(2.5/3 Stars)
Published: March 27th 2014
Synopsis from Goodreads: When the new King of Arcadia, Audric Sjöberg is forced into hiding, his younger brother Rek, is sent to the mortal realm to find “the key”. “The Key” is the one person that can help Audric take back his kingdom, and restore peace within the wizard realm. Kailee Reece is a normal teenager, or so she believes. When Kailee’s wishes turn into reality, she becomes the target of unwanted attention. Rek’s search sends him to Astoria Oregon, where he meets Kailee, and they are drawn to one another. Kailee and Rek attempt to fight their feelings, but the temptation is too great. Kailee and Rek’s happiness is threatened by an ancient prophecy that could tear them apart. Rek must convince Kailee to return to Arcadia in order to save Audric and his kingdom. Once the kingdom is safe, Rek may be forced to say goodbye to Kailee forever.
I'm going to start the review by saying that I received my copy from T. L. Coulter herself in exchange for a review, meaning that The Key is self-published, which I do find so admirable. Marketing is hard, especially in self-publishing. I'm familiar with how tough the publishing world is, so I understand that. Unfortunately, I found that it felt like I was editing The Key as I was reading it, the amount of highlights I made. There were quite a few mistakes with wording and punctuation, and some sentences didn't quite work. Being as obsessed with grammar as I unfortunately am, it was hard for me to overlook the mistakes. Having said that, I do think the idea behind the novel really does have a lot of potential, and although it did get much better as the story progressed, I just didn't feel that it was quite there yet.
I started this blog to be honest with my reviews so I'm doing my best to do that. It wasn't that I disliked The Key, it just comes down to the fact that it wasn't for me. If everyone liked all the same books then, well, fandoms would all be huge and we wouldn't have so many favourites. Obviously, there are many 5 star reviews by people who really loved The Key, so I'm in the minority and that's fine. Unfortunately it was just a little underdeveloped in general for me, but the parts that were developed were often brilliant. I would definitely read more of T. L. Coulter's work, if it was edited to a bit of a higher level. It was almost there but just needed that little bit more to make the narrative more solid.
My favourite character was Gabe with his sarcastic comments and quick wit, I loved him, but unfortunately I didn't warm to either Kailee or Rek very much, which was problematic considering they're the main characters. Having said that, the ending was an emotional rollercoaster which I'm sure will make fans of the book very excited for the next instalment, The Oracle! Like I said, many people have reviewed and enjoyed The Key, so if you're thinking of reading it I would recommending going to see their reviews. There's romance, action, suspense and betrayal, with two different worlds and plenty of magic.
It wasn't for me this time but I may still read the next book in the trilogy to find out what happens. The Oracle (book 2) is out now, I believe!
Thank you to T. L. Coulter for providing me with a copy of The Key!
No comments:
Post a Comment