Curious One! Hey there! So, I’m diving right into a series by author Breeana Puttroff. It’s called the Dusk Gate Chronicles. For the next couple weeks, I’m going to be immersed into her world with these amazing characters. I only have the first four books of her series so far and before I have even begun the second book, I can already tell you that I will eventually read all of them (8 books and 2 companion novellas). However, for now, I’m thrilled to start on what I have available!
The first book is called Seeds of Discovery and if you haven’t read it yet, I promise you, Curious One, you should. I mean, as almost always, the first book in a lengthy series spends a bit of time sorting out characters and building plot lines for future moments in the upcoming books, but you couldn’t be disappointed in Seeds of Discovery if you tried!
The Stand-Up Quinn
Quinn Robbins is a well-rounded and wonderfully built character so far. She follows her instincts, stands up for those she cares about and doesn’t give up until she has the answers she needs. This is one of the first times I have ever supported a main character as much as I do. So often, we are given a female lead who complains, causes excruciatingly amounts of unnecessary drama and oftentimes gets on our nerves. But Puttroff created an amazing female lead (so far) with a realistic family dynamic for her Dusk Gate Chronicles series.
On the flip side, our lead male character, William Rose is definitely a character. First portrayed as a bookish, quiet, perhaps a bit stand-off ish guy, you end up discovering that he is part of a 13 children royal family. He sacrifices his time with them to take advantage of the tools that Earth has to offer in terms of medicine. As well as avoiding all contact with his peers in school. I personally had mixed feelings about him by the end of the book. I liked him well enough and it’s only semi evident that him and Quinn may end up together, but I do hope he gets better as the series goes on. He’s just a bit too “the world rests on my shoulders” kind of reaction to so many things right now. Too much so in my opinion. But that just means he has that much more room to grow in the following books, right?
There are so many characters! I will try to keep this simpler and continue with the characters we are introduced to as we are introduced to them.
When William Met Quinn
Seeds of Discovery began with Quinn almost hitting William with her car on an icy mountain road in Colorado (her younger sister Annie is in the backseat). She pulled over and that’s when you are first introduced to William. He’s giving first aid to another driver in a car that had wrecked on the black ice. Quinn calls 911 and helps William keep the driver from bleeding out. As the ambulance and police arrive, she realizes that William left, disappearing into the forest.
She continues taking her sister home, but the “almost accident” rattled her a bit. At dinner, her family is talking and Annie spills what happened. Her mother, Megan, freaks out a bit, but is calmed by both Annie (4 years old) and Owen (her younger brother that’s mildly autistic and about 8 years old) as they recount that Quinn is a very safe and smart driver. It’s later discussed, with her mother, that her birth father was hit and killed in a drive by; thus, making her feel rattled and a bit concerned. Megan is worried but confides in Quinn that they must get through their fears together. It was touching and gave some realism to the chance occurrences.
Throughout Seeds of Discovery, Quinn has some interesting and very interpretational dreams. Fields of flowers and strangers, her family and the feeling of not knowing what to do are the biggest impressions from these dreams. I liked that a dream element was added. I’m not sure why, really, but it was an excellent way to help connect to Quinn and her personality.
More Characters from Seeds of Discovery
After the whole beginning of Seeds of Discovery with the “almost accident” and revealing information, we are given another couple characters…Abbie and Zander.
Abbie is her best friend and confidant in all things. They describe their relationship as practically sisters, but Quinn continued to hold information back about her actions. I can’t really blame her though. I mean, Abbie seems a bit annoying and needy. Maybe it’s because I have never really had one of those besties that you spend every day with, but if you help a guy bleeding out on the side of the road, leave your phone at home for the weekend and not get much sleep, after an apology I would totally back off and give some space, being there if need be. But Abbie seems like a lot to handle. Haha! Like I said, maybe that’s normal, but I didn’t really like her too much. Thankfully, she was only in the first bit of the book.
Now, Zander though… Out of nowhere he asks Quinn on a date and in the same night he asks her to the winter formal dance. They have a best friend history until he went to High School the year before her. After that, they kind of lost touch and didn’t talk to each other for years until she has the “almost accident” and then he shows interest and wants to be a couple. I was also annoyed by Zander. I just don’t like him very much for some reason. He seems too… I can’t put my finger on the right word. Just too much.
For the next couple weeks, Quinn follows William around (Abbie is annoying during this, suspicious and needy, like I said). Quietly and sneakily of course, but while following William the second week, she trails him to the same part of the forest as before and witnesses him literally vanishing. She actually follows him across the broken bridge and ends up in a different world! I have to say, I’m not sure I would have the guts to walk over a broken bridge, following an almost stranger. Hah! It would be an interesting situation, that’s for sure.
Williams reaction to this, of course, is both understandable and absurd. He’s almost furious at her for blindly following him, but he’s also furious at himself for “allowing” it to happen. Which is where the whole “world is on my shoulders” trait I was talking about earlier comes into play for the first time.
