Smoke and Key is an amazing edge of your seat mystery book. The concept of this novel was so fantastic that I was hooked from the start. The setting of "under" was beautiful told to readers you'll feel like you are there. What a great story for all. I found myself a new favorite author and her name is Kelsey Sutton.

"Smoke and Key" is an intriguing and macabre YA mystery. We follow Key into the world of Under as she wakes in her grave and then falls through to a world underneath the graveyard. She and the others of Under retain their memories of the world without any autobiographical memories. As such, they call themselves by the name of the object on their person when they fall into Under. Each person is in a different state of decay, depending on how long they were in their graves before falling into Under when their appearance freezes, giving some grisly descriptions.

Key, luckily, is pretty well preserved. She also feels that her memories lie just beneath the surface, and as though she can remember who she is. Drawn to Smoke (found with cigar and fancy cigar holder) and Journal (found with his journal), she feels that she can solve the mystery of Under which the others have been resigned to live.

The only way to die in Under is to be burnt to ashes. When bodies begin showing up burnt with their tongues cut out, Key will need to solve the mysteries not only of Under itself but also of the murderer, before it is too late.

This was a quickly moving and mysterious book with an element of horror (from the descriptions of people and the murders) that follows Key as she begins to dismantle the unknown through slowly arriving memories and searching. While the mystery is deliciously slow, the book reads very quickly as it is hard to leave Under without knowing the truth. The ending is left rather open, and we do not find the final end to the story- I would have liked more closure, but I understand why it was left as is.

Overall, this was a creepy and quick read that had me rapidly turning pages to learn more about Under and about its enigmatic residents. Readers of YA mysteries who like a touch of horror will enjoy this engaging fiction. Please note that I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC which I received from the publisher through netgalley. All opinions are my own.

This book was so intriguing!

"Smoke and Key" was about a girl that finds herself in the middle of a mystery that surrounds her death.

It had death. It had magic. It had mystery. It had romance.

In short, it was epic. In long, it was amazing. Kelsey Sutton created intrigue from the first line. "Smoke and Key" took place in an extraordinary world that seems entirely plausible. Which makes it all the better. Kelsey Sutton made this world that was magical and just amazing.

I have no words to describe this book because I would just be repeating myself.

In short, you would be doing yourself a disservice if you didn't read this book.

I though the premise if this book was off the charts creative. I've never read a plot like this and loved the originality that came with it.

It was interesting getting to know a main character, or any for that matter, that didn't have any memories of who they were. The way they got their names was a nice added detail as well.

I liked the authors style of writing. It was easy to read and not bogged down with overly lengthy detail. Tho I did struggle with a few of the chapter transitions and felt like simple details were missing that made me wonder what happened (or when did Key have time to read those books) or how passage of time worked.

Over all I really enjoyed the book and how everything was woken together in the end. I would definitely read more of this authors work!

I want to thank Netgalley for providing me an Arc of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I don’t really know how to feel about this book.
I started it and had to stop because it wasn’t holding my interest.
I came back and gave it a second go and I finally finished it.

I’m just gonna say this book wasn’t for me.
The book was well written but poor executed.
The pacing was so slow.
I felt like parts of the book were kinda never ending.
I found the main character really boring and just couldn’t connect with her or any of the side characters at all
I give it 1 star

I received a copy of this from NetGalley in return for an honest review.



I love Kelsey Sutton, not gonna lie. Every single one of her novels has made me gobble it up quickly. I read Some Quiet Place- every damn year.



This book was amazing, the concept is unique, the writing and descriptions are great and the characters are lovely.



The idea that everyone in the Under is named after what the were buried with? Makes them feel so much more, gives them extra bits of personality.



The ending is not quite HEA and a little sad, but oh so brilliant. This book feels like a gothic romance and now I am sad I finished it so quickly. Like all her other novels I will buy this one in paperback too so it can live on my shelves with the rest of her novels.



Key is a great female MC, really wanting to live her life to the fullest. There is magic in the book which leads into my two tiny complaints: 1) the magic didn't have any real rules and could be considered overly convenient. 2) the main plotline is caused because one woman is jealous of another- which is a little overdone and trope-y. I enjoyed the book anyway.



The twist at the end I had figured out, but it's still a good twist.



This book made me feel dark and dank, a little sad and very romantic. But these are all emotions it's trying to make you feel after all 90% of the novel takes place underground.



So enjoy :)

Thank you to Netgalley, Kelsey Sutton and Entangled Teen for my ARC of Smoke and Key. I received a copy of this book for free in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.


Synopsis: She wakes in the darkness and falls, when she comes too, she finds herself underground. She doesn't know who she is or how she got there and has no memories from before. All she knows is that she is dead and the clue to who she is lies in the key that hangs around her neck. As Key begins to get to know the other people of Under, dark secrets emerge and she finds herself and those she cares about in terrible danger.

