Thank you so much to the publisher, the author, and netgalley for sending me an e-ARC to read. I gave this book three stars.

Thank you for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. As much as I loved Kristin Cast's previous books, unfortunately, The Key to Fear didn't work for me. Despite the tense dystopian setting, I couldn't help but notice that something was missing and had to do with setting and perhaps more world-building.

I dnfed this at 50 pages in. I simply couldn't get into this story at all, which was a shame because I do love dystopian books. Sadly, this didn't connect with me at all and I didn't want to waste any more time on it.

Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

Thanks for giving me the chance to read this.

It was fine - but I'm not sure fine is quite enough for a YA dystopian now. I should also say that I was interested in this for how the world was changed by the virus but I'm not sure the explanation and demonstration in the book felt real or true. It felt more convenient to the story she wanted to tell than actually earned.

The characters weren't memorable to me and I wanted more about them to feel specific than the big archetypes they seemed to fit within.

My thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

I did not enjoy this book felt it was very rushed and predictable
I preferred her work with her mum

The Key to Fear is a dystopian story that follows Elodie, a young woman who lives in a world where all citizens are kept safe by The Key. Elodie obeys the rules, going to her job at the Medicentre, planning her marriage to the man she has been matched with and never touching another person. Until she meets Aidan - Aidan who doesn't follow the rules and just wants to be free. While Elodie and Aidan spend more time together Elodie begins to question the rules surrounding The Key and where they're meant to keep people safe or to keep The Key in control.

The Key to Fear is one of those books with a really intriguing premise, but for me, the execution just did not work. Given current events, I thought this would be a book that would keep me hooked but unfortunately, I just didn't click with the story or the characters at all. The story revolves around Elodie and Aidan but they felt like very formulaic characters - Elodie being your typical YA protagonist and Aidan the love interest.

I wasn't a big fan of the writing style and the things I wanted to know more about - the resistance, why The Key were doing what they did was never really addressed. There was also a POV character named Blair who I did not like at all and found her chapters difficult to get through. If you're a fan of dystopian fiction this might the book for you but overall The Key to Fear just wasn't for me.

great book, great characters, great story, just an all round great book!!
The author did a wonderful job with this one and I can't wait to read more from them!

So, here’s the thing – post apocalyptic novels have a certain formula for the most part.

1. Big thing happens and wipes out most of humanity.
2. Humanity adapts and the main character sees the new norm as wonderful.
3. MC finds a rebellious group and climbs in for the ride.
4. Government attempts to shut down rebels.
5. Rebels run away.

It’s a thing and it works. Look at The Hunger Games and its massive success. But I kind of wish The Key to Fear had have given me something different. Do I know what I wanted different? Well, no but there’s just something super cookie cutter about the whole thing.

TKTF starts out really well, it draws the reader in with its multiple POV’s and ominous feel that something isn’t quite right. There’s a villainous doctor and his assistant; a nurse who is just trying to make the best life for herself and her future husband; a rebellious child who refuses to take what fate has dealt him; an heiress who is determined to get what she wants; and finally, a soldier who only wants to live his life and settle down. Oh, and don’t forget the chapter or two from the current director of The Key POV. Yes, you read that correctly, there are AT LEAST 6 POV’s… which is one of the first things that turned me off. If you have read GoT, you will know the pain – alas this isn’t an epic fantasy. After a while I got super confused with the jumping. In all honestly, I had a major disconnect because I just couldn’t care enough about anyone due to the written ping pong that this novel eventuated to be.

That ominous feeling was amazing. I was all for it. But then something happens and there is zero explanation of why, who or literally any other information on what the deal is. From that point on, it felt like a completely different novel. It was average for the remainder and I just wanted more of the doctor and his nefarious schemes. Even if it was just 2 or 3 more chapters to explain what the hell he was doing.

This is in no way saying everything is bad. It really captured that Stockholm Syndrome feeling in the characters who were dedicated to the cause of The Key. The blind faith in their government honestly made me think about whether I would be the sheeple of the tale or the wolves on the sidelines waiting to take down the cause. Key also followed that tried and tested formula I mentioned earlier in a way that would be intriguing for those who don’t read a wide variety of novels or who think that dystopian is the best thing since sliced bread.

Overall, as I have said it ran that middle line whereby, I read it to say I have done so. It had massive potential which was then squashed around the 45% mark. The characters were fleshed out enough to know what was going on but the whiplash the changing POV’s caused made me simply read the story rather than get invested. If you love the dystopian genre, then this is definitely for you. If not, maybe don’t go in with too high expectations.

