“The room smelled like winter air, crisp and sharp. The room smelled like rotting flesh.”
I read Simone King’s The God Key a while back during the summer; I’d been waiting enthusiastically for its release for a year or so. Because the author is less well-known (and indie books are easily overshadowed by more popular series), I also felt the need to promote the novel here.
The hands-down greatest strength of the book is its lovely, diverse cast of characters. The main characters are Gabriel, a telepath bent on erasing evil altogether by tampering with people’s thoughts, and Isaac, an anxious magnifier who increases a thousandfold the powers of anyone he touches. The supporting characters include a healer and a dream-weaver — in the book’s world, superpowers are everyday business.
The premise of the novel is also intriguing. People’s worst nightmares are coming to life, and the dwellers of a mist-cloaked London are falling into a mysterious sleep they cannot rouse from. The main antagonist reveals themselves later in the book, and their charm succeeds in carrying the tension throughout the rest of the novel.
The theme of the novel, the battle between good and bad people, is a standard choice for a young adult novel. However, on more than one occasion I found myself getting bored and skimming through the philosophical ramblings. For instance, while it’s interesting for the characters to consider in depth whether bad people deserve punishment, what they classify as “evil” is never properly defined. This somewhat muddles up the conclusions.
However, if one manages to wade through the more tedious parts, the book offers a delightful adventure coloured in with poignant, descriptive writing. The quote in the beginning of the review is one of my favourite descriptions, and it showcases wonderfully the author’s skills in setting the scene. There’s a gothic air to the book: monsters, mansions and vintage wine. The romance between the main pairing, in my opinion, would’ve had more potential, but even so it succeeds in weaving together a satisfactory plot line.
All in all, The God Key is a solid YA fantasy book whose target audience is clearly teenagers, but if you enjoy magical realism, romantic tension and a good, simple fight between good and evil, you’ll enjoy the ride regardless of age. The novel also makes up for its lacks with the author’s sincerity; King clearly enjoyed writing the book, and I, in turn, enjoyed reading it. Besides, there’s one Finnish character!
Vitsanen 