3.5 stars

This was an interesting book, a very regency feeling fantasy right down to the use of language. This is written very thoroughly and very well in the style of much older books and I do feel it really did lend to the solidity of the world and the grounding of it. It was one of the many things I liked in the book.

The world building at least what I saw of it in this first volume, was solidly intriguing. I really wanted to know more about the Archives and the Seekers and the Sentinels, but what I did learn so far was extremely interesting. As the first book of a series should this feels like it leave a great number of things unanswered and to be discovered. I will be very intrigued to see where the story and Shay alike go from here.

I liked a lot of the cast we had here. What we see of Archivist Penelope Etherington is very interesting and admirable. I quite liked Hardy and Peck. There were other members of the book's cast I really wished had just a touch more page time so I could know them better. But over all I was really intrigued by the characters, the setting, and the concepts.

I think of the less positive things I have to say, a few of them are due to it being the first of the series. I have so very many unresolved questions, which I very much assume will be addressed later. However, I wish I had understood a bit more of everything going on in this book before the end. I believe some of that is down to the author doing a very good job of slotting us into Shay's limited view, but it did make some of the plotting quite puzzling.

Shay herself is an interesting character with quite a lot of potential. I am very intrigued to see where things will go for her after that ending. However, as much as I liked and sympathized with her she was a bit frustrating at times, because she was making very horrible choices. Still one never had the feeling she wasn't trying only that sometimes she was very much trying at the wrong things.

Overall this was a very unique and interesting fantasy novel. I'm quite looking forward to the rest of the series in hopes of learning a lot more about the world here and also where the plot will go after the whirlwind end of the last bit. Quite a solid book and especially impressive as a debut.

I love the Regency period, mainly romance, and it's been a long time since I've delved into Regency fantasy. This made me love it all over again. It is told from the POV of an orphan who is "bought" as an indentured servant to a stoic and grumpy doctor, who treats her well, but young Shay wants to be free. She plans an escape that lands her not so much in trouble as truth, at least she's finally getting answers. The question is does she want them? The author did an excellent job of creating life-like characters that show their personalities and help immerse you in the story. A detailed and elaborate world that tells a great story. I'm looking forward to the next book.

Thank you to Panthe Press and NetGalley for providing an eARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

This book was simply beautiful! The writing that Samuel Griffin weaves gives life to a story of Shay Bluefaltlow. She leaves her school and finds adventure whether she thinks she deserves it or not.

I connected a lot with the world and characters so when I saw this was a series I was beyond excited!

Engaged at first, my interest in the story waned. The pace was slow and the MC not very likable. I really had trouble understanding the whole plot and found it hard to pick up once I put it down. Other readers might enjoy this slow paced story.

Very unique, loved the concept, the characters were excellent. Kept me interested the entire way, very hard to put down. Looking forward to the next book from this author. .

The Sentinel Archivists listen and study the songs of ancient leviathans. Shay Bluefatlow is training to be a specialist archivist but the training is hard on her. She will learn a so much on her difficult journey but will he skills be enough?

This novel introduces us to a new world where war is about start. Strong characters with difficult roads to follow. Not all are true friends and life can be bewildering. Enjoy the ride.

I struggled to get through this book. The writing was incredibly wordy and made it difficult to follow. At times I felt like I was attempting to read Shakespeare. That appeals to some readers, but for me it made the story harder to lose myself in.

Gripping story from start to finish. The magical system is complex but really interesting to read. The world building is rich and complex. Keep the reader on the edge of their seat.

Seeker is a brilliant novel when it comes to style, immersing the reader in the regency style writing with vivids descriptions. Sadly it wasn't what I expected and I found that the action and plot came too late. It's a very unique voice in today's fantasy but I felt lost way too often wondering what the plot was. The worldbuiding is interesting and changes from the usual medieval settings, the characters are quite loveable and mysterious.
I think it comes down to the prose that just wasn't for me, I wouldn't want to stay long enough to get in with the plot.

