"The Key to Fear" was a quick read with a pandemic backdrop. While intrigued, I found the focus on the romance between Elodie and Aidan overshadowed the virus's details and the mysterious Zone Seven. It had a divergent vibe and some predictability. I enjoyed the story but wished for more depth. A solid 3 out of 5 stars.

This was just not for me. I really tried to get into the world but there was a sense of disconnect. Perhaps this was because of the narrator, but I just couldnt get into it.

Soooo good!! I was absolutely gripped from the get-go by this topical tale. The perfect almost anti-apocalyptic novel, where law, cleanliness and physical space take the place of the disorder, chaos and destruction most often seen in novels which follow on from a major world disaster. I will definitely be checking out her other books!

What a book. The concept was fresh and the writing flowed effortlessly which was only enhanced by the narration. The author always delivers for me. Cast develops these worlds where, though they may seem outlandish, there is always a truth and honesty to them. There is a message within every book and this one is no different.

Ok, Full disclosure this might be my fault. I am a TOTAL snob about my dystopian. I need a sound world and specific information to connect with the plot and worldbuilding. This book was not offering that to me at all. So that means if you don't have a plot-driven story with strategic and well thought out world-building then you need it to be character-driven. I could that this book lacked that as well. But again this could very well be me, I might not have connected because the world was taking a lot of my attention as I filled in the blanks with my own world-building.

The story starts off as a bit of a slow burn as the author does a spectacular job of immersing you into this eerie and desolate environment that makes 2020 seem like child’s play. The intricate set up of the Key and how it controls its citizens was equal parts fascinating and frightening.

This book is told from multiple perspectives, but I loved Elodie and Aidan.. Elodie is smart and follows the rules that have been set forth by the Key until she meets Aidan who is pretty adventurous and dangerous! I really enjoyed the chemistry between Elodie and Aidan.

Overall, if you love a good character driven dystopian novel filled with lush world building, action, and a government that you can’t trust, this one will definitely be for you.

I thought I'd enjoy this a bit more because of the pandemic-dystopian premise but I just couldn't really get into it. I picked up a hard copy of the book when it was officially released to see if I liked the book better than the audiobook version, but, alas, I little too much fat-shaming for me to really enjoy the book.

Disclaimer: I received the audiobook from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Book: The Key to Fear

Author: Kirsten Cast

Book Series: The Key Series Book 1

Rating: 1/5

Recommended For...: Dystopian, pandemic

Publication Date: October 13, 2020

Publisher: Blackstone Publishing

Pages: 320

Recommended Age: can't recommend, DNF but (Mention of weight, dieting, Pandemic Dystopian, Sexual content, Weird stalkerish content presented as love)

Synopsis: To Health.
To Life.
To the Future.

We are The Key.
'No touching today for a healthy tomorrow.'

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

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

After a pandemic wiped out most of the human race, The Key took power. The Key dictates the rules. They govern in order to keep people safe. But as Elodie and Aidan 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.

Review: I am dnfing this book at about 43.7% of the way through. I think I am unfortunately at a point in my life where I have outgrown P.C and Kirsten Cast. I feel like they don't really write well anymore for what I am looking for in a ya book. I see that they just take trends and basically copy them or amplify them a little bit on page to make their own books, and I'm really not into it anymore. I also think the timing of this book is a bit ill-timed. We are still in the middle of a pandemic of monstrous proportions, and making light of it in the book, as the book takes place in the future past a pandemic that killed a ton of people and now the people of this future have problems with touching each other and not wearing masks and stuff like that, is a bit insensitive. I don't think that this book should be published in the middle of a pandemic, but maybe should be published after everything has died down a bit. there are other things that I also didn't like about this book. I felt like the book was very ill-written. The writing is not that good and I felt like a lot of random ya tropes were just thrown into the book for the sake of it being ya? I also have issues with the pacing, I am listening to this book on audiobook and I could send it down and walk away and come back an hour later and I'm almost in the exact same spot that I was. The book is very short but it feels like it has dragged on forever. There are also obvious signs of abuse in the main character and her mother's relationship, but as futuristic as the society is they seem to not be able to determine abuse at home. Also, if this is a utopia, why is there even abuse? And I know the answer is that this is not really a utopia, but if the mother doesn't have a bigger plot in this book then why does she act the way she does? However the book doesn't intrigue me so much that I want to find out. I will say though this is much better written than the other book that I got to read early by them which shows some improvement in their writing but again I think that they like to take trends in ya and put them into their books to make quick cash.

