The Harbinger is lost, sunk to the bottom of an otherworldly sea. Every soul that ever died and was protected within its hold has been lost along with it. But at least that precious cargo is out of reach of the demon Urcena and her army of soul-devouring monsters.
For now.
The soul keepers are broken, scattered, and barely clinging to existence without their ship or any way to collect or protect the souls of the newly dead. If they are to have any hope of stopping Urcena's horrifying plans to destroy the fragile balance between living and dead, they will first have to survive long enough to locate the ghost of one of their own, who sacrificed himself to save the rest of the crew.
Devon Taylor was born in Las Vegas, Nevada and currently lives in Pennsylvania with his wife and two daughters. His day job consists of sneaking around the house with ninja-like stealth to avoid waking up his kids. When not writing, reading, or tediously typing out text messages with all the correct spelling and punctuation, he spends his time with his family. He is the author of THE SOUL KEEPERS, THE GHOST SEEKERS, and the upcoming DAGGER HILL.
This was quite an exciting read. I have to admit it took me some time to understand the story since I had not read book 1. So I scurried and got to the blurb of the first one. Armed with a bit of knowledge, I started reading the book.
The entire story was set in the outwardly realm. Their ship The Harbinger, which had collected souls, had sunk and the souls lost. The villain Urcena too hadn't won, she still wanted to usurp Rhett's powers. All the soul keepers were broken and if they wanted to come back, they needed to relase Rhett and bring him back. The Syllektor had to arise!!
My first book by Devon Taylor, I was quite impressed with the world he had embellished. There was a thrill in his writing. The characters took time to grow on me, but they soon developed a relationship with me over the course of the story. Their friendships and bonds were warm, I got the - All for one, and one for all - vibe from them.
The entire story was a good action based horror but it was a more a thriller. I would sincerely advise to read book 1 before starting to read this.
The Ghost Seekers is the second book in the Soul Keepers duology. It picks up where book one left off, so if you haven't had the chance to read The Soul Keepers, you may want to do that before tackling book two. Rhett is seemingly gone. The Harbinger has sunk. Urcena is causing divide between the Syllektors. Basil and the others who haven't crossed over to the dark side have to try and do whatever they can to resurrect Rhett. He's the only one who can help them, as he's been dubbed the Second-Born Son. Rhett has powers beyond imagination, and without him, Basil and the others are royally screwed. Not only do they now have to contend with Urcena and her Psychons, but they also have to deal with the Syllektors who switched sides and a horrible disease known as the Ash, which is slowly killing the Syllektors off the longer they're away from their ship. Do they ever catch a break? You'll have to read it and find out. I really enjoyed this conclusion to the series. I found it intense and exciting, and my emotions were all over the place. I loved the character development in this. There were some emotional scenes that tugged at my heartstrings. There were some moments where I found myself holding my breath. The Ghost Seekers is definitely a worthwhile read. I especially loved the imagery conjured up from the words. The world-building was great. The only downside was, I didn't want it to end. I felt like there could have been more. I'm happy with the way the book ended, but at the same time, I didn't want to let the characters go. If you enjoy paranormal fantasy, you'll want to get your hands on The Soul Keepers duology today. 4.5 stars from me!
This action-packed fantasy duology is a perfect pick for Rick Riordan fans looking for a ghostly new adventure.
The sequel starts two years after the explosive conclusion of THE SOUL KEEPERS where the Harbinger sank and Rhett (The twice born son) was taken captive. Rhett’s friends must rescue him from Urcena (demon) and somehow save their sunken ship and all of the souls it once carried. But they can’t do it without Theo and Treeny, former friends that already betrayed them once to their downfall.
What I loved: 🖤🖤🖤 1. The excellent world-building of book one expands to not only a unique afterlife, but other worlds and dimensions. 2. Rhett’s character development and discovering how powerful he can be if he believes in himself. 3. Learning more about the backstory and deaths of the characters, particularly Treeny. 4. Redemption and second chances are a beautiful theme in the story. 5. The epic action-packed conclusion. If I said more there would be spoilers, but it is very satisfying and offers closure on many levels for both Rhett and the reader.
I love using Netgalley because it introduces me to so many new books that I wouldn't have found otherwise. Last week I started reading the ARC for Devon Taylor's The Ghost Seekers. It seemed like a really cool book!
I started reading it and was REALLY confused. It seemed like I had missed a bunch of important details. And that's when I realized that it was the second book in a series! So, I had to go on Amazon on purchase a copy of The Soul Keepers so that I could catch myself up and then read the sequel.
Let me tell you, this is an awesome series! If you're looking for a paranormal read, this is it!
The Soul Keepers starts out with the violent death of Rhett in a car accident. But when he dies, it isn't the end. He is greeted by a young man who takes him back to a boat they call the Harbinger where Rhett finds out that he is now a Syllektor--"spirits" who aid in the collection of souls after they have died. This select group must track down the souls before they are eaten by psychons who feed on their energy. When a demon named Urcena discovers that Rhett is a "twice-born son," she realizes that he is more powerful than he knows. She wants what Rhett has and will stop at nothing to get that power for herself.
