What do you think?
Rate this book
Seven Wonders #3.5
The Key
Discover the history behind the mystery of the New York Times bestselling Seven Wonders series in this original novella. Follow the tale of Aliyah and Osman, twin treasure hunters pressed into a life of crime. For them, every day is another desperate death-defying adventure until they stumble upon the key that may lead to the greatest treasure ever. But to take home this magical orb, they must first battle their way out of the Tomb of Shadows. With crucial historical details and plenty of backstory surprises, this is a perfect addition to the library of new and continuing fans of Seven Wonders, the epic adventure series by Peter Lerangis, author of three stories in the 39 Clues series.
96 pages, Paperback
First published January 29, 2015
32 people are currently reading
1204 people want to read
About the author
Peter Lerangis
152 books794 followersLerangis's work includes The Viper's Nest and The Sword Thief, two titles in the children's-book series The 39 Clues, the historical novel Smiler's Bones, the YA dark comedy-adventure novel wtf, the Drama Club series, the Spy X series, the Watchers series, the Abracadabra series, and the Antarctica two-book adventure, as well ghostwriting for series such as the Three Investigators, the Hardy Boys Casefiles, Sweet Valley Twins, and more than forty books in the series The Baby-sitters Club and its various spin-offs.[1] He has also written novels based on film screenplays, including The Sixth Sense, Sleepy Hollow, and Beauty and the Beast, and five video game novelizations in the Worlds of Power series created by Seth Godin.[2] As a ghostwriter he has been published under the name A. L. Singer.[3]
Lerangis is the son of a retired New York Telephone Company employee and a retired public-elementary-school secretary, who raised him in Freeport, New York on Long Island. He graduated from Harvard University with a degree in biochemistry, while acting in musicals[4] and singing with and musically directing the a cappella group the Harvard Krokodiloes,[5][6] before moving to New York. He worked there as an actor[7] and freelance copy editor for eight years before becoming an author.[8]
In 2003, Lerangis was chosen by First Lady Laura Bush to accompany her to the first Russian Book Festival, hosted by Russian First Lady Lyudmila Putina in Moscow.[9][10]Authors R. L. Stine (Goosebumps) and Marc Brown (the Arthur the Aardvark series) also made the trip with Bush.[9]
Also in 2003, Lerangis was commissioned by the United Kingdom branch of Scholastic to write X-Isle, one of four books that would relaunch the Point Horror series there.[11] A sequel, Return to X-Isle, was published in 2004.
In 2007, Scholastic announced the launch of a new historical mystery series called The 39 Clues, intended to become a franchise.[12] Lerangis wrote the third book in the series, The Sword Thief, published in March 2009.[13][14][15] On March 3, 2009, Scholastic announced that Lerangis would write the seventh book in the series, The Viper's Nest.[14][16]
Lerangis lives in New York City with his wife, musician Tina deVaron, and their sons Nick and Joe.[17]
Lerangis is the son of a retired New York Telephone Company employee and a retired public-elementary-school secretary, who raised him in Freeport, New York on Long Island. He graduated from Harvard University with a degree in biochemistry, while acting in musicals[4] and singing with and musically directing the a cappella group the Harvard Krokodiloes,[5][6] before moving to New York. He worked there as an actor[7] and freelance copy editor for eight years before becoming an author.[8]
In 2003, Lerangis was chosen by First Lady Laura Bush to accompany her to the first Russian Book Festival, hosted by Russian First Lady Lyudmila Putina in Moscow.[9][10]Authors R. L. Stine (Goosebumps) and Marc Brown (the Arthur the Aardvark series) also made the trip with Bush.[9]
Also in 2003, Lerangis was commissioned by the United Kingdom branch of Scholastic to write X-Isle, one of four books that would relaunch the Point Horror series there.[11] A sequel, Return to X-Isle, was published in 2004.
