Review: The Dark Hour (The Keepers Series #1) by J.F. Jenkins

Print Length: 283 pages

Publisher: Bayou Brew Publishing (January 20, 2014)

From Goodreads.com: Becca Simpson is a not so average teenager, and she knows it. In fact, she embraces it. She was chosen to be a Keeper, one who keeps the gates sealed between the magic world and the "normal" world. The only time she isn't safe from the dark creatures of the Other Side is the Dark Hour. Every night, at the same time, the gates between the two worlds open and Becca is left vulnerable until the gate closes and the minions disappear.

But that's why she has Erik Manchester. As her Guardian, Erik is in charge of making sure no one, or no thing, comes after her to take her away. Because waiting for her on the Other Side is a tyrannical emperor, looking to use her status to meld the two worlds into one. With Erik, Becca feels safe, but suffocated. There are rules she has to follow in order to keep out of the hands of the emperor. 

Then Kyne walks into her life and challenges everything she knows. Not only does he know things about the Other Side, but he's from there. And found a way to stay in the normal world without frying.

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 My Rating: 3 stars out of 5





I was a little unsure what to expect when I picked up this novel. The premise seemed interesting enough, but I was worried that it would be too "YA" for my tastes. Thankfully, it wasn't "too bad" in terms of the young adult sense, although to me, it would definitely appeal to not only young adult readers, but to "tweens" as well. 

The characters are just interesting enough that they don't appear "flat", but there is something missing to me about them overall. Part of that is due to all the secrecy that surrounds them, especially the main character Becca. Don't get me wrong, towards the end things really start to pick up which leaves the reader on somewhat of a cliff-hanger that perfectly sets up the rest of the series, however I would have liked there to be a bit more detail spaced out through more of the book instead of just near the end.

While several questions are answered by the end of this novel, there are still more left to be answered. I will most likely be picking up the sequel when it is released to see how the author continues this world they have created. I'm curious not only about the overall outcome, but also about some of the characters  that were mentioned in this book that we haven't actually met yet. I'm curious as to how they all tie in to the overall story. 

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The Dark Hour (The Keepers Series #1) is available from Amazon.com