This book has a lot of interesting characters among Rhett's group of fellow Syllektors. They bond together over their shared experience of collecting souls. And I love how these books treat death and the afterlife....When Rhett first joins the team, he reflects on his thoughts about being a syllektor.
"There was death everywhere, all the time ,and Rhett was never more aware of it than when he was right in front of it, collecting the lives that had been. Death ran rampant, like a ferocious animal, slaughtering, destroying. And he began to realize that the syllektors were not Death itself, but messengers of Death. They were the unseen deliverers of that final peace, that tranquility where acceptance is the only option. Because to fight it is to fight the unstoppable force of nature."
"He collected those souls, and in them he felt more life than he ever thought possible, more warmth and purpose and love. There was death, sure, but it never felt as strong as the life that made up the souls that Rhett brought back to the Harbinger. IN some backward way, he felt like he was actually saving lives instead of waiting around for them to end. And there was peace in the idea that he might exist that way forever."
The Soul Keepers ends with a pretty intense cliffhanger but lucky for you, this book is set to be out on August 27th!
The Ghost Seekers picks up about 2 years after the last book ends. I won't give away much more in case you choose to read the series. But the second book is just as amazing as the first. I would love to see this whole series made into a movie. Taylor does a great job of describing the action and adding some great twists to the plot that makes for a fast paced enjoyable read.
I recommend this series to anyone who loves YA books, paranormal happenings, and fast-paced writing. It does have some language, so if that bothers you, I wouldn't recommend it.
So I found an ARC version of this in my basement, I had somehow missed. I’m sort of in a book rut right now; I keep picking up stuff that is just ok. Nothing really has grabbed me yet this year— and so I wanted something totally different. Complete escape. Something I didn’t want to put down. Something that was also fun without being too dark. This fit the bill. I was surprised how quickly this sucked me in. I read the whole book in one sitting, staying up way to late on a school night.
I really liked the unique world-building and the characters… and I usually don’t say this, but the action sequences were great. Normally they bore me and I skim those sections in books. It wasn’t until I finished the book and went to add it to Goodreads at 1 in the morning that I realized it was the second book in a duology! 🤦♀️😂 I mean that’s a testimony to the way it was written.
One of things I appreciated the book as I was reading it was how it revealed back story without information dumping. When I thought it was a standalone, I was impressed with how the author was developing the plot and characters. A lot of authors do this in a clumsy way… This author handled backstory so adroitly that this second book could easily be read without the first I’d you are short on time or are recommending to kids who only like stand alones. That being said, I would definitely go back and read the first volume I missed— it will just be like a prequel for me.
TLDR: This book is a unique paranormal (the undead, ghosts, demons) adventure for your action fans who like a splash of mythology (think Charon and the River of the dead).
The Ghost Seekers is second in Taylor's Soul Keepers duology. I'm going to be honest. It escaped my attention that this was the second of a series, so I started out kinda confused. Things start with Basil and the Syllektors trying to bring Rhett back from his trapped state. The ship Harbinger has been sunk, both a good and bad thing. Theoretically, this should keep the soul passengers/cargo safe from the demoness Urcena and her monstrous soul-eating Psychon host. Not only must they deal with Urcena, but some of their fellow Syllektors have defected and turned enemy. Then, there's the contagion known as Ash that has begun affecting the Syllektors the longer they are away from their ship. Urcena still hunts Rhett, wanting the strange power he has to revive the 'ghosted' and the dead. Can he come into the fullness of his gifts before it's too late?
I have to say, Taylor has written a unique otherwordly realm. I enjoyed the story. I did keep translating Psychon to Cylon in my mind. While creepy terrifying in their own right, they decidedly were not Cylons! I really liked Basil at the beginning, and the willingness and dedication the remaining true Syllektors had to resurrecting Rhett. They all seemed to have great camaraderie as well. Recommended if you like paranormal fantasy! Just be sure to read them in order for the best experience!
Title: The Ghost Seekers Author: Devon Taylor Series: The Soul Keepers #2 of 2 Genres: Paranormal, Adventure
Plot/Review The soul collecting ship, The Harbinger, is at the bottom of a deathy sea along with tons of souls. Rhett and his scattered crewmates are trying to get it back, while also collecting souls before the demon and her minions inhale them.
What if when you die you're not really dead dead, but you go to some other place and collect souls? But then you find out when you collect souls you have to go back to Earth, suck them out of a body one by one, even going through burning buildings and avalanches and whatnot, and finding out that even though you're undead you can still get hurt and re-die from all of this? Then if you do re-die, you can be brought back when an undead person goes to where your ghost haunts and gets the ghost to will itself back. Well, you might be surprised to learn that book doesn't make much sense, and I wasn't really a fan. I just had so many questions... This is a sequel that I had to read the first book so it would make sense.