In 2007, Scholastic announced the launch of a new historical mystery series called The 39 Clues, intended to become a franchise.[12] Lerangis wrote the third book in the series, The Sword Thief, published in March 2009.[13][14][15] On March 3, 2009, Scholastic announced that Lerangis would write the seventh book in the series, The Viper's Nest.[14][16]
Lerangis lives in New York City with his wife, musician Tina deVaron, and their sons Nick and Joe.[17]
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
January 24, 2024
The fact that the female lead character repeatedly compared herself to 'Most Girls' was really annoying. It felt like that is how the author thinks girls think about themselves.
April 11, 2021
It's been a few years since I read the Tomb of Shadows, the third book in this series and this novella (technically 3.5 in the series) was read with the aim of rekindling my interest in it. Did it? Kind of, not to the extent I hoped though. There are two more books to go in the series which I have in my possession so hopefully I can get through them this year as well, I definitely want to see how the adventure for Jack & Co will end.
───────────────────
I love Tomb Raiders, I'm a huge fan of Lara Croft and reading something about a similar profession had me excited tbh, I've always wanted to read something on the same wavelength as the before mentioned series and even though it's not as good or on the same badass vibe, it had its moments. It's a pretty short novella but it took a while for me to read, not because it was totally boring because that's not true but because I don't know these characters to actually care about what happens to them.
That reason is because of the nature of the Seven Wonders series, it's a story across eons so a lot of new characters can be included in various books and novellas without the story seeming out of the norm or anything of the sort. The characters, however aren't largely likable in the slightest to increase my interest, not the twins, not their father and definitely not his crew. Of course we can shove that into the "I didn't have the chance to get to know them in a bigger light to make a bigger impression" but since it's a novella I doubt I'll ever be meeting them again for that opinion to change or to actually see the aftermath of that promise our heroine made so yeah, kind of leaves a little more to be desired in that area.
However I did end up regaining a little bit of my interest in the series in the last 20 or so pages of this, so I don't consider it a complete a waste of time and again the last 20 pages are really interesting. I do have a feeling that the so called "Key" they found here will be returning in the main story, or at least I'll be seeing it once again and I definitely hope so since I'm curious to see what it will unlock assuming that it isn't just one of the Seven Loculi our Trio in the main series are supposed to find but that's spoiler territory so let's leave it here lol. I think I want to pick this up soon, not sure when exactly but very very soon.
Final rating: 3/5
───────────────────
I love Tomb Raiders, I'm a huge fan of Lara Croft and reading something about a similar profession had me excited tbh, I've always wanted to read something on the same wavelength as the before mentioned series and even though it's not as good or on the same badass vibe, it had its moments. It's a pretty short novella but it took a while for me to read, not because it was totally boring because that's not true but because I don't know these characters to actually care about what happens to them.
That reason is because of the nature of the Seven Wonders series, it's a story across eons so a lot of new characters can be included in various books and novellas without the story seeming out of the norm or anything of the sort. The characters, however aren't largely likable in the slightest to increase my interest, not the twins, not their father and definitely not his crew. Of course we can shove that into the "I didn't have the chance to get to know them in a bigger light to make a bigger impression" but since it's a novella I doubt I'll ever be meeting them again for that opinion to change or to actually see the aftermath of that promise our heroine made so yeah, kind of leaves a little more to be desired in that area.
However I did end up regaining a little bit of my interest in the series in the last 20 or so pages of this, so I don't consider it a complete a waste of time and again the last 20 pages are really interesting. I do have a feeling that the so called "Key" they found here will be returning in the main story, or at least I'll be seeing it once again and I definitely hope so since I'm curious to see what it will unlock assuming that it isn't just one of the Seven Loculi our Trio in the main series are supposed to find but that's spoiler territory so let's leave it here lol. I think I want to pick this up soon, not sure when exactly but very very soon.
Final rating: 3/5
December 17, 2020
This would seem to have nothing to do with the Seven Wonders series in general.....at first. But in book 3 we learn that the Loculi of Healing had been stolen before Jack and his friends got to it. This short story tells us WHO stole it and why,which I admit I was curious about.
