Smoke and Key Blog Tour: Review + Giveaway

Smoke and Key
Author: Kelsey Sutton 
Genre: YA Historical Fantasy/Mystery/ Paranormal/Romance
Release Date: April 2, 2019 
Publisher: Entangled Teen

Synopsis:

A sound awakens her. There's darkness all around. And then she's falling...

She has no idea who or where she is. Or why she's dead. The only clue to her identity hangs around her neck: a single rusted key. This is how she and the others receive their names—from whatever belongings they had when they fell out of their graves. Under is a place of dirt and secrets, and Key is determined to discover the truth of her past in order to escape it.

She needs help, but who can she trust? Ribbon seems content in Under, uninterested in finding answers. Doll’s silence hints at deep sorrow, which could be why she doesn't utter a word. There's Smoke, the boy with a fierceness that rivals even the living. And Journal, who stays apart from everyone else. Key's instincts tell her there is something remarkable about each of them, even if she can't remember why.

Then the murders start; bodies that are burnt to a crisp. After being burned, the dead stay dead. Key is running out of time to discover who she was—and what secret someone is willing to kill to keep hidden—before she becomes the next victim…

I literally just finished this book and my mind refuses to leave Key's world and come back to reality. I knew I had to read this as soon as I saw the description - it couldn't be more up my alley. I wasn't exactly sure what to expect - but I definitely didn't expect how much I would end up loving this book. I was immediately sucked into the story and into Key's world. The author does a fantastic job bringing the Under to life to the point where I felt like I was right there alongside Key throughout the entire novel. There were tons of detailed descriptions and vivid imagery that made it all jump off the pages and into my mind. I loved learning everything I could about the Under, the residents there, and of course - the huge unraveling mystery of it all.

Key was an incredible main character who I connected with and loved right from the start. She was very realistic and the author made her even easier to empathize with because of all the hurt, guilt, and wrenching pain that was constantly eating away at her. She was brave and fierce, determined to find out the truth no matter how awful or painful it was and to stop whatever madness was going on around them. I can't go into very much detail about the other characters or the plot because I don't want to do any spoilers, but I will tell you that I adored every bit of it. There were parts of the story that I had figured out before it was revealed in the book, but I was still completely invested in putting all the pieces together and to figure out the truth of what happened. I will mention that there was more romance involved in the story than I thought there would be and normally I would hate this. I think that when the main character has any kind of romantic ties to another character, that this small part of the plot overshadows the main story line. There was definitely a romantic aspect to this story - a big one - but instead of annoying me and turning it into a negative experience, it only made me love it more. I don't ever normally do the whole "book boyfriend" thing, but I absolutely loved Smoke and I was rooting for my theories about him and Key throughout the entire novel. I loved each second of it and I think it plays a huge part in the plot, which only made my heart cry for it more. It sounds weird, but I don't know how else to explain it without giving anything away.

Overall, this was a phenomenal novel that blew my expectations and hopes out of the water and hit me hard on a personal and "all the feelings" type level. Not many books do that for me anymore, so it's always a nice surprise and a wonderful gift when it happens. I highly recommend this novel for fans of any genre - there's something in there for just about everyone to enjoy. Seriously - you need to read this book now.

 

 

Kelsey Sutton is a young adult and middle grade author. She lives in Minnesota, where she received a dual bachelor's degree in English and Creative Writing from Bemidji State University. She will soon have a master's degree from Hamline University. Her work has received an Independent Publisher Book Award, an IndieFab Award, and was selected as a Kirkus Reviews Best Teen Book of 2013. When not writing, Kelsey can be found watching too much Netflix, ordering a mocha at the nearest coffee shop, napping with her rescue dogs, or browsing a bookstore. You can visit her online at www.kelseysuttonbooks.com, like her on Facebook, and follow her on Twitter or Instagram.  

Win (1) of (2) signed copies of Smoke & Key by Kelsey Sutton (US Only)

Starts: April 10, 2019

Ends: April 23, 2019

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