strong in an emotional sense more than a physical sense (though she can kick butt when required!) What I love most about Lainey is her devotion to her family and friends. She would do anything for them. I also enjoy how Lainey deals with every supernatural thing thrown at her in a natural progression of denial to reluctant acceptance, which was refreshingly realistic in contemporary fantasy.

If you’re looking for a book with strong female friendship, this is it. Maggie and Lainey are a true representation of best friends who support and love each other. Whenever one calls, the other comes to her aid immediately. They trust and believe in one another, and Maggie is completely on board with whatever Lainey has planned. I love how Maggie is not only the first person Lainey tells about her ghost encounter, but it’s also the first thing she does after the encounter. Which is such a realistic best friend move. Another minor example of their friendship is how Maggie gives up a date because she promises Lainey she’d help her study, but then Lainey insists she goes on the date. I’d be giving away spoilers to mention the dozens of other instances Maggie and Lainey have each other’s backs. It’s a joy to read their friendship.

Side note: Maggie is an amazing character who loves all things comics and has amazing references to those comics she loves most. It’s fun to read as a fellow super hero nerd.

The magic system is only brushed upon in this book, which makes sense since Lainey is just learning about it and the story is from her point of view. I enjoy how she struggles to control her powers, how they’re tied to her emotions, and how it takes a lot of her energy to use magic. It makes for good realism and a counter balance to magic. You might be powerful and able to do extraordinary magic, but you will be dead dog exhausted after using it. I also loved how it was physically represented as green lightening.

I found the praetorian bond a little confusing since it wasn’t fully explained (I’m sure it will be explained more in future books) and a tiny bit cheesy, but otherwise I highly enjoyed the range of supernaturals Chance introduced and how she altered even the most familiar supernatural creatures (werewolves and fey) to make them unique in her world.

The big baddie wasn’t really present until the end (except in flashbacks), but he was satisfyingly psychotic and manic and twisted. This book actually brought me to tears at one point (I won’t say which to avoid spoilers) and I physically felt Lainey’s pain.

I was less emotionally connected with Josephine (the ghost of the 200 year old which) and her flashback story, but I did enjoy the information provided during those flashbacks and the use of flashbacks to iron out some background info. It was creatively done on Chance’s part.

There were some recognizable tropes, but they were tropes I enjoyed: meets boy by pretending he’s her boyfriend to ward of unwanted suitor; BFF loves fashion and thrusts it on friend who doesn’t like fashion (especially heels); masquerade ball thrown by antagonist; a tiny bit of insta-connection where she feels instantly drawn to the boy and he feels familiar; Lainey has a habit of babbling which she hates but others find endearing; uses passing out at the end of several chapters (which actually makes sense because magic drains her to the point of passing out at times). As you can tell these are very minor, verging on picky. This is how picky I had to get to find a ‘fault’ with this book and they aren’t even necessarily faults because they didn’t detract from the book at all.

Overall this book was a joy to read and, had I had the time, I would have read it in one sitting. The pacing had me wanting to know what happened next and there were many surprises throughout the book that I didn’t predict. I’d call it a great debut novel, but it’s more than that. It’s a great book on its own, debut or not. I don’t want to limit it’s storytelling to being good ‘for a first novel’ as some people may interpret the phrase ‘great debut novel.’ It’s a fun whirlwind story of magic, family, love, and learning who you are that draws you in from the first scene. I’ll definitely be picking up a physical copy when it hits stores January 30th 2018. Hopefully Kim won’t make us wait too long for the second book!