I haven’t read YA Dystopia for a while, and to be honest, a year into our very own dystopia probably wasn’t the best time to pick this book up! My main issue with The Key to Fear is pretty much that it just brings nothing new to the table. This book is Delirium meets Divergent, where touching can help spread a virus that near wiped out the population and an organisation has stepped in to govern those left, with a side group of disbelievers, Eos, who see this control is all lies.
From the above description alone, if you want to read people calling a virus a lie and the government controllers of this lie, you don’t need to read this book, you can just click onto any news article on social media over the last year. Obviously this book was written before COVID-19 but to publish it during it, with the subject matter, was a little uncomfortable for me. It’s a very underdeveloped idea too, why are people being controlled? Why is the lie that touch kills still being spread and protected? Why are children being tested on? This is book 1 so you don’t expect all the answers but it’s too vague to spark interest and feels as developed a conspiracy as a lot of people who have dropped into my mentions lately!

The characters are, again, not overly developed and rather stereotypical. Elodie is a nurse, quiet, restrained, awkward (her first encounter with Aiden involves her walking into a door)abused by her mother and being forced into an arranged marriage, she dreams of life and adventure. Aiden is life and adventure, he’s directionless because he’s so free, he literally smells of the forest. Astrid, Elodie’s best friend, is super clever, her last name is Fujimoto and she designs things with her big brain. Blair is a career woman who has developed a hard shell to find success in a male driven world and constantly feels underestimated by men and is written to be a bit of a bitch to get by. She has a cold heart but the love for her brother (the brother she saved and raised but says she is incapable of love, that one) is her true weakness. Odds on, she sacrifices herself for her brother by the end of the series. Astrid was actually the most interesting and likeable character for me, for what it’s worth.

Then there’s the romance, I just didn’t feel it. Elodie literally has 2 conversations with Aiden and refers to him as “her Aiden”. Aiden gets pissy because he finds out this girl who has only offered him friendship and with who he hasn’t had one romantic conversation is engaged so literally did not lead him on, but alas I forgot mysterious boys and plain but beautiful when you really look girls can’t be friends in YA. Then there’s how Aiden just kisses her in the dark, without consent, with only one exchange of ‘yeah, kissing won’t kill you, like you’ve been literally raised for near 18 years to believe but trust me, I’m a stranger’. The dangers if caught kissing are huge, he decided she would take that risk by kissing her spontaneously and doing so not even when they are alone BUT SAT WITH HER BEST FRIEND. We find out earlier in the book that children are being experimented on, that a 9 year old girl died, and Elodie starts off mildly upset about that, but you know what causes her to abandon everything? Not being able to kiss the boy ....

I can see the book was trying to go somewhere and with most series book 2 is the one that picks up a lot of threads but I just don’t think my interest was sparked enough. It’s obvious the purpose for the random sections of Elodie’s banned book will inspire her in the next offering, especially with her Eos name being literally Violet, like her hero in her book, I just don’t think I care enough to see the girl who was adventurous for eating corn turning into a badass against the institution.

Thank you NetGalley for the chance to read this. It is a quick read and if you haven’t read much dystopia, it might seem original for you. Unfortunately it’s a sub genre I binged on :/

Having been a huge fan of Kristin Cast's Marked series when I was younger, I jumped at the chance to read and review this story. I read a few of the reviews before I began and was shocked at the negative press this gets due to the unlucky mirroring of reality as we know it now- a pandemic. I'm not sure I would see this as a reason I wouldn't read the book so I continued on and I'm so glad I did.

'Elodie obeys The Key. Elodie obeys the rules. Elodie trusts in the system. At least, Elodie used to...

Aiden is a rebel. Aiden doesn't do what he's told. Aiden just wants to be free. Aiden is on his last chance...

After a pandemic wiped out most of the human race, The Key took power. The Key dictate the rules. They govern in order to keep people safe. But as Elodie and Aiden begin to discover there is another side to The Key, they realise not everything is as it seems.

Rather than playing protector, The Key are playing God.'

This book was definitely a solid and dark read, I was able to anticipate what was going to happen throughout most of the novel but it was fun to read regardless. Perhaps other readers might be put off by the ability to figure out what might happen but it just helps to boost my enjoyment of the book, as otherwise I'd be blindsided. Will definitely continue my love of Kristin Cast after reading this. Fans of Vox and the Handmaid's Tale need to read this.

Key To Fear is set 50 years after a deadly pandemic wiped out most of the of the population. It’s a very fitting piece for this period of time but you know, it’s also a worst fear of pandemics, when you are in one, you don’t really want to read about it. Having no clue what this book was about when I first looked at it, I would never have guessed that it was a sci-fi dystopian pandemic book and if I knew it as such, I would not have read it during this time period. Reflecting on this, I think this may be why I didn’t know as much going into this book. Because of the topic and what we are currently experiencing, this may be why the book is not as well-known within the book community. That being said, let’s continue with the book review.

50 years after a pandemic, Key Corporation has created shielding protection technology. This technology rules everything and as such, humanity has laws against touching anybody and controls every aspect of a persons life even who they will eventually marry. This technology has taken over the world as much as the pandemic did. Enter our main character Elodie. Elodie is a nurse who has been recently matched to a fiancé that she doesn’t particularly like. But if you question the key which is unheard of, you are pretty much shunned so people just comply. Enter, Aiden, our other main character who is a rebel who doesn’t quite know where he fits in. But when the pair meet, this causes a ripple effect in both of their minds, questioning everything that they know and love about their current world that they live in.