A desperate family goes treasure hunting to help save their lives and financial future. Unfortunately tragedy happens and a girl is left alone....wanting revenge and the Loculi back. Wonder if she's going to come up in the next book🤔
A desperate family goes treasure hunting to help save their lives and financial future. Unfortunately tragedy happens and a girl is left alone....wanting revenge and the Loculi back. Wonder if she's going to come up in the next book🤔
August 6, 2024
It was short, it wasn’t really bad but it didn’t connect to the story for me. There is not much to say. I’m still not warm with the series and finished the first three books and the short stories in between in order.
October 12, 2017
Audiobook
April 28, 2019
I love this novella so much!!!!!!!!!
January 22, 2022
This was unfortunate. Only one interesting thing happened and it towards the end. I have 5 other books in the series and I am going to be donating them. I guess it's more space on my shelves now lol
October 7, 2019
This book provides some good background for one of the characters introduced in Book 4. Well worth reading.
December 29, 2016
Exciting and makes me want to read the Seven Wonders series.
August 17, 2015
Ever since their mother died, Aliyah has watched her family fall apart. She lives in a hovel with her twin brother, Osman. Their treasure hunting father is rarely around, let alone sober. And since their mother's death, their father has been working for several shady men. When their father is commissioned to search the ruins of the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus for treasure, the twins decide to go with him. But their search turns into a nightmare when the twins and their father run into the zombie of Artemisia.
Lerangis creates an intriguing novella where readers follow the courageous, but desperate Aliyah as she tries to hold her family together through any challenge: alcoholism, criminals, treasure-seeking ferrets, backstabbing business partners, sibling stupidity, or crumbling zombies. Aliyah's character seems incredibly real and tangible from the words she writes in her diary. Lerangis proves he is a master writer in composing such an emotionally rich story in less than eighty pages. A great supplemental read to Seven Wonders Book 3: Tomb of Shadows.
(Found on Children's Compass Chronicle: childrenscompasschronicle.blogspot.com)
Lerangis creates an intriguing novella where readers follow the courageous, but desperate Aliyah as she tries to hold her family together through any challenge: alcoholism, criminals, treasure-seeking ferrets, backstabbing business partners, sibling stupidity, or crumbling zombies. Aliyah's character seems incredibly real and tangible from the words she writes in her diary. Lerangis proves he is a master writer in composing such an emotionally rich story in less than eighty pages. A great supplemental read to Seven Wonders Book 3: Tomb of Shadows.
(Found on Children's Compass Chronicle: childrenscompasschronicle.blogspot.com)
April 25, 2016
So I have to say these journal novellas are all a great big bundle of depressing. As with the others they're interesting yes, but the idea of any of them being an HEA is laughable.
This novella tells the story of how the loculi of healing was taken from Artemisia and exactly what she took in return for it. The characters' lives take depressing to a new level, and all of the adults in their lives, their father included are horrible people.
The setting and action are interesting, but most of the story I just kept feeling sorry for those kids hoping things would get better for them and knowing because of the series that it wasn't going to happen.
Again it's really not necessary to the regular book series though it does offer some back story on things that have occurred in the main books. As long as you're not looking for a story that will make you smile these are decent reads, but if you're looking for an HEA I'd probably skip the journals all together.
This novella tells the story of how the loculi of healing was taken from Artemisia and exactly what she took in return for it. The characters' lives take depressing to a new level, and all of the adults in their lives, their father included are horrible people.
The setting and action are interesting, but most of the story I just kept feeling sorry for those kids hoping things would get better for them and knowing because of the series that it wasn't going to happen.
Again it's really not necessary to the regular book series though it does offer some back story on things that have occurred in the main books. As long as you're not looking for a story that will make you smile these are decent reads, but if you're looking for an HEA I'd probably skip the journals all together.
