would like to thank net galley and the publisher for letting me read this amazing book

and what a book it was...full of adventures and magic...the next series to read after harry potter...i cant wait for the next book

it was so entertaining i couldn't put the book down.. so much was going on

<b>WrensReads Review:</b>

This reminds me a lot of Cassandra Clare’s first books. The story is very interesting and something that is unique and will draw you in, but the writing is young and the characters are a little weak. Her writing was aimed for young adults but the way it was written seemed to be towards a younger audience. With that said, I have high hopes for Kim Chance because Cassandra Clare has become such an amazing author and weaver of stories and has become one of my favorite authors to obsess over.

There are a lot of pop-culture references in this book. I’m talking comic book stories, television shows, and literally anything else you can nerd-out about. I’m a professional nerd, so it was easy to breeze through for me; but for some people, it might be confusing.

We have a teenage girl who has unexpected things happen to her and a past she wasn’t aware of. We have a mysterious boy who seems to be a street fighter and somehow involved in all of it. We have a quirky best friend who is willing to do anything and everything to help the main heroine. And we have The Master, who is the big bad and someone <b>you do not want to mess with</b>.

There are a lot of supernatural creatures and humanoids in this, and it was really fun to see how all of that was woven into the story. I really did enjoy this book, but it might have been too young for someone in their mid-twenties. I’ll probably pick up the next book because I see Chance as someone who is just now growing into the writer she is going to be. Plus, if this story is any indicator of the story-teller she is, then I am eager to see what else her brain is holding!

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I received a copy of Keeper from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Keeper is the debut novel by Kim Chance. It’s about a girl whose entire world gets turned upside down after a series of revelations about her heritage. It’s a fast read and is perfect for fans of young adult dystopian novels.

Spoiler Warning

Warnings first: The villain (and his minions) of this series like the idea of using the threat of rape to get the women in the series to do what they want. Thankfully it never goes beyond threats, but they are still upsetting scenes, especially for some.
I think Keeper had a lot of potential as a series, unfortunately on the whole I just found myself not loving it. It was a decent and quick read though, and if I’m being honest the main reason I didn’t enjoy is more is because I spotted a plot hole early on that I had trouble getting over (more on that later). Otherwise it wasn’t that bad – it’s a perfect example of its genre, which I’m a fan of.
We start out with Lainey, our main character, freaking out studying for the SATs, which for the moment is the biggest concern in her life. Clearly whatever event happens in the novel hasn’t occurred yet, and poor Lainey has no idea what she’s in for. The plot starts rolling pretty quickly, with Lainey having disturbing visions of a dead woman; from there things sort of cascade for our heroine, until she’s in a battle for her life (and more).
Lainey is an interesting character – she’s a bit all over the place at times, but it’s still very clear that she’s truly a good person. Even better, she’s got a supportive best friend to help her through all her turmoil’s (which go way above and beyond standard teenager problems). I actually really enjoyed watching Lainey’s transition; she went from being a girl completely absorbed with SATs and her academic future, to a girl on the run for her life, trying to figure out how to best stop the big bad in her life.
I mentioned earlier that I noticed a plot hole (or two, depending on how to look at it) pretty early on in the book; (spoiler warning) if I’m correct about my assumptions of how the Grimoire works, then there were a few obvious ways to stop the villain from getting what he wants. First, the Grimoire needs to be activated by somebody of DuCarmont blood to unlock it, yes? So instead of worrying about protecting the Grimoire, why not just insure that the line doesn’t continue? I understand that Josephine didn’t plan to continue her line, but presumably this would have occurred to any one of the other women between her and Lainey, surely? I’m going to assume the Grimoire was indestructible as well, because I imagine one of them would have tried that at some point, so I’ll leave out any analyzing about that potential.
On the whole Keeper was a decent read, with a different spin on a coming of age story. I liked Lainey and her best friend, and how together they seemed capable of getting through anything (also, how brave must the best friend be to be a human that stands up against all these monsters?). I’ll be curious to see what Kim Chance comes out with next.

I received an ARC copy from NetGalley for my honest review. Keeper is set to release January 30th, 2018!

