Any book that claims to be a mix of Game of Thrones, Twilight, and A Court of… in their presser, I’m going to be intrigued, as are I’m sure numerous other adult YA fantasy fans. While The Path Keeper by NJ Simmonds is a decent read that hooked me in enough to have me keep an eye out for the follow-up, it’s also sure to be divisive among readers, and with good reason.
I enjoyed generally enjoyed the story. Steady pacing that increased as we reached the climax made The Path Keeper a breeze to read through in practically one sitting, with the intrigue as to how the pieces we’re given fit together making you want to keep reading. Protagonists Ella and Zac don’t truly get a chance to stand-out, which could end up being a good or bad thing depending on how deeply a reader needs to have that connection to enjoy a book. I think a lot of groundwork was being placed and perhaps character building and development was brushed aside for future installments. Even still, the mystery of why Ella and Zac couldn’t be together was enough to carry me through the finish and leave me wanting more. There are breadcrumbs of worldbuilding and mythos that we will hopefully see as the series progresses and there are definite shades of the Blue Bloods series by Melissa de la Cruz, but only crumbs and only shades.
That said, The Path Keeper by NJ Simmonds was a bit difficult to get into at first. I didn’t understand the need to make Ella a Spanish transplant to England other than to showcase the author’s own parentage and love of travel. The speech itself does not feel like that of someone who is Spanish first and English second/English at home. I myself am bilingual raised in a bilingual house, as is a friend I consulted with when asking if i was the only person finding issue with the speech, and it simply feels like an English speaker using Spanish words every now and then instead of genuine code-switching. Once Simmonds stopped awkwardly forcing Spanish words into English sentences, the novel became so much easier, interesting, and genuine to read.
Another issue that will be incredibly dividing among readers will be the idea of predetermination. While the summary makes it sound that everything is already laid out before we’re born and it’s this very mystical type thing, the actuality of it being the person being reborn mapping their own path to take makes what happens to Ella a very difficult and bitter pill to swallow.
WARNING TO FOLLOW FOR SPOILERS AND MENTION OF ASSAULT.
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The Path Keeper by NJ Simmonds is a divisive novel that blends youthful romance and ideals with more intense adult themes that may not always work depending on the audience. If you enjoy YA tropes but want them in a more adult setting, and are willing to place faith that an author knows their world and will develop it in future books, then this might be something you’d quite enjoy. If, however, you’re looking strictly for something YA or something adult, or want something fully developed with amazing characters from the start, you might want to wait and see what happens with the follow-up.
