I picked this up because I find the cover art beautiful and the premise sounded interesting and promising.
For me the plot and characters were a little on the immature and shallow side, but I’m not the typical YA target group so I’m positive that plenty of genre lovers will lap this up for the romance elements alone, and there are some interesting original ideas contributing to the scene setting. I also thought the different time lines worked very well.
Whilst this wasn’t exactly my cup of tea, there’s much to build on - best of luck to the series and the author.

This book was alright. It did not captivate me like I thought it would. It reminded me a lot of Fallen which I did not like either. Overall: MEH

I knew very little about the actual plot of The Path Keeper before I started reading it. Initially, I was a little confused as there's a lot of jumping between times. We are placed in the present day, to begin with before being flirted throughout time to different characters story ARCS....but there's a reason and my oh my is it clever.

I love anything that plays a little with reincarnation. One of my favourite series was Blue Bloods by Melissa de la Cruz which this really reminded me of. It felt so nostalgic.

I found Ella and Zac's interactions and subsequent relationship very rewarding considering how reincarnation was utilised. Their instant connection was easily understood and it made you root for them. Even in the darkest of times. Even alone Ella’s characterisation is fantastic. You get a real sense of who she is and what her morals are. She's far more intelligent than she lets on but she isn't infallible. All throughout Zac intrigued me. I kept trying to guess what his purpose was. I managed, though not long before it was revealed mind! I love how it was explicitly stated at the start of the book, it really kept me hooked.

By far my favourite moment came in the Indigo bar. What a brilliant setting, the way it was described made it feel so vivid. In fact, all the settings were described wonderfully. I could visualise all the different places in the book.

My only gripe? I need the next book now. I need to know what that ending meant!

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for the review copy!

This cover is stunning. The concept was so unique. I loved this book. I would have loved to have gotten to know some of the characters more and received more detailing on them but I think the author did a great job. The plot was great. The world building very good. I really loved Ella and Zack.

I think this is worth a read so pick it up!

The Path Keeper opens with Zac, an enigmatic young man who meets university student Ella, whom he’s known from her many past lives. The two characters find themselves irresistibly drawn to each other, even as Zac tries (and fails) to keep Ella at a distance, eventually revealing his true identity to her as the angel Zadkiel. This is a story of forbidden love and the ties of fate that extend across multiple lifetimes, set against a backdrop of urban fantasy.

Perhaps because The Path Keeper is the first in a trilogy, I felt it took a while to pick up and for anything to properly happen between Ella and Zac. The first half of the book felt a lot like a cocktease, and then suddenly the two keep going at it practically every few chapters once Zac gives in and decides to interfere with Ella’s fate (which he’s forbidden to do, as an angel). I was personally a lot more invested in the lives of other characters beyond the central couple, like the past lives of Ella and those close to her, and their entanglements across lifetimes. The book’s all right, but I was hoping more for the urban fantasy (in the thrilling adventure and fighting nonhuman forces kind of way, perhaps like Mortal Instruments) than the romance, so I wasn’t too crazy about it, but I liked the idea of interwoven fates across lifetimes and the glimpse into Ella’s and her mother’s past lives through their points of view. I guess I’d rate this 3.5/5

I have to be honest, I DNF'd around the halfway mark. I found it quite triggering, there is a trigger warning though it's quite vague, given the content. Some things didn't sit right with me and the violence is quite gratuitous in places.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this book.
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It was the story of Ella an 18 year old girl, who met an interesting and unearthly boy, Zac. Zac happened to help her at a bus station, and there was how their story started. Zac was different, Ella felt like he hid something from her. As the story went by, their back stories were revealed one by one and they needed to solved some problems to get the ending they always wanted to have.
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I like the idea and the concept of this story. It is something different from what I usually read. As I read the book, I get curious about what is it really about. Yet, nearing the end of the story, it isn't that interesting, but I keep reading it. Sometimes, the romance gets a little too cliche that I cringed at it. Oh, and it's too explicit to read for young readers.
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All in all, it is a good book, but it needs more work to do (I think?). I hope the next installations could be better. And thank you for writing this book.

Thank you Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for a review. Unfortunately I could not finish it. Rich White girl plus sexy stalker boy plus insta love equals not for me. When I requested this book I thought I'd be reading something different and I just don't feel like forcing myself to read a book I already disliked strongly after 13%. Super cringey characters and dialogue and absolutely nothing original. If you want to read this book chances are you've already read it in five other books. Sorry I could not finish it.

Our main characters are Ella and Zac. She, rich and famous after her mother’s marriage to a famous hotel owner, he, mysterious and incredibly attractive (‘hot’ and ‘sexy’). They fall for each other, but he knows their love can’t be. Ella doesn’t understand why Zac is trying to run away from her when she’s sure he likes her as well.