I absolutely loved this book! It has all the right mixture of modern, supernatural/magical, romance and shockingly a little betrayal wrapped into one. Everything is fast pace so you'll never be bored. I loved how all the charchters blended so well, nothing felt awkward and rushed. The romace was good, just the right amount. I liked how it didn't consume the whole book like most YA books seem to do. My favorite character was Maggie ( I relate mostly to her lol). Keeper kept me on my toes the entire book, it was hard to put down! Without giving anything away by the end of the book you might want to have some tissues on stand by! I would definitely reccomend this book to my family and friends. I can't wait for the next installment!

The cover is just so breathtaking! It was the reason I got interested in the book in the first place.

Keeper teels the story of Lainey who discovers that she is a witch: But she is not just any witch. She is the last descandant of a very powerful family of witches and therefore destined to be the Keeper. It allows her to access a very powerful book of magic, called the Grimoire, which was stolen by the evil "Master". He has been trying to get his hands on the book and access a certain spell for generations and no he is after Lainey because she is the only one left who is able to access the Grimoire.

The first third of the book was very promising. I liked the mystery that Chance created, especially around Ty, and I liked that Maggie is such a comic nerd! Well, not only comics. There are also very nice quotes featuring Star Wars. It was just awesome to listen to her talking that way. A very limited number fo my friends knows what I am talking about when I quote such things or talk about them. So I totally understand and adore Maggie! Lainey's shifts in mood where a little bit too much rollercoaster for me and it was so easy to tell what was going to happen that I grew a little disappointed.

I find it good though that there will probably be a second book. I feared at some pint that Chance would try to pack everything in one book. What troubled me was that everything was happening so fast after the first half of the book. The decisions that were made felt as if Lainey just wanted to do something instead of nothing. She thought nothing through and did not see what was happening right in front of her eyes and still does not (if I am correct). But that remains to be seen in the next book (of there is going to be one).

Thank your very much to Netgalley, Flux and Chance for a chance to read and review this arc.

Arc was exchanged for an honest review, I am giving this one 3.5-4 stars. While I found the blurb really interesting and the cover is beautiful I was quite surprised that I enjoyed it as much as I did.

I was so happy, this one has everything you want in a paranormal story, action, magic and great characters.

"Magic always leaves a mark"

This story is set in a small southern town, and the authors words captured me. Keeper is written in first person with the main character called Lainey, she is to learn more abut her witch ancestry, The romance is sweet, it dose not have a insta love feel.

I am glad I tried this one, and happy with the outcome and overall story.

3/5 stars

The story itself was pretty interesting you know the usual tropes: chosen one ends up with some mystical guardian, their whole life was a lie etc.

Lets start with what I enjoyed about the book:
1. Magic - the magic system in this book was pretty interesting there are witches, fae, lycans etc. but each different "species" has different types of powers
2. The best friend Maggie - she was far more interesting than the main character, she is into comic books, magic and believes in her best friend without a doubt. She helps Lainey (MC) find reasonable explanations and when they cant find any they seek out the supernatural and helps Lainey to understand. She also wont take no for an answer, she will be there to help her best friend to the end. The one annoying thing is her catch phrase "crapkittens". Why????
3. The Master - he is a good looking asshole villain and I am a sucker for these!
4. Lainey has a coping method when things don't make sens or she gets overwhelmed. She does vocaulary for example she would think of the word say if its a verb, noun, adjective etc. and then say it's meaining. :
Addicted, adjective, physically and mentally dependent on a particular substance, and unable to stop taking it without incurring adverse effects

The reason I am only giving this a 3 is because the writing, especially in the beginning felt very juvenile to me, I'm not sure if that's how the author intended it to be written or not but it just felt young. However, about half way through the writing improved and it was better.

The story dragged on about 3/4 of the way through the book and finally picked up the last 1/4, which is a long time to wait for some action to happen.

The main character Lainey was pretty insufferable. Lets start with this, she believes in science and everything has a plausible scientific explanation but, when she starts seeing a young woman no one else can see, she has a hard time wrapping her head around something plausible and doesn't want to believe it's real. Fair enough. She then finds out her whole life is basically a lie and she loses it, storms out of the house does something dangerous and there's a whole lot of her crying and being selfish in the book. Like a lot of this. Which was pretty irritating to read. About 1/3 of the book was her crying and hating on everyone. I'm fine with characters being angry and upset but when we have to read about it for like half the book it drags. She's also an extremely unreliable narrator because she lets her emotions get in the way of EVERYTHING! For someone who is supposed to be very intelligent she does a lot of stupid things and in the last chapter of the book, you'll know what I mean when you read it, she is shown a memory and the memory CLEARLY shows what happens, but Lainey doesn't understand what happens. HOW DO YOU NOT UNDERSTAND! my 6 month old nephew would have understood!!! needless to say I didn't like the main character and that was the MAIN reason this book was only rated 3/5.

