Originally posted on Confessions of an Opinionated Book Geek 
 I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley. 
 This was disappointing. When I first read this synopsis I was pumped because hey a girl who trains to be a savior winds up being an assassin. Intriguing and I was curious about how morals would come into play. I also wanted to know what a Seeker was. However, there were very obvious faults from the beginning. 
 We're introduced to Quin, Shinobu, and John. Three young Seekers-in-training. Quin and Shinobu appear ready, but John has trouble with one key aspect, dodging a disruptor (big scary weapon). Their trainer, Briac AKA Quin's father, also hates John. So while Quin and Shinobu are ready to take their oaths and become Seekers, John is finally kicked out and will be sent home to London where his rich grandfather is. Quin's sad John is leaving, but also happy because she and Shinobu will finally become what they've always dreamed of. Seekers, noble warriors who are told to have done many acts of valor throughout history. 
 You know there's something amiss about what being a Seeker entails though. John knows what really happens and hints that it isn't good. Shinobu's father, Alistair, tries to sneakily convince Shinobu to leave without revealing what the oath means, and fails. Then the time comes and bam, their first assignment as assassins. You'd think there'd be action, right? Nope. No scene about their first assassination mission. All you get is the after, where Quin and Shinobu vomit everywhere and hate themselves. Did I feel bad for them? Yeah sure, but it was a "that sucks," kinda feeling. I didn't really empathize with them because I didn't know what really happened. If there had been scenes where Quin and Shinobu were on the job, I would have felt much more sympathetic towards them. 
 That was my biggest problem with this book. There are cool things like whipswords (weapons that can change into the shape of any handheld weapon like a dagger or katana) and Dreads and the teleportation, but I just didn't care. I didn't care about the characters or what happened to them. I didn't have the opportunity to love the characters. They were all sorta there.Quin and Shinobu run away from their problems in two very different ways. John is hellbent on revenge and power. Maud is the coolest character in the book, and I barely knew anything about her. 
 The worldbuilding wasn't great either. First we were on an estate in Scotland. Old timey with a decaying castle and sheep and farming and horses, but also TVs and phones. Then it was Hong Kong and then London. I didn't really have a sense of the time period. Is it present day 2014? Or the future? Is this an urban fantasy? The most mystical thing about the book is the teleportation and the Dreads, and even the process and the place called There aren't fully explained. 
 My second biggest problem with the book? The love triangle. Of course there's a love triangle with Quin, Shinobu, and John. It's the typical thing. Quin and John are together and in love, but Shinobu has loved Quin since he was little. Quin also sees Shinobu as a cousin when really they're like third cousins twice removed or some shit. It's nice to have some romance, but this was too much and it was too poorly written. I wanted action and assassinating! Instead I got a very boring "fantasy" book where I kept reading because I wanted to know what happened, but didn't particularly care about the characters. 
 I will say Shinobu sounds hot because I mean half Japanese and half Scottish? Straight, dark red hair, tall, wiry but muscular build? I'm all for it. 
 I don't know if I'm going to continue with the series. The ending wasn't much of a cliffhanger so it's not like there's much to anticipate. I suppose I may read it just to see what happens, but this book was so boring it may take me awhile.