Review Detail

The Last Gatekeeper by Katy Haye

The Story:
Home-schooled sixteen-year-old, Zan, has not a trouble in the world—unless you count the fact she’s allergic to electricity and a self-diagnosed freak. When she finds her father’s unmoving body and her mother mysteriously gone, with only a cryptic message from a diamond ring in her place, little does Zan know she’s about to discover the immense power inside her waiting to be unlocked, and what this power means to the future of Planet Earth—and the future of those from…elsewhere.

The Characters:
There is something naive and endearing about Zanzibar. Early on she wins the reader’s heart, and when we see her quick intelligence and strong sense of morality, we are further invested in her fate. Her relationship with her father is beautiful.
It is also nice to see an antagonist who drags out reader empathy despite our best attempts to hate them. And just when we think we know everything, there are a couple of nice plot-twists surrounding the antagonist which cast her in a different light.
There is insta-love in this novel—with a fan-face worthy character. The scenes between Zan and the love interest are well done, especially the initial few meetings, yet a part of my reader heart was left wanting a deeper reason for the immediate connection between them.

The World:
We learn of three worlds in this story, but the author focuses on two in The Last Gatekeeper; Fane—world of the fairies, and Earth. Particularly clear is the concept of the gates between Earth and Fane, and the idea of the ‘area in-between’.
Watching as each of the three races adapts to life on Earth and on Fane adds humor and lightness to a dire, high-stakes, and fast-paced read.
This world is unique in its deliverance and in its intricacies.

The Readability:
A fan of Rising Tides, I was eager to read another series by this author. I’m glad to see her professional and easy-to-read style has continued on in this series. This novel is professionally edited, and suitable for ages fourteen and up. It contains mild sexual themes.

Final Verdict:
Upon reading the final page of The Last Gatekeeper, the reader is left with the sense that we have just seen the tip of the iceberg—a very enjoyable tip of the iceberg. If the sequel was in front of me, I would have immediately continued reading. Once again Miss Haye has delivered a novel where the discovery of the world is just as exciting as the characters and the story, itself.

Favourite Quote:
'He opened his mouth to add something else, then his stomach rumbled so loudly he jumped and looked down at his stomach with an expression of such surprise I nearly laughed.
“Are you hungry?” I asked.
“Is that what that noise means?” He glanced at me, then away, as though he was embarrassed by his human body.'