Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.71 AVERAGE
3.71 AVERAGE
I am honestly surprised how well this series holds up. I read it in the mid 2000s when it first came out, but don't really remember that much about them. However the use of e-tablets and a world wracked by strange diseases and quarantine protocols seem just as at home in 2021 as they did twenty years ago. This is an even more enjoyable read than the first one in many ways.
Two quibbles: The first, Arthur is a bit of a wet blanket. I think it's fairly clear from the book why he wants to return home to his mundane mortal existence, however he is such a resentful and inert presence in much of this book that it does detract a bit from the enjoyment of reading the book. When Suzie or Leaf appear, the narrative gains a lot of buoyancy because the characters both are more fun and seem to be having a lot more fun even when in as much horrific danger as Arthur. However this is almost always deflated when Arthur has to a thing that Only He Alone Can Fix and goes off on his own.
The second, I am not sure why Nix seems to think that Arthur's asthma is minor or well controlled. He's constantly blacking out and almost dying. Also despite this, he is always going on runs and NEVER BRINGING HIS INHALER or not using it even though he is dying and it's in his pocket.
Arthur, For the love of the Architect, always carry your inhaler and definitely use it before your lungs are too seized up to breathe. The medicine can't get into your lungs if they aren't working well. Love, a fellow asthmatic for whom this is a secret fear and pet peeve of this series.
Two quibbles: The first, Arthur is a bit of a wet blanket. I think it's fairly clear from the book why he wants to return home to his mundane mortal existence, however he is such a resentful and inert presence in much of this book that it does detract a bit from the enjoyment of reading the book. When Suzie or Leaf appear, the narrative gains a lot of buoyancy because the characters both are more fun and seem to be having a lot more fun even when in as much horrific danger as Arthur. However this is almost always deflated when Arthur has to a thing that Only He Alone Can Fix and goes off on his own.
The second, I am not sure why Nix seems to think that Arthur's asthma is minor or well controlled. He's constantly blacking out and almost dying. Also despite this, he is always going on runs and NEVER BRINGING HIS INHALER or not using it even though he is dying and it's in his pocket.
Arthur, For the love of the Architect, always carry your inhaler and definitely use it before your lungs are too seized up to breathe. The medicine can't get into your lungs if they aren't working well. Love, a fellow asthmatic for whom this is a secret fear and pet peeve of this series.
Arthur goes back into the House to face Grim Tuesday and win the 2nd key to the kingdom.
It was ok, but I don't think I'll be reading the rest of the series; I've got the grasp of how it goes now.
It was ok, but I don't think I'll be reading the rest of the series; I've got the grasp of how it goes now.
part 2 of the series - I am just getting into this and this book offers new characters and new glimpses into the 'denizen's who work to maintain the universe (represented by a house). There is a hint of something that happened to the supreme architect (a woman), so a subtle plot is raised in the background of the sub-plot of this particular book.
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
The second installment of the Keys to the Kingdom series left a familiar taste in my mouth... in that it was almost identical, beat by beat, to the first story. Not a bad thing if you really liked the first book, but I was hoping for a bit of a shake up. The deus ex machina was dialed up to 11 in this book though, which I find hard to look beyond because it is just so glaring. Though I have to give the author credit for completely subverting reader expectations to the degree that it almost feels like you're reading a Dungeons and Dragons campaign with a frazzled DM and an uncooperative party. Every time there seems to be a simple solution, the plot actually goes in a buck wild direction that just ends up working (in a massive cave that makes using the Improbable Stair dangerous? Let's just use wings that only fly up and then spider climb across the ceiling of the cave!). As an avid reader of fantasy, I am a lover of a hard magic system. I tend to find soft magic to be rarely done well, often coming across as lazy writing. But I have to say that I don't mind it at all in this series so far. I think the author successfully builds up the mysticism of the world that a soft magic system does make sense, and the random limitations that drive the plot forward do tend to have good reasoning and logic behind them. I'm rating this the same as the first book (remember, two stars is okay!), but I am walking into the third book a bit more intrigued than I was coming into this one.
I'm really falling in love with this narrator! This was a step up from book 1 because I actually understood what happened this time 😂😂😂
So in this book another Lord of the realm of this house thing Arthur fell into in book 1 is out to get him. Grim Tuesday sends his minions to cause complete financial catastrophe for Arthur's family so of course he must get back to the house and somehow take down the big bad.
Unfortunately when Arthur stumbles into the other world he's sent to the Far Reaches which is Grim Tuesday's land and he's forced to disguise himself as another indentured servant. He makes a couple friends there and knows he must free the unfairly indentured workers.
I really liked Arthur in this book, he has a touch of magic from being Master of the first key which was fantastic. He also has his trusty friend Suzy to help him cause some trouble. I think being able to pay attention to this made me enjoy the story much more. I could envision the Far Reaches clearly and I loved the story. I wonder what will happen on Wednesday.
So in this book another Lord of the realm of this house thing Arthur fell into in book 1 is out to get him. Grim Tuesday sends his minions to cause complete financial catastrophe for Arthur's family so of course he must get back to the house and somehow take down the big bad.
Unfortunately when Arthur stumbles into the other world he's sent to the Far Reaches which is Grim Tuesday's land and he's forced to disguise himself as another indentured servant. He makes a couple friends there and knows he must free the unfairly indentured workers.
I really liked Arthur in this book, he has a touch of magic from being Master of the first key which was fantastic.
Again with the awful covers. I seriously want to smack Nix and Scholastic in the face. Why would you think these covers are a good idea?
A few things bothered me about this book:
(1) Is Leaf part of the story or not? Make up your mind. Either she's important or she isn't, and I don't want to spend 10 pages thinking she's important only to have her disappear for the other 350 pages and
(2) Things just happen to Arthur. I like him, but he doesn't really do anything. The keys just take care of things for him, and he expects them to. He had his moments of action and decision-making, but they were few and woefully far between.
I'm going to continue reading the series though, so obviously it's not all bad.
A few things bothered me about this book:
(1) Is Leaf part of the story or not? Make up your mind. Either she's important or she isn't, and I don't want to spend 10 pages thinking she's important only to have her disappear for the other 350 pages and
(2) Things just happen to Arthur. I like him, but he doesn't really do anything. The keys just take care of things for him, and he expects them to. He had his moments of action and decision-making, but they were few and woefully far between.
I'm going to continue reading the series though, so obviously it's not all bad.
This series continues to be lovely. I really like that so far each morrow day is caught up in one of the seven deadly sins. Grim Tuesday as an avaricious capitalist was a perfect villian, but also he just mines and builds and collects treasures because he likes it. It's possible to see one's self in him, which is appropriately damning, I think.
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
The second book in the Keys to the Kingdom series. This book is faster paced than the first book. Arthur is back in the House to claim the Second Key from Grim Tuesday and save the House and his own world as well. He has help from Suzy and other surprising creatures. He travels to the Far Reaches and other places to fight not only Grim Tuesday but the Nothing that threatens to break through and destroy everything. This series promises to be very entertaining.