Keeper of Light and Dust

Pearl Ruled

Rating: 2* of five (p141)

The Book Description: A highly original supernatural thriller blending magic, science, martial arts, and the greatest desire of all: to live forever

Mia Lockheart has a secret. Her mother was a Keeper, as was her grandmother--women who were warriors, healers, and protectors. As Mia practices her craft among the boxers and martial artists of South London, and begins a romance with her childhood friend, the fighter Nick Duffy, she has no idea that a man who calls himself Dragonfly is watching from the shadows.

Adrian Ashton is a brilliant scientist, an expert in the breaking field of biophoton emissions from cells within the human body. He is also a skilled martial artist--and a modern-day vampire. With show more the aid of the enigmatic Book of Life and Death, written in the thirteenth century by the legendary Chinese physician Zhang Sanfeng, he preys on other martial artists and drains them of their chi--the vital energy that flows through the body.

Mia finds herself drawn to his dark genius, but when he targets Nick as his next victim, she is forced to choose between the two men. It becomes a fight to the death in which love is both the greatest weakness and the biggest prize.

My Review: Oh for goodness' sake. Really now! I made it to p141, the end of chapter 27, by dint of the good things I'd heard about the book...interesting conflicts, good writing, and so on. The following is said of a hungry vampire:

“His heart trembled. He couldn't remember desiring anything so much.” (p141)

And that's where my give-a-damn gave out. The writing's okay, not by any stretch of the imagination awful or even tedious, but with a tendency to the over-the-top that wore on me. It doesn't help that Mia, the main character, is so annoying to me that I want to cause her pain.

So, on balance, I think not. And I'd steer you away from it, too, if unbearable aches and eternal yearnings and the like make you twitch the way they do me. show less

Natasha Mostert's Keeper of Light and Dust is an elegant fusion of martial arts, tattooing, Eastern philosophy and medicine, and biophoton and chronobiological science. Mostert deftly meshes information with characterization and plot, and there is never a dull moment in this spiritual thriller.

Some readers may find the science or Eastern philosophy and medicinal information daunting at first look, but readers will quickly become absorbed in the plot of this novel, cheering on the main characters and yelling at them when they fail to realize the dangers they face.

Mia Lockhart is a Keeper, who protects her marked fighters from danger and from failure in the ring; Nick Duffy is a skilled fighter with a lot of heart, Mia's childhood friend, show more and a successful businessman with his own social networking business (KIME) for fighters and enthusiasts; Adrian Ashton (Ash) is a scientist, fighter, trainer, and vampire, though not in the traditional sense--he feeds on the chi of others.

In the following conversation between Ash and Mia, readers can garner a sense of each character's personality and their perspective. Dialogue in this novel will have readers chuckling and thinking in the same breath.

"He shrugged again. 'Who's to say this light is chi? I believe it is; many scientists do not. Some are still struggling with the whole idea of light-inside-the-body to begin with. But it's not just humans, of course: all living things emit a permanent current of photons, from only a few to a few hundred. Plants, animals. . . people.'

'Shiny happy people. I like that. It's very R.E.M.'" (Page 148)

The dynamic between the three characters is fluid and will have readers guessing. Readers will love watching these characters evolve and grow together. Mostert is a phenomenal writer with a gift for description. Check out the passage below for a taste of how well Mostert weaves the narrative and creates a world that is very tangible.

"Mia opened the first box. Inside was a nest of stainless-steel acupuncture filament needles--a;ready sterilized by autoclave--and a small plastic filled with sticks of moxa: herb mixture.

She carefully touched the flame from needle to needle and ignited the moxa, causing it to smoulder. Breathing out slowly, slowly, she inserted the first needle into her skin approximately two finger widths away from the crease in her left wrist. Almost immediately she could feel the dequi sensation at the point of insertion. The second and third needles went into the be and gu points in the web between the thumb and the palm and the fourth at the base of her throat. She could feel her skin turning warmer from the conducted heat." (Page 89)

Unlike some other novels, this novel sprinkles in some unique side characters, but those characters like Flash and Chilli stay on the periphery in their subordinate roles to help the main characters uncover the mysteries behind the deaths of several fighters and the mysterious The Book of Light and Dust.

Keeper of Light and Dust is great for readers who enjoy Eastern medicine, philosophy, and marital arts, as well as those that enjoy suspense/thrillers and fantasy/science fiction novels. However, the main characters in this novel are dealing with more than just spiritual and martial arts dilemmas, they are dealing with emotions, life-changing events, and the dynamics of friendship. This novel defies normal convention in the science fiction/fantasy category and transcends those confines to deliver a well constructed drama. show less

This book was a fantastic read. It had a great amount of information for those of us (such as myself here is dumb when it comes to martial arts, boxing and the chi), who are not familiar with Chinese martial arts and 'Chi', this book gives you a greater understanding of how Natasha Mostert compiled the information into this wonderful book. I'm sure she did a great deal of research on the subjects.

I've never been one for sports, but I have watched Rocky and Million Dollar Baby and such movies that revolved around athletics as the subject for the plot. That's what this book has done here. It was quite different to read than to watch those movies though.

