“I suppose some things don’t have a proper explanation. They just are.”

You guys. Smoke and Key is such an amazing read! It’s like this suspenseful historical YA paranormal with a magical morbid feel to it. A genre mouthful I realize. While reading I kept thinking if The Wizard of Oz & the movie Clue had a love child in the early 1900’s and gave birth in a magical graveyard, then this book would be that baby. There’s a smidge of romance, but Smoke and Key is a highly plot driven story. We are focused on the why’s and the how’s of a place called ‘Under’ and it’s people. When a girl falls from the dirt sky and questions everything about the place and it’s people, things start to happen. Bad things. Memories. Good things.

Even though this book was mostly about the ride, that’s not to say that there aren’t plenty of amazing characters that you will meet and try to figure out while both loving and questioning them. The world that Ms. Sutton builds is mysterious and somehow beautiful although it is morbid. I enjoyed trying to figure out whodunit. There are moments that even felt a tiny bit scary, but there were also times that I felt sad and happy as well. I will say that pacing at times did feel slow, but it was mainly because I just wanted more answers. This story does jump back and forth between the present and the past, and I think that does make it a bit hard to follow at first. Once you get the hang of it and understand what exactly is going on it’s easier to follow.


All in all I enjoyed the characters and journey to the end very much! This is my first read from the author, and will not be the last.

I received an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Title Smoke and Key

Author Kelsey Sutton

Release Date April 2, 2019

Description from Amazon

She has no idea who or where she is. Or why she’s dead. The only clue to her identity hangs around her neck: a single rusted key. This is how she and the others receive their names―from whatever belongings they had when they fell out of their graves. Under is a place of dirt and secrets, and Key is determined to discover the truth of her past in order to escape it.

She needs help, but who can she trust? Ribbon seems content in Under, uninterested in finding answers. Doll’s silence hints at deep sorrow, which could be why she doesn’t utter a word. There’s Smoke, the boy with a fierceness that rivals even the living. And Journal, who stays apart from everyone else. Key’s instincts tell her there is something remarkable about each of them, even if she can’t remember why.

Then the murders start. Bodies that are burned to a crisp. And after being burned, the dead stay dead. Key is running out of time to discover who she was―and what secret someone is willing to kill to keep hidden―before she loses her life for good…

Initial Thoughts

I thought the concept of this book sounded really interesting. It was unlike anything else I had seen before. I was definitely intrigued by the mystery concept of the main character investigating her own identity.

Favorite Part

The best part of this book was the setting. I loved the time period that the story takes place in (no spoilers, so I can’t tell when that is 😉).

Final Thoughts

Overall, I enjoyed this book. I read it all in one shot and found it to be quite enjoyable. I wasn’t a huge fan of the ending because it was a bit underwhelming. But all in all, I liked the setting, the plot, and the characters.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Recommendations for Further Reading

Olivia Twist by Lorie Langdon – references are made in Smoke and Key to Charles Dickens’ Oliver Twist, so this seems like a fitting recommendation
The Lost Girl of Astor Street by Stephanie Morrill – mystery, time period, references to an American. If you like Smoke and Key, check this book out.
Links

Smoke and Key on Goodreads

Once upon a time, there was a girl with a key. She was rudely awakened by someone from her slumber...in a tiny box...with seemingly no way out...until it all simply fell away. No really, she actually FELL further below to who knows where with who knows who to do who knows what for all time. Curious? Yeah, well imagine that being only the TIP of the proverbial iceberg because there is oh so much more!

From the moment Key lands in Under and is taken under the wing of several friendly "locals", you can't help but start your puzzler puzzling. I mean, the questions rolling around in my heard were NONSTOP! I was hurling accusations at new faces that struck me as somehow wrong, holding suspicions for several folks (several of which turned out to be achingly accurate!) that seriously raised my creep-o-meter to WARNING levels, and majorly feeling the heart stopping sizzles zinging left and right...and yet wondering what could it all mean? What was the greater purpose of it all? Why were they there? What had they done? Who wanted those whose lives already ended...even more dead -- if that was somehow possible?!? As it turns out, the greater WHY is answered in a BIG way, but not before dragging us deeper into the mysteries the abound, and the love that would not die.

