Cover Image: The Keeper of Night

The Keeper of Night

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Member Reviews

I AM LOVING THE CULTURE MIXTURE IN FANTASY BOOKS RIGHT NOW, ESPECIALLY THIS ONE!
Okay, the question that has always lingered in me is, what if you are from two different cultures but magical, how does that affect you growing up, your magic, your life, your surroundings and the threats around you?
While Ren's childhood is unfortunately not joyous, it shows the good and bad points of the two worlds she is caught between and how it both shuns and wants her. THE BADASS POWERS! I WANT THAT!
AND FOR ONCE, the trauma and hurt during the MC's childhood didn't make them kind but morally grey because being hurt and shunned and only having one good person will do that! Great character turmoil!

Side note: I feel like Neven was both necessary and unnecessary; he was the moral one and the one to push buttons because he didn't understand his sister's hardship and was an outside view of her struggles then he because the outsider in the Japanese death world.
The only qualms are the slow pacing in the first 1/4 then the racing I felt in the last 1/3.

I am highly excited for the sequel!

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as soon as I read that it was Japanese folklore I knew I had to read it.
I love a morally grey main character, with a villain origin story. That is probably my favourite YA trope.

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The Keeper of Night has easily become one of my favorite reads of this year. The opening scene immediately grasped my attention and beautifully introduced me to the world of reapers. It was also the perfect setup to show us Ren’s personality and how she views herself and the world. The foil between the two types of Reapers we encounter was perfectly balanced and a crucial part of Ren’s identity. The story was engaging and wonderfully written. The settings came alive on the page and the interactions between our characters moved our story forward in ways that wouldn’t have happened without Baker’s way with words.

I would recommend this book to readers who enjoy a good “light and dark” story. I cannot wait for the sequel!

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I was initially interested because I tend to love books that deal with how death is seen through different cultural lenses, and I couldn't be happier with that aspect of the book. Definitely recommend this rich folklore fantasy to any readers looking for a strong morally grey protagonist and dark creatures inspired by Japanese mythology.

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Thank you Harper Collins for the eARC! I binge read this book in a day and absolutely loved it. I am a huge fan of death mythology and Japanese mythology and culture, so this book was just perfection. I am also bi-racial so I could relate to some of Ren’s feelings about never fully belonging to the Reapers or Shinigami. I thought she was a very morally grey character because her actions near the end were so questionable, but you could totally see where she was coming from. I thought Neven was such a sweetheart but it was kind of hard to picture him taller than Ren, because I kept thinking he was a small child because of his attitude. I loved the worldbuilding in this book and thought it was so fantastical. I also thought the idea of death in different cultures was so fascinating. I also loved all the yokai folklore and I had lots of fun googling who every yokai was. Overall this was a great story and I can’t wait to read more by Kylie 😍

4.5/5 Stars

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It was a good book. I will definitely check out more books by the author in future. Thank you netgalley and publishers for providing me with an arc of this amazing book

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I was really excited to see a Shinigami fantasy story, and it did not disappoint! The Keeper of the Night does an excellent job of exploring family, class, and race within the Shinigami mythos and keeps readers enthralled as they explore a new world alongside the protagonist.

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Sorry I didn't post in here! I really appreciate the print copy you sent instead :-) That's always preferred. I'm already excited for her next book.

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Excellent and engaging books. I loved the Japanese mythology and strong, yet flawed heroine. The adventures are thrilling and the characters are well developed. I can't wait for the second installment. I will definitely reccommend this title to my teens and anyone who enjoys YA books. Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC.

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Thanks to NetGalley & Inkyard Press for the early copy in exchange for an honest review.

Ren Scarborough is half-Japanese & half-English. She also happens to be a reaper of human souls. Despite doing her job well over the centuries, she has suffered abuses and humiliations at the hands of the English Reapers. She decides no more and plans to find her mother in Japan and figure out her own destiny as a result.

Wow, damn...going to be thinking about this one for a while. A morally grey protagonist and dark AF mythological creatures...enthralling! Ren has a ton of internal conflict throughout the story, she wants to follow her own path but also struggles with wanting to please others. She doesn't really understand what she really wants until she loses it. It's really refreshing to see a protagonist struggle with power and self-worth!

I really enjoyed the characters and was happy that there wasn't so many that it was overwhelming, the story and world-building made it easy to follow. The Japanese mythological creatures were terrifying but soooo dang cool! I'm glad that there were ruthless monsters but also very peaceful ones so it wasn't like the world in this book was *that* dark all the time.

A great dark story with awesome mythological creatures & a strong protagonist!

