The Dark Hour (The Keepers Series)

PARANORMAL:  Seventeen-year-olds Becca and Kendall are Keepers and twenty-year-old Erik and fifteen-year-old Linnea are their Guardians, respectively. They are normal as far as their classmates are aware, but if Emperor Mosna of the Triumphant Empire gets hold of the keys they are protecting, two worlds would meet and by almost all accounts, disaster would follow. The gate between them opens nightly, allowing the Emperor’s minions to enter for the Dark Hour.  Not returning to the Other Side in time means death for the magically inclined. Therefore, when Kyne enters Becca's world with knowledge she hungers for, she is both intrigued and cautious.

Told in the first person through Becca’s eyes, the author shows prowess for describing the teenage mindset using distinct personality types. However, the Dark Hour, and its implications, takes a frustrating backseat to the struggles of teenage life for three quarters of the book. This defies reader expectation when one takes the title of the work into consideration. The writing style is replete with over explanation; most notable, when Becca speaks directly to the reader, and there are loose ends aplenty by the time the reader closes the book. There is an inkling that the parents go to work in the magical realm, but what they do is unclear. Becca shows the most personal growth as the story progresses.

Teenage lives are set in the spotlight with otherworldly magic as the backdrop. This story has the potential to become an onramp to an exciting series.

Heather R. Nielsen