Unfortunately I do not think this writing style is for me. I was captivated from the first chapter but found myself becoming confused more often than not and being left with more questions than answers. I DNF'd 60% in. Overall I think the book has a great premise and potential but the approach was hard for me to follow.

Thank you Samuel Griffin and Panthe Press for the ARC.

I have been reading historical fiction for more than forty years, primarily those set in Regency England. Never having read flintlock fantasy before, I was intrigued by the premise of Seeker, and eager to begin this story. Written in first person prose throughout with little dialogue in the beginning chapters, I can understand how this may make for a slow start to the book. However, I found this technique a valuable way for me to learn about Shay and see how her character, thoughts, intentions, and maturity change over time. I was able to clearly see in my mind’s eye the various environments, personalities, and interactions the author detailed. With descriptive language and a cast of supporting characters, some that it is unclear whether they are friend or foe, this story builds to its ultimate conflict. Setting the stage for the rest of the series, Seeker: The Sentinel Archives Book 1 lays the foundation for the books to come which I am eager to read.

This one sat weirdly for me. I enjoyed it, that much is sure. But I’m generally not a fan of the style of storytelling. I don’t like the almost-fourth-wall-breaking of lines like “I would later learn that…” and such like. There’s something about this style which is mesmerising to read but doesn’t sit well with me personally.

Beyond that - the characters were engaging and 3-dimensional. Wasn’t a massive fan of Shay, but there was something about her that was quite enjoyable to read. Would have liked to have seen more of Ridley. He was a good character that’s for sure.

The plot was interesting. Started off a little slowly but it picked up and was worth the payoff. There was plenty of world building needed anyway, I’d never experienced recency era fantasy before so I don’t begrudge a slower start. I think the beginning of the book - the first chapter - was on point. Really set the scene for Shay’s situation in life. A difficult thing to deal with and it was done well.

A big thank youbto Panthe Press & NetGalley for this fantastic book.

So excited to read this authors debute novel. I am a huge fan of magic, fantasy and historical fiction so this book was immediately a huge draw for me.

I loved the fantasy world created and the historical aspects were an added plus. The characters were very well developed. My favorite was Bamcroft. I really did not connect with Shay.

The book starts out slowly, but keep reading it picks up speed.

Looking forward to watching this author develop. A great start!

Recommend

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and Samuel Griffin for providing me with a free review copy of this book. The following is my own opinion freely given.

Unfortunately, this was a no for me. The prose was so flowery that it made working through this a slog. The world building was so dense in some places and thin in others. The precursor to the magic system was so convoluted that I was confused and bored. I think this book could benefit from a Prologue providing some back story to the Sentinels as well as an edit to clean up the prose.

There is a lot of potential in this book, and there is good bones and the character development is good, but the ambitious way the author chose to try and evoke the time period in the writing was a step too far especially as the dialogue wasnt consistent to that period.

I would re-read this if the author made significant changes but not otherwise.

Thank you to Panthe Press and NetGalley for allowing me to read an ARC of Seeker!

This is such a rich a luscious world that it’s impossible not to compare it to some of the greats. It’s a decadent fantasy with long luxurious prose that leaves me wanting more from Griffin! It’s expert craft level for a debut novel, intriguing in just the right ways.
I can see how this book isn’t for some people, if you don’t like tapestries of complex world building and characters and prefer a simplistic read, I would say that this story isn’t for you. Your loss.
It’s wonderful to read a fantasy book with elevation. Dedication to the good versus evil debate, and the mystery seeps through the words.
A fun but complex read, and I can’t wait to see where it goes next!

The author, Samuel Griffin, has had a ball and indulged himself to the full in writing this atmospheric and unusual novel and sharing his love of language. If you’ve got it, flaunt it. Wooed by the period style, enhanced with florid imageries, the story is a veritable whirligig as it pirouettes, reels, gyrates, spins and pivots through forbidden knowledge, loss, forthcoming disasters, betrayal, pending the reawakening of ancient leviathans, or possibly gods.
Beguiled as I was with the writing and the fantastical elements, I did wonder at times where it was all going, with diversions to the left, surprises to the right, key characters disappearing, with destiny (in this volume) detailed in the final few pages. But a great read overall.

3/3.5 stars

Thank you NetGalley and Panthe Press for this ARC in exchanged for an honest review.

Really interesting concept for a regency era fantasy tale. I love the academic vibes to the story.

Very rich and atmospheric world building. The language used is gorgeous and helps place you in time the story is based.

Very excited to see where the series takes us as this was a really good first instalment.

I enjoyed watching our main character grow, build relationships and find her way through this new life she is in.

Would also like to appreciate the artwork sprinkled throughout for each chapter and at the beginning of the book.

This may book may not be for everyone but I definitely enjoyed my time in its world and would happily continue the story onwards.

Seeker is a well thought and incredibly fun steampunk novel with a likeable main cast of characters. Despite the deliberately Victorian style language, it reads quickly and is easy to keep up with.

My only gripe with the book is it takes a very long time to get where it’s going so to speak. The main plot takes a great deal of time to set up, but it’s well worth the wait!

