Review: Daughter of Isis by Kelsey Ketch

Published: October 2013

Pages: 272

Synopsis: ““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*

Rating: ***

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I received a copy of Daughter of Isis from the author in exchange for an honest review.

Daughter of Isis is very on trend when you compare to the likes of books by Rick Riordan where the protagonist is descended from various Gods and Goddesses, and for trying her luck you have to congratulate the author.

Daughter of Isis was well written, authentically creating a high school environment and mixing ‘real world’ teenage angst and other feelings and experiences with the more paranormal aspect of being descended from Gods and Goddesses. There was some sexual content, as you may expect from a novel set in a high school and this wasn’t entirely gratuitous as sexual allure and charm were used as a tool for the author to convey Seth’s powers.

The revelations about Natti’s backstory and her life before the plot begins were very well timed and perfectly delivered; not too much information as to overwhelm the reader and just enough to keep your hooked and wanting to know more.

I really didn’t like Seth as a character, and for me this was a sign that he was written very well. I think it’s easy to write a nice character who you want your audiences to interact with on a positive level, but is much more challenging to write a horrible character, or one with a very specific negative agenda.

My main criticism of Daughter of Isis was that it was inconsistent. There were times when I was captivated by the plot and the characters and I didn’t want it to end, but there were other times when the plot completely slowed and it was a chore to read. The ending set the book up well for the next instalment, but I am unsure if I would read it or not.