When I was a very troubled, stuttering child with undiagnosed mental illness, I opened up my world through the likes of Tolkien, Stephen R Donaldson and later - the larger tomes of Stephen King and Clive Barker. The epic sprawling quests and adventures spoke to me and allowed me escape as well as a vocabulary that would free me from my stutter.

Those books hold an incredibly special place in my heart as part of my DNA and as saviours of my life.

"Seeker" took me back to those times. The wonder of fictional discovery and long lexicological roads. The beautifully crafted prose, the character depth, the - at times - feeling of doom and that nothing is going to go right for the protagonist. All of it whisked me back to the linguistic escapades I traversed through pages many years back.

There's good versus evil. There's injustice and backstabbing. There's strange foods and creatures, places and cultures.

If you want a quick read, this isn't for you. If you prefer simplistic writing, also a nope. However, if you want to lose yourself across vast, fantastical lands and go on adventures with Shay - as you watch her grow and make mistakes and you say NO! at times - and discover huge leviathons amidst epic battles; then please, PLEASE read this book.

It astounds me that this is a debut. How does a human without decades of books behind them arrive with something as huge as this?

I'm so ready to see the further adventures of Shay. I was there when she was sold, I stood watching as she grew up, I cringed at her human mistakes.

Samuel Griffin, take a bow, man. This is something to be proud of.

An exciting new world full of intrigue. I loved the descriptions and world building. It was a bit slow at the start, but it got better as it went along.

what a unique story! If you like historical fantasy this is right up your alley. The text is very poetic, but for my taste in books I found it to be a tad too slow. If you like beautiful lyrical prose, that helps drive a whimsical tale, this book is for you.

I’m always looking for well written and fleshed out fantasy books.

Seeker absolutely delivered on this.

The world was able to be understood- always important in a debut fantasy book- and the characters were ones I was able to become invested in and care about!

It’s not necessarily fast paced, so if you need that this book probably isn’t the one for you. But if you’re looking for incredible, descriptive writing? This is a must-pick-up book for you!

DNF at 51%.

I really wanted to love this book, but found the writing style a bit too heavy and slow. I liked the Regency setting, and wanted to find out more about some of the characters but couldn’t connect with Shay. I’m sure I’ll be in the minority of readers but this is just not the book for me.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Enthralling from start to finish. Excellent prose and writing style. Can't wait to read more from this author.

As someone who isn't a huge fan of prose, I was rather unsure when I first began to read it. But the world that Griffin creates throughout this book did more than enough to keep me engaged. The glimpses into the past we're given at the start of each chapter create a beautiful, intricate look into the world and help elevate the book beyond just the story. As I read, it felt as if I was reading Shay's diary. The nature of the writing makes the story feel more intimate and personal, bringing Shay to life beyond the pages.

This is a truly wonderful book and I look forward to seeing what comes next!

This was very different from my usual type of book. I was intrigued to find out what Flintlock Fantasy was. I was pleasantly surprised and found the whole book to be utterly entrancing.

Thank you p. press publishers and netgalley and the author of the books for the chance to leave a review which is honest and my own thoughts

This was really good story. It reminds me of history but set in another world. I liked how deep it was and how it sucked you in. I love regency always and it was like that but fantasy. I wanted to know more and was sad but happy at the end It made me emotional
The cover is so pretty and all the pictures inside

Thank you NetGalley & the publishing company for a chance to read this book!

Overall I would say this book was okay. It had a slow start and was hard to get my footing in the beginning. It did not help that the writing was overly descriptive for me, but that just isn't my preference when reading fantasy books.

I feel like the overall pacing could have been better, the climax was very short while other non-compelling parts were several chapters long. I also felt like Shay had great potential as the main FMC, if some of her inner dialogue was explained better. I wish I knew her motives better and it really flushed out her inner battles. I also wished the side characters were elaborated on more; to see how they impact Shay good or bad.

I liked the lore that was added in the book and in the second half I really started to get a feel for the world. Overall, I think this book has great potential world-building and unique characters if they get elaborated on more.

Thank you Panthe Press & NetGalley for the eARC!

I didn’t start this read with any expectations and I was pleasantly surprised. This was my first regency-era style read, which at times could be tedious, but Griffin’s writing was poetic and entrancing. The characters were well written and witnessing Shay’s journey through this massive world was worth the slower start. I absolutely loved the lore and world building, it felt like slowly peeling back many gossamer layers of an intricate universe. If you’re looking for a unique and complex story, check out Seeker!

I will also be posting a review on Goodreads! Link provided below.