Really and truly, it was a fabulous story filled to the brim with magic, mystery, and heart, that'll have Young Adult Fantasy fans clamoring for more as they add another FAVORITE to their shelves...and a new book boyfriend to their lists!

Very enjoyable book with interesting concepts involving undead characters in a way I didn't expect. A bit predictable at points through the story, but I still enjoyed unraveling the backstory along with our amnesiatic protagonist.

Smoke and Key is one of the books that I am not quite sure how to rate. I settled for 3 stars.

The book begins with a girl falling from her grave to what is called Under. There she meets other people that experienced the same thing and she discovers that no one remembers anything from their previous lives, not even their names. A boy informs her that she should pick a name and that the rest of them has chosen theirs from an object they found on them. He is Smoke she is Key. As the story unfolds Key starts to remember her past and who everyone was before they died. At the same time people are being murdered and Key is trying to discover why they are in this situation.

The story was dark and the atmosphere felt weird and almost like a Tim Barton movie. I was confused in the beginning because I could understand what was going on exactly, but It was a unique story with interesting characters. There were a constant switch between Key's new reality and past life and sometimes I couldn't understand immediately when the switch happened.. What it was supposed to be a plot twist wasn't really one, at least to me. I was certain who the murder was from the beginning, but it was interesting to see the reasons behind it. I also had an issue with the world building and the magic, because I wasn't even sure when the story takes place up until the middle of the book, and the mention of magic and a curse was very sudden.

I would characterised this nook as a story of star crossed lovers with a dark and eerie atmosphere. All in all I found Smoke and Key a unique story and a good and quick read.

I received an arc via NetGalley, in exchange for my honest review.

This book starts of really interesting, I immediately wanted to continue after one chapter.
This book takes place in a world where some people go after they die. They remember basic things, but not their former lives. We follow Key, who just arrived here, while she is trying to figure out this world and tries to remember what happened before. In the meanwhile the dead people get killed by some mysterious
murderer.
I really liked this idea, and it was really interesting to see how she slowly figured things out and how everyone was connected. By slowly learning who was who before, you also got to understand them better and why people spend time with certain other people.
The writing style of this book was really good! I just could not put the book back down. Every time I said okay one chapter, and ended up reading three.. #oops
I think I would have rated this book a star higher if the introduction of the world was done better. People were being killed, but we literary knew them for half a page, so I’m sorry but didn’t really care?! I really think the book would be better, if we were introduced to the world more and knew the characters better. In that case you really would want to figure out who was the murderer. Now I only wanted to know who some characters were in relation to the main character. Which was also interesting, but only half of the point I think.
I also had a problem with the time. It kinda feels as if the book takes place during one day, but you know that’s not possible and it should be longer.
I really liked figuring out who was who and the writing! I will definitely be interested in her next release!

Thank you NetGalley and Publisher for this early copy!

I picked up this ARC mainly because of the stunning cover and it was not disappointing at all. The plot was unique and I flew through it. I recommend checking out this Gothic and intense novel! I will be checking out more from Sutton in the future.

Posted to all links in my profile 3/28

Welcome to the world of Under, where you aren't dead, but you aren't alive either. Not zombies. People that arrive at various states of decomposition depending on when they wake up after burial and fall through the ground to just below the ground. Kelsey Sutton uses the setting of Smoke and Key as a character in itself with the dirt, shadows and darkness to emote a mood. The tavern can bring a light and glimpse of life when necessary. The torches that provide light waver and give to provide foreboding.

Kelsey Sutton uses the setting of Smoke and Key as a character in itself. Under's dirt, shadows and darkness to emote a mood. The tavern can bring a light and glimpse of life when necessary. The torches that provide light waver and give to provide foreboding.

