The Keeper

Tales from Eviryia #1

by Erin Phillips

One kiss will decide the fate of the kingdom

Eviryia has always been guided by immortal Keepers, who possess the sacred duty of choosing the next True King to rule over the kingdom, granting power, peace, and protection to him and the land with a single kiss.

However, not all Keepers are as eager to fulfill their fate.

After years of fruitlessly searching for the True King, Keeper Kayleigh closed Ailenor’s doors, locking herself away from the kingdom and hiding from her destiny. But now, the ruthless and selfish Shoulbane has ignited a civil war that threatens to rip the kingdom apart. Kayleigh realizes she can no longer hide, but with hope of finding the True King lost, she is determined to find a new solution to prevent war from destroying Eviryia.

With the aid of Galen, a savvy farmboy who seeks refuge in Ailenor, Kayleigh agrees to search once more for the True King…but with a secret ulterior motive, hoping to unite the kingdom against Shoulbane without a True King on the throne. Perhaps the time of True Kings has passed and a new era has begun.

Will Kayleigh fulfill her destiny and find the True King, or will she fail, plunging Eviryia into a time of darkness?

The Keeper is a stand-alone young adult fantasy novel about embracing your calling in life, and the struggle between personal dreams and sacrifice for the greater good.

Genres: Fantasy

340 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 11, 2015

About the author

Stories teach the heart to believe, and Erin tries to fill every second with stories, whether it’s an audiobook while on the go, a movie with her hubs, or just snuggling up with a good book. She is not afraid of a dark story, for the Light is often the most brilliant in the dead of night.
Erin graduated from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts with a B.F.A. in Costume Design & Technology, and lives in North Carolina with her husband, Jeremy, and their happy corgis, Parker and Fable.

Reviews

[Erin Phillips · Rating 5 out of 5]

NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR: These second editions have been a long time coming. When I first started out on this journey, I truly had not a single clue what I was doing, all I knew is that I had stories within me that I needed to let out into the world. As life ebbed and flowed, I found my way back to authorship with A Crown of Chains, looking forward to a professional career as an indie author.

But I never stopped looking back at my debut novels and wanting something better for them, something better for the girl who sat alone at a keyboard and typed out those stories, dreaming of little more than a book in her hands.

While these second editions have been given a second-over to correct typos and smooth out some of the prose, it remains almost completely unchanged. I was tempted at times to rewrite large chunks, updating the prose to reflect how I have grown as a storyteller over the years, but decided to do as little as possible, maintaining the original work as much as possible.

Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to read (and review) my debut novel over the years! Kayleigh’s story taught me so much about myself and my calling, and I am ever grateful that she started my journey as a published author.

[Morgan Giesbrecht · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was very cute!

Kayleigh and Galen were so fun to get to know. (Galen is my favourite 💛) I mean a princess & a bodyguard on a mission with adventure, danger, unlikely companions, and plenty of heart? Yes, please. (Also, Princess Bride vibes 👌🏻)

That ending… I was not expecting that & tears were most definitely shed. 🥺

Off to book 2!

[Tyler Scott Hess · Rating 5 out of 5]

What bwings us together today?

Mawiage.

But first we fight we fight we fight we fight we fight.

Hallmark meets Fantasy in this kingdom saving rom com.

[Tab Rex · Rating 5 out of 5]

I hadn’t been reading much for years until I read this book. It helped me to rediscover my love of reading!!

[Bee Meserole · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was going to give it 3 stars but I ended up being so invested in the characters that I have to give it 4. Could use some work as far as proofing and line editing, but an interesting story and a good read. I'm very upset by the ending but not in a bad way.

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 Stars

🗡️ The vibes:
- Fantasy
- Female character journey
- Debut fantasy novel
- closed door

🗡️ My thoughts:
Kayleigh, an immortal Keeper in Elviryia has been tasked with finding the next True King. But after trying and failing to find him for years, Kayleigh locks away the kingdom and avoids her destiny at all costs. When the kingdom is at risk of civil war, Kayleigh sets out with farm boy Galen to once again search again for the True King so that peace can be found in the kingdom once more. There’s war, politics, destiny, and tough choices to make. Will Kayleigh find hope or will she be too late ?

🗡️ Well thanks for destroying my soul, Erin.

🗡️ This is a book that is almost impossible to pull “vibes” from. It’s hard to describe what this one is about because it’s almost just a snippet of a larger story.

🗡️ Erin Phillips has said that she doesn’t talk about her earlier books because they were for her- for her learning process and writing journey. So I went in expecting nothing too major but I really enjoyed the bones of this story. For what it is- I enjoyed it!

🗡️ I think the story was interesting, and the entire time I was wanting more. More backstories, more world building, and just more story. For a debut that’s hidden away and only 9 ratings on goodreads, I was impressed! I felt all the feelings while reading it.

🗡️ It was cool to see where Erin’s works began and to see where her writing is now. This one did feel like a practice book in some ways, but as a major Erin fan girl- I’m happy I picked this one up.

🗡️ It’s riddled with typos here and there - which I typically don’t adjust my rating based on this, but do like to mention it. Would I love for Erin to go back and breathe her magic into this one? Absolutely. But for what it is- I really enjoyed it. I did not predict anything, and it was a great journey for me.

🗡️ If you’re new to Erin Philips- start with A Crown of Chains or a Bond of Briars. Both are excellent (check CW if you have concerns). If you’re a fellow fangirl - proceed to the Keeper for a peek at Erin’s beginnings.

Note- Closed door/ check CW if you have concerns.