While the forbidden love theme is quite common, the rest of the story is what makes it so great. It’s hard to explain without spoiling everything, since the explanations intertwine. I’ll give you a minor spoiler, a tiny one, just so I can explain why this appeals so much to me. Reincarnation exists. The love that people share are likely lovers from a previous life, but that’s totally up to that person.

I’m a romantic person, and the idea that your love can span centuries warms my heart. The love Zac and Ella share is beautiful, tragic, cruel and heartwarming.

N. J. Simmonds has created a great cast of characters. All of them have their own story and even the minor characters show growth. She knows how to convey their feelings and make them believable. They are the strength of this book.

The Path Keeper has everything I wanted when I needed my YA romance fix and more. The wonderful characters, excellent writing and interesting story mechanisms kept me reading until I reached the back cover. I can’t wait to get my hands on the second book. I can’t give this book anything less than five stars, and it’s well deserved.

I loved reading this mix of both Fantasy and YA. It contained the best of both worlds, and was interesting until the very end. I would definitely recommend this book to my students.

This was the first book I've read from this author and I really enjoyed it. The story was different from anything I've read recently and really captured my attention. It was so well written and the characters were fantastic. I see that it's the first book in a series so I'm looking forward to reading the rest when they come out.

DNFed
Thank you Netgalley for sending me a review copy of this book!!!

I wanted to like this book. Like I REALLY wanted to like it. But the entire thing felt so...cliche. I felt like I had read the story before, and though the characters were pretty okay in terms of originality that didn't make up for the fact that the plot felt lacking.

I LOVE the fact that there was a content warning at the beginning, I think more books could benefit from this. This book is undeniably a New Adult book, with subject matter that wouldn't be appropriate for younger teens. However despite the content, the story read like a YA book.

In conclusion: I don't think this is a bad book. It just felt tired, and I will be keeping an eye out for more projects from this author, because the writing has potential. This one just wasn't for me.

I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
Thanks NetGalley!

I'd say romance is the main plot of this story-line, and that the blurb led me to believe i'd be reading something a tad different. I'm not a huge fan of "insta-love" storylines. The book is definitely geared towards young adults, but i'd say closer to the teens than the "adults." AT times it was a tad cliche, but it's likely i'm just not the right audience for this book.

This urban fantasy romance confused me. It wasn't just that I was up and down with the characters, but I had no idea where the story was going because it felt like I was being pulled into many directions. I was initially interested in the premise but having dragged myself halfway, I'm so sorry but I can't.

I was not expecting this story from the blurb. I love everything about this book. The characters were amazing and well rounded. The world building and religious element well thought out and it had me guessing and working out timelines. It truly was a great story and I can not wait for the next book!

I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

DNF at 40%

This book was not for me. The premise sounded interesting but as I got further and further into the story I just found it hard to continue reading it. Maybe a few years ago I would have been more interested in it but now it just reminded me of so many YA tropes (insta-love...) and I hated it.
I didn't care for any of the characters, Ella annoyed me, her whining attitude was so puerile. Zac was supposedly that sexy guy who seemed more like a stalker. The secondary characters were dislikeable at best. I found the story line so confusing and I couldn't see where it was going and at that point I was just no more invested in it.

As I said I really don't think I'm the intended audience for this book

Romance as a main plot isn't usually my cup of tea, but I follow N J Simmonds on Twitter and she's so lovely and supportive in the community I had to read the book I'd been hearing her talk about throughout its creation.

As a romance in itself I probably wouldn't have read The Path Keeper, but a Fantasy with adult themes? Count me in!

The story of Zac and Ella was so endearing. There was something really pure and beautiful in the way Simmonds described their relationship. I loved that the characters lives all intertwined throughout the past and present timelines in this novel.

Simmonds did a fantastic job of combining real world historical events with a fictional fantasy plot and I thoroughly enjoyed her take on religion. I'd happily accept love as the basis of existence.

The writing flowed nicely and I had no struggles jumping back and forth between timelines and characters. Each chapter ended on a perfect note, urging me to keep turning the pages.

The Path Keeper holds strong themes of motherhood and the bond between mother and child. I was heavily invested in many of the characters and found myself clinging to the hope of a happy ending (for most of them).

Simmonds ended this story in such a way that you can choose to read it as a stand alone or decide to continue the series to find out what happens next...

I did not finish this book. It felt like the audience skewed a little too young for me which is odd because some elements of this book felt more mature than the audience it was aimed for? But otherwise it was entirely too cliche and tropey. Kind of like Twilight but not even as fun as that was.

I wasn't sure what to expect, but I enjoyed reading this. An interesting story with fun characters. Well written.

I couldn't get into this book I never finished its. I just couldn't bond with the characters or get into the story.
I received this book from net gallery in exchange for a honest review.