The Seeker by Samuel Griffin, is an amazing debut story, that takes the reader to such a fantastical world you don't want to leave. The writing is so unique and old school, the reader feels as if they are in a previous era such as the Victorian Era. While reading, Jane Austen and Charles Dickens are the two main authors that come to mind that compare in the style of writing Mr. Griffin uses which is no easy feat, and for that alone should be granted an award. Book two of the Sentinel Archives will hopefully be coming out within the next year or so, and we can see what further adventures our Seeker will be going on, and how she will continue to evolve, both physically and as a seeker.

Although fantasy is not my go to genre I enjoyed this novel. Shay is taken to be educated by Chief Archivist and follow her out into the world. Well written and well drawn world, with good characterisation. Look forward to the next installment. Thanks to Panthe Press and Netgalley for this review copy.

Seeker
Just finished reading Seeker, an interesting fantasy book about a young girl who is taken from an orphanage , travels to a new location and begins her education. She soon finds out she will begin training with the Chief archivist. The story follows Shay through her training and duties with the Chief Archivist. I found the story very interesting and enjoyable and look forward to the next book. Happy reading!

The story is pretty interesting and I was fairly hooked from the start. I wasn't sure where things were going initially but it made me want to read more. The main character is likable (at least for me) and I cannot wait to continue to read other books in this series!

This was written for a specific audience and, once it reaches said audience, I think it will be very beloved.
The writing style would be best described as historical, old english story telling. This isn't a bad thing and does add additional theming to the book, but most casual readers could get tired of this type of voice.

In this regency era flintlock story, we follow the main character, Shay, as she is bought, educated, and eventually goes out into the world. This world is intricate, unique and pulls you in with detailed storytelling. Although the story does start off slow, it picks up about halfway through. The main character is as complex as they come.

Overall, a great debut book that needs to find its audience.

Historical fiction readers, if I said “Regency novel” to you, what comes to your mind? Elegant dresses, lavish house parties, coffee house meetings, callous  whispers behind elegant manners and Jane Austen, perhaps?

Well - hands on the table, it did to me. I will go further and say that it's not normally my sort of thing to read – why should I read Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice when there are other books more to my taste? However, Seeker does that difficult thing of taking a Regency style setting and making it into a fantasy story - a flintlock fantasy, if you like. The two shouldn't work together, and yet here they do, admirably.

Shay  Bluefaltlow has for many years been brought up by Ridley Fassinger, a surgeon and doctor, along with the young deaf Peck in her home city of Fivedock. This is generally a happy existence, if somewhat sheltered, until Shay is indentured to Penelope Etherington.

So far, this reads like Dickens’ Great Expectations (I know: later age, but even so..), the story told in the first person about a young person’s rite of passage. It is at this point, however, that things become more fantasy like. We learn that Etherington is Fivedocks’ Chief Archivist, charged with keeping records and monitoring for the Sentinels for the nation. She is told that the Sentinels are ancient leviathans, not seen for hundreds of years, but whose records show that if they return, devastation will result.

Shay’s new occupation is to train to be an assistant to the Sentinel Archivist as a Seeker, a role that involves monitoring for Sentinels as well as maintaining and deciphering some of their old records, using scent song to understand their speech. She takes to her new duties in  this Age of Enlightenment with a passion, even though it means that she must take a poisonous elixir in order to decipher the scents of the ancient creatures.

The story here revels in the scientific wonders and the joy of knowledge that Shay experiences at this point.

Although some of the minor characters are a little unsubtle, Shay herself is an interesting character. Clearly young, she is impetuous, rash and immature. She makes mistakes, but generally learns from them the hard way. This makes her endearing and irritating at the same time, a cause of frustration to the more experienced, less impetuous adults. Her reckless nature also has life-changing consequences for more than one person close to her.

Away from Shay’s new world, things are also changing in the wider world. A war seems to be brewing between different political factions, with neither particularly concerned about the signs that the Sentinels may be returning.

When Etherington is called away on official duties, Shay finds herself put into the position of covering for the Sentinel Archivist and also having to negate a possible coup by negotiating the dangerously civil world of the influential elite. In the finest tradition of regency novels, Griffin  presents Regency style soirees as some sort of battleground, a sneakier, subtler version of what happens on the high seas.

