A Review of The Path Keeper
Can love ever be stronger than fate? 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.
I received this book in exchange for an honest review via Netgalley. I was drawn to this book by the intriguing title, cover and plot description. The summary and cover implied a paranomal romance involving angels, which I’m a huge fan of paranormal romances involving angels, like Hush Hush and Angelfall, so I was really excited to dig in and see what this series was about.
The book throws the reader into the middle of the story, as Zac watches Ella from a far, and somehow already knows her. They start up a relationship and things get hot and heavy quickly. I appreciated the fast paced nature of the book and felt swept along with the events as they happened. While there were hints of some fantasy in the first half of the book, it seemed to be purely romance up to the 50% mark. I would have liked to see more fantasy elements earlier on, as I often questioned if I had actually picked up a fantasy novel or just a romance novel. Additionally, there are long passages of backstory that slowed the pacing down for me.
The characters of Ella and Zac share the point of view in the book, although Ella’s perspective dominates the narrative. While the two characters definitely have some chemistry, their personalities are completely made up of their love for each other. I struggled to find anything to pinpoint to their characters without involving their relationship. I would have loved to see some more well-rounded characters, that didn’t cease to have meaning in their lives without their significant other. Also, the side character introduced at the beginning of the novel held some promise for fun side kicks, but ultimately didn’t go anywhere. I had hoped to see more of Ella’s girlfriends as the story went on.
I didn’t get a strong sense of the setting in this book. We’re told many times that the event take place in London, where Ella’s stepfather has many luxury hotels, but we don’t get a chance to experience the city much beyond the first chapter or two. Again, this is due to the book being dominated by the love story between the main characters. The book truly could have taken place anywhere else and it wouldn’t have affected the plot line.
The Path Keeper is an excellent novel for fans of paranormal romance, who prefer their book to focus on the romance aspect of the plot. I found the paranormal and fantasy aspects to be wanting and underdeveloped. I would have also liked to see the characters and setting of the book be move developed.