Seeker” is a first-person fantasy novel with a rich, Regency-era flavor and a bewitching touch of strangeness. It is a sumptuous tale set in a world so vividly and authentically drawn that you’ll tumble right through the pages

Setting: The novel takes place in a world where ancient leviathans have stirred from their long slumber. Their scent song marks where they might be found, but only to those with the means to somewhat hear , the Sentinel Archivists.

Protagonist: Our main character is Shay Bluefaltlow, who finds herself training to become a specialist in this unique field. However, she is forced into indentured servitude in the city of Fivedock.

Companions: Shay’s new companions include a belligerent surgeon, a remarkable little boy, and a formidable Sentinel Archivist tasked with teaching her the terrifying ways of the trade.

Challenges: Shay’s unanticipated position requires forbidden knowledge, a sickening transformation, and the strongest constitution. She’s desperate to impress her superiors.

Betrayal and Secrets: When war subsumes the Concord, the office of the Sentinel Archivist is threatened by a terrible betrayal. And Shay has secrets of her own.

Samuel Griffin weaves an evocative fantasy that combines enchanting prose with a relentless engine of a story, leaving readers breathless. If you enjoy Fantasy with a touch of mystery and historical flair, “Seeker”might be a captivating read for you

“Seeker” is a delightful blend of fantasy and historical fiction. Samuel Griffin’s storytelling prowess shines through, making this a promising start to The Sentinel Archives series. If you enjoy richly detailed worlds, complex characters, and a touch of magic, don’t miss this enchanting read!

A surprise to be sure but a welcome one! I didn't have many expectations going into Seeker, but this was a well-written, exciting and thoroughly capable debut in the flintlock fantasy sub-genre, with an intriguing and novel conceit focusing on the hunt for mythical colossi thought extinct by many. Shay was a likeable and engaging protagonist, and though her numerous failures over the course of the story were sometimes cloying, they added a real sense of reality and intended long term storytelling over what I hope will be a long-running series.

I did feel at times that the world building was lacking a touch, the city of Fivedocks and the threat from the conspiracy not completely integrated into Griffin's narrative, but the overarching sense was one of future books in mind, and setting up the next books to come. Definitely one to watch!

Shay is an orphan, in the remote city of Quom, when the unexpected happens - a stranger buys her contract from the orphanage and takes her away to the city of Fivedock. Fearing the worst during her indenture, Shay - who, far from being mistreated, finds herself being educated to a level she'd never dreamed of - attempts to escape. Her attempt backfires, and she is told the story behind her being chosen; she is to be a Seeker, a person with the specialized skills needed to deal with Sentinels, mysterious beings of uncertain origin who have significant impact on the world of the Concord. So great is the influence of the Sentinels that Shay and her benefactors seek their intervention in a war between various states.

This is an interesting novel, with an unusual premise, in that the origin of the Sentinels, or much other information about them at all, is never explained; rather it is understood by the Sentinel Archivist, who is training Shay to assist her, using a mysterious substance that changes her perceptions, and, ultimately, her body, so that she is able, in some small way, to communicate with the Sentinels. Along the way, the orphan Shay learns about family and friendship, and, sadly, betrayal. I enjoyed this novel, although I did sometimes find the language usage a bit stilted, with its use of archaic terms that suited the story but were sometimes hard to decipher, adding to the ambience created by the author, but subtracting from the willful suspension of reality that the best stories create. Recommended for teen and adult readers.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Seeker
Is a Flintlock Fantasy, a genre I am unfamiliar with but intrigued to read.
Shay is bought as an indentured servant from an orphanage and taken to a strange land. It is very mysterious but she is treated well. After she tries to escape and is found out, Shay starts working with the Archivist and is told it is important and dangerous work . But she is still in the dark about why she has been chosen and does not feel qualified. She is naively trusting and doesn’t have much consideration for others. It was hard to like her. But she did develop some good qualities in the second half of the book.
The novel is charmingly written in an old fashioned style. But it was also frustrating to - possibly because the narration is from Shay so we really only see her point of view and she is a young girl.
The first half is slow paced but it is worth it to persevere.

Received arc from Panthe press and Netgalley for honest read and review,this review is my own.
His is the first book I have read from Samuel Griffin and going by the blurb it somewhere good.
I died enjoy the story and the main character Shay was a very good lead role,but I felt like I could not really connect to her and the story was a little bit slow in points, but I did enjoy it and I am looking forward to reading more.

Many thanks to NetGalley and to Panthe Press for the ARC.

I'd heard nothing about this debut novel before I read it and I have to say I was extremely pleasantly surprised.

The setting is gorgeous, the characters interesting and the story was equal parts moving and absorbing.

I can see why some may find the prose a struggle but for me this was one of the strongest elements. I've never enjoyed a flintlock fantasy story so much - I found myself completely believing in the narrator and could not put the book down.

I would thoroughly recommend this to any fan of low, adult fantasy as well as historical fiction fans who are open to reading excellent fantasy.

I cannot wait for book 2 in the series!!!!!!

