Welcome to the World Below, where the keepers command the sky, but the commander of the keepers controls the empire…For centuries, the four kingdoms of the Caspian empire have remained safe and hidden below the ocean, protected from the Surface World—and from that ocean that separates them—by a great barrier maintained by magic. Aven Talavir has spent her entire life learning to be a keeper of … life learning to be a keeper of that barrier, channeling her powers into maintaining and healing it.
But now an impossibly sinister force seeks to shatter it.
To stop the looming flood of destruction, Aven picks up her knives and sets off on a quest to find an ancient power that may be able to permanently heal the makeshift sky. Reaching it will mean fighting her way through dangerous politics and deadly magic, all while finding love and friendship in unexpected places—
Only to realize that the greatest treachery may not lie in the breaking sky, but in the very hearts of the people around her.
The perfect next read for fans of Sarah J. Maas, Tamora Pierce, and Megan Whalen Turner. If you enjoy strong female leads, swoon-worthy romance, feisty mythical creatures, and unique magic systems, then scroll up and grab the first book of this trilogy today!
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I’m so glad I finally started this series! It has a strong Atlantis-retelling vibe to it . . . but is really just completely its own thing in the end. There was no predicting the world or characters, and I eventually I stopped trying and just settled in to enjoy the experience.
Aven is our heroine. She is a Keeper in the kingdom of Garda, and uses blood magic to keep the skies from literally falling and letting the vast ocean above drown her world. Without Keepers, humanity is doomed.
Aven, as a Pure Keeper, has the unique power to sense where a rift is forming in the sky . . . which, as you can imagine, is a desperately important power in a situation like this! Following in the footsteps of her famous Keeper father and brother, Aven is ready to fulfill her role in life. But naturally things don’t work out according to plan! Her brother dabbles in dangerous heresy, and the sky barrier is weakening. Keepers are giving too much blood and dying in their desperate attempts to keep their world safe. It’s time for Aven to step out of her intended role and take action.
It’s forbidden for anyone to leave the Garda . . . and Aven is about to find out why.
I really enjoyed the relationships in this book. Strong friendships, a bond to a magical water horse . . . and, yes, for those of you looking for romance, there IS something there too! But you won’t get any spoilers out of me. This story is full of adventure, fantastic world building, great plot twists, and masterful writing on the part of SM Gaither.
If you’re a fan of kick-butt heroine fantasy and are eager for something a little unique in the genre, THIS is the book for you!
Sky Keeper (The Drowning Empire Book 1) by S.M. Gaither is a wonderful story that I read. This is book number one in a brand new series for me to read. I lvoed it and it is a wonderful start to it, I can not wait to read book numer two in this series. I highly recommend this story to everyone who loves reading about magic.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Here’s the thing when it comes to my read trough of Sky Keeper. I liked the world, the originality of it, and the potential this book had. I loved the idea of this book, however that idea did not work out great on paper I’m afraid.
Considering this book takes place in a air bubble under the sea (or as I thought of it; Atlantis) It definitely had an intriguing start, learning about the world, the magic, Aven and her brother’s place in that world as well as the potential love interest Varick. I also liked that the story took up speed immediately with the worries of a failing sky, her brother’s revelation and a shaky peace in the empire. Had the story kept it on that level a bit more throughout I’m sure I would have fallen in love with it. The sad thing is though that it was mostly only the start that held my interest.
I can never say that the plot stood still since Aven and her companions were in constant movement, adventure and fights, but that does not mean much when it comes to the actual writing. I mean, the writing wasn’t bad per say, it was just bad at holding my attention as a reader. It went on way too long and way too detailed fighting sequences, descriptions and what not, really making me struggle to actually find care or will to follow along. Especially when the characters involved in this plot and fights were treated the opposite way. I found them bareboned at best, having little to no defining or relatable character traits separating them. It almost felt detached the way they were written out, like the author was more interested in the magic and fighting than the actual characters. Well, that did not work well for me since I needed a complexed, relatable and flawed heroine as well was side characters and love interest.
