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The Key
Simon Toyne is back with the second in the trilogy that began with last year’s widely-praised Sanctus. The Key is a well-written, intriguing, action-packed conspiracy thriller, and a great recommendation for kids who like a Da Vinci Code kind of book.
The book trailer is OK, but this (the author’s visit to The British Museum in search of ideas–scroll down for the video) is really good fun.
HarperCollins offers an excerpt on their website.
TOYNE, Simon. The Key. Bk. 2. 448p. (Ruin Trilogy). Morrow. 2012. Tr $25.99. ISBN 978-0-06-203833-3. LC 2012007666.
Adult/High School–At the end of Sanctus, the Citadel of Ruin survived a bomb attack, the Sacrament was released from its prison, Kathryn Mann and Eve were in the hospital, and Gabriel Mann was in jail. This second book in the trilogy keeps the pace and action of the first and furthers readers’ knowledge of the Prophecy. With the Sacrament gone, the Sancti are dying and the internal rule of the Citadel of Ruin is in shambles and the remaining leadership is struggling to figure out how to assign control. Brother Athanasius hopes to modernize the Citadel, but his plans are derailed first by the emergence of a mysterious disease that destroys the Citadel’s garden and then by a flesh-eating bacteria that attacks those working there. The Vatican is concerned, particularly Cardinal Clementi, the secretary to the Pope and manager of the Vatican’s bank, because disarray in Ruin could reveal hidden truths (like the Sacrament’s existence). The survivors of the bomb attack must be silenced. There’s a Mirror Prophecy that leads a reunited Gabriel and Liv from Ruin to New Jersey, back to Ruin, and then to Iraq in search of Eden (yes, the Eden of the Old Testament) even as they try to outrun the Vatican’s assassin. There’s also the mysterious Ghost who may or may not be working to help the Americans in their oil exploration and the Vatican in its search for ancient relics. The ending leaves readers wondering what can possibly happen next. The Key will appeal to teen fans of action-adventure and conspiracy books.–Laura Pearle, Venn Consultants, Carmel, NY
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Filed under: Thriller
About Angela Carstensen
Angela Carstensen is Head Librarian and an Upper School Librarian at Convent of the Sacred Heart in New York City. Angela served on the Alex Awards committee for four years, chairing the 2008 committee, and chaired the first YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adult committee in 2009. Recently, she edited Outstanding Books for the College Bound: Titles and Programs for a New Generation (ALA Editions, 2011). Contact her via Twitter @AngeReads.
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