The most interesting part of the book was the last 8 chapters, I was so immersed in the plot and then Lainey goes and lets her emotions take over and ruins it. I could have done without the raging teenage crap in the last 3 chapters.

I was sent a copy via NetGalley for review

Keeper is about an ambitious young girl, Lainey Stiles who dreams of college and becoming a scientist. She is intelligent though a little awkward in social scenarios. She has the best sidekick ever in her exuberant bestie, Maggie who is into SO many fandoms, my nerdy little heart was doing cartwheels!

                 After a disturbing encounter with a powerful woman Lainey later discovers is a witch from a bygone age, Lainey learns that she herself is a witch (which her uncle who raised her should have told her… along with a few other things) and is thrust into a world filled with magic and dark intrigue. Throw into the mix a dark and broody hunk, Ty, who is more invested in her fate than she can grasp. With the help of her friends, her uncle and his girlfriend, Lainey must come to terms with who she is and what that means not only to herself but the world.

                This story is the perfect, fast paced, fun read filled with Southern Gothic witchy-ness, some historical fun and nods to several other schools of magic and magical creatures (that I’m hoping feature strongly in the sequel?! Please 😊) as well as some amazing comic and nerdy fandom references from my favorite character, Maggie! Chance has a way with her storytelling that is engaging, endearing and exciting and leaving you wanting more.

               I will say that I don’t always love YA (Young Adult), but I went into it expecting a light YA read and I came out very happy. Mostly because it wasn’t nearly as light as I expected. It was intriguing and had some intense dark moments that had me gasping a bit.

                While I wasn’t blown away by the twists and turns, I enjoyed every one of them. I think she set herself up for an amazing series here, and I will definitely be buying ALL THE BOOKS! If it weren’t for the fact that I’m a mom of two young kids and life happened, I would have devoured this book in one sitting!

              I received my ARC from Netgalley and I am on Kim Chance’s Street Team to help her promote her book. I have been a fan of Kim Chance for a while now, watching her writing trials and successes (via YouTube) and her positivity is infectious. You can see her personality all over this book, which is so great! Kim deserves a huge success in her first published work, and I will forever be a fan… and purchase anything she deems worthy to put in my hands.

                Thank you so much Kim, for writing this story and allowing me to be a part of the team that helps you bring this story to the world! You deserve all the best!

I didn't have a lot of preconceived notions about what to expect going into Keeper - but I did know that I love Kim's YouTube channel, and that her writing advice has always been incredibly helpful, so I absolutely wanted to check it out. Thankfully, I was given an ARC through NetGalley and Flux, and I'm delighted to say I LOVED this book.

So! The book starts off centered around the school oriented, very intelligent sixteen-year-old Lainey, and rapidly we find out that she's anything but when she keeps seeing an apparition following her around. Sounds great right? I was definitely curious.

The beginning was a bit slow going for me, as world building sections can be. I immediately felt drawn to Maggie because of my own personal interests but I also appreciated the quirks that Lainey brought to the table. As the story progressed these initial feelings were reaffirmed over and over as new characters were introduced. I especially delighted over the "You're Wolverine. Got that?" exchange. ;) The nerd references were fantastic and helped provide some comedic relief, they were very well placed. (Maggie and Ty ended up being absolute favorites by the end.)

I also appreciated the way Josephine was handled - too often these segments become info dumps or are disorienting, but these were smooth and informative without breaking from the story.

Don't get me wrong, Keeper definitely follows several tropes, but I genuinely enjoyed the way Kim handled them, and I'm incredibly eager to see book two! <3 Highly recommend!

I was surprised by this book. It was nowhere near what I thought it would be. The plot follows a girl who is all logic and no imagination. Luckily she has a friend who is the exact opposite. With her friends help and the help of a mysterious boy they fight off an evil witch and find the book.