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Enter the Castle
No one can expect to allow or not allow someone else to do something unless they are sociopathic or psychotic or both. Anyways, Quinn follows him, is shocked (obviously) and trips – hurting her leg in the process. William bandages her up and they begin walking towards his home.
I know I’m missing a few pieces here, but there is just so much to talk about, I’m going to move forward and hopefully not forget anything too important.
As they’re walking though, Quinn’s hurt leg is too much and William has to stitch her up now. This is around the time we are introduced to Thomas. Thomas is William’s younger brother. He’s charming and attractive and keeps Quinn calm while William does his thing. The pain is excruciating though, so they give her something called Valoris seed, to which she has a rare reaction to and passes out. Quinn wakes up in the castle they were walking towards. Dr. Nathaniel Rose (a doctor from her own world) is there and he makes sure she is comfortable, has pain medication, some dinner, and goes to sleep. But not before Thomas comes into her room and answers some questions for her while she’s eating. Including that she is staying in his home, Rosewood Castle, and that he, William and their family are royal – his mother and father being the Queen and King of Eirentheos.
Thomas is a nice character. He has innocence, charms, polite manners, and an easygoing personality that even as an outside reader, you immediately are drawn towards. He plays a pretty big role in this book and it was a nice offset to all of the super serious personalities you’re given.
A Fantastical Element and Amount of Kids!
The next morning, she wakes up and finds out that she is stuck there, in the land of Eirentheos, for 10 days. However, even though 10 days pass for her here, there will only be one day that passes in Bristlecone (her home on Earth). The logistics behind that are kind of a super cool touch to the fantasy of Seeds of Discovery. It was kind of the first time you’re introduced to a fantastical element in the series and it’s a big one! Other than the whole bridge/gate to another world thing. Hah! Hopefully, they touch on it a bit more throughout the series. I honestly love the idea. For each single day on Earth, it’s 10 days in Eirentheos. Super cool concept!
That first day in Eirentheos Quinn is introduced to the whole royal family. So many children. 13 children, plus the king and queen. It’s a lot. I won’t get into all of their names, but I have a feeling that for now, the most impactful ones to Quinn’s life will be William (of course), Thomas and Linnea. I also feel like Mia (the maid who takes care of Quinn and her room) will be more important that just a maid. She is mentioned more times than some of the children, so I get the feeling that she’s pretty important to the future of the series.
Linnea is Thomas’ twin sister. Younger by 15 mins! She is intense! I love her though. She’s passionate, direct, and shows support and concern at all the right times in all the right ways. She’s also strong and individualistic, which means a lot to me in a character’s personality. I would have liked a bit more of her in Seeds of Discovery, but I’m hopeful that in the future she will be more prominent. Hopefully!
Speaking of Linnea, she helps Quinn get prepared for her first royal dinner, dance and celebration. King Stephen and Queen Charlotte just had their 13th child and are having a naming ceremony. It’s a cool idea too. In their world, when a baby is born, they aren’t named immediately. They have what’s called a naming ceremony. The baby is presented to the world, given a gift, and named on that day. The family waited for the celebration at a time when William would be able to be there (you know, since it’s 10 days in Eirentheos every day he spends on Earth).
I have to break in here really quick and say how much I love the Rose family. They are royals, princes and princesses, kings and queens, but their love and support is obvious towards one another. It has to be kind of hard too, being that they are a family of 15! The arguments and struggles with being unique and individual must be a handful to sort out on a daily basis. And Queen Charlotte is so amazing!
Tolliver the Tawful
Back to the story though, Linnea takes Quinn to her first game of Crumple (sort of like football and soccer combined). You get a glimpse into a man named Tolliver. First off, let me tell you, from the start you know Tolliver is bad news. He’s arrogant, gross and absolutely entitled! Not to mention that after the first round of Crumple, he attacks Quinn in the castle and leaves a really bad bruise on her arm. He tried dragging her to his rooms to do what you connect the dots to be bad and unmentionable things to her. She thankfully is able to get away, thanks to two of the younger Rose siblings interrupting what could have easily been an absolutely terrible situation.
I have the feeling that Tolliver will be number one on the bad guy list and the antagonist for the next few books, if not the rest of the series. To say I dislike him is an understatement and Puttroff did a perfect job at making you instantly hate him. Kudos to that!
Due to Tolliver’s attack, guards are posted everywhere and no sibling is allowed to be without one of the older male siblings unless they are in their own private rooms (Tolliver disappeared after his attack on Quinn).
With the heightened protection, Quinn attends the naming ceremony. She meets a man who seems familiar to her. His name is Alvin. Alvin ends up being pretty mysterious and enigmatic, leaving her perplexed and feeling like she should know something she doesn’t. Tolliver shows up at the after party and gets into a fight with Thomas, Linnea, William and Maxwell (another Rose sibling) after making rude and disgusting remarks about Quinn. King Stephen breaks it up, stating that Quinn is under his protection and that Tolliver, though tolerated because of his mother (the queen of neighboring kingdom Philotheum), is no longer allowed at the party.