Verdict: Not for me but maybe for you.

I wanted to like this book, but I had so much trouble following the story. This might be the sort of book you need to read to more than listen to.

I found this audiobook kind of clunky and hard to follow at points, with the audiobook narrator's voice being quite monotonous, with little to no change in tone for dialogue, inner monologue, different characters, etc.
The story was interesting, and being set in the world after a pandemic was quite on the nose for 2020. Unfortunately, I didn't really connect with any of the characters, with Aidan "the rebel" being- not quite rebellious enough and Elodie was just kind of annoying. (Also, making a bunch of teenagers have serious jobs was super unrealistic, even in a weird dystopian future setting.)

The Key To Fear by Kristin Cast (Head of Zeus, 05/11/2020) is set in a world that has been ravaged by a virus, leaving society ruled by the Key. Much like in 2020, people in this story are not allowed to touch or kiss and live according to strict rules. It was disconcerting to listen to a story of a pandemic while being in the middle of a pandemic ourselves. I didn’t particularly enjoy the implications of this story, where years after the disease itself ravaged the population they still live under the thumb of sanctions. While the story didn’t necessarily focus on this, I could not stop my mind from wandering in these directions while listening. It is not the right book if you are anxious in terms of where society is heading and struggle with the changes brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic. Thus, I couldn’t enjoy the story of young love, rebellion and defiance that I would have ordinarily enjoyed much more.

I enjoyed the narration but the story itself was rushed and disjointed. We got all the YA dystopia tropes and its was too much.

A dystopian epic about deceit and forbidden love.

Elodie and Aidan are trying to survive life in The Key but are both drawn to dangerous interest. Elodie reads banned books, living vicariously through a seductive spy. Aidan tries to distance himself from his family and their influence by testing the limits of The Key. When the two meet, their lives are irreversibly changed.

The plot follows the trend of other popular YA dystopian but is still enjoyable. The story shifts between three perspectives and contributes to the world-building for the story. There is a limited cast of characters that draws readers into the story. The romance is mild and organic, believable to readers. The twist and surprises in the plot were entertaining. This is a good option for a quick read or dystopian fans. My only hang-up with this book was the frequent reference to the story within the story from Elodie's perspective. It was confusing and happened so frequently, it took away from the story.

The audiobook had a great narrator who differentiated between the three perspectives smoothly. There were no distracting additions to the audio like music or soundeffects. Bret's voice was unpleasant to listen to because of the caricature nature. However, overall the audio was a great production.

Wow is what I have to say about The Key to Fear. This book was super good and I really enjoyed it. It's a little spooky given the timing that the book was released and it was super hard not to compare the story to what is currently going on with our COVID-19 pandemic. Their are certainly some similarities but thankfully we are no where near what the Key to Fear describes.

The Key to Fear is futuristic and post pandemic. The Key Corporation has taken over for society and has essentially removed human being living as we know it. The Key Corp. decides where you work and even who you should be paired with. Their is no touching of any kind. Babies are created and born in labs until they are handed to their parents after birth. Kissing, for example, is punishable by death because it assumed that it can cause the virus that they have under control to come back and spread.

Elodie follows the rules and believes in The Key and what it stands for. She does what she is supposed to do and has even been paired by The Key. I personally was not a fan of Elodie's fiancée and found that he was full of it and to be honest quite an asshole. He didn't really seem to care for Elodie and this is clear further into the book. Aiden is the opposite of Elodie and her fiancée. He is free and believes in EOS, the rebellion group against The Key Corporation. Aiden is also part of the major families in the story. I really enjoyed Aiden and found that he added a much needed fun and light heartedness to the book. Aiden and Elodie are certainly my two favorite characters.