Key arrives in Under not remember anything about who she was when she begins meeting the rest of the residents of Under. Each, like herself, named by a singular item that comes with them to Under from their coffin. Smoke (named by the cigar that comes with him, but he doesn't light) is the first person she meets that introduces her to the world of Under. Soon she finds Doll and Ribbon- the "voice of reason" and longest known resident of Under.
No one remembers anything of their lives before death although they have knowledge of the world. As Key inquires more about wanting to remember her past life she is shut down and told it is an exercise in futility. She needs to accept her new reality and shown how the residents of Under have made a life there a good one.
However, when unexplained and final deaths begin to start plaguing the citizens of Under, Key realizes that a murder spree began with her arrival. As waves of memories from the life she knew before begin to flood her mind Key comes to a startling revelation. If she doesn't reconcile her past before Under, she may be the next to die, if not be accused of murder, herself.

With the one object she brought with her from the life she once knew, Key sets out to find the truth. As her other life forces her way into Under a mystery unravels that makes it harder to know who she can trust and who is the puppet master in Under.

Dealing with themes of grief, pain, loss and unrequited love, Smoke and Key entwines the consequences of unresolved conflict with the ability to be at peace with the decisions and paths we choose in life.

It is a smooth and easy read that builds two different mysteries simultaneously. The suspenseful murder mystery in Under growing more tenuous as Key's memories of a life she once knew are slowly pieced together like a puzzle.

How they collide is crafted together by Sutton in a stunning fashion that changes Under forever and keeps the reader hanging throughout the book.

Smoke and Key by Kelsey Sutton
4⭐️

She’s falling, fast and swift into a dark place. Not knowing who she is or, where she is. When she starts to learn where she is she meets a boy named smoke. Smoke is one of those characters that almost immediately grabs your attention for the story. While smoke tried to explain that she is died and has fallen out of her grave into a place called “under”.

When one falls out of their grave and into under, their names become something they were buried with. Her name is key, with a key around her neck and no memories to her life before key begins to want to unravel the secrets of her life before her death. One memory may lead her down a dark path but they also may lead her to the path to make everything right again. Will she want to know everything or become content with being in under?

I enjoyed Smoke and key, to me it was a little slow at first but once I got through a few chapters I was hooked to know how the story ended! Thank you to Riki at Entangled publishing and netgalley for an e-arc an exchange for a honest review.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2766405724?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1

"Smoke and Key" is a story of a girl that died and now she's in a place that is called Under. She doesn't know who she is, what is her past, what is going on AT ALL! So she has to deal with her life in these circumstances. The blurb really intrigued me, seemed well developed and it gave me a feeling that I will be sitting on the edge of my chair while reading.
But... it didn't happen... I felt that the author wanted to go easy on the plot of this book as there was so much more to add here to make this story more captivating as the whole story felt flat to me...
The plot was interesting enough to continue reading, but nothing more as I hadn't developed any connection with characters while reading the book as I had not seen any sense in the magic that was here as it was there for some bits but... no complexity here!
I'm still not sure if I will follow book 2 in the future.

3.5 stars

I have really enjoyed a lot of Sutton’s books, she has a unique storytelling style that is different from other YA authors and her ideas are very unique. This ended up being an interesting read. It's a weird combination of historical and paranormal elements, curses and undead. I ended up enjoying it but it was different from what I thought it was going to be based on the synopsis.

Key falls through her grave into a grey world and meets others in this grey world. As Key struggles to figure out who she is, she begins to recognize some of the people in this dead grey place and starts to remember disturbing things. Then the dead of the grey world start showing up well...completely dead. Can Key figure out secrets behind this grey world before the dead wandering through it are completely destroyed soul and all?

I enjoyed this but at times it felt a bit distant to me. I love the idea of curses making the dead fall into an alternate world. I also enjoyed some of the characters. However the whole writing style seemed to keep me at a distances and the whole story felt kind of blurred.

There is a love triangle of sorts in here which I wasn’t crazy about. I did enjoy the quirky characters of this grey world though.

Overall this was a decent read. In the end I had kind of mixed feelings about it. It was interesting and had some neat ideas in it and I liked a lot of the characters. The way the mystery tied up was a bit strange and I never felt fully engaged in the story. I would recommend if you’ve enjoyed Sutton’s previous books, but I don’t think this will be a book everyone likes.

