What price would you pay for freedom? Return to the acclaimed dystopian world of the Key by New York Times bestselling author Kristin Cast, as two young rebels fight to determine their own worth and change the world along with themselves.
Safety comes with a price.
The Key Corporation has kept Westfall safe from pandemics for the last fifty years. But that’s not all they’ve done …
After discovering the shocking truth behind the Key Corporation, nurse Elodie and misfit Aiden have managed to escape in search of New Dawn—the stronghold for the Eos resistance movement. There, they can fight for a better world, one where everyone can make their own futures.
But things aren’t always as they seem, and as they navigate the tricky paths between perception and reality, freedom and fighting for survival, the two young rebels must discover who they can trust, even as they learn more about who they really are …
Kristin is a #1 NYT and #1 USA Today bestselling author with over 30 million books in print.
She is proudly neurodivergent (ASD + OCD) and deeply consumed by character-driven chaos, emotionally vulnerable heroes, and smart, sexy heroines who always get the last word and the hot guy. When she’s not writing, you’ll find her devouring thriller, horror, and romance novels, practicing witchcraft, and being the exact kind of unhinged that makes group chats worth opening.
This one's on me. I should have known that I probably wasn't going to be a fan of this one based on my thoughts on the first one, but yet, my brain has this thing where i need to know how things end so I had to read it. And here we are... I was not a fan.
What was this?
First off, way too many POV's. We do not need to have everyone's POV under the sun. Especially creepy stalker assholes. And especially when they bring nothing to the plot except gross vibes. It really weighed down the story and the pacing. And for a YA book, I think it was a little too much. More so when you add in the sexual assault chapter. But that could just be me.
Everything in this book felt drawn out until you get to the last chapter when apparently the author was like, Oh i need to end this - and then she just wrapped everything up super fast. In a bow. And threw in some death for shock value (because really? what was that?)
I don't really have a lot to say about this one because I didn't really like it and I don't just want to write and ranting review. There was no character development, no world development, no HEA, no real logical ending, and no answer to really how the world moves forward. It just ends. I don't know. I read it and now it's off my shelves. The end.
I received an ARC of this title from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and were not affected by the free copy.
I was really excited for this book, so the moment I found it available on NetGalley, I requested an ARC. While the book was fine, it didn't live up to my hopes.
First off, trigger warnings included by the author: sexual assault and suicidal thoughts. I would like to include one of my own, I wish I had known about it going in: Stalking. And what makes it worse, is that the author includes chapters from the point of view of the stalker. I wish I had known about this going in, I would have been more mentally prepared to handle it.
Moving on. The pacing was a bit weird-it's meant to be, show the characters going through something specific (I can't say more than that without spoilers) but it still threw me for a loop. The insta-love is still strong (even with other characters!) and there is little growth, except for surprisingly, Elodie. She finally, FINALLY, makes a choice for herself-kind of-one chapter for the end, and then literally the choice was taken from her. So that was fun.
Technically, everything was sort of wrapped up, and yet I can't remember what changes society was going to make. I literally finished this book 2 days ago. That's a bit sad. So while part of me wants a third book, I don't know if I would actually read it.
