Daughter of Isis by Kelsey Ketch Review!

“Her mouth parted slightly, waiting for Seth to breathe life into her own body, just like in the story. She wanted him to awaken her senses.”

Their worlds collide in California’s high desert.

The last thing Natara “Natti” Stone wants to do is to start anew at Setemple High School. She wished she had never left London. Yet the brutal murder of her maternal grandmother has made her life very complicated. The only clue related to her murder is an ancient, encrypted necklace Natti discovered after her grandmother’s death. And if trying to adjust to American life is not enough, Natti is being stalked by a mysterious, charming high school senior, Seth O’Keefe, who is annoyingly persistent in his attempts at seduction.

Seth O’Keefe is secretly a member of the Sons of Set, an order that worships the Egyptian god of chaos. Seth’s blessing from Set, his “charm,” never failed, except with one person: Natti Stone. Her ability to elude him infatuates and infuriates him, and he becomes obsessed with the chase. But the closer he gets to her, the more his emotions take a dangerous turn, and he risks breaking one of the most valued covenants of his order. The punishment for which is a fate worse than death.

The adventure this unlikely couple becomes engulfed in could cost them their lives and their souls.

*Note: Content for Upper YA*

Ever since I heard about this book in 2013, I wanted to read it. I am obsessed with mythology, and when I heard about Daughter of Isis I knew I had to read this book. There aren't a lot of books out there about Egyptian mythology and I was excited to see what this one was about.

                Natara or Natti was a really interesting character. At first, I was annoyed by her attitude about being in a new place, but as the story progressed I began to sympathize with her because of the terrible things she had to deal with in the past. She also had a slightly sarcastic side which I love in a character because snarky comebacks always make me laugh, and she had them in spades. She is also a strong character that doesn't back down from a difficult situation, and she had me cheering for her to conquer all those in her path as the story progressed. Seth, however, pissed me off. The way he and his friends acted like girls were things to be used really set me off. I had the urge to punch him a LOT throughout the story. He really got my emotions latched onto the story, that's for sure. The strange influence he seemed to have over girls also pushed me too find out what that was and what he was.

                That mystery in the book was one of the driving forces that kept me hooked. The plot of this book was surprisingly dark, in my opinion. I can't think of a YA paranormal book that features a hero with such dark intentions. Seth just acted so evilly throughout most of the book. I haven't read many stories where the hero is just so unappealing in his actions and evil in his thoughts. What Seth did really made me hate him, and the fact that he and his family worship Set, the Egyptian God of chaos, is another reason to hate him. Natti was just trying to get through the school year in a new place with weird and unexplainable things happening all around her, and it's seemingly impossible. She also has this creepy man-whore constantly trying to use his mysterious gift of charm from Set to get into her pants. I have to admit I was rooting for Natti once Seth came onto the scene. I wanted her to put him in his place and show him that he can't push her around. Sadly, the mystery of Natti's family history is not really addressed in this book, which is a little off putting. This story was mainly about Seth and his family ties to Set, and I would have liked to know more about Natti’s connections with it all. Obviously, based on the title, she is a daughter of Isis, but that isn’t really addressed fully in this book.

                Honestly, I don't know what to think of this book. I was so excited to read it at first, but as I started reading it, my feelings started to change. I just couldn't get over the fact that the "hero" of the story was so corrupted and just evil, basically. I have never hated a main character before, but Seth will be my first, I think. I don't see how he can win me over at this point. Other than that, the plot is great. It definitely engages your emotions, which is hard to do sometimes, and it also keeps you coming back for more. Who Seth is and what purpose being a son of Set is was one interesting aspect in this book. Another aspect that keeps the readers interested is how Natti will handle Seth and what her roll in all of this is. Usually, in books like these, there is an endgame that is usually unveiled towards the middle of the book. Usually, a reader knows where the story is headed by then, but in this book it is one big mystery as to what will happen in the end. To be honest, the mysterious plot is kind of infuriating. I was scrambling for answered throughout the whole book and it felt drawn out. In some cases, people like that, but in this case, I would have liked to uncover a little more about Natti's family legacy even if it was through little reveals throughout the story. I just couldn't get over the fact that the characters were so dark and the main character didn't really have much to do with the story. She seemed more like a secondary character than a main character to be honest. I'm trying to be objecting and give this book the rating it deserves without letting my hatred for the hero and his lackeys get in the way, which is difficult. This book had a great plot that grabs your attention and your emotions. It also has really interesting concepts of supernatural powers given by Egyptian gods. All in all it was an interesting book, but in the end it didn't impact me like most books do. I give it 3 out of five stars.