I was actually surprised by how much I enjoyed this. I was drawn in initially by the beautiful cover but felt the synopsis meant the story would either be really good or really rubbish. It was definitely the former. It was a fairly short and easy read with a mystery at its centre, some romance, some magic and plenty of the paranormal. I enjoyed following the storyline as Key began to discover more about herself and her past and the way it connected with other people in Under.
All in all this was a great read that I'd recommend if you've got a craving for fantasy without it being heavy stuff.

4,5 star
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
I liked this book from the first page, I felt connected to it like it happens sometimes with people that you meet for the first time and now after reading it I still want to reread some parts because I don't want to let it go.
I loved the setting, the idea of the names and Key's personality, a girl that uses her brain. I like that even if they do not remember their names and what they did in life they somehow know who they are.
Black magic is a powerful thing but love is more powerful. Smoke and Key's bond survives death, she can feel him since the first time their eyes meet.
I am sad that it was a stand alone book, I would have loved to read more about Under and Smoke and Key's love.

loved this book! Could not put it down. I can’t wait for the sequel to be released. So grateful to Net Galley for the Advanced Reader Copy and the chance to review. Thank you!!!

The residents of Under are dead, uncertain of who they were or why they were unable to pass on as the dead are intended. They are named by the item that they fell with (Ribbon, Doll, Journal, etc.). Key, the most recent to fall, is unlike the others. She begins to have flashes or memories or her previous life and finds herself inexplicably drawn to the boy known as Smoke. Key is certain that her returning memories hold the answers to her untimely death. As Key tries to piece together the fragments of her past, others begin to remember...and someone doesn't want that secret revealed. Someone in Under is murdering the residents, burning their bodies, a final end to their existence. Key must solve the mystery and discover the murderer before she becomes the next victim.

Smoke and Key is a exciting and fresh new YA fantasy/mystery. I loved the cover and the plot sounded interesting so I was pretty excited to get an early look at this new novel. The story takes place in the late 1800's-early 1900's and begins with our main character, Key, falling from her grave into the world of Under. She is immediately welcomed by an interesting set of characters that are in all levels of decay. The characters and world had a very "Corpse Bride" feel to them which I absolutely loved. As soon as Key arrives in Under someone begins murdering the residents. Although they are dead, there are certain levels of injury that they can't survive...in this case burning. The mystery of the killer unfolds as Key begins to experience flashes of memory and discovers that there is more to the residents of Under than meets the eye. A lot of the YA novels start to feel similar sometimes but this was a refreshing and unique story that I really enjoyed.

This book was received as an ARC from Entangled Publishing, LLC in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.

Such a thrilling and enticing YA Novel that will leave readers on the edge of their seats wanting more. I absolutely love the names of the characters and how each of them symbolize an object that is crucial to the story. Each page was a different conflict with so much drama and resolution that my eyes were just glued to the page and I could not stop reading. Each page was a new twist and turn and went in unexpected directions that nobody saw coming.

We will consider adding this book to our YFiction collection at our library. That is why we give this book 5 stars.

3.5 Stars

This was definitely a strange book for me, but I was definitely digging it.
I've never read anything even close to this book before and the whole plot was so odd and intriguing I was there flipping pages over like crazy. Imagine one of those silly comedy sitcoms where someone is sitting and reading a book and every 10 seconds is saying things like 'oh my gosh', 'I didn't see that coming' and about 100 other things that don't need to be said out loud - that was me.
Also I feel a little cheated. You know why? Because I hate historical fiction and this kind of tricked me into reading it because I didn't realise until at least half-way through when it was set. However, I don't regret reading this at all. In fact I am now super curious to read more from Kelsey Sutton because this concept, guys. THIS CONCEPT. It was just so very different, and I'm not kidding when I say I have never read anything like it before. I desparately need to find someone else who has read this book so I can deal with all of my complicated feelings.
This was such a bittersweet book that part of me is screaming YESSS whilst the other part is a complete wreck.
Would I recommend this book? YES. This is a book that just needs experiencing. Read this and lets chat!

Love! Perfect combination of romance, mystery, and suspense! Readers of Caraval series would love this!! This is great for teens and adults.

I received an ARC of this book and feel like it had so much potential to be very good. While the concept of this story is compelling, the writing lacks follow through. It is stated why Key wants to figure out the curse, we never feel like she does. The problem stems from being told a lot but never feeling anything from the characters. The curse and Under are not fleshed our well, and I was halfway through before I even really understood what the book was trying to accomplish.


https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2696810756

<b> 3 Stars!! </b>

Smoke and Key begins with a girl falling out of her grave into a dark bottomless pit. As she struggles to come to terms with where she is, she starts to meet a group of others who share her fate and with no knowledge of what caused them to fall below into what they call "under".