Shay is, of course, an outsider, a fish out of water who would rather be with her books and her studies rather than having to navigate around the barbed conversations of societies’ elite.

The end of the book finds Shay dealing with many issues all at once - tangled with the impending return of the Sentinels, involved in the middle of a sea battle and also attempting to foil a power coup attempted by some of the government’s enemies.

The book’s inner cover describes the book as “Robin Hobb meets Georgette Heyer meets Bernard Cornwell”. To me, it is more like “Jane Austen meets Godzilla”, where regency manners meet legendary monsters. Although the Sentinels only really appear at the end of the book, I’m sure that we’ll read more about them in future books.

Lastly, a mention of the book itself. Shay’s story is illustrated throughout by some lovely black-and-white illustrations by Jonas of Stardust, which add to the story and show us some of the instruments used by Shay in her work. They are not essential but do add to the setting enormously.

It’s always good when you find a book to be more than you hoped it would be. And so it was with Seeker. An unexpectedly good read, and I look forward to reading more stories set in this world in the future.

I received an eARC this book for an honest review from NetGalley. This was a fun book with great characters and wonderful world building. It was some what steampunk with naval background. I was taken in from the beginning when Shay was purchased. I would have liked to have more of Penelope in the story and may at some point a prequel of the history of it all. It was very exciting and I loved the intrigue with all of the characters. I truly enjoyed Hardy and her involvement. I liked that Shay had her anxieties with her development as an archivist and her person in general, The ending was something else and I was on my toes the whole time . Yay for Seeker!

Shay Bluefaltlow is a war orphan. One vivid day she finds herself being purchased, uprooted, and brought to the city of Fivedock to start her new life as a ward of a Mr. Ridley. She is expected to get an education but is unaware of her importance until some strong willed rebellious decisions lead her to discover her role with the Seekers and the Sentinels. Faced with her new situation, a world of new truths and discoveries unfolds. Shay must put aside her immaturity and become the woman she is meant to be.

This is a decent debut into a new fantasy in a flintlock setting. I did struggle with some of the world building as this first novel is very heavy on the development of Shay’s growth and maturity. At times I would lose the bigger picture or get disinterested which really broke up the flow of the novel. The Seekers and Sentinels were very abstract to me and it took a fair amount of the novel to actually sort out what they are and their purpose. However, with all that being said, I did like the premise of the novel. I think this world has lots of potential to become really engaging. I do enjoy a flintlock style fantasy and hope for good things in the next installment. 3 stars.

Review based on a digital Advanced Reader’s Copy provided by Panthe Press and NetGalley. Thank you!

What a great debut fantasy novel. The writing style took a little bit to get used to but eventually you fall into the crescendo pattern. This is not a book you can rush through. Take your time and allow the world to form. Such a great story and and would absolutely recommend.

The story takes you through Shay's journey from a nobody to being a Seeker, this society is veiled in secrecy and mystery. They are searching for the huge leviathans of the deep. The story is told by Shay but the author tells us the story in a historical Regency era type of prose. This way of writing is not for everyone and felt old and reminiscent of Dickens. I struggled with the voice of the author and it made reading this difficult for me. But if you like that sort of writing I am sure you will enjoy it.

The world is richly imagined and you can tell that the author has put a lot of work into making this world real, a very engaging place. Fivelock is an interesting place and you really get drawn into the story with the rich world building.

If you like this type of writing I am sure you will like this new Flintlock Fantasy from Samuel Griffin.

What an amazing debut from Samuel Griffin. The author is an impeccable descriptive writer and this book goes beyond anything I have ever read. I can’t believe that this is his first book! I haven’t read any books with this sort of regency-era writing style before and I for one can say it is not too difficult, I would say the style is more intriguing and mystical which simply adds to the genre of the books setting, it certainly doesn’t hinder the projection of the story at all. I cannot wait to follow Shay in the next book, counting down the days! I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to delve in to a new magical world with endless possibilities! From golspek harmonisers to outrageous behemoths…I am in my element!