I was impressed by the plot but the length made the story difficult to read. I found myself bored at some points and wanting to skip ahead. While those who enjoy witch books may enjoy this one it just wasn't for me. Maybe if it had been more compact I would have found more enjoyment.

I received a digital arc of this novel in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, NetGalley and Flux Books, for this opportunity!

Keeper, the debut novel by Kim Chance, is a magical tale intertwined with love, secrets, and betrayal. This story kept me on the edge of my seat, eyes glued to the words before me and left me wanting more.

Keeper is the story of Lainey Styles, your normal run of the mill overachiever whos' only care in the world is passing the SAT's so she can leave her small sleepy town of Lothbrook Georgia for college and big adventures. Little did Lainey know that her life in this small sleepy town along with everything shes ever known was about to be turned on its head with the appearance of a ghostly woman covered in blood. With the help of her Uncle Gareth, his loving but kooky girlfriend Serena, her comic book loving, superhero obsessed best friend Maggie, and the new handsome boy in town Ty; she sets off to uncover the truth behind this ghost, her family, and herself.

This wonderful story is available for your reading pleasure on January 30th, 2018. I would again like to thank Flux Books an imprint of North Star Editions along with those at NetGalley for giving me the opp0rtunity to read and review this book.

Actual rating: 4.5

While I found the blurb interesting enough to request an ARC I didn't expect to enjoy <i>Keeper</i> as much as I did. Generally I find it hard to connect with young adult characters (I guess I'm too old for it) so what I really wanted was to see how the story would be told.

What I got instead was a set of very likeable and surprisingly relatable characters. Lainey reminds me so much of myself when I was her age with her dreams of being a scientist and her desire for the escape that a science career can provide. She's mostly logical and doesn't have the usual for teen characters TSTL moments. When I say mostly I don't mean it as a critique because no one acts totally logical all the time and if that was the case it would have been off putting. She acts like a real teenagaer, not some stereotype of one. That alone was reason enough for me to give a high rating. Add to it the adorable comic-reading sidekick Maggie (I loved every single geek comment!) and I was hooked! It was Maggie that made me feel like I'm just hanging out with my own RL friends and it helped me get emotionally involved in the story.

The story itself is engaging and decently told, though I managed to figure out most of the plotlines from the start, including the plot twist at the end. I even have some theories on what really happened and as a result I'm looking forward to the sequel (yes, yes I know this book isn't even published yet and I'm blabbing on for the second instalment but hey you can't blame me the story did get it's hooks into me!). With books like this one, when a lot of the plot is obvious from early on, the way the story is told becomes the most important part and I really enjoyed Kim Chance storytelling.

If you enjoy YA I would recommend you give <i>Keeper</i> a try but do not expect a light read, nor brainless characters. Don't expect something brilliant either. If you generally dislike YA it's a toss whether you'll like this book or not. I guess it would depend on your general mood and what you've read just prior to picking the Keeper ( I read a couple of books with one of the most TSTL characters ever so the bar was really low). Still if you want to remember what it was like to be a teen but with a paranormal twist do give it a try.

I was lucky enough to receive an ARC of Keeper by Kim Chance. I have been patiently waiting for this book's release, and even though I was able to read it early, I can say it was worth the wait. The characters truly do make the story come to life. First off we have Lainey our protagonist. She is a relatable 17-year-old who is focused on passing the SATs and getting into a good school. Throughout the book, we follow her on her journey to understand and accept who she really is. The emotions she feels are incredibly real and well written. Her fears and anxieties are palpable throughout the story. She is the hero you can't help but cheer for, and a girl who's not afraid to stand up for what she believes in. Next, we have Maggie, one of my favorite characters. She is funny and forever an optimist. She is a loyal best friend and always has a nerdy comeback for everything. I want her to be my best friend! Then there is Ty, oh Ty. Forever playing with my heart. Handsome and mysterious Ty may be the obvious love interest but he will keep you guessing the entire time. With a slew of supporting characters that I could go on and on about, Keeper's characters really do deliver. The story kept me on the edge of my seat and I was finished with the book in just a few days. Reading this book in the middle of the night when I was the only one awake in the house terrified me a to a point that I am embarrassed to admit. It really was the perfect fall read. Debut author Kim Chance lets her voice shine in Keeper. She has created a world you can fall in love with and leaves you wanting more. I can't wait for the sequel to see where the story goes.