June 15, 2021
I could not get into this one. The diary format really killed it. The writing severely struggled to find a balance between pre-teen diary entry and 3rd person omniscient point-of-view. The diary entries were too verbose, and the vocabulary and writing style were too mature - making it impossible to suspend disbelief. It would have been better just being written in 3rd person.
It was also hard to get invested in the story because I couldn’t find the connection between it and the other stories until, literally, the end when Queen Artemisia appears. I feel like the story could have started at the halfway point, because it just seemed to drag despite only being a two-hour listen on audio.
The story ended with the implication that the main character might make an appearance later in the series, but even if they do, I feel like this volume of the series could easily be skipped.
It was also hard to get invested in the story because I couldn’t find the connection between it and the other stories until, literally, the end when Queen Artemisia appears. I feel like the story could have started at the halfway point, because it just seemed to drag despite only being a two-hour listen on audio.
The story ended with the implication that the main character might make an appearance later in the series, but even if they do, I feel like this volume of the series could easily be skipped.
January 22, 2016
not that the story was horrible or anything, but i was expecting the death of the twins Aliyah and Osman, because according to the newsclipping, this theif known only as Khalid "lost his two companion" and "no bodies had been found". this was what the cannon series said and yet the novella came up with a different ending?
some point in time has gone terribly wrong.
and even tho i see it coming, taking Osman away, it's still so very, ugh why.
and Artemisia. rattag queen with the name like Artemis the goddess of hunt. she lived up to that name very well. that witch.
some point in time has gone terribly wrong.
and even tho i see it coming, taking Osman away, it's still so very, ugh why.
and Artemisia. rattag queen with the name like Artemis the goddess of hunt. she lived up to that name very well. that witch.
January 4, 2016
Follow the tale of Aliyah and Osman, twin treasure hunters pressed into a life of crime. For them, every day is another desperate death-defying adventure until they stumble upon the key that may lead to the greatest treasure ever. But to take home this magical orb, they must first battle their way out of the Tomb of Shadows
July 5, 2016
Short journal/diary type story from the POV of a young girl whose father drags her and her twin brother around on failed archeology expeditions.
If you read and remember ‘The Tomb of Shadows’, Jack was told that someone had previously stolen the Mausoleum Loculus. Well, this is that story.
Footnote: I hated the ending.
Fave scenes: ten minutes later and entering the crack.
If you read and remember ‘The Tomb of Shadows’, Jack was told that someone had previously stolen the Mausoleum Loculus. Well, this is that story.
Footnote: I hated the ending.
Fave scenes: ten minutes later and entering the crack.
March 22, 2015
I nice addition to the series. I really like these short ebooks that give you a bit of background.
May 17, 2015
I apologize for finishing this book late. I got very busy with life and had almost no time to deal with this.
Check out my review on stephenroivelez.wordpress.com! :)
Check out my review on stephenroivelez.wordpress.com! :)
July 13, 2015
its alright. not as great as the series seven wonders. good thing it was short.
June 13, 2016
Short story added to the Seven Wonders series.
November 13, 2016
Short! Raises more questions than answers! But then, that's what a teaser is meant to do!
January 3, 2017
A great story on what happened to the loculi.
May 16, 2016
written from the perspective of a child. Not a big fan of the book
July 24, 2018
Same as the previous novellas, none of the characters appeared in this novella except for the goddess(?) that appeared in the third book?
It focuses on Aliyah and Osman as they venture out to find something that I've forgotten because it's been weeks since I've finished and I don't remember anything from the novella at all.
Wasn't that interesting, just a filler-novella for the series. Not worth reading though, quite disappointed with the novellas to be honest.
It focuses on Aliyah and Osman as they venture out to find something that I've forgotten because it's been weeks since I've finished and I don't remember anything from the novella at all.
Wasn't that interesting, just a filler-novella for the series. Not worth reading though, quite disappointed with the novellas to be honest.
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews