The story takes place in South London with Mia being the central character. She is a very talented tattoo artist and runs her own shop which she inherited from her mother and she is also a martial artist. Also inherited from her mother is the mystical side to Mia which is being a Keeper; she uses chi energy to heal and protect others in her keep. In Mia’s keep is only a handful of fighters but she strives to keep them safe whenever they enter the ring for a fight. The thing is she has to know when they are going to enter the ring so that she can perform something called stepping out~an out of body experience, which enables her to protect them. Things begin to heat up when one of the fighters in her keep drops dead. Unknown to her he entered the ring, didn’t get hurt, but a few days later his heart simply stops.
Among the men in the novel is Nick who has been in love with Mia since they were kids but hasn’t taken the big step and told her. Nick isn’t in Mia’s keep because in her heart she feels he is someone she is destined to be with~it was predicted when they were children by their mothers. Nick is a fighter too and is preparing himself for a big fight. Unknown to Mia and Nick the killer has entered their lives and presents himself as a friend who builds a friendship with them both.
The killer, Ash who likes to call himself the Dragonfly, is revealed early on in the book but this doesn’t take away from the suspense of the novel, it actually added to it. He begins training with Nick, getting Nick into the best physical shape he’s ever been in. Ash also shows up in Mia’s shop wanting to get a tattoo. Mia can feel his energy; mostly that feeling of cold coming over you. However, she’s attracted to him; he’s a really good looking guy in awesome physical shape and a man familiar with martial arts~an attraction also for Mia. Ash is attracted to both Mia and Nick but not in a good way. He’s attracted to them for their energy. He is The Thief and he wants to steal this energy in order to draw it into himself and gain his greatest desire~to live forever.
I was drawn to the writing in this novel because of the mystical quality to the words. I found myself rereading many passages just because of the way they sounded to me. A few favorite passages of mine were…
- ‘Today I watched you. Stranger, who I know. I know your faithful heart. I know what moves you; how deeply you can love. Warrior woman; loyal healer. You hunt, you defend, you carry in the chambers of your mind the songs and legends , the wisdom of your sisters. I am curious of your ways. Gifted innocent: you touch the great energy easily , carelessly. You need not steal to hold it in your hand. Let me come to your window…'(pg 55, Keeper of Light and Dust by Natasha Mostert)
- ‘For a moment she waited, sensing the vast city outside with it’s millions of windows—brightly lit and hanging like glowing squares of yellow against the darkness. A city of light despite its cold, black river, its dark alleys and passageways and deserted offices closed for the night. A city of luminous streets, of humming power lines and trains charging down subterranean tunnels. A city of souls. She could sense tidy lives and haphazard existences; flowers blooming in garden squares, weeds breaking through boarded-up windows. Everything connected. and if she listened closely she could hear the city breathing…(pg 182, Keeper of Light and Dust by Natasha Mostert)
By now it’s obvious I enjoyed the novel. I liked the story line of the kickboxers mixed in with a mystical otherworld and this novel kept me on edge wondering what was going to happen next. Was Mia going to be lost to the Dragonfly? Will he steal her energy and Nick’s? I would recommend this book for those who like novels based in the fantasy world and if you’ve never read one before, Keeper of Light and Dust would be a great start.
Make sure to check out Natasha’s website for all kinds of information on chi and out of body experiences and lots of other good stuff. She also has this great game you can play called The Keeper Game which you can find here. I played it myself and found out that I’m a Healer. If you’d like to read this book now you can buy it here in the US and here in Canada. She’s also got a great video where she talks about her book and I have to admit I was entranced by her accent the whole time. Take a look…
And a book trailer to share…
Wrighty’s Reads – April 14th
Savvy Verse & Wit – April 21st
Jo-Jo Loves to Read – April 28th
- For one entry leave me a comment. If I’m not familiar with who you are please leave me an email address. You can’t win if I can’t contact you.
- For two entries, follow my blog. If you already do, thank you and let me know~of course you still get the entry.
- For three entries, blog about this giveaway and spread the word about Natasha’s new novel.
Giveaway is open to US and Canadian residents only for one copy and my copy will be open internationally. I will draw for the winners on Saturday, April 25, 2009. Good luck!
