Jacklyn Madison never expected to be attacked by a beast on an evening snack run. Add a rescue mission enacted by a trained regiment of teenaged warriors, and her night officially becomes just like a scene from one of her beloved comic books. Turns out, her parents were once members of the Order of the Key, gifted humans that protect humanity from creatures spilling through inter-dimensional … rifts. Unable to control her newfound abilities, Jacklyn and her family rejoin the Order.
After an attack on their headquarters leaves Jacklyn questioning their leadership, Kyp—the boy who led her initial rescue—reveals a darker secret. The Order’s leader may be corrupt, and Jacklyn’s questions could put her family in danger. Drawn into the search for proof, Jacklyn must use her guts and magical brawn to protect her family, her friends, and herself from the monsters spilling from rifts, and those hiding within the Order.
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Jacklyn lives a fairly quiet life with her mother and her sister Gana. Her world turns upside down when she comes face to face with monsters and meets Kyp and Cass. Kyp whisks Jacklyn and her family to where he lives with other soldiers who are part of The Order of the Key. These soldiers are gifted humans who protect others from creatures who spill through inter-dimensional rifts. They fight under Kyp’s less than stellar mother, Lavinia, who rules with an iron fist. The more Jacklyn trains for her place as a Key, the more she learns of the corruption that spills down from higher up. This might not be the safest place for her little family after all.
Ms. Manzano was kind enough to send me a paperback of this, and once I started, I could not put it down. The various skills that the members had were fun, creative, and very powerful. The characters were fantastic, even Lavinia, who made a great bad guy. The storyline is fun and addicting, and the book is exceptionally well-written. This was a super fun read from start to finish and a fantastic first novel. While this book isn’t out just yet, I cannot wait for more from this author because I am not ready to let these characters go. Very well done!
A secret Order protects this world from creatures who move through dimensional rifts…or do they. The old saying, “power corrupts but absolute power corrupts absolutely” rears its ugly head among the members of the Order and the Head of it. So, is it an uprising just to overthrow the leader or a necessary step to protect the Order.
Various characters in the story were so duplicitous that it was hard to tell the good ones from the bad ones. And that made for a tremendously complicated storyline which was a kick to read. Guess you can call that depth of character. I call it fun!!
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I recieved an ARC of this book from Booksirens for an honest review.
I enjoyed this book. It was a little short and I felt that some parts were sped through but it was entertaining. I felt that I could relate to the characters and was invested in finding out what happened next. There’s action, a little romance and this book pulled me in from page one. I’d recommend this book.
I received a free advanced copy from Book Sirens in exchange for a fair and honest review.
As I quickly get that piece of lint that’s been jammed in my eye for the last few chapters, I can admit that I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. It started off in a rush of excitement, with Jacklyn being ambushed – quite literally – by a truth she’s been forced to forget. Her world is turned completely inside out as she’s faced with monsters she’s only ever read about in the comics she so enjoys – whose references are littered here and there throughout the pages.
There was a great deal of action in the story, considering it wasn’t altogether that long of a book. There was a nice slice of slow burn, and relatively clean heat to enjoy as well, but there was also enough language in there that might caution younger readers. The last quarter of the book was an absolutely wild onset of emotions, where I couldn’t bring myself to put it down until complete.
The ending… it left a bit to be desired. While it read as a “hero rides again another day” sort of cliffhanger, I don’t know whether or not that’s the author’s intention. I fear that, considering the amount of information that was put into this sole book, that a longer series isn’t likely in the cards.
Overall, I would most certainly recommend this book. It had all of the elements of a fun, quick fantastical tale and I’d give it a solid (and rounded upward) 3.5 stars.