She comes across a boy claiming to be no one, which makes her head spin. He then tells her that's she's dead. But she cant be dead. She sets off to uncover the secrets of the past with the hope of finding lasting peace for the afterlife.

The atmpsphere was dark and oh so creepy.
How does one function underground??

I really enjoyed this book!! I had a hard time putting it down the first time. I kept flipping pages, feeling as desperate as the heroine to get answers! I thought the story line was unique and different. The pacing was perfect. We get flashbacks and present time Povs, along with a group of interesting characters.

While I really enjoyed the read- there were some things that could have been done a little differently. I felt the writing was great and simple which made for an easy read. My biggest issue was the ending. It felt too rushed and I still had some questions that I needed answers for :( Besides that issue- I think its a great dark and interesting read and I would recommend it.

<I> Thank you to netgalley for this arc. Disclaimer: I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. </I>

This ARC was sent to me by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This in no way affects my opinions of this novel!

I have to admit, Smoke and Key wasn't really my cup of tea.

While I found the concept of the book intriguing, I don't feel like the author carried it out in the best possible way.

For one thing, the pacing was terribly slow. Whilst reading this novel, I was constantly fighting off the urge to skim pages due to my severe boredom and desperation for action. Every now in then, I found myself realizing that I had just read pages and pages of writing without actually comprehending it, resulting in me having to retrace my reading to detect where I was last paying attention to the story! ):

In addition to this, I thought that the plot itself was poorly explained and executed. This book's world is built around numerous magical elements that have origination and history that are never even made clear to readers! After reading the whole entire book, I still had endless questions about the setting and how it actually came to be.

Moving on, I also didn't have much love for the characters. Key, the protagonist, lacked individuality which made her very uninteresting to read about. The supporting characters were just as boring, as it saddens me to admit that I never invested myself into any one of their individual plotlines.

Overall, Smoke and Key wasn't the book for me. I can see why other readers might enjoy it, but I wouldn't recommend picking it up if you are someone who appreciates character-driven books with well-executed premises and sufficient pacing.

Thank you to netgalley for this arc.
Disclaimer: I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
What an intriguing tale! It got me hooked right from the start! I really really enjoyed it!
It's a mix of murder mystery, paranormal, horror and historical fiction. It's dark and creepy with just the right amount of romance. It's hard to summarize this story because of all the different elements in this book. It was a bit shaky in the beginning and I found characters' "names" silly but it all made sense in the end.
Writing: it's a well written story, Kelsey's writing was quite vivid and I could practically see the story unfold right in front of me. I could feel all the characters' emotions. They were some dialects that were kind of hard to understand but it added to the story's atmosphere.
Characters: there were a lot of characters, four main and a lot of secondary ones. All had their backstory that we learn as the story unfolds. I do wish that there was more. Some characters like Doll and Splinter didn't really have any explanations to who they were "before".
World building: this is the part that lacked development in my opinion. Like how does the magic system work? Where exactly does the story take place?
Story line: it's so different, I don't think I've read anything similar to this book. Such an interesting premise and so many different "ingredients" that made a very great story. It was a bit predictable towards the end but I still enjoyed it. I wish there was just a bit more. Like an epilogue or something. It feels a bit unfinished.
Overall it's a great, interesting story that keeps you intrigued till the very end and I definitely recommend it!

A tragic love story kept alive by a curse that refuses to let the dead rest in peace.

“Smoke and Key” begins with a girl falling out of her grave into what’s known as the Under as she struggles to come to terms with her new reality, she soon meets a group of others who met a similar fate and with no knowledge of what caused them to wander below she sets off to uncover the secrets of the past with the hope of finding lasting peace for the afterlife.

This book is such an interesting almost Tim Burton kind of story that has this back and forth between the past and the present as we uncover who everyone was prior to their death but it’s told in such a way that at first I had no idea we had switched between those times and this happens over and over again without any real sort of break or fade with italics to let us know it’s happening so if you blink you miss it making some the reveals a little confusing.

The story itself is rather basic with a random and not fully explained magic element that ties all of these people and their fates together. There was no plot twist or surprise when it came to the ending and the reveal behind who was pulling the strings making the book as a whole rather one note all the way through which was rather disappointing.

This book is just short of being an okay read it’s just kind of there but I do think I’d like to follow the author onto something else she might write because for me the idea was great but the execution needed some work.

**special thanks to the publishers and netgalley for providing an arc in exchange for a fair and honest review**

I just was really confussed by this book. I tried so hard to get into it and for me it just never sparked much interest. Amazing and beautiful cover though, wish I could leave a better review but for me this book just didn't do it

I loved the premise and unique world of Under. We slowly learn of Key's life and death and the flashes are seamlessly woven in. Part mystery, part fantasy, I got sucked in and finished this in an evening. Highly recommended.