With so little put into the characterization of the main heroine it felt off and kind of strange to me how she became the catalyst in the war and the one everyone wore a banner for. All everyone knew was that she ran away from home and from her duties to keep the sky whole. She didn’t say or do anything indicating otherwise and what it seems from the story she was not the first to abandon her duties either, so why and how did she become “Katniss Everdeen” to this plot? Seems to me like she should have become the opposite considering the sky was weakening and she ran from upholding that sky. Yet, everyone somehow magically knew she was trying to save the world and started wearing her banner and fight for her. Hell, even Kai went from hunting her to helping her without much ado.
While I liked Kai in the beginning, just like the start of this book my intrigue of his character quickly waned out. This is partly do to him not having much impact or role in this story after he went from trying to capture her to helping her, other than following Aven and her being attracted to him. Somehow that attraction turned into love without either character actually doing or interacting that much with each other. Kai wasn’t even much in her thoughts it seemed since she didn’t mourn him more than as a passing thought when she thought she had lost him. And any scene with them supposedly connecting on a deeper level felt forced since the characters where so generic to begin with. The only love I could really feel in this book were between Aven and her horse, them having way more defining and deep moments than any other character.
Even the plot felt a bit lost to me. They were supposedly looking for a magic stone that would save them all but that stone is then hardly ever mentioned and the story is more about them running around getting into fights and bad situations they barely get out of. And in the end when a character seemingly will not get out of it and give a very impactful and realistic ending, next page all that was for nothing and she magically got out of it anyway. That along with the “villain” being defeated by basically creating and standing on his own grave for Aven to take him out, the ending was underwhelming.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
It took me a while to get into this book, to understand this Atlantis-inspired world and its magic. I’m not sure I fully understand it yet… The characters on the other hand, I grew fond of almost at once. Aven is both strong and vulnerable, and I love her connection to Finn, her river horse. Cora is always there for Aven – and she has a small dragon namned Atlas! And then there’s Varick and Kai (or West, as he ends up being called)… If I tell you about them there will be spoilers, so I’m not gonna do that!
I’m not sure the author explains enough about why so many come to Avens aid, who decide to fight on her side. Of course, she’s one of the Pure Keepers, but she’s not the only one. She seems surprised herself, actually. It’s probably just me who can’t keep up with all the twist and turns, but I don’t quite get what the different sides are after (except that one of them want to overthrow the Emperor). I guess it will be clearer in the next book.
The last 100 pages, or so, I had trouble putting the book down, I just needed to know what was going to happen! I’m looking forward to reading more about Aven and the others in Curse Breaker, and if you enjoy reading an epic fantasy with a strong, yet vulnerable, female protagonist, I strongly advice you to give Sky Keeper a go!
This was Book 1 of the Drowning Empire. I love the world that the author created! It was unique and full of adventure! I can’t wait to read more of the series!
I just started reading this book and am only about 1/3 of the way through it, but I’m sucked into this fantasy world Gaither created and the characters. Love how she describes the world so that you can see it, how she’s introduced the characters and how you can’t predict what will happen next. Keeping me on my toes and wanting more. What an imagination this author has!!
Fast paced action and adventure.
Super fast paced, lots of action and adventure going on. I was originally intrigued by the premise of the Caspian Empire down under the sea with a magical barrier creating a sort of false atmosphere and protection for the people living down below. But what happens when the barrier starts to fail is where the story really gets good.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Wow. This is A great read. Its a fast paced read that has heart pounding action, that grabs you right from the first page, and is a real page turner. It takes you into this world with the Characters. And the scenes are so vivid that you can picture them in your mind. If your a magic lover and a bit of Romance you will definitely love this read.
Shauna Joesten
ONE WILD RIDE!!!
OMG! Talk about living on edge. A whirlwind of activities and events that keep you flipping page after page. One rollercoaster ride with a plethora of emotions to sort through. An amazing storyline and strong plot bring this read roaring to life beautifully. The characters were realistic with personalities and depth that drew you in. Sparks fly as suspense and intrigue ensues. All the drama, heart pounding, uncertainty and hard hitting, smooth flowing tale that brings all the pieces together for one incredible experience. The scenes were so vividly detailed and descriptive that it gives the illusion you were right there in the middle of ground zero with them. Remarkable job Gaither, thanks for sharing this little gem with us.