Dawn of the Keeper by J.B. Rickman Review

The Keeper of Dawn started out slowly, the author painting a detailed picture, and the characters fleshed out with care. Everything was done really well. So it was a clear 5 stars, right? Unfortunately, the answer is no.

Everything in this book should have worked. Yet, for some reason, it didn't. I didn't empathise with the characters (that felt so, so wrong) and the writing wasn't compelling. Overall, The Keeper of Dawn had a lot of potential, but unfortunately, it kept missing the mark with me.

My reviewing system is pretty emotions based so to be clear, 3 stars means Iliked it. That doesn't make this book a bad one, you (yes, you procrastinating on the computer) might find you really enjoy it. To help you decide whether you pick this baby up, or chuck it into a 'never-to-be-read' list, I've devised a relatively objective list:

If you are okay with the following proceed with purchasing this book (or adding it to Mt To-Be-Read):
1. The Setting A bunch of guys at a boarding school on island. It's not exactly original (sounds like And Then There Were None with a dash of some Enid Blyton novel) but it's not one of those 'over done to the point it's predictable settings' either.
2. Laughing till your face hurts . The boy's pranks are brilliant. Nuff said.
3. People with a 'past' . It seems to be a popular trend in YA novels these days. I don't mind it, but I know it can really turn some people off.
4. Good friendships . This story explores Jake, Chris, Derek and Rowland's relationships really well.
5. If you can relate to guy-guy friendships . This is an important one, considering that it's a central part of the story. Since I'm a girl who has *gasp* never had a solid friendship with a guy, I had a lot of difficulty relating. (view spoiler)(less) [edit]