It's time to head back to Westfall. The Key Corp has kept everyone safe from the Cerberus virus these last fifty years, but that isn't all they have been up to........ Aiden and Elodie escaped the Key Corp and are now on their own in Zone 7 searching for the resistance group New Dawn. They hope to be able to join the group and work with them to fight for a new world. One where everyone can make their own future, without the interference of the Key Corp. However, Zone 7 isn't all that it appears to be, and Elodie and Aiden must quickly learn who they can trust and what is real and what is not. Zone 7 teaches them more about who they both are, and what the true cost of the freedom they seek will be. So, I take back a lot of the things I said in my review of The Key to Fear about the writing being generic tropes for the genre. This book was nothing like that. I felt like this was a rare case where book 2 was actually better than book 1. Cast really picked things up with this book. I liked this book SO MUCH more than Book 1. The multiple POV continues in this book. We get perspectives from Aiden, Elodie, Blair, and several other characters. This book also goes into a lot more detail on all the dirty details that The Key has been up to over the last fifty years. I won't spill all the details here as I don't want to spoil anything for those who will want to read this one. Rest assured, they have been up to some nasty stuff, which I'm sure will surprise absolutely no one. We don't just get more detail on The Key in this book however, we get a lot more detail on Aiden, Elodie, Blair, and even some new characters. So much character development happens in this book, especially in the first third. It is also revealed that a few characters are not quite as they appeared in the first book. Then, right around the time you feel settled in what is happening in the book, Cast pulls the rug out from under your feet. BOOM! Plot twist! I won't give it away, but it was pretty big, and I was both shocked and impressed with it. Overall, the plot sticks to what was set up in the first book- The Key Corp has protected humanity from the Cerberus virus, and also has some nefarious dealings behind the scenes. Aiden and Elodie are still fighting alongside Eos trying to free humanity from under the thumb of The Key. This time they are joined by some unlikely allies who have also had their eyes opened to what The Key truly is. The undercurrent of feminism returns to this book as well. This brought with it a fresh round of fantastic feminist quotes, such as, "For every strong woman, there was a man who desired her for no reason." I really enjoyed this theme in the first book, and I was glad that this book included it too. The pacing of this book was great, it kept a nice steady pace until about the last third, then it really ramped up which felt just right. I can't think of a spot where it felt slow or draggy at all. In reading these two books I have really come to like Cast's writing style. I will definitely be checking out her other books, which are hopefully just as good. This book was a bit of an emotional rollercoaster. I laughed, and I cried. There are definitely some openings in the ending for a third book, which I am hoping will be coming in the future. I looked at the author's website and socials, and didn't see any info on a 3rd book, so fingers crossed it's coming because I have questions! I didn't think these were plot holes, they felt more like openings for more story in the future. Elodie wasn't a strong main character in the first book, but in the second she has definitely evolved to be a strong main character. She doesn't lean as heavily on others, and is far more self-reliant. I think that learning the truth about The Key, and everything she experienced in the first book really forced her to be a bit more grown up. Meanwhile, Aiden has learned from his mistakes in the first book, and is working at being a bit less impulsive and thinking his actions through a bit more. One thing that I did find interesting in this book is how the language changed from the first book. The Key to Fear was published in October of 2020. In it, when talking about how people tried to keep their distance from one another, the author never used the term "social distancing", which we are all painfully familiar with at this point. However, in The Key to Fury, she mentions social distiancing, and a few other pandemic related terms that weren't present in the first book. I found it interesting to see how the actual pandemic that we all have been living through influenced how she wrote about the fictional pandemic in Westfall. I definitely would recommend this book, it was so much better than I thought it would be. The series on a whole, I think is also great. Looking back at The Key to Fear, with the knowledge that I have now, what felt generic and like standard tropes, really more reflects the naivete that Elodie has about the world around her. She is blind to The Key and what they are doing to society, she has no idea what is truly going on in the world, and the style of writing reflects that. In The Key to Fury, she knows the truth, and has grown up significantly and the change in writing reflects that. I really like how they come together in this way. There were also several twists and reveals that I didn't see coming at all, The Key was up to way more than I thought they were. I love it when a book can surprise me in this way, so many times I am able to see what is coming from a mile away, and that just takes all the fun out of it. If you like YA books, dystopia, sci-fi, or just want to try something different, definitely give these a read. Just remember- After the storm comes the dawn.