“You’re dead, darlin’. This isn’t hell, but it’s the next best thing.”

She hears a voice imploring her to wake up. She falls and finds herself surrounded by dirt. In Under she meets a group of strangers whose bodies are in different stages of decomposition. While they can all remember general knowledge they do not remember anything personal from their lives. Each awoke with an item that was buried with them, an item that helps their owner decide their Under name.

The girl who wakes at the beginning of the book becomes Key. She meets Ribbon, Smoke, Journal, Handkerchief, Doll, and many others. Shortly after Key arrives in Under the first murder occurs and there’s no waking up from this death.

‘We are ghosts, but we are the ones being haunted.’

Key’s flashbacks provide frequent snippets of information about her life before death, building towards revelations that may hold more danger than she could imagine. I found the flashbacks interesting but expect readers who aren’t a fan of multiple flashbacks could find their frequency and slow drip of information irritating.

Given the exponential growth of my TBR pile I was definitely attracted to a life after death that included books and no need for sleep. I loved guessing who the characters may have been before their deaths, the mysterious writings on the wall, the magic and Journal’s tower with all of his books.

I liked getting to know the main characters but found many of the minor characters interchangeable. I didn’t always know which minor character was being referenced as I didn’t know much more about them other than the item they were buried with. I was disappointed by the lack of resolution surrounding Doll; I did learn who she was in life but I have so many unanswered questions about her.

While I enjoyed some aspects of the love triangle I did find the kissing scenes when the characters were dead a tad squirmy, although I acknowledge I probably overthought it. Maybe if I hadn’t already read about the putrid death breath of other characters (who don’t need to breathe because they’re dead, but anyway) it wouldn’t have bothered me so much, but the idea of death breath kisses didn’t exactly make me want to go, “Awww!” I can only hope that Tintype found some toothbrushes and toothpaste for these kissing corpses to use that I wasn’t aware of.

I adored the concept of this book and loved the initial world building but would have liked to learn more about Under and its residents. Had this book covered all of the details I craved it would have been close to twice the length though. The magic was interesting but could have been fleshed out (sorry!) more. I also found the mystery fairly predictable. The final few chapters wrapped up the story too quickly for my liking. Despite my need for more, most of my questions were answered and a sneaky tear did escape quite unexpectedly.

Content warnings include physical abuse and abandonment. Characters also discuss a death by suicide that occurred before the events in this book.

Overall this was an enjoyable read (one I can see myself rereading) and I am interested in reading more of this author’s books. I don’t usually wander into historical fiction territory but this book made me wonder what I’m missing out on. Thank you so much to NetGalley and Entangled Teen, an imprint of Entangled Publishing, LLC, for the opportunity to read this book.

Smoke and Key was such a unique take on a book! It revolves around Key who is "dead" and stuck in a world of Under. We spent the novel with her trying to figure out why people are being killed in Under and where she came from and who her true name is.

The beginning is a bit confusing as you are just thrown into the world, but if you give it some time it all makes sense and flows better with time. I enjoyed the flashbacks and were explained and brought on well so you knew what was happening it one. While it's mostly a YA Mystery/Fantasy, it also has magic and a splash of romance so it kept me going as mystery isnt usually something I grab for, but I'm glad I tried something new.

I really liked that this book was a standalone, I don't see enough of them anymore especially such a good one! I recommend this book if you like a good magical mystery.

(I received a review copy through YA Bound Book Tours and will post a more detailed review on my blog as part of the tour.)

This book balances the creepiness of Under and the looming mystery with soft moments of romance, family, and friendship. Key's frustration at not being able to recall even her own name comes through alongside the urgency of solving the murders, and although she gets help from friends along the way it's really a single-heroine narrative that focuses in on her thoughts and feelings and struggles. Smoke is pretty awesome in that he keeps to the sidelines so she can do her thing, but is ready to step in if Key's in danger ... or needs a hug. Each of the minor characters adds interest to the scene, whether they're suspicious figures or just a little quirky in their undead-ness.

All in all, this is an entertaining story with both highs and lows, moments of defeat and of triumph, and it's certainly different from anything else I've read in recent memory.