Seeds of Discovery: Separation Safety
Because of everything involving Tolliver, Stephen decides that Quinn will be safer if she joins William, Thomas and Dr. Rose (Nathaniel) on the road to some neighboring villages that are having some problems with a mysterious illness that’s only infecting one child in each household.
It’s only been a few days now, so over the course of the next week, Quinn does the best she can to help everyone out with the mysterious illness. William has a few more moments of “the world depends on me” kind of reactions and even Thomas has a couple bad days where he is a little short and rude, though that is for a reason. I have to say, I love Nathaniel. I know you don’t get into his character too much in Seeds of Discover, but for some reason, he is just amazing. He’s kind of always there and is very kind and considerate. I hope that since he is the only other person who continually lived in Quinn’s world that he has a much bigger role to play in the continuation of the Dusk Gate Chronicles. He deserves a bigger role.
At one point, we are given a super simplified and basic history lesson into the world of Eirentheos and Philotheum. It used to be one large kingdom, but when the Queen had a difficult pregnancy, two sons were born. Twins. They were laid down beside each other and no one took time to make sure the first born was identifiable before trying to save the queen.
Because of that, the kingdom was split into two. Eirentheos and Philothium. Each half ruled by one brother. The thing about being next in line to rule is simple. The firstborn is the heir. So the rulers have their first child. That child is the heir. If that child has a child, they are the heir. If the second born of the rulers have a child, then NOT the second born, but the second-born’s first child is the heir if the firstborn never had a child. It would be easier if I could draw it out for you, but I hope you understand. Pretty much, as long as they are a firstborn child of any descendent, they are in line for the throne. The fourth-born’s firstborn would be in line, but not the fourth-born themselves. Hopefully, that makes sense! It really is simple, I promise, but hard to explain.
Seeds of Discovery by Foretelling?
By the end of Seeds of Discovery, it was asked and mentioned a handful of times about a girl being heir, so just because it’s happened that all firstborns so far who have ruled have been male, nothing declares that a firstborn cannot be a girl and cannot be heir and therefore the future ruler. Instinct tells me that this is important somehow. Like, it’s going to be a climax or plot twist or something that is revealed further down the road and though I have no idea what it could mean, I really, really, really feel it is important to the entire series.
So, there is this plant called Shadeweed that is ultra-poisonous. But only if you handle it multiple times. They liken it to poison ivy. The more times you interact with it, the worse your reaction gets – progressively. After asking and discussing the properties, reactions, and likelihood of their mysterious illness being shadeweed poisoning, they realize that there are no differences between the symptoms of their mysterious disease and those of shadeweed poisoning.
Before travelling to the next village, they begin some treatments. During their trip to the next village though, Thomas reads the children’s history book to a young girl while Quinn listens. The next morning is when Thomas acts short and rude with Quinn, before Quinn discovers that the little girl has the same rash that shows up on all the other kids involved in the mysterious shadeweed poisonings. They rush to the clinic and she begins treatment.
Eye Roll…
There’s a tender moment between William and Quinn before they have to head back to the gate. The 10 days are coming to a close and Quinn needs to get back home. During their ride to the other village though, Quinn has a lightbulb moment and asks Thomas to show them his hands. He has the same rash as the children, and she connects it to the history books. It’s why there is only one case in each family and why no adults are showing symptoms. The kids are reading and studying the books with constant and repetitive exposure, making the rash and disease worse each time they open it. When they get to the village, they test a book and find the sadeweed pollen within the pages.
The children’s history books have been contaminated and poisoned on purpose. Quinn wants to stay and help them spread the news, but she has to stay in the village so that she can get to the gate the next night. She doesn’t want to be stuck another 10 days with no explanation to her mom.
An almost tender moment happens between Nathaniel and Quinn before he leaves to go warn the other clinics experiencing the poisonings. Thomas begins treatment himself and after saying their goodbyes, William takes Quinn to the gate the next day. She passes through after making William promise to talk to her on Monday when he gets back. She finds her keys and phone and responds to missed calls and messages from her mom. This is the moment when I get kind of annoyed by Zander. She obviously hasn’t been answering him all day and he calls her, asking her where she has been. It made me roll my eyes! Hah! Needy boy…
Final Thoughts on Seeds of Discovery
And there you have it! Kind of a cliffhanger, but I loved it! There was adventure, mystery, some fear and anxiety and so many questions! I can’t wait to get into the second book, because Seeds of Discovery was a breath of fresh air and totally awesome!
Breeana Puttroff did an incredible job setting us up for the series (or so I hope!) so I’m gonna get right on into the second book of the Dusk Gate Chronicles.
Since I have the first four novels, I think I will hold off on digging into Puttroff and the ideas behind the Dusk Gate Chronicles until I have had a chance to get more information. Seeds of Discovery was a bit short, but not too short and it had so much information and adventure in it that though it read fast, it still blew you away. I will reserve final judgement until I have finished the fourth book. On that note…
I think it’s time for another book…
Check out Breeana Puttroff at the following links:
Breeana Puttroff’s Website
Breeana Puttroff on Twitter
Breaana Puttroff on Facebook
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