[Tanya Moe · Rating 4 out of 5]

BUT WHYYYYYYY 😭😭😭😭

[Valerie Cotnoir · Rating 5 out of 5]

"The Keeper" takes place in the fantastical world of Eviryia from the perspective of Kayleigh, the Keeper of Ailenor. After decades of trying to find the True King, distraught, Kayleigh locks herself up in Ailenor, giving up on attempting to bring a king back on the throne, thus bringing peace to the kingdom. And so begins Kayleigh's journey as she renews her determination to save the kingdom and discovers the true meaning of her duty as Keeper of Eviryia.
This book had beautiful descriptions of the places Kayleigh visited outside of Ailenor and the character development was evident. I could hardly put it down, reading chapter after chapter, wanting to know what happens next. The ending was just right, like any good story, while still having a few twists! The endearing characters were relatable and believable, becoming your friends by the time you reached the last page, making you wish it kept going!
I am so excited that Erin Phillips recently published a sequel! However, "The Keeper" is perfect as a stand alone. I am looking forward to reading more of her work!

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great story

This story was interesting and entertaining. Aside from a few typos (passed instead of past) it was well written and fun to read. I recommend it to anyone who enjoys fantasy.

[Clearwater]

My sister is friends with her and even though I haven't met her yet this book is awesome

[Erica Stephens · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you Erin Phillips for a character building story. It is refreshing to read something wholesome, and that brings hope. Love the side characters as well! Galen and his fudge. ❤️ I could have kept reading about the Keeper’s story for hundreds of pages. They are so relatable and I enjoy them.
-Erica Stephens

[Lady Loki Silver · Rating 3 out of 5]

A few of her others were better but this one is interesting. I will be curious about the sequel.

She is a good writer- but why do all fantasy writers have to give names you don’t know how to pronounce?! I hate that

[Norma · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a wonderful book that kept me hooked. Erin Phillips definitely knows how to make you fall in love with a character and then takes them away leaving you to grieve.

[PottWab Regional Library]

SM

[Maya Lopez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Better to Love

My heart… it hurts. Unexpected ending. I really appreciate the character development and representation of conflict and hope. Highly recommend.

[Chesca]

DNF

[Kyerston Peterman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really loved this story! Removing a star only because there were lots of misplaced words and typos throughout that impacted the readability in a negative way.

[Leah · Rating 2 out of 5]

Fresh story, poorly edited

This felt like a fresh take on the medieval questing stories, with the fate of the country resting on the shoulders of a decades-old, but frozen-in-time girl. However, it was painfully obvious how the story was going to play out by about the eighth or ninth chapter. I won’t spoil anything, but all the way through the book I knew mostly what the outcome would be.

This book definitely has Christian thematic undertones, but it’s not preachy. They call their omniscient the Architect. And like in real life, some still believe the Architect will intervene in their lives while others have lost their belief, becoming bitter towards the ideals.

Overall, this book would’ve been better written if there had been a little more development of the characters and especially the setting. The setting relied too much on the characters to explain it, when a well-placed outline at the beginning of the story would’ve kept me from being confused. And then, to find an actual map at the end of the book, instead of the beginning, was truly frustrating. As for character development, so much time was spent on the main character’s internal struggle with the quest at hand, the author barely had time to really flush out the other characters.

It is also painfully under-edited. There were grammatical mistakes in almost every chapter and in some cases words were left out altogether. Also, in chapter 18, the story gets turned around on itself and you think you’ve missed something, when in fact, they just had the missing paragraphs at the end of the chapter. I re-read a section three times before I realized a piece of writing was just missing. So I kept moving forward and found the missing paragraphs. But I didn’t read them because I knew what was happening next.

Would I recommend this book? I can’t say that I would, because of how riddled it was with errors. Some people can overlook the poor editing, though. I will say this idea was intriguing and it kept me engaged. Other readers should just move forward with caution that they are going to stumble for lack of editing.

[Emily Franklin · Rating 3 out of 5]

“The Keeper” follows the story of Kayleigh (the Keeper) who has the power of finding the One True King to bring peace and prosperity on her country. Living a self-imposed isolated life, which has caused a civil war, she finally decides to take charge and do something. Along the way, she discovers her true destiny and purpose as The Keeper. “The Keeper” has an undertone similar to LOTR.

The first half of “The Keeper” and the second half of this book almost felt night and day in the quality of writing. I read the kindle version and the amount of typos was embarrassing- some sentences I completely skipped over because I had no idea what they were saying (and this was the second edition 😬). Don’t get me started on the conjunctions in this book. But overlooking that, the story was intriguing, albeit it did not reach its full allegorical potential. In the first half, I absolutely hated Kayleigh. She was selfish, spoiled, and unrealistically immature but at least she could admit it. Her conversations with Galen didn’t flow naturally and she acted like a trash person. Sometimes the conversations were so out of the blue and added absolutely nothing to the story. Galen was the only reason I kept reading.

The second half redeemed the book for me. There was some good character development and the imagery was significantly better. Typos decreased overall (though still present) and the conversations flowed much better. The ending was beautiful and unexpected. I only wish the Architect had been more relatable and tangible than just a casual mention.

[Breeze Henke · Rating 5 out of 5]

so very original!

I just love when I stumble upon a truly original story. And this is one! If there IS another similar, I haven’t come across it. The storyline and premise are unique. I loved it. Character growth, adventure, romance & war. Headed to find the sequel now.

[Noelle Brueck · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book!! The characters were so well written and I fell in love with all of them right away!

[Chas Bomgardner · Rating 5 out of 5]

amazing story

Great story, has big Narnia and LOTR vibes. Only hang up is the numerous editing errors. Worth the read however.