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I love how dark this is. I love the grey morality, and the genuine terror I felt at moments in this book. More spider yōkai, please and thank you. The writing was amazing--it's hard for me to completely lose myself in a book but this one definitely did that, it was so vivid and drew me in fast. This work also feels whole, which a lot of books don't do: the characters, the plot, the world building, etc. all fell into place perfectly and left me satisfied instead of hungry for more. Don't get me wrong I would love more of the world but I felt happy with this as a completed idea). I do hate cliffhangers, though, because now I have to stress and think about it until the next installment! I'm excited.
I think you'll all really love this book!

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I love Japanese folklore! It is more terrifying than fairytale.

Readers who enjoyed Shadow of the Fox will like this read.

Baker did a fantastic job of creating an immersive world where readers felt like they were on the adventure with Ren. The morally gray situations were interesting and didn't restrain the plot.

I really enjoyed that Ren was more of a villain than hero...someone relatable. However, she was more selfish in my opinion and harder to relate to because she didn't realize how she was treating Neven (who I love!).

The Keeper of Night was fast-paced, haunting, and a great depiction of Japanese folklore.

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This took me a while to get into at first but after committing to the story everything falls into place. The premise is so interesting and the characters grow on you as the story unfolds. I love the concept especially the exploration of identity that's interwoven with mythology!

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Brilliant. Original. Intriguing. A little bit inconsistent, sure. But man, I was hooked. Gorgeous blend of fantasy, culture, history, and all the questions and clashes that come with them.

***Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.***

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Kylie Lee Baker has crafted a wonderfully interesting and exciting novel with The Keeper of Night. Ren, half British Reaper and half Japanese Shinigami, sets out to discover who she really is and the extent of her abilities. After dealing with other Reapers who harass her for being different, her powers are revealed and she is forced to flee London. She decides to leave for Japan and discover the truth behind her Japanese heritage. With her brother and a mysterious new companion, Ren ventures on a journey to slay three monsters- a mission that, she believes will ensure her future as a full fledged Shinigami.

Ren's journey is not a cheery one- in fact, this is one of the most gruesome and gory young adult books I've ever read. Baker does not shy away when it comes to describing how Ren must defeat these monsters and the effects they have upon her and those affected by the monsters' powers. Baker also does a great job in giving the reader a view into Ren's mind, letting us see how she is feeling, what the affects this journey has on her, and her uncertainty and fear of not figuring out who she really is.

The entire story was a great read- the plot moved at a very swift pace and very rarely lagged, the characters were very well-developed, and the tension and suspense was palpable throughout. Her writing style flows with ease and you will find yourself clamoring to read what happens next. Overall, I really enjoyed this story and cannot wait to read the sequel.

My thanks to NetGalley for an E-ARC of this title.

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TL;DR: The Keeper of Night is an intriguing exploration of bicultural identity wrapped up in a horror-heavy Japanese folktale-fantasy, albeit with inconsistent and, at times, irritating character development. My rating: 2 of 5 stars.

I had to revisit the book description to double-check the genre on this one since it struck me as belonging to the horror genre over fantasy. The publishers do describe it as a “dark fantasy,” so reader, be warned, it’s definitely dark. I felt dread in the pit of my stomach for much of this story. Which, to me, is the mark of good horror writing. Many of the most frightful elements are drawn from Japanese folklore, which were woven into the plot really effectively.

That said, the supernatural beings that I didn’t really “get” were the main characters themselves. Ren is half-Reaper and half-Shinigami (basically the British and Japanese cultural equivalent of an angel of death/demon type that lives hundreds of years and collects souls) and her brother, Neven, is a Reaper. Readers are told several times that Reapers/Shinigami aren’t human, don’t have human emotions, can’t experience love, etc. buuuut they both act very human and definitely experience human emotions, including love. This wouldn’t have bothered me so much if this book was super driven by world-building and plot, but it really isn’t--the plot follows a simple folkloric structure of a hero going on a quest and having to complete 3 tasks. Instead, the focus is on Ren’s internal feelings and character development. Above all, it’s an exploration of her frustration, longing, and sense of alienation as a biracial/bicultural individual who doesn’t feel she fully belongs to either culture.

This theme would have been much more poignant if Ren had actually been a likeable character, but honestly, she’s a bit of an asshole--especially to her half-brother. I get that she’s going through some shit and has a lot of resentment towards Reapers writ large but damn she abuses him pretty needlessly. Every fight they had left me frustrated at their utter inability to communicate and empathize with one another’s experiences and emotions. Is that because they’re Reapers? Or just kind of shitty humans?