This book is by one of my favourite childhood authors, Kristin Cast. I was so hoping to like it but having not known about the subject matter, I feared the worst and the worst came true. I didn’t like it. I will not be picking up the next book in the series.

2 out of 5 stars.

DNF @20% after months

I started this before I caught COVID, then I was seriously ill and because of the pandemic type storyline, I couldn't, nor can I still cope with this story.

There's probably nothing wrong with it, but I can't see a time when the underlying issue doesn't give me such discomfort.

I enjoyed this book. The story line was action packed, with emotional moments, set in the aftermath of a pandemic. A bit of everything, and great way to start a YA dystopian series (not sure if there is more coming but there should be)

I really liked the main character Elodie, I thought she was a great protagonist and following her through this story was always entertaining. The perfect life a great Fiancé, a good job that she like. But she’s still not totally satisfied. But of course it’s all about to change. A little predictable but still enjoyable. I thought it was interesting.

It’s emotional and I felt that set the tone of the book really well, it’s a dark read but it’s engrossing along the way. I liked the way it was written, and recommend it to anyone looking for a new YA read. I would definitely read whatever is next from this author.

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No touching. That's the rule in the new world, where The Key is the ultimate authority. After a pandemic destroyed the world as we know it, The Key rose to power in order to protect. But Eloide and Aiden are about to discover that looks can be deceiving, and The Key might not be aiming to save then all.

This title draws on YA dystopian, though ultimately it feels a little dry and overdone. There are some vague attempts to bring something new to the table, but nothing seems to really manifest in interesting ways. As someone who used to read a lot of YA dystopian (although it has been a while), I found the plot predictable, and therefore a little boring.

The protagonists didn't grip me either. More than anything, their naivety added to my irritation, especially as the book shows 'instalove'. The world itself feels pretty generic in terms of a dystopian, and there were loads of info dumps. Rather than feeling like I'm living the world, it was a bit... eh. YA dystopian is a really tricky category to stand out in, and sadly this just doesn't quite make it.



Unfortunately this didn't stand up for me in the vast sea of dystopian YA that's already out there.

As soon as I saw the author's name I had to request this book. Kristen Cast co-authored one of my favourite YA series, The House of Night books. Plus it's a YA dystopian so it sounded like something I'd love. The Key To Fear is set in a dystopian future where a virus pandemic wiped out most of the human population and so an organisation called The Key took control of society in order to put protective measures in place. Unfortunately now with the use of technology The Key controls everything and can monitor what everyone is doing all the time. They even allocate the job you will do based on your skills. The main rule The Key insist people live by is...... No touching today for a healthy tomorrow! That's right folks, people can't touch anyone else at all! Not even people in relationships or family members. Elodie does everything right, obeys all the rules and has her career plan sorted. However, all that changes when she meets Aidan. Aidan is the complete opposite of Elodie and is a proud rebel. All he dreams of is being free to live his life how he wants to live it, free from being controlled by The Key. Their lives collide in the middle of chaos when Elodie unexpectedly learns some not so great secrets about those that control society and the resistance movement that's building in the shadows.
Elodie was a believable geek turned rebel protagonist and whilst she's no Katniss, she is still someone readers can get behind. This book is your typical YA chosen one story with a fairly straightforward plot that's at times predictable but that was exactly what I expected and wanted from it. I'm a sucker for a chosen one and not having to use tons of brain power trying to remember complex worlds or a huge cast of characters. I absolutely loved The Key to Fear and can't wait until the sequel is out.

I wanted to love this story as the blurb sound promising but, even if it's well written, it didn't keep my attention.
Not my cup of tea.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Unfortunately this book ultimately fell flat for me. Our main character is a wet blanket, a total naive pushover with few redeeming qualities that readers would normally require to root for her. It takes her the entire book to find some gumption and finally start questioning the secretive regime that rules her world.
I was also not a fan of the Insta-love relationship.
The world-building, while fascinating, was patchy and one can only assume the author will continue to paint the dystopian landscape in more detail in the following book, as this will clearly be a series.
I did however like the “baddie”, finding her scenes and story a lot more interesting than the heroine’s.

Sadly this book really wasn’t for me. I found I lacked any real empathy for the characters, just didn’t find them likeable at all. The story felt mis-paced , there didn’t seem to be any depth at all to me.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

It is probably the best time ever to read this book.
The Cerberus pandemic that shattered the world in The Key to Fear and the consequent 'No-touching-today-for-a-healthy-tomorrow' policy eerily reminded me of what we are currently facing due to Covid-19 pandemic.
This parallelism and the perfect timing of its release could have been a winning point for this dystopian novel. Making the reader connect in a deeper way to the main characters, feeding on our anxieties and fears.

Sadly, it was not enough, at least for me. The storyline and the world-building, albeit interesting, lack of depth. The main characters were too bland, unidimensional, and I found it hard to connect with them.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher, Head of Zeus, for my review copy.