Review of Keeper of the Vengeance

[Kaitlin Licato]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Keeper of the Vengeance" by Alyssa Lauseng.]

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3 out of 4 stars

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A failed rebellion, a family torn apart, such is the setting for Keeper of Vengeance. Former assassin Kulako is dealing with the aftermath of a failed rebellion against the ruling Giahatio emperor. Forced into hiding, he is separated from his family. His wife, Sonika, has been enslaved by those unaware of her identity. His son, Kohaku, suffering from amnesia, has been forcefully brought to Kurushima to train as an assassin. All hope seems to be lost, but the spark of rebellion is still alive in the far reaches of the empire. It may take years, but the determination to create a better world is still there.

This is the third and last book in the Keeper Trilogy by Alyssa Lauseng. The book follows our main cast through the next phase of their lives, covering a great deal of time. My favorite part of the book is Sonika. I love her character. Sonika has sacrificed so much throughout her life, yet she never gives up and continues to fight. She is a great female lead. She gains even more power in this book which is fantastic to see. Most of the other characters are well-written too. They all have unique personalities, which is hard to do in a story with an extensive character list. I also enjoyed the author's nods to Asian culture within names and other terms (e.g., kunai, katana, and hitokiri).

The part I least liked about the story was when the author brought in the religious aspects. While hinted at in previous books, the religious background comes to the front in this one. Yet little is explained about it. I'm still unsure what function the priestess character serves, who the evil spirits are, or anything. It was pretty awkward as it was an essential part of the novel.

One thing to note about this book is that it is not entry-level-friendly. You must have read the previous two stories for this one to make sense. We dive right into the narrative, making the characters difficult to pick apart. While they are all unique, the number of names is overwhelming if you haven't read the previous books.

I give Keeper of Vengeance by Alyssa Lauseng 3 out of 4 stars. I enjoyed the entire trilogy, but the weak religious plotline threw me in this one. Also, this particular novel cannot stand alone due to the sheer number of returning characters. I would recommend the entire series to adult readers who enjoy epic fantasy stories with hints of Asian culture embedded within.

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Keeper of the Vengeance
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[Amy Luman]

I won’t be reading this since I haven’t read the previous installments and don’t wish to get into a new series. I do appreciate the knowledge that the inhabitants of Giahatio won’t be enslaved forever.

[Chiwendu Ikechukwu]

This book looks interesting from the review above. And the storyline is my kind of story. Adding it to my shelf for future reading ASAP.

[Ikechukwu Blessing]

It doesn't go down well with me this the story is serial, there won't be any need for me to read this one first.

[Ikechukwu Blessing]

It doesn't go down well with me since this story is serial, there won't be any need for me to read this one first.

[Valeria Rotaru]

I'm not quite sure during period this is taking place and the setting also seems unclear. Is it happening in a country in Africa or... Anyways, maybe I will read it after all.

[NetMassimo]

Despite the problems you pointed out, this seems like an enjoyable fantasy epic, so I'll look into this series from its beginning. Thank you for your great review!

[Kaitlin Licato]

I'm not quite sure during period this is taking place and the setting also seems unclear. Is it happening in a country in Africa or... Anyways, maybe I will read it after all.

It's set in a fictionalized world, but uses a great deal of Japanese-esque words and such. Definitely drawing from a Japanese background, but it's a newly created world.