Book Review: The Seeker by Ann Gabhart--DNF

About the book:

Charlotte Vance is a young woman who knows what she wants. But when the man she planned to marry joins the Shakers--a religious group that does not marry--she is left dumbfounded. And when her father brings home a new wife who is young enough to be Charlotte's sister, it is more than she can bear. With the country--and her own household--on the brink of civil war, this pampered gentlewoman hatches a plan to avoid her new stepmother and win back her man by joining the Shaker community at Harmony Hill. Little does she know that this decision will lead her down a road toward unforeseen peace--and a very unexpected love.

Ann H. Gabhart brings alive the strikingly different worlds of the Southern gentry, the simple Shakers, and the ravages of war to weave a touching story of love, freedom, and forgiveness that sticks with readers long after they have turned the last page.

My thoughts:

You know, I hate to say it, but this was just not the book for me. I never leave a book unfinished. Ever. I just could not get into this one. I really wanted to enjoy it because I always like reading about new cultures and religious sects. It wasn't as though I didn't give the book a fair shot (I read the first 180 pages out of 400+), but there was just far too much attention to detail for my tastes, and not enough dialogue between the characters.

I didn't care for Selena at all, and thankfully, she really wasn't a full-fledged main character or I would've stopped reading the book much sooner. I also didn't like that it took 100 pages before Charlotte decided to join the Shakers. It wasn't as though she was ruminating on it for 100 pages, but that there was all this other stuff happening that was, at times, overly repetitive. I didn't care for Charlotte's father, either, since he pretty much let Selena take over his entire household without saying a word.

All in all, it was a bummer to leave it unfinished. There are several reviews already out there praising the quality of the book, the setting and history of the story, and that it's the best book in the series. I haven't read the other books in the series, and didn't feel that I was missing anything in the storyline of The Seeker. But in all honesty, the story was just too flat for me. I am giving it a rating of 2 stars.

**Thanks to Revell for providing a copy for review in exchange for my honest opinion.