The Keepers’ Daughter

Scottish writer Gill Arbuthnott has written a thrilling fantasy, set on a mysterious archipelago under the tyranny of Alaric, the so-called ‘White Wolf’ and his cruel army of Shadowmen. The Keepers’ daughter of the title is teenaged Nyssa, orphaned as a small child and adopted by William and Oonagh, owners of the Drowned Boy Inn. Nyssa’s comfortable existence is shattered one day when it is revealed that she belongs to a secret clan of Keepers. More revelations follow and it transpires that Nyssa has a secret tattoo on her head which Alaric is keen to decipher and that her twin brother Kit is not dead after all but has been enslaved by Alaric since childhood, as he waits for the capture of Nyssa to unravel the secrets of the Keepers. It is up to Nyssa, her uncle Marius and her friend Aria to rescue Kit and thwart Alaric’s plans.

Arbuthnott paints a vivid picture of island life and the importance and dangerous power of the sea, from the bustle of activity in the Drowned Boy Inn to the fear and distrust on Alaric’s island and the claustrophobia of hiding in the Keepers’ tombs. The well-drawn characters spring from the page and the author’s timing and sense of suspense are spot on. With romance, a hint of magic and ever-present danger, there is something for everyone in this haunting and enigmatic tale.