Review by sarahfrances52 - Under Loch and Key

sarahfrances52 's review for:

Under Loch and Key by Lana Ferguson

3.25

adventurous emotional hopeful mysterious medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

I didn’t realize this was a paranormal/fantasy book when I picked it up, but that didn’t stop me from loving it! Our main characters Lachlan and Keyanna are trying to solve a centuries old curse that impacts both of their families. I loved watching them fall in love while putting the pieces together (even though they put the pieces together much slower than I did). I will say this book fell victim to one of my biggest pet peeves about dual POV novels. The author didn’t revel the stakes of the curse until about 20% of the book, waiting to reveal certain information about Lachlan until Keyanna learned it herself. While I understand that writing choice, what I was very frustrated with was the illusion to this “secret” in the chapters from Lachlan’s POV before the big reveal. While he clearly didn’t want Keyanna to know, HE certainly knew about this secret. If I’m reading from a certain character’s POV I want to know what’s going on in their mind, that’s the whole point of getting to hear the story from their POV. I was frustrated to the point of almost DNF-ing that Lachlan wasn’t more forthcoming about this secret in the privacy of his own mind during the chapters from his POV. Like I said, I get why the author waited, but maybe she could have done less of Lachlan’s POV until the reveal? I don’t know. It drove my absolutely bonkers. I’m so glad I stuck it out though, because the romance that followed was certainly worth it. Overall, this book was the right mix of romance, mystery, and a little bit of magic.

Content Warnings