I quite liked this book! The plot remained twisty and full of intrigue. It was also incredibly fast paced. I enjoyed the focus on strong female characters and being independent. I grew to like Blair a whole lot more, but I still didn't have too strong of feelings towards Aiden and Elodie. I did love learning more about the experiments and technology of the world. Though, I do think there could have been a little more time spent on the smaller details. There were two main things keeping me from giving it a higher rating, those being: a lack of connection with many of the characters and feeling underwhelmed by the ending. By the end, really the only character I had a strong liking of was Blair. I feel like I should have cared more about Elodie and Aiden, but I just didn't. As for the ending, I was loving it but then it was the last few pages and it just felt rushed. There was also a loose end that was never tied up, so I am hoping for a third book! As a whole, the book was enjoyable to read, I just had a couple things I didn't love about it.
After reading the first book, I read the second. Regret? YES.
I was flipping through the pages, and there was a trigger warning. Wtf is that doing here? BLOODY FUCK. The characters think like the author. What was I thinking reading this... OK, back on point, some characters act like they had depression and had a hard time in life; I honestly feel bad for the author, but pls don't make your characters get through the pain. Now, the SA was not needed. Additionally, the author's acknowledgement was quite unique. Instead of thanking the people, she put 3 phone numbers for therapy or helpline. Omg, wtf was this shitty written stuff. I'll be honest. The story is just a typical Disney fairytale. If you want it to be a Disney fairytale, remove the romantic and touchy shit. It doesn't match AT ALL. 😒
I won't be saying much about it because I already talked too much in the first book, The Key to Fear. Honestly, the name hooked me. I just really regret it now.
For fifty years, the Key Corporation has kept the pandemic from returning. Elodie and Aiden have learned that there is more to the Key Corporation than what the public knows and they are on the run and hope to find New Dawn. The Eos resistance movement says they are working towards a better world, but are they just another group of people who hunger for power? Who can these two young people trust? What other truths will they learn along the way?
The Key to Fury is the second book in The Key series. I want to start by saying that I enjoyed the first book, but was disappointed with this story. The overall feel was formulaic and I wanted something unexpected. Readers do learn more about these characters and the world they live in, so there is a chance that the next volume will redeem the series. I will give the series another chance if Cast decides to extend it.
This book has such an amazing plot twist that even I couldn’t wrap my mind around it at first. I loved Elodie’s character development and I love Blair for begin Blair. The multiple POV’s had me wanting to skip to the next chapter in their POV’s, but I didn’t because I wanted to read the other chaptes so bad. Why 3 stars out of 5? There is a lot of character development, but I was hoping I’d learn more about the Key. That is the element that makes this series the most interesting to me. I missed that. I am hoping for a book 3, because things just didn’t feel completely finished. I would read book 3, just because I want to know what happens next, so far we’ve learned that there is no such thing as a dull moment in this world.
To say this story took a turn I wasn't expecting is an understatement and to be honest it took me a while to get settled with it. That being said it did fit well with the story, it just caught me completely off guard. I'm not sure if there will be a third book but I wouldn't mind a short story to check up on things because in a place like Westfall there's never a dull moment.
This is the sequel to "The Key to Fear." I wasn't a fan of that one, but I wanted to finish the series anyway. It's hard not to compare it to the House of Night series. It had a different feel for sure. It didn't grip me like most books; I found it boring. The characters were hard to relate to. I felt there was more narration than actual dialog. I know the tone is supposed to be darker & more serious,but I missed the quirky,fun dialog HON is known for.
I gave the first book 4 stars because I liked the plot and wanted to see where the author would go with it. Second book - just meh. I kept reading hoping something surprising would happen. I just felt the author was getting tired of writing and decided to stop. Ending feels unfinished and lack luster.
Literally should’ve wrote another book so that I can see what actually happens with the loose ends that never got solved. There also was no reason to kill off the amount or type of people they did. They left very lonely characters and that sucks. I get not all books have an HEA but still. This one should have if they were going to leave it as open ended as they did 🫠
New story with a new introduction, two siblings on opposing sides of an apocalyptic world. They are trying to find the truth hidden behind the computer run society. The wide expanse of burned land surrounding the small very stratified society.
