Customer Reviews

Keeper of Light and Dust

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

THE KEEPER OF LIGHT AND DUST
NATASHA MOSTERT
Paranormal Thriller
Dutton Adult
Sensuality Level: Medium
ISBN# 978-0525951001
400 Pages
$25.95
Hardcover - Available April 2009

Rating: 4.5 Enchantments

I can safely say THE KEEPER OF LIGHT AND DUST is like nothing I've read before. Ms. Mostert takes the reader deep into the unusual world of Mia Lockheart, a tattoo artist, part time trainer and a keeper. The last is hidden from most of the world, private, yet she's marked by the beautiful tattoo that covers the entire left side of her torso. The tattoo is something only keepers can wear. As a keeper, it is her duty to keep her fighters safe from harm. A practice that none of them fully understand, they bare the keeper's mark on their body, identifying them as protected.

Nick Duffy has been in love with Mia since they were children. Only recently has he returned to their London neighborhood to find nothing much has changed - Mia still trains at Scorpio, and Nick is still in love with her. With a championship match ahead of him, he hopes that he can finally succeed in the fighting world, and find the courage to tell Mia just how he feels about her.

Mia's kept her keeper side hidden, even from her lifelong friend Nick. With one of her fighters soon to fight, she's about to step out in a ritual as old as time and protect him from harm. But suddenly fighters are dying. One of them was one of Mia's former protected, Valentine. Mia can't believe a sudden heart attack would take one of her fighters. Even Nick can't understand how a fighter as healthy as Valentine died and starts to look into his death. The appearance online and in the real world of someone who calls himself `Dragonfly' not only puts Nick in danger, but Mia as well. The Dragonfly is after her secrets and her power, and will stop at nothing to possess it. Just what is he really and how is he going about taking out the fighters?

Ms. Mostert does a wonderful job weaving together the paranormal, the fighters and the unfolding attraction between Nick and Mia. Long after finishing THE KEEPER OF LIGHT AND DUST, the book stays with you and things you may not have gotten during the first read start to make sense. THE KEEPER OF LIGHT AND DUST is a story that pulls the reader deep into this unique world, bringing them into the fighting realm, training alongside Nick and Mia, and waiting desperately for the truth about the Dragonfly to be uncovered before its too late and another fighter--or Mia--loses her life to the man.

The author holds graduate degrees in lexicography and applied linguistics, and is the author of SEASON OF THE WITCH, a lushly-written, beautiful novel. Ms. Mostert is an author to watch!


Lisa
Enchanting Reviews
March 2009

I did not want to put down Keeper of Light and Dust, and I did not want it to end. Well-written - British writers usually have a good command of Queen's English and irony - masterful, here is a story about one man's hunt for eternal life crossed with the lives of professional fighters, plus the presence of a young woman who is a hereditary Keeper: one with the esoteric power to safeguard the warriors under her protection.
The man whose avatar goes by the name of Dragonfly has used many names as he travels and befriends pugilists, each of whom dies mysteriously several days after a major fight. To keep himself young and powerful, Dragonfly steals their energy, their heart, their chi, using techniques developed centuries ago by a Chinese physician, Zhang Sanfeng.
Nick is a 30 year old kickboxer training for a fight, when he isn't running his popular network site with the assistance of a young techno-wizard named Flash. He is also trying to transition from the friend category to lover with Mia. Mia owns a small tattoo studio in London, in the neighborhood where she and Nick grew up as childhood pals. They both train at Scorpio's, he with the hard-hitting grunts, she with the vogues, attaining perfection of form with the katas of martial arts. A triangle forms with the arrival of the enigmatic Ash. During the day Ash helps Nick get into the best fighting shape of his life; at night he is getting an elaborate tattoo and making seductive moves on an intrigued Mia.
This is one of those books in which a heroine who is presented with a choice between the best friend as potential lover and an alluring, dangerous, worldly paramour. Interestingly enough, Mia makes a dual choice on different levels, rather like the protagonist in The Blue Sword, by Robin McKinley. There's this life, and then there is the life to come.
If you already know something about Chinese medicine, martial arts, and quantum physics, you will recognize some of the territory; if you don't, you will get quite an education embedded in engrossing story-telling. Strongly recommended.

The Review

Last year, a friend gave me a copy of Season of the Witch. It was one of the very first books that I read and reviewed on A Novel Menagerie. Naturally, I was excited to read Natasha Mostert's next novel, the KEEPER of LIGHT and DUST. As today is its official release day, I'm pleased to be able to provide my review on this book.

