Keeper

by Kim Chance

Overview

When a 200-year-old witch attacks her, sixteen-year-old bookworm Lainey Styles is determined to find a logical explanation. Even with the impossible staring her in the face, Lainey refuses to believe it—until she finds a photograph linking the witch to her dead mother.

After consulting a psychic, Lainey discovers that she, like her mother, is a Keeper: a witch with the exclusive ability to unlock and wield the Grimoire, a dangerous but powerful spell book. But there’s a problem. The Grimoire has been stolen by a malevolent warlock who is desperate for a spell locked inside it—a spell that would allow him to siphon away the world’s magic.

With the help of her comic-book-loving best friend and an enigmatic but admittedly handsome street fighter, Lainey must leave her life of college prep and studying behind to prepare for the biggest test of all: stealing back the book.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781635830125
Publisher:	North Star Editions
Publication date:	01/30/2018
Series:	Keeper duology , #1
Pages:	408
Product dimensions:	5.20(w) x 7.80(h) x 0.80(d)
Age Range:	14 - 18 Years

About the Author

Kim Chance is an English teacher from Alabama, currently residing in Michigan with her husband and three children. When not writing, Kim enjoys spending time with her family and two crazy dogs, binge-watching Netflix, fangirling over books, and making death-by-cheese casseroles. Keeper is her first young adult novel. Kim is also a YouTuber who loves connecting with other writers. She posts videos atwww.youtube.com/kimchance1 and is the creator of the #ChancetoConnect chat on Twitter. Connect with her on Twitter: @_KimChance, Instagram: kimwritesbooks, Facebook: @kimwritesbooks, and on her website:www.kimchance.com.

Editorial Reviews

"Chance delivers an enjoyable beginning to her new series."—Kirkus Reviews

"The world of Keeper is intricate, with a storied past and magical dynamics beyond just witches and non magical folk."—Foreword Magazine

"Senior girls hooked on soap operas and the supernatural will be big Lainey fans."—VOYA

From the Publisher

12/01/2017
Gr 9 Up—Lainey Styles is an average teenager who is trying to get a good score on her SATs and begin an exciting life after high school. After attending a comic event with her super nerd best friend Maggie, Lainey sees a mysterious figure and she begins to have dreams of a 19th-century woman named Josephine. Unable to ignore the strange occurrences, Lainey and Maggie seek the assistance of a psychic only to discover a link between Lainey and Josephine—they are both witches. With the assistance of a cute, enigmatic new boy in town named Ty, Lainey must use her unfamiliar powers to stop The Master who happens to be the most powerful magical being in the world. Readers will find a familiar plot of good versus evil and common supernatural figures, such as witches, shape-shifters, and fey. To explain Lainey's new world, the author relies on exposition rather than imagery, which creates a lack of urgency in this would-be thrilling novel. The flashbacks of Josephine and her encounters with The Master are an interesting take, but it falls flat due to the more show than tell narrative. Although the free will theme is relatable, the predictability of the plot will leave readers wanting something more original. The unresolved ending is sure to be a set up for a series. VERDICT Not recommended.—Dawn Abron, Zion-Benton Public Library, IL

School Library Journal

2017-10-16
In this urban fantasy series debut, one teen comes to grips with her destiny.Lainey, a white teen, would like to focus on acing the SATs, but strange things have been happening, beginning with the apparition of a bloody woman that has started following her. After some digging and a few supernatural flashbacks, Lainey finds out that not only is the woman, Josephine, a witch, but that she herself is a descendant of Josephine and the last in a line of Keepers. As a Keeper, it is up to Lainey to protect her family's Grimoire, a book of spells that only she can unlock. Unfortunately, the Grimoire is in the hands of the Master, a powerful warlock who wants to harness all of the magic in the supernatural world. For centuries, he's been killing her ancestors in an effort to unlock the spell. Now he has his eye on Lainey, but with her best friend (who is black) and a hot, new protector (who is white) in tow, she's not going down without a fight. In her debut, Chance gives readers a mix of clichéd moments and interesting plot devices. One moment, Lainey is reciting SAT vocabulary definitions and the next, she's conjuring freak storms. While her magical abilities aren't clearly articulated, there is hope that readers will be treated to a more in-depth look in the sequel.Chance delivers an ultimately enjoyable beginning to her new series. (Paranormal romance. 14-18)

Kirkus Reviews