The Ghost Seekers continues where The Soul Keepers left off. Rhett is currently ghosted and haunting his old house. The Harbinger is destroyed and lost somewhere including all the souls that were on board. The demon Urcena and her soul-eaters are on a mission to obtain Rhett's powers so she could basically Thanos the world.
Ghost Seekers was a satisfying conclusion to The Soul Keepers duology. I loved how in this world love and friendship continue into the afterlife. It was nice that the characters were able to form friendships and find love even after death especially since many of them had died so young. I also enjoyed learning more about the characters especially Treeny. I loved that Devon gave her a redemption arc due to events that happened in the first book. My only down point is that due to Rhett's abilities to basically resurrect the ghosted and the dead I felt no sense of danger in the book. When someone dies in battle it is only a temporary passing because Rhett can find them and revive them. Other than that I enjoy my time with this series.
Thank you to Netgalley and Swoon Reads for an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.
** I received a free advance reader copy of this book through a Goodreads giveaway. **
Action-packed ghost story in which the living play little to no role in the story. Which I loved! The symbiotic relationship between the souls and the syllecktors (soul keepers) was well written and well explained. The demon (?) was less so. I'm not really sure where the demon actually came from or why she (?) is so determined to destroy everything (other than just being a demon?). However, some of this may be because I haven't read the first book yet (wasn't paying attention and didn't notice this was a sequel). A big point in this book's favor is that I didn't need to have read the first book to understand and enjoy this one but I definitely plan to go back and read book one and now I'm not-so-patiently waiting for book 3!! The characters were all very well developed and I loved the variety of relationships that existed between them. Definitely recommended!!
I ended up liking this sequel to The Soul Keepers more than I expected and more than the first book. Rhett, the Twice-Born, has been ghosted, the Harbinger lost, and the rest of the syllektors scattered to the wind. But never count out friendship and loyalty as his friends come to his rescue and together they mount a plan to resurrect their ship and find the missing souls trapped in a cube when things went wrong in the previous book. Eventually, the team learns of a being that might offer some help if they can just reach her. There is plenty of action, on almost every page, and scenes of violence as Rhett experiences great losses but never forgets the goal to defeat Urcena. If nothing else, the author has created an interesting world here and one that will make readers wonder what comes after death and beyond.
It's a ghost book, but no scary parts really. It's a zombie book, but no walking dead really. It is more of a modern Iliad. Although the story covers war between good and evil dead persons, it mentions the earlier events, such as the gathering of warriors for the siege, the cause of the war, and related concerns tend to appear near the beginning. The Ghost Seekers, by Devon Taylor was an exciting journey to correct the protection of lost souls and allowing their passage to their rewards.
This was one of my most looked forward to books of the year, and sadly it completely didn't work for me.
In the first book we met the crew of dead people (mostly teens) who traveled the world in a 'ghost ship' (ship of the dead) to save the souls of newly dead people.
The first 10% of this book was one long action scene, complete with a car chase. Yawn. I tried to stick with the story, since I had enjoyed the first book, but my attention kept wandering and I ended up DNFing it. Sad.
This was just as good as the first one. I love the camaraderie amongst the group, the way they trust and lean on one another. The ending was quite good as well. I'm interested to see what this author produces next.
Took me forever to finish, couldn't get back into it. The audiobook was actually pretty scary at times, the voices freaked me out. It was good, just couldn't keep myself hooked anymore.
Wow - this one was even better than the first book in the series! I greatly enjoyed both - although both gave me nightmares!! :) I loved the characters and the settings. I hope there will be more in this series.
Taylor’s sequel stalls out after the riveting action that propelled The Soul Keepers to its end. Our heroes begin the story with a nail-biting action sequence and then plop themselves into the middle of a couple of settings where the plot seems to stand still with too much dialogue and tail-end character development. They then pick up again with some action and the cycle starts all over again. It really felt like a literary run/walk.
Aside from its achingly slow pace in parts, some elements of pirate/seafaring lore make its way into the narrative with a rendition of Davy Jones’ locker and alternate realms. And while the story lacked substance for me, it did not lack imagery. Several sequences put me right next the characters in the water and the different realms they traveled thanks to the wordsmithing of the author. I just wish the book would have taken a different direction than what it did with some of the characters.
Ultimately, while it was a bit of fun, this book took waaayy too long for me to read. I just did not enjoy it until about 75% of the way through. By that time, I was so aggravated with not wanting to read it that the last 25% could not redeem the rest.
My thanks to NetGalley for the ARC, for which I give my own opinion.
Wish I'd read the first book in this duology, The Soul Keepers. Ghost Seekers can be read as a stand-alone novel but many interesting and exciting events took place in the first book and I missed reading them.
However, I enjoyed Ghost Seekers as the Young Adult book it's intended to be. Supposedly recommended for ages 8 and up but I think that it would be enjoyed also by a younger range (perhaps 8 to 10-year-olds).