I enjoyed Keeper's mythical flavor and dangerous plot. I would best compare this type of book to The Gargoyle or the DarkFever series. This story is set in South England and tells the story of our heroine, Mia a "Keeper" of the martial artists she surrounds herself within the dojo. Mia is a "Keeper" like her mother and grandmother before her as well as a tattoo artist and a martial artist. Of the fighters she is tied to, the one closest to her heart is Nick, a fighter that she has known since she was a girl. They maintain a close bond of friendship, but it becomes clear to the reader that Nick and Mia should take their relationship to the next level. Mysteriously, two of Mia's fighters under her "Keep" die days after their fights in the ring. Yet, there is no link between their death and any injuries sustained during the fights.

As the story unfolds, the reader is introduced to Adrian "Ash" Ashton, a martial artist with a past as intriguing as his present. Ash befriends Nick and becomes his sparring partner. Through Nick, Mia is introduced to Ash. Although Mia is not one to mix romantic feelings with the fighters, she is inexplicably drawn to Ash. He hires her to tattoo his body with a series of Chinese symbols on his body symbolizing his spirit and his chi. Despite being drawn to him, Mia recognizes that there is something there to be feared, as well.

As a Keeper, Mia prepares for each of her fighter's fights by conducting an conducting a protection exercise during an "out of body" experience in her sleep. It is in one of these travels that she encounters a force that is after the chi of her fighters. This force is willing to fight her for their lives. This force also materializes in the real world and communicates danger to Mia while her fighter is in the ring. Suspicion arises about who is involved in this Mia and Nick eventually forge together to discover what and who this life-sucking force is and ensure the safety of the fighters within Mia's keep.

The KEEPER of LIGHT and DUST definitely had a different "feel" from Season of the Witch. This book did take me a bit longer to understand the characters, their relationships, and the dynamics associated with the martial arts aspect of this story. But, Mostert has a polished and unique way of drawing the reader to the heart of her characters and I was most assuredly connected by mid-book.

On Sher's "Out of Ten Scale:"

This book has both light and dark and gives you some concepts to consider. It's a fantasy book that allowed me to insert myself into Mia's role and desire to be that strong Keeper for those I love. For the genre Fiction:Fantasy, I award this book an 8 out of 10.

At first this book was hard to get into. Once realizing Reiki and the healing powers it does truly exist I was more interested. Its a slow moving novel, only because it's jam packed with historical facts and healing through science evidence and workings. It made me want to follow up with my own research of Reiki healing.
It was a good book, I was expecting fiction, supernatural story line. What i got was a well researched and explanatory workings of healing though science with a side of romance =)
It was a well, well written novel.

Whether or not Natasha Mostert's work is filled with intricate and arcane references or detailed with human drama matters naught in the overall appeal she seems to have for me. Whatever she writes, I like. "Keeper of Light and Dust" is no exception. A tale revolving around a Reiki master and tattoo artist that also acts as a guardian for a group of male martial artists, "Keeper" intrigues with its emphasis on main character Mia's ability to tap into another dimension to spiritually heal herself and better facilitate the kickboxing troupe of fighters unofficially under her care.

As Mostert explores the ability of the mind to control the body and prepare it to do battle, she suggests an interesting visualization not unlike the amalgam of the methodologies of Giordano Bruno and Matteo Ricci (remember the "memory palace" employed by Hannibal Lector) she openly pursues in "Season of the Witch" that embeds the paranormal within a sweet little love story involving two people who have known each other since their teenaged years.

Mostert employs the age-old device of the triangle to bring her action to a biting and satisfying climax where evil gets its comeuppance and love reigns eternal. Of course, Mostert's fallen angel reeks with charm, intelligence and education which makes him all the more difficult to resist. She endows her hero with sensitivity and protective instinct that her female readers will definitely appreciate.

She structures her novel by juxtaposing the very modern--an Internet blog detailing the anonymous foe's spiritual philosophy that kicks off each chapter--with a sense of ancient memories and traditional occult practices. The love element filters in between building with the intensity of a tsunami, empowering its participants with its steady strength.

