Keeper by Ingrid Seymour
400 pages
For them, free will is a luxury . . .
Greg Papilio both wants and dreads his impending metamorphosis. He's tired of being an ugly runt--always picked last on the basketball court--when he could be strong and what girls call "drop dead gorgeous." But as much as he looks forward to the transformation, he also fears the caste it will inevitably assign to him. He doesn't want a common caste. He wants a powerful one, a cool one.
Samantha Gibson is average. She's short and a little full around the hips--a terribly cute look for a future chef. She's two years away from culinary school, from her uncaring parents, and from carving a perfectly Human future. She wants independence, a career and a quiet life of her own.
Except fate couldn't care less about what Greg and Samantha want and gives them exactly the opposite. Greg's metamorphosis assigns him a caste that enslaves him, while Samantha's chance to attend Le Cordon Bleu is taken away. But things are never as interesting as when Ashby--an intriguing blonde with a hidden identity--enters her life with a splash.
Greg's fate is to be Samantha's Keeper, to protect her at a time when someone wants her dead. He will stop at nothing to ensure her safety, even if her secret past proves deadly, even if he's keeping her safe for someone else.
Greg Papilio both wants and dreads his impending metamorphosis. He's tired of being an ugly runt--always picked last on the basketball court--when he could be strong and what girls call "drop dead gorgeous." But as much as he looks forward to the transformation, he also fears the caste it will inevitably assign to him. He doesn't want a common caste. He wants a powerful one, a cool one.
Samantha Gibson is average. She's short and a little full around the hips--a terribly cute look for a future chef. She's two years away from culinary school, from her uncaring parents, and from carving a perfectly Human future. She wants independence, a career and a quiet life of her own.
Except fate couldn't care less about what Greg and Samantha want and gives them exactly the opposite. Greg's metamorphosis assigns him a caste that enslaves him, while Samantha's chance to attend Le Cordon Bleu is taken away. But things are never as interesting as when Ashby--an intriguing blonde with a hidden identity--enters her life with a splash.
Greg's fate is to be Samantha's Keeper, to protect her at a time when someone wants her dead. He will stop at nothing to ensure her safety, even if her secret past proves deadly, even if he's keeping her safe for someone else.
Goodreads
Grab Keeper Vol. One (first part of the story) for .99 cents on Amazon.
My Review:
I had not read a fantasy novel in quite a bit. Fantasy tends to be the genre that I read in small chunks. I think this is because a lot of fantasy tends to throw so much at you at once. But while I was reading Keeper I didn't feel overwhelmed at all. We do have three main POV's but the way it was broken up made it easy to keep up. I felt that the author didn't just write from a characters POV to fill up space. There is one character we hear from less during the essential parts, and I appreciated that.
The premise of the novel itself is very interesting and unique. We have this species of beings called Morphids who are somewhat integrated into human society. The concept of the metamorphosis and going from ugly to beautiful was very interesting because in my opinion it illustrated the idea that society as a whole and those with power are the ones who set the standards of beauty and those ideals morph into our own over time. The inclusion of a caste system was very interesting as well. There are many societies today that still have caste systems, some more obvious that others. It gives you a lot to think about. The idea of free will vs. "fate" comes to mind a lot when thinking about this book. While I do believe in fate to some extent I also believe in having the free will to change it if you see fit. In all honesty, a lot of the ideas involving the caste system reminded me of Japan. As a Asian Studies major I have read a lot about the "invisible"caste system and just how hard it is to move up the chain. It is even discouraged.
The characters were really funny and interesting and I thoroughly enjoyed all three characters and the voices they brought to the story. Warning: there is a bit of language, though mostly at the beginning of the story. I personally don't have a problem with it at all but I know some people are uncomfortable with it. Overall, I really enjoyed Keeper. It was a great story on it's own but on a deeper level it really made me think about our own society, our standards and ideals, and the implications of losing free will. I would recommend this book to anyone, especially those who normally are a bit intimidated by fantasy.
AUTHOR BIO:
Ingrid Seymour loves, loves, loves to write. She’s a young and new adult author. She writes in a variety of genres including romance, urban fantasy, paranormal and horror. She loves pizza and sushi, Sunkist and gum. She believes in vampires, witches, but not zombies (uh-uh, never!) She writes to loud music, daydreams constantly and spends too much time in twitter!! Find her there? 
Ingrid has incredible fun doing what she does, but more than anything she enjoys hearing from her readers. It’s a dream come true.
Ingrid has incredible fun doing what she does, but more than anything she enjoys hearing from her readers. It’s a dream come true.
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Giveaway:
$25 Amazon Gift Card (INT)
signed paperback of Keeper & Bracelet (US)
Prizing provided by the author
a Rafflecopter giveaway
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