"Mistakes didn't happen in his world.
Miracles did."
- N.J. Simmonds, The Path Keeper
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The Path Keeper
by N.J. Simmonds
What if every coincidence was a tiny miracle? What if our life was already mapped out before birth? What if someone had the power to change the path we were destined to follow?
Ella hates her new life in London, she misses Spain and she’s struggling to get over her past until she meets Zac. He has always loved her but he isn’t meant to be part of Ella’s story. Not this time. Not ever. Little does she know that his secret is the one thing that will tear them apart and will force her to live in a world that no longer makes sense, a world more dangerous than she could ever imagine.
The first in a thrilling new YA fantasy series, The Path Keeper is a tale of passion and secrets, of first loves and second chances, and the invisible threads that bind us. Can love ever be stronger than fate?
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The Author N.J. Simmonds is a friend from the Pagehabit Book Club in Facebook. She has been so nice in giving me a free e-book copy of her book to read and review. If you are new to my blog and reading this article, I can say I love books in whatever format I can get them, except maybe audio books as I have not tried those yet. So getting a free book or e-book from authors are such a treat. I want to mention that she also gave me some of these pictures that I am using in the review.
I went into this book blind. I did not read the blurb or the reviews in Goodreads. With my penchant for YA Fantasy books I had high expectations of enjoying this as I heard it was that genre. Right off the bat I noticed some typos but that could been the publisher, and since it was few and far between it's not that noticeable. Another thing I noticed that confused me was the switching of POV's in the flashbacks. There were scenes and dialogues that was one character and then the next paragraph would be a different character. It would have been a lot better if the POV dialogues were labeled. I also wished the book started with a flashback so that the internal dialogue of one of the main characters, Zac, at beginning of the book would have made sense.
So that was what she called herself.
He let her name hang in the air,
feeling it from behind his closed lips,
his tongue flicking against the roof of his mouth.
Ella. Ella. It was close.
I think I've mentioned in a few other reviews I have done that I don't like over the top romance in books as well. And boy, did this book have it's romance. We have Zac and Ella, practically star-crossed lovers - Zac has watched over Ella through the centuries and multiple lifetimes, loving her from afar. Ella has lived many human lives, while Zac is close to immortal being an Angel from the Heavens. Rules were made and they were not supposed to fall in love. It was no longer a surprise that they did. The love angle was more New Adult than Young Adult though with very explicit sex scenes and reactions.
I did love the reincarnation plot of this book where the characters have already lived as other people and they still end up with the people they loved in their past lives. I wish I was able to read about the very first life of Ella though, when she first met Zac. It felt like there was more to that story. The focus was mainly on the lives of Dolly, Evie, and Ted during WWII in England. There was also a lot more back story to the angels and the Jewelry from Zac's mother that I want to know more of. I'm not sure if it's just me, but the execution was not as refined as I wanted it to be. The though was there but it was a little mixed and it made reading it somewhat confusing in places.
All together it was not a completely disappointing read. There were parts where I was captured by the lives of the characters especially the flashback parts finally merging with the present. I also loved the part where Zac figured out what he was in the scheme of the universe. The story is promising and it leaves a lot of room for growth. Not bad for a debut novel from this author. I will definitely want to read the next book in this series.
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐
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I did a little Q&A with the author, but first let me introduce her to you guys.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Natali Drake is an accredited member of The Society of Authors and writes as N J Simmonds. She is a freelance brand consultant and writer and has had her work published in various UK newspapers, websites and publications including The Mother Book. In 2015 she co-founded The Glass House Girls, an online magazine for women who need to be heard. Originally from North London, Natali now divides her time between her two homes in the South of Spain and The Netherlands where she lives with her husband and two daughters. The Path Keeper is her first novel from the series, her second book Son Of Secrets will be available from late 2017. Follow her writing adventures at
njsimmonds.com.
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I have wanted to do an author interview for my blog and I didn't want to ask the typical questions normally being asked. So I sent Natali some "random" questions.
CB: If you didn’t write, what would you do for work?
Natali: Unfortunately writing isn’t my full time job. I’m a freelance Marketing Consultant specialising in the lifestyle sector. I’ve been working in marketing and advertising since 1998 - it’s something I really enjoy. It means that over the years I’ve worked on some really cool projects such as art directing fashion shoots, writing for leading publications and working with great brands.
One day I hope to have published enough books that writing becomes my full-time career. But if I had to choose an ‘ideal’ job then getting paid to travel, eat and drink cocktails would be a dream. Is that a job? That would be the best job ever!
CB: Do you view writing as a kind of spiritual practice?
Natali: Spiritual? No. Meditative and necessary for my mental and emotional well being? Definitely. I’ve been writing since I was old enough to pick up a pencil, and have always needed to write to process emotions and ideas. From angst-filled teen poems and diaries, to short stories and my novels, writing for me has always been as important as breathing (but unfortunately not as easy).
