Warning: Will contain some spoilers for the previous book, Riders.
Readers of the explosive finale to Veronica Rossi‘s Riders will remember the fate the four horsemen of the apocalypse came to: Daryn sealed War (our hero Gideon) in a dark dimension with Samrael, the last surviving demon of the Kindred. Now, plagued with guilt, it’s up to her to rescue him in Seeker (2017).
Whilst Daryn’s role in Riders was shady at best — she was unable to adequately explain why she was forcing Gideon to round up the other horsemen of the apocalypse — we find out that she is a Seeker: she gained Sight and the ability to see the future. But she has made a fatal mistake: Gideon. Plagued with guilt at banishing him to a dark dimension, she will do anything to try and get him back. But just as she needs her Sight the most it fails her. She is no longer able to see the future and must rely on instinct alone.
Gideon returns and is satisfyingly fleshed out. Our tempestuous hero has a maturity in Seeker he did not possess before and new resolution in his goals. He also falters, but acknowledges his mistakes, marking the satisfying coming-of-age arc.
Readers are also offered a much more intimate look into the character of Daryn. Plagued by guilt for what she’s done, her vulnerabilities and dogged resolve to rescue Gideon will have YA readers rooting for her in their masses. Furthermore, the camaraderie between the horsemen also marks a satisfying development. They bring a lightness to an otherwise very dark story, as all good ensemble casts should.
Rossi is a dab hand at plotting and once more proves that in Seeker. The story is propelled forwards at a satisfying pace and, though familiar with the voice and character tropes, YA readers will be compelled to race through the novel. No doubt they’ll be clamouring for the next instalment in the RIDERS series.
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