In the book we're following Mia, who is a healer and she protects the boxers that she show more is around. But now the fighters are dying, and both her and Nick snoop around trying to figure out why. But the why, is actually a who. The who is Adrian, the modern-day vampire who steals chi's instead of life blood. Okay, almost the same thing. Just a different type of lifesource.

What I really liked about this book were the characters. I'm always drawn to very strong characters. Natasha Mostert seems to have the ability to hook you with the emotional ties to these characters. You care for them. And even though I knew who the bad guy was, you just never knew when something was going to happen. You know it's coming, but you don't know when. So I was just very 'egde of my seat' I guess you could say. But the characters evolved throughout the story. The other thing I really liked about this book was the amount of description that she gave to the reader. It wasn't too much, nor was it too little. I love details, as do most readers - that's why we read. It really brought the story to the movie theater in your head!

so now, you're not going to get any really big spoilers from me, you're going to have to take the reins and give this book a try. I sure do reccomend it! show less

Keeper of Light and Dust is one of those books that has been sitting on my TBR shelf for so long that I've forgotten where I got it. I know that I won it from a blog a couple years ago but I neglected to leave myself a note in the book about which blog it came from. After being pushed to the back of the shelf many times as review books, books by my favorite authors, and newer books were read first, I finally decided that I needed to pick this one up and read it.

Keeper of Light and Dust is a really interesting book but it definitely isn't for everyone. Mostert brings together elements of the mystical, martial arts, tattooing, and technology to create a unique blending between tradition and the modern world. Mia is a tattoo artist and a show more Keeper, watching over three martial artists. She uses her spiritual practice to protect her charges before and during each match. The death of one of her fighters brings on emotional doubts and questions about the mysterious circumstances. Nick, Mia's childhood friend and a martial artist himself, begins to investigate the death and finds several more deaths among martial artists that follow the same pattern. The two meet Ash, a handsome and charismatic martial artist searching for a new training partner. While he seems to be the perfect trainer to get Nick in shape for his next fight, Ash carries mysterious secrets and dangerous intentions.

Mostert does a fantastic job of drawing the reader into Mia, Nick, and Ash's world of martial arts and tattoos. The training sessions and fights are painted realistically but not graphically. A reader who knows little of this world would still be able to follow along. She also moves between characters easily so the reader can learn about each character's motivations without the secrets being spilled to other characters too soon. The pacing of the book is excellent and the characters are strong.

I think Mostert did the book a disservice by adding too many contemporary references though. It was almost as though the characters inserted very specific mentions of people and internet sites in order to position themselves as experts in their fields. Unfortunately, this also gives the book a very specific time frame and moves it away from a book that could remain relevant through the otherwise universal themes it presents. While I don't think Keeper of Light and Dust would ever become a considered a classic novel of any type, I think it could have had a longer shelf life while keeping the contemporary feel if the references had been a bit more generalized to the time period.

Keeper of Light and Dust is a unique story and I greatly enjoyed it. However, I can see how the subjects of this book might limit its appeal for many readers and this narrows the appropriate audience considerably. show less

Keeper of Light and Dust is mixture of martial arts, science and mystical intrigue, told from the three main characters' point of view. It also offers a very different look at the makeup of a vampire. Instead of the traditional immortal vampire living off of a person's life blood, the vampire here lives off a person's life energy to obtain immortality. Natasha Mostert has a very easy writing style that's easy to follow and she's subtly reveals secrets about each character as you read, keeping you glued to the book. There's also a great deal of historical facts and information about the different martial arts disciplines, which will make this great reading for those who enjoy these elements.

My favorite part of reading Keeper of Light and show more Dust was the interest tidbits dropped in about martial arts and beliefs from different Asian cultures. I've never practiced any martial arts myself but I've always been fascinated by it and the discipline it takes to perfect these arts. And I was intrigued by the fact that Mia wasn't only a practitioner of martial arts but also a tattoo artist, these talents gave her such an interesting air about her that I wish she was someone I could actually sit down and have a long chat with. I also found myself more drawn to the bad guy, Adrian more than the good guy Nick. That’s just my preference for the tragic bad boy persona.

While I did enjoy reading it and how it ended, I found myself wanting more to happen than what did by the end of the book. Plus, Natasha Mostert had created such fantastic world surrounding Mia’s heritage but I felt just the surface was skimmed in the story in regards to it.