I did find that the story was a bit slow for my liking and the first chapter confused me at first. It took me a while to figure out what was going on, however, once I did I couldn't put the book down. The pace of the book picks up as the story unravels between Elodie, Aiden, Elodie's best friend, and Elodie's fiancée. The story keeps you guessing, which is great as I prefer a book where you don't know what's coming next.

The story is narrated by Dascha Polanco and I absolutely loved her narration of the story. She really draws you into the story and you can feel the emotions of the characters as she reads. She does a wonderful job bringing the story to life in your living room (or wherever you may be listening to the book). I hope that she narrates the next book in the series as well.

Rating: 5 out of 5. Even though the story was slow at first, it really picked up the pace and I struggled to put it down. According to Goodreads and Amazon, The Key to Fear is listed as #1 in The Key series, which excites me as I want to know more about what happens to Elodie, Aiden, and The Key Corp. I am hoping that we don't have to wait too long for second book in the series. If you are a fan of sci-fi books than this is a must read for sure.

I love a good dystopian story and this rates near the top of my list of favorites not! First of all...assigned jobs is expected in any dystopian and I love that the characters do not all conform to standards. I really like the dual POV as well, it helps the reader really get to know the characters in a deeper way. A perfect read for being in this pandemic today.

The Key To Fear has an intriguing (and timely) premise: a pandemic has wiped out a large swathe of the population, and The Key, a powerful and technologically advanced corporation, has taken over and picked up the pieces. The Key rules with an iron fist and the remaining population is grateful for their protection. But do they truly have the people’s best interest at heart?

While I found the concept interesting and tend to enjoy dystopian sci-fi as a genre, The Key To Fear wasn’t the book for me. The world-building was sparse, and that left me confused and struggling to get a foothold until about halfway through. This was a very clear first installment of a series, and in my opinion, suffered as a result. The pacing was slow, the details given were vague, and there was very little plot or character development.

The insta-love between our one-dimensional protagonists was frustrating to read, especially on Elodie’s part. Her willingness to give up on everything she has ever known and believed to be true based on the word of a man she just met with no proof was difficult to believe.

There were glimmers of hope for an intriguing read here, but there was just too little substance to hold on to. Additionally, the narrator’s cadence and monotone delivery made the audiobook more difficult to follow.

I think this story has a lot of potential, and I hope subsequent installments delve deeper and deliver the substance this first novel lacked. More detailed world-building, more complexity in character development, and fewer loose ends would be a significant improvement. YA readers who are on board for a slow burn sci-fi dystopian series would be a good fit for this one.

Trigger Warnings: suicide, murder, mild violence and gore

Thank you to NetGalley and Blackstone Audiobooks for providing an ALC of this title in exchange for an honest review.

Anything by Cast is an auto-purchase for me so I was thrilled to get the advanced audiobook for this!!

I really liked this right from the start and found myself enthralled the entire way through. It definitely has some play off of the current pandemic but it makes you wonder how this will change our future in the next fifty years.

The MC was relatable and I found myself swooning over the mysterious Aiden and found I wanted to run off with him too! I loved the little details of the simplicity of our current worlds like fresh grown food and fun is taken advantage of because of technology.

Anyone who loves a good post-pandemic story will love THE KEY TO FEAR, I can't wait for the next one to come out because this definitely left you on edge!

Sorry this wasn't the book for me. On the face of it I should really have loved it. Not sure what it was that didn't grab me. The narrator was good, sometimes a little unclear but overall fine. I didn't like the main character so much, she didn't make me care enough about her to continue and I stopped at about 30%. I'm sure lots of others will love this but not this time for me.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for my copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed here are my own.

The story, I loved. The narrator? Well, I felt she read too slowly on top of having an accent that made it harder to listen to her at my normal speed. A lot of people today listen to audiobooks at 2x speed or higher. When I'm reading a book myself, even I dont read as slowly as an audiobook at 1x speed so I find the narrator to be just as important as the book itself.

They key to fear is a really unique book and at times utterly bizarre. Some moments felt like the life we are living at this very moment during a pandemic. Almost to close to home but also made it that much more terrifying.