CB: What kind of research do you do, and how long do you spend researching before beginning a book?
Natali: This is an interesting question as some people get really bogged down with the research side of their writing, but I don’t enjoy it, which is why I don’t write serious fact-based fiction. Saying that though, wiith ‘The Path Keeper’ I still had to ensure that all references were accurate – from religious texts to the correct name for a specific rose – which is why I’m thankful I’m a writer during the age of the internet. Luckily I don’t have to spend every day in the library hunting down information that takes ten seconds to research online.
When I’m planning a novel I’ll spend months mulling over ideas, writing notes and checking if there aren’t books out there that are too similar. Then as the story unfolds I gather all the information I need as I go along. I don’t do that much as the beginning.
CB: If you could tell your younger writing self anything, what would it be?
Natali: Start earlier. The writing game is a REALLY slow one and it takes many years to get recognized. I turn forty next year and I adore being a writer. I wish I had started in my twenties so that by now I’d have a huge amount of books under my belt and be at the next level of writerhood. Mind you, I’m not sure if back in my twenties I would have had enough life experience to write about the subjects I focus on now.
I would also tell my old self to not monitor what or how I am writing. The most important thing is to get ideas and emotions out. Honing the art of writing comes with experience and practice (and lots of studying of the craft over time).
CB: What is your writing Kryptonite?
Natali: Impatience. Writing a story down is just the beginning of the process of getting a book out into the world. You need an agent and publisher, or to self publish, and all that takes time and effort. When I have a great idea in my head I always want to skip straight on to the book cover design and then telling everyone it’s ready to buy. Unfortunately there’s at least eighteen months of work between the idea and seeing it in a bookstore!
CB: What literary pilgrimages have you gone on?
Natali: Not many. I’m originally from the UK so I’ve been lucky enough to visit Stratford-Upon-Avon – Shakespeare’s birthplace – a few times. I also really enjoyed going to Verona and seeing ‘Juliet’s balcony’, although no one knows where the real balcony was meant to be as apparently Shakespeare never visited Italy.
I’m also excited as in two months time I’m off to Florence, near Fiesole. There is an entire back story in my sequel ‘Son of Secrets’ set in Fiesole 5BC which I’ve had to research online, yet now I get to go in person and see it with my own eyes. I can’t wait!
CB: As a writer, what would you choose as your mascot/avatar/spirit animal?
Natali: I’ve never been asked this question before. I love it!
It may be totally cliché for a writer to say this, but I think I have a lot in common with cats. I’d be more than happy to sit and daydream all day, sleep, eat and run about having fun at night. A free spirit that’s unable to be controlled. There’s a reason why the Egyptians worshipped them.
CB: Do you read your book reviews? How do you deal with bad or good ones?
Natali: I always read them. All of them. Including Goodreads, Amazon and the bloggers that tag me on Twitter and Instagram. Yes some are negative, but that’s to be expected. Writing is like art. There’s no right or wrong – what one person adores may be what someone else hates. A book has to speak to you and connect with you, so not everyone will love it. How do I deal with negativity? Well that’s the first thing you have to be ready for if you want to be a writer. If every disgruntled reader is saying the same thing then I listen, learn and improve on my writing next time – but if they are just being cruel, I ignore it. It doesn’t bother me. If they don’t like my work, then clearly they are not my readers - so I don’t care.
CB: What would you advise aspiring writers?
Natali: Five things.
1. Read A LOT. Read every genre and style and really study how a writer constructs their story, develops the plot and creates characters. Learn from the writers you love, as well as from the ones you don’t.
2. Write A LOT. It doesn’t matter what you are writing, whether it’s a daily journal or short story, just write every day. You don’t have to share it with anyone, but like anything in life the more you do it the better you will get.
3. Learn as much as you can. Read all the ‘How To’ books, go on a writing course, read blogs by other writers, join writing clubs (online or local) and realise that to be a good writer you need more than just a good idea and the ability to type.
4. Grow a thick skin. This is vital. You can’t learn and get better if you can’t take criticism, and once your work is out there you WILL get criticized. It can sting, yes, but it will stifle you and your creativity if you let it get you down.
5. Never give up. Keep reading, writing, learning and growing and keep doing it even when there seems to be no light at the end of the tunnel. Becoming a published writer takes a really long time, years and years, so don’t think that you’re no good after a few months just because you’ve had one rejection or someone doesn’t like your story.
I believe that anyone who really wants to share their story and is prepared to work hard can be a published writer. Just never give up.
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Note from Natali ~ There have been a few changes with my book since we last spoke. I am no longer with my publishers Accent Press (I chose to not continue with them) so am seeking alternative representation. This means that The Path Keeper will no longer be available for sale on Amazon soon and when it's republished (along with the rest of the series) it will have a different cover. I will have the last 150 limited (and signed) editions available to buy from my site in a few week's time.
Labels: book reviews, books, fantasy, library, reviews, series, YA