Cover: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟(I love, love, love the cover of this book! It's dark, mysterious, and gorgeous!)
Summary/Tagline: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 ("The End is Only the Beginning." Hold for a minute while I think of the line from The Mummy, "death is only the beginning." I do love the tagline for this book, it makes me want to see what that cryptic line means.)
Characters: 🌟🌟🌟🌟 (I like the unique names of the characters in this book. Instead of the names they had in life they are named by the objects with them when they come back from their graves. Key, Ribbon, Smoke... unusual, but kind of cool character names. I thought the characters were reasonably developed, I feel like I got a good handle on their personalities.)
Worldbuilding: 🌟🌟🌟🌟(This book, above all things is creative, and that definitely extends to the worldbuilding. I enjoyed seeing the world through Key's eyes... The world of Under is dark and delightfully creepy which I absolutely loved!)
Story: 🌟🌟🌟🌟(This book is so unique and creative... there's just something so different about it. I was hooked from the beginning and the story did not let me down. It was a little confusing at times and dragged in a few places but overall, it was a good read! The writing is easy to get into which makes for a quick read that will keep you dying for answers alongside Key to the very end.)
Overall: 🌟🌟🌟🌟 4.4 of 5 Stars!

I was intrigued when I read the summary of Smoke and Key by Kelsey Sutton and that seems to be the trend with her books. I find that her stories have an interesting twist that grabs my attention and so far, I haven’t been disappointed.

The story begins with an unknown character falling and finding herself in a place where she has no recollection of who she is, why she is dead (yes…dead), and what the key around her neck means. Everyone who has fallen to Under has one identifier and as the main character has a key, that is what she is called by everyone. I loved how Sutton built this world and slowly revealed the story and characters. Its focus is on Key and how she is linked to all the characters in Under but there is also a bit of a mystery because once Key does show up, others in Under are showing up dead and no one can figure out who is doing the killing.

Key was an interesting character. She knew something weird was going on and as she kept having flashbacks of the characters in Under, she started to uncover what was really going on. I loved that even though it meant she was in danger, she wasn’t willing to stop digging into what was going on. She needed to figure things out to determine who she could trust, and, in the end, she was resigned to face whatever danger she needed to in order to figure out who was killing the others.

Smoke is someone Key meets when she finds herself in Under. He saves her from another character and she’s immediately drawn to him even though she doesn’t really know if she can trust him. Smoke has an air of mystery to him and it was hard, at first, to know what his story was but as Key’s flashbacks move the story forward and his background unfolds, it was hard not to like him.

The secondary characters are interesting as well and help to move the story along. As I alluded to, a number of them link to Key from her life when she was alive and although I won’t say anything specific here, it is important to note that through each of them, Key starts to tie everything together. I really appreciate that as the reader, I was learning everything right along with Key and it made it so that I didn’t want to put the book down.

If you are looking for a book that will introduce you to a unique story and interesting characters, consider checking this one out when you can. I have enjoyed the books I’ve read by Sutton so far and will definitely be looking forward to her next one.

Smoke and Key by Kelsey Sutton is a young adult fantasy with a darker side. Set in the mysterious Under, it is the story of a young woman who finds herself there with no idea of who she is or how she got there . The one thing she soon learns is that everyone in the Under is dead, and none of them have any more memories of their lives before than she does. Instead they have created a society of their own, chosen names from the items buried with them and carried on to the best of their ability. Key as she becomes known because of the peculiar key around her neck begins to make friends including the welcoming Ribbon, reclusive Journal and charming Smoke, and is just starting to settle into her new existence when the murders begin. The only way to kill somebody who is already dead is to burn them, and as the charred corpses begin to mount up Key realizes that she may be the connection between the victims. Will finding the lock for her strange key help her to uncover her memory, and will that in turn explain the weird feelings of familiarity she has been experiencing?
As a murder mystery this book works really well, as we the readers, along with Key try to figure out who is killing the dead and why. The setting is really original and well executed , and when the mystery is revealed it makes for a very satisfying ending, but to say anymore about that would only spoil things. There is of course something of a love triangle, which is important to the story but does not take over from Key's quest to find out who she really is. The book is fast paced and not a sentence is wasted , I found myself eagerly turning the pages as the layers of mystery were peeled back.
I read and reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own.