Bottom line? Natasha Mostert's "Keeper of Light and Dust" will provide mellow and compelling entertainment for readers who like to dabble in the nebulous territory of the unknown. Here, a "keeper" of an ancient art guards a group of kickboxers from an unknown but lethal adversary and learns a great deal regarding the power of unconditional love. Recommended.
Diana Faillace Von Behren
"reneofc"

The book ended faster then what I expected. But when you have something that is a good read, you don't want it to end.

I already own this book but needed it as a gift. The pricing was fabulous and I was able to give my friend a great book to read! Thanks!

An intriguing novel which combines martial arts and the presence of warriors, integrating science in the threads of the plot, to leave the reader reflecting on how the redemptive power of love can produce a racy and entertaining thriller of the 21st Century which combines themes going back to the beginning of time.

As you decide on what to read next, I would strongly recommend Keeper of Light and Dust by Natasha Mostert. It is at an intersection of ancient arts, the world of fighters, dreams, and the supernatural. In short, it is a very original, highly entertaining novel.

Mia is a Keeper, a woman that protects warriors and fighters using long distance healing. It is a practice that traces it roots back to early Chinese history. But this aspect of her life is hidden from those that she protects, as today's fighters (boxers, kickboxers, and mixed martial artists), a superstitious bunch, probably could not handle this knowledge. However, as a tattoo artist, Mia applies her "sign" to the fighters that she protects. To them, it is simply a curious and interesting tattoo. She is a very effective Keeper. However, one of her fighters dies days after a match, after his heart simply stops beating. A close childhood friend, Nick Duffy, unaware of Mia's secret, discovers that this fighter is not the only one to have died days after a match; there are several more. He investigates. However, into their lives arrives Adrian Ashton, a scientist, martial artist, and expert in chi, that becomes Nick's training buddy and Mia's love interest. "Ash" has a secret as well, one that will pit Mia in a battle for her life and the life of Nick. A battle that is much physical as it is in the dream world of the Keeper.

At times gritty, beautiful, mysterious, Mostert has created one of the most unique reading experiences of the year. Infused with actual knowledge of the martial arts, chi, and the spartan training facilities of men who fight, Mostert has created characters that are well developed and believable, and a plot that dares the reader to stop reading. Beginning select chapters with passages from The Book of Light and Dust adds a sense of mystery to the story. What is this other book and what does it signify? Why are there apparent directions coded "Blacklight" and "Whitelight?" Very mystical and yet fascinating. Dividing the dojo into "grunts" and "vogues" adds lightness to the novel, as the "grunts" are those that practice the physical martial arts who can't understand Mia and the "vogues," those that practice perfection of technique and strengthening of the mind. But it is Mia, a slight female vogue that is protecting a couple of grunts. Gritty as she wanders the world of fighters, Mostert brings the sights and smells of training and fighting to life. Balanced with the lightness of Mia and her role as a Keeper, you enter a world of beauty and protection, handed down through the ages. A different kind of killer, one that requires the chi of certain fighters, Mostert opens another world, an ancient one tied to the life force of a person and the teachings of Eastern philosophies. And as you progress through the book, you are held captivated by Mostert's excellent writing and characters. This is a novel that is thoroughly engaging and an author that is imaginative. A combination that results in one of the best books of the year.

Like her mother and grandmother before her, Mia Lockheart is a Keeper; a person who uses Chi life energy to heal and protect others. She also knows that practitioners of the Book of Life and Death can drain the Chi from a victim. In her case only South London fighters belong to her keep, but she makes them safe just before they enter the ring. One of her fighters failed to tell her he was entering the ring; he died from unknown causes a few days after his bout.

A fighter Nick Duffy is someone Mia could easily love, so she has not marked him as hers. When she asks him about her fighter who died, Patrick mentions other battlers have also died in the same way in the past five years. Patrick hires Adrian Ashton as his trainer for a championship match. Adrian gets his new fighter prepared, but hides his real agenda from Patrick. Mia knows what it is and plans to stop him anyway she can, but can you stop someone who does not comes out of the shadows to reveal what he truly is.

Natasha Mostert has written an enthralling supernatural thriller that combines science, metaphysics, and Asian martial arts to forge a system that can either heal or kill. Mia is a strong woman who comes a from a long line of strong women; she is a warrior and healer. Adrian is the enigma who brings the freshness to the tale as Mia wonders if her attraction to him is because he may be her yang even as she is falling in love with Nick. KEEPER OF LIGHT AND DUST is a magical metaphysical Mostert masterpiece.

Harriet Klausner