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| The Blackthorn Key by Kevin Sands |
"“Tell no one what I’ve given you.”
Until he got that cryptic warning, Christopher Rowe was happy, learning how to solve complex codes and puzzles and creating powerful medicines, potions, and weapons as an apprentice to Master Benedict Blackthorn—with maybe an explosion or two along the way.
But when a mysterious cult begins to prey on London’s apothecaries, the trail of murders grows closer and closer to Blackthorn’s shop. With time running out, Christopher must use every skill he’s learned to discover the key to a terrible secret with the power to tear the world apart."
Wow! This was a never-ending thrill ride of a read. I was almost late for work one day because I started reading and lost track of time. Another reviewer described it as a cross between The Da Vinci Code andThe Alchemyst and I definitely agree about The Da Vinci Code . Codes and secret caverns and Knight's Templar..... oh so good! I'm so glad I purchased this for our library because I almost missed it. I also have the 2nd one and will definitely get the 3rd one when it comes out in September. Sometimes I get a little jaded when it comes to middle grade/YA books, so I took quite a break over the summer and this was a perfect one to start back with. It IS intense and there are some gruesome murders going on which happen kind of off screen. I wouldn't suggest it to the sensitive reader. But, wow, it was exciting. And I loved that it had an ending and resolution.
I was very drawn to the characters. There is nothing as good as an incredibly loyal sidekick. The London descriptions of the 1600's were really interesting. It is kind of genre-bending because it FEELS like a fantasy, but isn't really. I won't give too much away, because I was very surprised at some things. But I will be recommending this to my 7th and 8th graders for sure.
Areas of concern:
*Gruesome murders involving torture being committed. (It didn't feel like very graphic descriptions.)
*A torture scene with the main character.
*Intense situations
*Abusive father
*Death of a loved one
*All of the above sounds pretty gruesome, but it didn't really seem that bad. Like I said, I would not steer sensitive students towards it, but others will LOVE it!!
I was very drawn to the characters. There is nothing as good as an incredibly loyal sidekick. The London descriptions of the 1600's were really interesting. It is kind of genre-bending because it FEELS like a fantasy, but isn't really. I won't give too much away, because I was very surprised at some things. But I will be recommending this to my 7th and 8th graders for sure.
Areas of concern:
*Gruesome murders involving torture being committed. (It didn't feel like very graphic descriptions.)
*A torture scene with the main character.
*Intense situations
*Abusive father
*Death of a loved one
*All of the above sounds pretty gruesome, but it didn't really seem that bad. Like I said, I would not steer sensitive students towards it, but others will LOVE it!!
Suggested Ages:
Publisher's Weekly - Ages 10-14
School Library Journal - Grades 4-6
(*Mrs. Duke seriously disagrees with School Library Journal. The main character is 14 and the book has some very intense parts. 7th and 8th grade for sure, possibly 6th grade, but 4th?! Disagree.)
(*Mrs. Duke seriously disagrees with School Library Journal. The main character is 14 and the book has some very intense parts. 7th and 8th grade for sure, possibly 6th grade, but 4th?! Disagree.)
