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The Keeper of Night by Kylie Lee Baker

Young adult

The Keeper of Night

Debut

We love supporting debut authors. Congrats, Kylie Lee Baker, on your first book!

by Kylie Lee Baker

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Quick take

Ren Scarborough is on a journey to impress the Goddess of Death in this riveting story of monsters, magic, and Reapers.

Good to know

  • Illustrated icon, 400

    400+ pages

  • Illustrated icon, International

    International

  • Illustrated icon, Magical

    Magical

  • Illustrated icon, Underdog

    Underdog

Synopsis

Death is her destiny.

Half British Reaper, half Japanese Shinigami, Ren Scarborough has been collecting souls in the London streets for centuries. Expected to obey the harsh hierarchy of the Reapers who despise her, Ren conceals her emotions and avoids her tormentors as best she can.

When her failure to control her Shinigami abilities drives Ren out of London, she flees to Japan to seek the acceptance she’s never gotten from her fellow Reapers. Accompanied by her younger brother, the only being on earth to care for her, Ren enters the Japanese underworld to serve the Goddess of Death… only to learn that here, too, she must prove herself worthy. Determined to earn respect, Ren accepts an impossible task—find and eliminate three dangerous Yokai demons—and learns how far she’ll go to claim her place at Death’s side.

Free sample

Get an early look from the first pages of The Keeper of Night.

The Keeper of Night

CHAPTER 01

Late 1800s - London, England

The legend they tell about me goes something like this:

First, you’ll see a streak of silver across the sky, like a comet burning through the fog.

Then, the clock hands will still halfway between this second and the next.

The world will fall silent, and the Reaper will knock three times on your bedroom door. Whether you answer or not, Death will enter through the light in the keyhole. She will reach down your throat and pull your soul out from deep, deep inside you, like an endless length of rope, and you will die in a world entirely your own. There will be no one but you, and the Reaper, and her unblinking green eyes.

But, of course, urban legends are rarely ever true.

On one particular collection night, the man was already awake when I opened his bedroom window and came in to take his soul. Humans, especially the very sick ones, always sensed when one of us was coming for them.

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Why I love it

Young adult fantasy has always had a special place in my heart. When I was younger it was the first genre that truly captured my attention and made me fall in love with reading. Even now as an adult, I make space on my bookshelf for young adult fantasy writers that stand out. The Keeper of Night has certainly earned a spot on my shelf. Equal parts magical and terrifying, Kylie Lee Baker has created a world that I never want to leave.

Half-British Reaper and half-Japanese Shinigami, Ren has been collecting the souls of the dead for centuries in London, until one day, when she is forced to leave. With nowhere else to go, Ren flees to Japan with the help of her brother to become a Shinigami and serve the Goddess of Death in the Japanese underworld. Ren is not welcomed immediately, though. The Goddess presents her with an impossible task: Kill three Yokai demons. If Ren is successful, she can stay and finally become a true Shinigami. If she fails, it could mean leaving Japan forever—or worse, death.

The Keeper of Night is wonderfully written and I couldn’t stop turning the pages, eager to discover Ren’s fate. I loved exploring the Japanese underworld with Ren as she encountered demons, each scarier than the last. But this story is more than just a magical quest—it’s also about trying to find your place in the world and discovering how far you’re willing to go in order to fit in. With rich world-building and thoughtful characters, The Keeper of Night will stay with you long after you’ve finished reading it.

Member ratings (11,380)

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Young adult
View all
The Wild Huntress
Ruthless Vows
What the River Knows
As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow
Dragonfruit
The Reappearance of Rachel Price
Gwen & Art Are Not in Love
Check & Mate
Divine Rivals
Foul Lady Fortune
Anna K Away
I Must Betray You
A Wilderness of Stars
Warrior Girl Unearthed
Bloodmarked
Instructions for Dancing
The Boy in the Red Dress
Color Me In
Not So Pure and Simple
Throw Like a Girl
Frankly in Love
The Queen of Nothing
Wayward Son
The Stars and the Blackness Between Them
Anna K
Patron Saints of Nothing
The Kingdom of Back
Yes No Maybe So
Permanent Record
Full Disclosure
Oasis
Where the World Ends
I Have No Secrets
Song of the Crimson Flower
When the Stars Lead to You
All the Bright Places
Saving Zoë
Symptoms of a Heartbreak
All of Us with Wings
The Boy and Girl Who Broke the World
Past Perfect Life
There's Something About Sweetie
Again, But Better
Sky Without Stars
How (Not) to Ask a Boy to Prom
Night Music
Shout
The Deceivers
Top Ten
A Million Junes
And We're Off
Salt to the Sea