Keeper of Light and Dust was a suspenseful psychological thriller steeped in mysticism and modern day science that made for fast enjoyable reading. And it isn’t as steeped in the paranormal and fantasy as the typical Urban Fantasy novel; it had more a mystical air to it. I liked Natasha Mostert’s writing well enough that I plan reading her other stand alone novel Season of the Witch. show less

Mia is a hip young woman in London. She owns a popular tattoo parlor. In her spare time, she practices martial arts and supports the fighters who spare at the same gym. She has a secret, though. She comes from a line of women who select several fighters and mystically give of themselves to keep them safe. They are Keepers and they mark their warriors with a intricately tattooed pair of eyes. Mia was initiated into this practice on her 18th birthday, when her mother tattooed a beautiful Keeper on her side. Mia enjoys her life and is fulfilled until she awakes from an unsettling dream that leaves her worried about her fighters. When she learns that one of her fighters died of what appeared to be unrelated causes three days after a fight show more he did not tell her about, she knows something is wrong. She isn’t sure what is going on, not even when she senses in her chi that someone is following her. Things start to feel even more wrong as her childhood friend, Nick, gets closer and closer to his big fight. His new trainer has him in the best shape of his life, but Mia is not Nick’s keeper. Can she keep herself, her fighters, and her best friend safe from something she senses but cannot see or understand?
I typically do not read fantasy or novels about mysticism and martial arts, but Keeper of Light and Dust drew me in from the very first page. Mia’s character and her role in the lives of fighters felt natural and real. There were little touches to Mia’s life that added a lot to her character as well. Her pet Sweetpea, named after his predecessors added a unique warmth to her personality. Despite her being a cool, young woman about London, Mia really keeps to herself when she’s not at the gym. She is close friends with her fellow tattoo artist, but Nick is the only other person she has an ongoing and personal connection with until Ash arrives. Not only did he whip Nick into shape and make him focus on what he really wanted in and out of the ring, he kept Mia just slightly off balance. I enjoyed the tension that continued to rise between Mia and Nick and Mia and Ash.

There were certain aspects of the story I was able to predict, but since the subject matter as a whole was new to me, that predictability actually helped me feel more grounded in the story. That was important because the world of martial arts, chi, and mysticism were all new to me. I enjoyed all of the details about the martial arts that Mia studied and how it differed from the fighting techniques Nick used in his training. While the more mystical vogues were a world apart from the fighting grunts, they made Scorpio gym complete. Yin and Yang. This information was important to keep in mind as Mia moved closer to confronting the force that threatened her life and the lives of those she protected.
I really enjoyed Keeper of Light and Dust. It made me realize that I enjoy fantasy a lot more than I had thought. Without giving anything away, I would have liked to have had a stronger ending for Mia. The way the ending was written works, but I wanted a more decisive ending. In some ways, it is as if what happened came down to a sudden change of heart instead of the outcome of the clash between the Keeper and the Theif. Despite my feelings about the ending, I strongly recommend this book. It would be a wonderful book to read as during the summer and may even inspire us to get more fit and healthy in mind and body. Most of all, I found it to be a lot of fun. Who can’t use a dose of reading pleasure while waiting for winter to finally and completely make way for spring?

http://literatehousewife.com/2009/04/154-keeper-of-light-and-dust-blog-tour-give... show less

First of all I think you should know that although this book is categorized in the 'Thriller' genre, I don't think it had that many scary scenes. There were a couple of opening scenes that were tense and had me thinking that I wouldn't be able to handle it, but I did just fine. I love how this book had a balanced blend of ancient Chinese traditions, mythical elements, martial arts, and even a nice love story.

The main character in this novel is Mia, who happens to be a tattoo artist, and secretly is a 'Keeper' for several martial artists that practice kickboxing on a professional level. A mystery surfaces over a period of time as a few of the boxers that Mia is a Keeper for, unexplainably die from heart problems.

Nick has been Mia's close show more friend since they were children, and although they always felt a special bond, neither one of them have been able to confront the other to bring their relationship to the next level. They end up growing closer as they spend more time together to try to solve this mystery and prevent another death.

Nick is also a professional kickboxer and Adrian, otherwise known as Ash, shows up just in time to help Nick get in prime shape for his next competition. Ash does develop a strong friendship with both Nick and Mia, but definitely is looking for more than friendship from Mia. Mia senses this from Ash, and for some reason she is strangely attracted to him also, but in a different way that she is attracted to Nick.

I really enjoyed the writing in this book. Here is an excerpt from page 135 that describes the beauty and friendship that Mia is feeling at the time:
It was a summer of beauty and friendship. She wondered if she would remember these days, one day when she was old. Would she look back to when they were all young and confident and energy was flowing strongly through their bodies? And would those memories be vital and glowing or drained by old age? If only one could stop time. Sometimes she'd be training in the dojo surrounded by voices, laughter and movement and the desire to halt time in its tracks would be so strong it took her breath away.

As a Keeper, Mia would often visit a Retreat to perform a ritual to help protect her boxers. I also enjoyed this mythical aspect of the book. I don't want to go into too much detail of this part, but I do want to share a segment from page 184 that I enjoyed:
But as she let the gate swing shut behind her, her heart lifted. Home, she thought as her bare feet followed the mossy path. Home. And as she walked down the moon-ribbed track, she knew there were ghostly footprints underneath her bare feet, unseen markers leading her on, left by Keepers who had entered before her many years in the past. Sometimes she would dream of them: of women with long necks and silver eyes, holding hands through the ages, drawing their dreams together even though the dream they shared and the burden they carried were no longer celebrated or understood.

I do not want to give too much more away about this book, as it is a thriller and I feel that I would ruin the plot if I did so.I did enjoy this novel and thought that Mostert did a great job of weaving all of the elements together. show less