If there is one thing I love more in this genre than anything else, it is originality and Smoke and Key is packed full of it.

It is utterly unique and utterly engaging. From the very first creeptastic chapter I was hooked and couldn't wait to read more.

I absolutely loved the imaginative world of the Under. The characters, the setting, how it all came about slowly through memories and trials. Truly this story was so well done and so irresistible and hard to put down. A truly imaginative take and a breath of fresh air in the YA genre.

The cover is what pushed me to ask this book on NetGalley and I must say this book is different from my usual readings.

Imagined a movie-like world similar to Tim Burton's Corpse Bride . In this book, a number of people wake up after their death in the world below named Under. Their state of decomposition varies and they have no memories of their previous lifes. But suddenly there are a number of murders in this world and the big question is why? Personnaly I found the world simple but catchy, the book is a one-shot and does not require a crazy development on this point. I had in mind the movie and it aesthetic while I was reading the descriptions which brought me a nice touch.

Our heroine is Key, she is lost when she arrives in the world below, but unlike others she will start to remember her life before and quickly understand that she is surely at the heart of the why and how of this whole story. She is a heroine that I appreciated but I did not hang on to. The more we discover her story the more we realize that she was passive at some points and I did not liked her actions or motivations all the time but she remains pleasant to read.

For the plot, I must say that I was not surprised by much, the book was really classic on that side. Besides, we can easily guess the final revelation and I think it's the book downside, the lack of originality. However my reading was rather pleasant and from time to time a little one shot it feels good but I find it unfortunate that the author has not dared much in her story

I received a copy of Smoke and Key from NetGalley, Riki Cleveland, Entangled Publishing and the author Kelsey Sutton in exchange for an honest review.

Synopsis:

A sound awakens her. There’s darkness all around.
And then she’s falling...

She has no idea who or where she is. Or why she’s dead. The only clue to her identity hangs around her neck: a single rusted key. This is how she and the others receive their names- from whatever belongings they had when they fell out of their graves. Under is a place of dirt and secrets, and Key is determined to discover the truth of her past in order to escape it.

She needs help, but who can she trust? Ribbon seems content in Under, uninterested in finding answers. Doll’s silence hints at deep sorrow, which could be why she doesn’t utter a word. There’s Smoke, the boy with a fierceness that rivals even the living. And Journal, who stays apart from everyone else. Key’s instincts tell her there is something remarkable about each of them, even if she can’t remember why.

Then the murders start; bodies that are burnt to a crisp. After being burned, the dead stay dead. Key is running out of time to discover who she was- and what secret someone is willing to kill to keep hidden- before she becomes the next victim.

Key fell down into Under without any recollection of her identity or memories of her life before her death. Throughout the whole book she has short memories that come back to her about her previous life.

“How can I not know my own name? Everything has a name. I can tell him what the oceans and continents of the world are called, so why can’t I recall that one word that defines the entirety of my being.”

I found the concept of Under to be quite extraordinary to be honest. All of Kelsey’s books have interesting worlds and let me just say that Under really grabbed my attention. One of my favourites.

“Now I believe it. I can feel the boy looking at me as he answers. “Well, we call it Under.” At this, I frown. “Why-“ “Look up.”
Instead of sky, there’s a ceiling, of sorts. More dirt and what appears to be tree roots. Scattered among these roots are splotches of shadow, though it’s too far away to tell their purpose or origin. “What are those?” “Those are the holes each of us fell through. Out graves are right over them.”

As Key starts to remember things about her previous life she must also find the one killing off the others. She must unlock secrets, both from this world and the living.

“Smoke smiles, a ghost of what s smile should be. “Nice to meet you, Key. Welcome to Under.”

This book was phenomenal. It grabbed my attention from page one. And towards the end had be on the edge of my seat guessing about who each character was and where they were tied in with the story. Amazing!

“Just remember. You can kill what’s already dead.”

5/5 Stars!