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This YA fantasy novel inspired by Japanese folklore had me hooked from the very first page. This novel incorporates plenty of dark and fantastical elements of Japanese folklore, including Shinigami (death spirits), yōkai (supernatural spirits), Yomi (the Underworld), the nine-tailed fox, and much more. Before reading this, I knew relatively little about Japanese folklore and mythology, but now I am very excited to learn more. This novel is set in the late 1800s and due to that fact, our MC endures a lot of racism and Othering. There are discussions on belonging, white fragility, identity, and family. As I mentioned, this book hooked me from the first page. My one critique would be the insta-love relationship, although I will say that it goes to very unexpected places, places that had me shocked and wickedly delighted. I cannot wait for book two in this incredible duology.

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Ren has been reaping human souls for the master of death in Britian. half British Reaper, half Japanese Shinigami, 200 yr. Old Ren I unhappy. She just had n encounter ith other Reaper where one has cut off her hair. She became so angry, she burst into light that injured the Reaper. It scares even Ren when that happened. Her father gives her no support — that is he doesn’t fight what the High Reapers want to do with her. Scared but angry, she decides to go home and pack. She will go to Japan and be a Shinigami and not a BritIsh reaper. She wants to find her birth mom. Why? Her brother, Neven finds her leaving and tells her he will go with her. He ends up going with her to Japan. Eventually she finds the master Shinigami high gives her three terrible tasks in order to become a Shinigami. Will Ren be able to do it? Will her friend, Hiro help her?

The author has written an action packed plot. Somehow the author has done such a “smooth writing with fitting Japanese mythology and the Victorian era that I thought “ how did she do that”? It is perfectly written and filled with action, deaths, motives and emotions. Ren is in the process of trying to figure out who she is. Can she trust herself? The novel touches on racism, discrimination of the handicapped, self acceptance and finding yourself. It is dark and engrossing. I think anyone could enjoy this novel. Horror lovers don’t miss out reading this book!

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This is a unique fantasy that is seeped in Japanese mythology. We follow Ren, a half British reaper and half Japanese Shinigami. Ren has gotten on somewhat peacefully in Britain for the last two centuries but when she loses control of her Shinigami powers she is forced to leave, along with her half brother, Neven. Ren and Neven make their way to Japan so Ren can finally claim her Shinigami powers and hopefully be reunited with the mother she has never known. The Japanese Goddess of Death agrees to let Ren become a full Shinigami if she completes the task of finding and killing three Yokai demons.

The Japanese myths that center this story were my favorite part. I loved learning about the different legends and characters that Baker introduced throughout her story. I was pleasantly surprised by the horror aspects that were in this book. Obviously a complete novice to Japanese mythology but I’m assuming that is a common occurrence in the lore. Another aspect of the story that I loved was Baker’s atmospheric and beautiful writing. I highlighted so many lines in my Kindle because I was so blown away with the elegant way she writes.

As intriguing as I found the story and as stunning as I found Baker’s writing I did find that the plot slowly started unraveling the more we got into it. I found the beginning to be instantly attention grabbing but unfortunately, for me, that was the strongest part. I still enjoyed the bulk of the story despite it’s many flaws. Ren is supposed to be a morally grey character and Neven takes on the role of the white knight but I found both of these personality traits underdeveloped.

I thought this book was ending at the perfect moment but then it kept going. And then I again thought that we had come to a satisfying conclusion but no the story continued. The end also had major pacing issues. It was obvious that Baker wanted to stop at a certain point but she should have added another 100 pages or so and told a more complete story. Or, what I would have preferred, saved some of what happened at the end for the sequel.

I would still recommend this book for the incredible way Baker weaves in Japanese folklore with stories of reapers and the dead. This is Baker’s debut novel and the plot coupled with her mesmerizing writing are reasons enough for me to be eagerly anticipating the sequel. If you are a fantasy reader who is looking for distinctive and compelling world building then look no further than The Keeper of the Night.

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The Keeper of Night (The Keeper of Night #1) by Kylie Lee Baker is a unique YA historical fantasy novel. I'd really been looking forward to reading this and it turned out to be such a pleasant surprise. I really got swept up into Ren's world as a half British Reaper and half Japanese Shinigami. It's very dark, complex, and creative with enchanting world-building. The world-building is easily the strongest point of the novel, but the characters themselves are intriguing to follow too. Ren might be our lead, but her brother Neven is the real scene stealer of the show. If you a fan of dark historical with cool fantasy elements, I can't recommend this enough. I can't wait to see what's coming in the sequel, The Empress of Time.

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