📚NetGalley ARC Review📚

Seeker - Samuel Griffin

⭐️⭐️⭐️

DEBUT NOVEL PUBLISHED IN UK 14TH MAY

I was pleasantly surprised by this debut novel a wonderful fantasy tale set in the Regency Era with a good measure of magic thrown in too!

We follow Shay, a strong female lead, as she grows from an orphaned girl, sold into a new life, to become a fierce woman with a desire to make this new chance work for her.

Shay is employed as an archivists apprentice to learn all she can about tracing sentinels. Sentinels are giant beasts who roam the earth giving off a powerful aura song that can only be traced when a person has taken an ague tincture.

Shay suddenly finds herself waist deep in her tasks as an archivist, especially when she finds herself alone without her master by her side.

There has been so much thought put into the world building for this novel, through the prose and built up atmosphere you are truly transported into the world of the sentinels and seekers.

The story is slow to progress but it is measured to ensure a riveting ending to the narrative. The language is difficult, however, it helps to set the tone and scene as the tale does lend itself to a historical fantasy fiction genre.

I am truly excited to see where Griffin decides to take the story and it’s characters next as this book will be part of a series called the Sentinel Archives.

Publication date in the UK will be 14th May. Many thanks to @patheuk and Author @samuel.griffin.fantasy.author for the opportunity to read and review this ARC via @netgalley

Whilst the premise of this book was intriguing, and the setting original, I found some of the plot and writing to be confusing.

Character names seemed to change mid-scene, their ages fluctuated wildly and didn’t seem to be constant, and the overall final impression that it gave was one of confusion.

I appreciated that the story was a one and done, and that the plot was wrapped up by the end of the novel, but at the same time the pacing felt meandering for much of the story, then rushed in the final act,

Not a bad book, by any means, just not a great one either.

This was a gripping read, I thought the characters were intriguing and I'm going to keep an eye out for more from this author.

I'm not entirely sure how to review this. I did read it all but it was sometimes hard to get through. The beginning was good and I enjoyed that part. The middle felt a bit slow and not boring but not overly interesting either. I mostly liked the main character Shay even though she did sometimes seem to flip flop a bit. I'm still not clear on what the sentinels are. I would say 3.5 stars.

Sadly this book was just not for me. I truly wanted to enjoy it, but it’s taken me far too long to finally finish it. It is not an easy read, the language is far too flowery for my tastes. That’s not to say the writing isn’t good, because it is. It is well written and I can see a lot of people enjoying this book.

Overall I would recommend this book to anyone that enjoys flowery, poetic language and a slow yet immersive plot that picks up later in the story.

Thank you to Panthe Press and NetGalley for the arc.

Honestly, I didn’t finish reading this. For me I found it difficult to get into, I’m not sure if it’s because I’m not massively in the mood for fantasy at the minute, or if it’s down to the fact that I’m in a bit of a reading slump. I just really struggled to get into it. And it’s one of those books that I wanted to be able to enjoy, and I feel like it’s just not it for me? I enjoyed what I read, it was just a struggle and I didn’t want to burn myself out completely by trying to get myself to read something that I’m struggling with

Official rating is 3.5⭐️

I found myself immersed into a captivating tale of mystery set in the Regency era, infused with a just a small dash of magic.

The author transports readers into a world with enchantment, though at times, the lack of explanation of the world led to me as the reader, feeling confused. Yet, it had me curious, the world slowly gradually revealed more and more as I read further into the book.

The author's prose paints vivid scenes and it delves deep into the Main Characters thoughts and feelings, though there are moments when it didn’t quite capture my full attention. Whilst the characters feel well-developed, it was hard to create a connection with them. What might not be type of writing might be someone else’s treasure.

Despite this, the story has piqued my interest just enough that the idea of exploring further into the world has me eagerly anticipating what happens next, eager to delve deeper into the realm of mystery and magic.

I leave a simple quote that I highlighted when reading:

’And I was the woman who whispered back’

I received an ARC for this book. With this being a debut book for the Author, I went into the book with pretty low expectations and found myself rather pleased with the book. It is slow to start. But it does pick up steam about halfway through. I am excited to see what the Author does with this world in the future now that the world building is already done. Plus, that cover art is really cool.

Thank you Sentinel Archives for the opportunity to give my honest reviews of The Seeker.

I thought the beginning of the book was interesting but the whole story just went too slow… I couldn’t finish the book. I completely lost interest when she got sent to the Archives. I’m sure people who love the slow burn of world building will love this, but it just doesn’t wasn’t for me.

#TheSentinelArchives #NetGalley