DNF YA Review: Seeker

Seeker (Seeker, 1) by Arwen Elys Dayton, February 10, 2015. 448 pages. Published by Delacorte Books for Young Readers. Source: Library.

Quin Kincaid has been put through years of brutal training for what she thinks is the noble purpose of becoming a revered ‘Seeker’.

Only when it’s too late does she discover she will be using her new-found knowledge and training to become an assassin. Quin's new role will take her around the globe, from a remote estate in Scotland to a bustling, futuristic Hong Kong where the past she thought she had escaped will finally catch up with her.

First Sentence:

It would be nice to make it through alive, Quin thought. 

Even though I had heard mixed reviews on Seeker I wanted to give this one a whirl, so, as to form my own thoughts on it. While views are massively polarizing on this one, I admit that it did not work out for me. I wanted to like it but just found myself disappointed.

I actually gave Seeker two-hundred pages before I called it quits. Usually, if I make it that far in, which was about 46%, I stick it out to the end. Yet, I sat it down for a day and could not get back into it after a days break, and, that was after trying so hard to find the good of this one.
   I guess you could say this book and I got off to a rough start when I thought it was a fantasy novel and not a science fiction one. The title and cover alone had me thinking that this was going to be some kind of epic fantasy (with like quests..like knights and such), so, when it quickly became clear that that was, in fact, not the case this book and I were already at odds. Even so, I wanted to give it another chance just to see if the Seeker could reel me in. Alas this was not to be. I pretty much felt like Quin when she found out the truth on what she had been raised and trained to do.

Other than feeling deceived and thinking this was a straight up fantasy read, I found myself unhappy with the introduction of a triangle in the first few pages. Oh, how disheartening it was to be dealing with the dreaded triangle right from the onset. Add in that neither of the characters involved were able to capture my attention and I just knew I was heading for trouble. Yet, even with a early introduced triangle, it was the interlude that ended any hope this book had of redeeming itself. While I liked learning more about a certain character and how his past played into what was currently happening, something happened that had me so "NO MORE".
   What finally turned me off from finishing Seeker was when it started to read like a soap opera (or what I've heard about them). I can understand how Quin came to make the decision she did, but, as a reader I was disappointed because both the good and bad of our lives are what make us who we are. So, when Quin made a certain decision (highlight to see: she chose to forget all she knew and start again)  I was furious. And yes, had it been a guy making the same decision I would have been just as furious and disappointed with them as well.

What I disliked about the characters, well, that is more than can be discussed in one review. each of the characters felt very filler-ish to me. while they all had there role within the book, I never really found anything about them that made them stand out. The boys were typical sides to a triangle, each filling their respective roles without actually giving anything to the actual story line. Sure, one of them had the past and one was the friend who had been friend-zoned, oh wait, that's why I didn't like them. They were typical triangular additions.

Writing-wise, it wasn't bad. Story-wise, it just didn't work for me. The only character I even remotely felt any warmth towards died early on, and, the others...well...

What I did like about Seeker was the weapons and the whole traveling thing they had going on. The weapons they used, of which I don't remember what they called them, were interesting in how they could shift size and type. If the book had been about the weapons themselves and how they were made/when they started using them I probably would have a more favorable disposition towards this book. While I was intrigued by the different clans, or Seekers, and seeing how they started out and where and why things went wrong, it was not enough to hold my attention. Although, I am still curious about how my theories would have held up had I been able to finish this one.

Final Verdict: Seeker- Overall, this book left me disappointed and unimpressed.
 
Seeker earns