There are so many things in this book that was just really uncomfortable to read about and it wasn't really because of the subject matter, mainly because it came out of nowhere. Also the ending was so rushed. Like not really a proper ending but also nothing to really warrant a third book.
I loved the first book, this one had a bit of a slow start and then got really good towards the middle. The ending seemed rushed. Overall it's a great story with unique characters, hoping for a third book to tie up some loose ends!
4 stars for my last read of the year. Elodie's character development is ace and I love Blair for being the strong feminist she is. Even Rhett was good by the end!
Although it had been awhile since I read the first book I was able to get into this one rather quickly. Enjoyed the story and the evolution of the characters. Hated the ending.
Just didn’t live up to the excitement of the first book. I no longer cared about the characters after a couple of chapters. Just wanted it to be over already. Ended with my last resort reading method, reading the book backwards and still didn’t care.
Okay a little better than the first book, but really, I'm disappointed. I wanted to love these books because of how much I loved her other writings.
Elodie is finally more rebellious. She finally see's the Key isn't exactly what she thought it was, she doesn't have to marry a man that a system match her with. She kissed Aiden and nothing bad has happened to her (health wise), and now she determined to start a new path.
Aiden had Elodie and is happy, at least he was until Elodie's best friend saw them kiss and well things just went down hill. His mother is gone, I swear his sister has no soul at all and Elodie's ex-fiance still wants to make things work with her so there's that too.
I was really upset with what happens to Aiden in the book, it really shouldn't have happened but ugh.
Overall, I just really don't know. It's not what I expected this series to be, though this book is better than the first, but I wouldn't say its better by much sadly.
Book two of the key duology by the talented author Kristin Cast. The thrilling conclusion to this science fiction dystopian series. I absolutely loved this series I loved the strong character development in particularly this book with blaire and rhett having deep realisations and regrets and atonement, I liked how strong elodie became choosing neither Rhett or Aiden but being strong in herself. I must admit I was shocked by the twist at the end didn’t see that coming. This book was a very enjoyable book to read.
Council leader Preston Darby stands firm on the death order for elodie and Aiden. Blair has to deal with politics especially from doctor Normandy and Darby who is obsessed with her. Elodie and Aiden escape west fall fleeing to zone seven to look for new dawn but Aiden feels guilty for dragging elodie into this dangerous mess they get attacked and captured waking up separately at the medclinic. Aiden learns that tavi who he worked with at the morgue is actually the eos member racer. Elodie learns that new dawn and zone seven was more of the key’s lies. Spark man helps elodie escape, she finds Aubrey but can’t save her just yet. Blair learns the truth that key eliminated the Cerberus virus decades ago but has lied to maintain power and control. Elodie meets up with sparkman and Thea they go to safe house in zone three she tells them that Cath Scott was echo and is dead. They’re more determined to defeat the key and give power back to the people. Rhett captures elodie’s mother Gwen on orders to lure elodie. Rhett and Blair grow close with mutual understanding about their mistakes trusting key and their regrets for not listening to Aiden and Elodie and Rhett is horrified to learn that the key is experimenting on children. Preston forces himself on Blair who fights him off. Blair uses her mothers alias echo to contact eos to meet up. Preston kills Normandy to get ahold of a dose taken from Aubrey to inject Blair. Blaire and eos reveal key lies and a fight breaks out. Blaire and aiden reunite as dies aiden and eloise after she rescues her mother. Normundys plan was to update and and dose the citizens of west fall to fall under his control. Blair’s assistant Maxine reveals herself to be a traitor working for Darby who attacks blair but Darby just killed by aiden before he’s injected with poison by Maxine and is killed himself. The people are divided now with the truth out there, some choosing a more free thinking lifestyle like eos others too ingrained in fear choosing key’s lifestyle including elodie’s own mother. But the people now have the choice and a possible bright future to coexist peacefully.
This installment builds on the fantasy elements while expanding the emotional depth of the characters. The story blends mythology, power, and personal struggle effectively. A solid continuation that raises the stakes.