Keep or Unhaul: Is The Keeper of Night Worth Reading?
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Welcome to the very first entry of my Library or Let It Go series, where I draw from my overflowing TBR jar (yes every single book I own is in there!) and decide if it deserves to stay on my shelf or if it’s time to unhaul it and donate to the public library. To kick things off, I pulled The Keeper of Night by Kylie Lee Baker. A haunting young adult fantasy that’s been sitting on my shelf since I received it as a Book of the Month pick back in 2021. For years, I’ve had little interest in picking it up; which makes it the perfect candidate to finally test: Keep or Unhaul?
Billed as the first in a dark fantasy duology perfect for fans of Holly Black and Leigh Bardugo. This story blends the eerie pull of a fairy tale with the weight of an epic fantasy world. Half British Reaper, half Japanese Shinigami, Ren Scarborough has been collecting souls in the real world of London for centuries. But when her powers spiral out of control, she’s driven into a dangerous new world of gods, demons and death itself. It’s a story of identity, survival and how far will someone go to finally belong.
But here’s the real question: after sitting unread for four years, did The Keeper of Night finally earn its place on my shelf or is it destined for a life in the unhaul stack?
Title: The Keeper of Night (The Keeper of Night Duology, 1)
Author: Kylie Lee Baker
Publisher: Independently Published
Format: Physical
Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult, Historical Fantasy, YA Fantasy
Release Date: October 21, 2021
Pages: 384
Star Rating: 3 stars
Spice Rating: 0 chili pepper
Magic, Myth, and the Japanese Underworld
What first caught my attention of The Keeper of Night was the way souls are collected. When Ren takes one, she freezes time, reaches into the mouth of the chosen and pulls it out. The soul itself glittering like stardust, pulled into a vial of bone glass. Magnetized to the vial as if drawn by unseen forces. There’s a certain eerie beauty in the idea—Reapers aren’t executioners but deliverers, bound to a fate already written. Your death is decided the moment you’re born, and Ren is not Death itself but his messenger, carrying out his will on the chosen. That imagery hooked me immediately with its uniqueness—moody, earthy, and steeped in Japanese folklore in a way that felt different from other fantasy books I’ve read.
But the deeper I went, the more cracks showed, fracturing the surface. The Reapers’ harsh hierarchy is brutal, dripping with prejudice. Ren is constantly demeaned as a “half-breed,” as if her identity were a choice she made. It adds weight to her struggle to prove herself worthy—to earn respect and survive in a world that wants to reject her. And yet, despite understanding her descent, I found myself disliking Ren more and more. She feels less like a tragic antihero and more like a selfish brat spiraling into a half-baked villain arc. If this is meant to be her villain origin story, it didn’t quite land.
A Romance That Falls Flat
Her relationship with Hiro is where the story falters for me. Aside from discussions about the Yokai demons, they barely share meaningful conversations. Still, she calls him “mine” with an intensity that feels unearned. How am I supposed to believe a bond so deep that Hiro would do anything for her when it comes out of nowhere? And just as quickly as Hiro and Ren come together — rushing into marriage — they are torn apart, their union crumbling with the same speed it formed. The relationship feels hollow, built on attraction rather than trust, and it left me frustrated instead of invested. Meanwhile, Neven—her younger brother, the only one who’s ever truly stood by her— is cast aside, ridiculed, and mistreated by Ren herself. His sacrifices for her safety are countless, yet she responds with cruelty. It’s frustrating, especially when Neven was the emotional anchor of the story.
The magic system, while atmospheric, raised its own questions. Ren’s Shinigami abilities drive the narrative forward, but when the Goddess of Death herself can be frozen in time by her own creations, the rules feel inconsistent. It pulled me out of the worldbuilding, making me question the logic.
Pacing, Writing, and Final Thoughts
What I can’t deny, though, is the beauty of Kylie Lee Baker’s prose. Her writing flows with rhythm, drawing you into the Japanese underworld. Where Ren accepts an impossible task: to eliminate three dangerous Yokai demons. The pacing remains steady, the atmosphere immersive. Yet, despite those strengths, I couldn’t connect with Ren as the FMC. Her selfishness, her treatment of Neven and her shallow attachment to Hiro left me cold.
Ninety percent in, my thought was simple: if this book doesn’t deliver a mind blowing ending then I don’t think I would be continuing to the second book. And now what do I think having finished it? Honestly, I am torn. Part of me is curious to know where Ren goes from here especially after the events at the end. But on the other hand Ren feels less like claiming her power and more like burning down everyone around her just to feel like she belongs. Even if that wholeness is dark, fractured, and destined to betray her.
Keep or Unhaul?
In the end, The Keeper of Night left me with mixed feelings. Kylie Lee Baker’s writing is atmospheric and immersive. With a steady rhythm that makes it easy to sink into the world of Reapers, Shinigami, and Japanese folklore. But Ren as a main character pushed me further away the more I read, and the romance with Hiro never gave me enough reason to believe in it. While the fantasy world and pacing were strong, I couldn’t connect to with the heart of the story.
So where does that leave me? This one is an unhaul. Even if the sequel delivers something absolutely unforgettable, this one wasn’t worthy of keeping on my shelves. And, with over 2000 books on my physical TBR, Ren’s journey won’t be staying in my library.
Don’t forget to shop your local bookstore on websites like Bookshop.org or buy a copy from Amazon and determine whether it should stay on your shelves or you should unhaul it as well.
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