I want to thank Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this ARC, however it is with great regret that I did not finish this book.  Typically I read quickly, especially a book that is under 300 pages but at just over 60% of this book I had to wave the white flag and stop.  It's rare that I DNF a book and had yet to do so with an ARC until now.  The writing style is flowery and the plot is lost to me.  I have read my fair share of epic and high fantasy books over the years but this was hard to follow.  There are things mentioned in the book that don't give me enough information to understand what things are and assume I will know since they are not explained thoroughly.  I thought as I continued further into the book things would click and I would better understand the plot.  I paused reading several times due to a lack of interest.

After reading more than half the book, I still have no idea what the protagonist is doing other than her superiors are withholding the purpose of her training and she is impatiently waiting to find out. At this point, I should understand the world the protagonist is living in, her purpose in the story, and what lies ahead.  For a short book, I assumed the storyline would be fast and furious but it was not.  I fear that if I continue with the hopes of getting more information as I had gotten to the point where I stopped, it will leave me still confused and inevitably cause me to give it a low star rating in a book review.  With that said, I will not leave a review or give a star rating since I have no idea what else happens in the story or how it ends, and feel it would not be fair to do.  Perhaps others enjoy this style of writing which will help raise the star rating, but mine would bring it down.  I would like to avoid assisting in tanking the book before it's released.  Thank you again for the opportunity to read this book and hope that it resonates better with other readers.

Thank you, NetGalley and Panthe Press, for my free copy for review.

The novel's world-building is set in the Regency Era and exudes an academic vibe, drawing readers into a captivating and immersive setting. Fiverstock is a place that will undoubtedly beckon readers to explore its intricacies.

The protagonist, Shay, is shrouded in mystery as she embarks on a quest to unravel the circumstances of her adoption from the Orphanage and the purpose behind it. Her inquisitive nature and kind-hearted demeanor, and her need to be accepted make her a truly endearing character.

While the story's pacing may not be everyone's cup of tea, as it tends to drag in the middle, there are moments where the narrative becomes a bit complex, making it challenging to follow. However, this fantasy novel holds promising appeal for fantasy enthusiasts.

Sadly this book was just not for me, I try not to DNF books but I just couldn't get into this at all.

I appreciate especially in fantasy that you need to do a lot of world and character building especially if it's going to be a series of books but I just found this too wordy and slow.

From reading some of the other reviews it seems that it does pick up later in the story so I might go back and revisit this at some point,

Thank you to Panthe Press and NetGalley for the arc.

This is a very enjoyable & atmospheric book - plucky orphans, strong competent women, gruff men with a heart of gold, mysterious powerful beings lurking on the sidelines, political intrigue & betrayal, all wrapped up in a really engaging flintlock fantasy world! The cover art & illustrations throughout are also really impressive.

This book left a lot of room to grow for later instalments in the series, and I was very happy to be given the chance to read an ARC courtesy of NetGalley & Panthe Press (in exchange for an honest review).

The world-building was gradual but very good by the second half of the book, and I love the unique lore that Griffin has created here. I would’ve loved to know more about the bled, about the Sentinels and their history, as well as the history of the Archivists - although the ongoing mystery surrounding everything only made the story feel more compelling.

It did feel like quite a slow read at times, which I think was in part due to the writing style: both the elevated regency-style language and the unusual syntax. While the chosen vocabulary & grammatical structure meant I had to read quite a few parts of each chapter very closely (often multiple times) to parse the full meaning, they did also go a long way to instilling an appropriate atmosphere! There were also quite a few typos and instances of characters’ names being misspelled (sometimes very incorrectly - eg Bamshott instead of Bamcroft) but that is to be expected in a pre-publication ARC.

The secondary characters were not always developed as thoroughly as I would have liked, and one or two were dropped in with seemingly no introduction or follow-up - but I wonder if this was a deliberate choice to give some of them room for growth in upcoming books. It was also an interesting reflection of the fact that we are being told all of this through Shay’s lens of experience, with her often only giving those characters attention when they have some part to play in her immediate goals - so it perhaps reflects quite accurately what she herself feels is relevant to know or say about them.

I also have to applaud the names (places as well as people) used in this book - they were consistently very well chosen! Shay Bluefaltlow is a fantastic fantasy MC name, Fivedock is a solid choice for a city, but hats off especially to Peck and to Felicity Hapeworth-Arksthrotle.

I really enjoyed this book, and would especially recommend it to anyone who is a fan of flintlock fantasy and isn’t put off by regency-style language.

Finally, not really any major Content Warnings for this book, but potentially for very brief mentions/moments of alcohol abuse, torture and bereavement.

I really enjoyed this book!

I love the way it's written, the style, choice of words and first person narration really fit so well.

The pace is rather slow and a lot of the book is just stage setting, which I do enjoy to read. I usually dislike slow pace, but this was very well done slow pace, that it didn't feel slow until I taught about how little happened.

It's a rather mysterious book and we don't know any more then Shay knows. We learn of everything through her eyes and experience her frustration when others keep her in the dark.

I look forward to the next book, and to learn more about the Seekers, Sentinels and the world.