Keeper made me realize how much I’ve missed reading YA fantasy. I’ve always loved fantasy, but I haven’t always loved witch stories, but Kim hit it right! Keeper has a touch of romance, comedy and touches of bad-ass. While any fantasy story can contain fight scenes, not every fantasy story has a Maggie. I think I may have highlighted every line Maggie had that referenced another fandom: Spiderman, the Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, and that’s just to name my favorites. If I could choose my best friend, it would be Maggie.
I didn’t know Keeper was going to be a series, and now that I’ve read book one I cannot wait for book two! Throughout reading the book I’ve been trying to guess who the “good guys” and “bad guys” are and I have a feeling I won’t find out until book two!
As a debut novel I think it’s really great! In terms of writing, I think we’ll see Kim branch out even more in book two.

I really enjoyed this book, I felt like it took a while to get started but by the end I was desperate to read the next instalment. I liked Lainey and definitely didn’t see the twist coming, a must read for anyone who likes YA sci-fi.

I devoured Keeper in one sitting, letting go of any reservation that this was a paranormal story which was mostly what I read in 201, and instead of thinking 'oh no, this is exactly like this book' I let myself be transported to when I first discovered YA and read romances like 'Hush, Hush', 'Fallen' and 'Beautiful Creatures.'

Keeper is a nostalgic YA mash-up. It feels a little odd to be reading it in 2017 because my reading tastes have changed so much, but you all know I'm a sucker for witches, I love Kim's YouTube channel and I wanted to support the book. It's a little trope-y but the secondary characters leap of the page and the ending definitely has me invested in a potential sequel. Thinking too critically would definitely spoil my enjoyment of it, so I tried to ignore the romance entirely and focus on the 'discovering new worlds' element, which was incredibly well-paced to begin with , but I think things got a little out of control by the end.

If you too are feeling like you want to re-experience your old reading tastes without having to re-read and potentially change your opinion on an old favourite, then Keeper is perfect for you. Alternatively, if you're new to the supernatural genre, then Keeper could be your new favourite!

THIS IS A SPOILER-FREE REVIEW

I received an arc of Keeper in exchange for an honest review.

First - the cover is astoundingly gorgeous. The colors, the elements within the artwork, the representation of the main character Lainey - all wonderfully pulled together in a way that illustrates the story within perfectly.

The characterization in this novel is fantastic. Each character has their own distinct personality, and Lainey's best friend Maggie brings a bit of comic relief to an otherwise serious story. It's easy to connect to Lainey but also to the other characters around her. They all have depth and well-defined identities.

The setting in the small southern town is that of a quaint, average place. The reader is given just enough description without the total immersion that would be unneeded in this particular book. As the focus is on characters and backstory, and over-done setting would have detracted from the book. That the author held back on providing too much in the way of setting was a brilliant move.

The story itself focuses on Lainey's discovery of her witch ancestry, yet there are many other magical beings portrayed within the story. That being said, the magic system is not overly-complicated. One mistake that books in this genre tend to make is focusing way too much on the magic system - thus the reader is not overwhelmed with a system hard to follow.

Though the story is set primarily in first-person, there are several chapters from another's perspective that are in third-person. This switch eliminates the difficulty of having to reorient oneself to who is narrating. Not to mention the switch in writing style to a poetic, almost ethereal song is simply breathtaking. The artistic skills of the author become clear when switching between these two perspectives.

The story includes a love interest, and Kim Chance does a terrific job of avoiding the dreaded Insta-romance that so many YA books are cursed with. The romance is sweet and G-rated; no worries about picking this up for your teenage daughter to read.

I cannot wait to read the next book in this series; putting it down at the end and leaving Lainey's world, albeit temporarily, was very hard indeed.

Worth every star possible!

This book has many different elements. Readers who like magic will like this one. A young witch who has no idea all the sudden finds out she's super powerful. Her bestest friend is by her side through it all. There is some teen romance to this book, but it does not over power it like others. You have to feel for the main character as she deals with so much at a young age. The story flows easily with great characters. Descriptive scenes and an great story line.