Review of The Key Trilogy by Nora Roberts
By: Stephanie J. Bardy
Hello, my darlings, as our regular Book Reviewer is super busy, I have taken up the mantle again for this month. Lucky for you, I have found a long-loved trilogy recently. I have always been a fan of Nora Roberts and her alter ego J.D. Robb. When I was much younger, I would devour her 'In Death' series like it was the air that I needed to breath. I would, from time to time, read one of her romance novels under Roberts, but her Robb persona was my go-to.
Until I found her 'mystical' side.
The trilogy I will be talking about today is The Key Trilogy. Key of Light (Book One) Key of Knowledge (Book Two) and Key of Valor (Book Three). The trilogy follows three women, who, in the beginning seem completely unrelated. Malory Price, the artist, Dana Steele, the librarian, and Zoe McCourt, the single Mom. Each feature in a book, but all three are in each with the other two being supporting roles.
The first book starts with a cocktail party at Warrior's Peak, a rather large, ornate and mysterious mansion that sits in the mountains overlooking the small town of Pleasant Valley. Each woman is invited to the cocktail party and no one else. They are offered the chance to save the souls of three Demigoddess's with a million-dollar reward. Of course, each takes the challenge, because, hello, a million dollars, and where would the story be if they said no?
The first book is Malory's time to shine. It is she who starts the quest for the keys to unlock the box that holds the souls. One key isn't enough, they must have all three. So, each book is the quest that the main character, Malory, Dana or Zoe, must go on and the challenges and dangers they face trying to complete their quest.
Throughout each book there are two constant characters, along with the three women. Rowena and Pitte. They are mysterious, beautiful and apparently timeless. You get bits and pieces of just who, or what they are throughout each book and a clear picture in the last.
They are the quest masters. If you haven't guessed it by now, it is a classic outline of the hero's quest. The hero, an ordinary person, with pain, sorrow or trouble of some kind, is offered a quest, one they must embark on alone. They travel to the underworld, or the dark places, fight for good and gain allies along the way. They learn things about the quest, receive help and discover things about themselves, coming back, changed. Upon completion of the quest, the hero is no longer the person who began it, but altered for the better, in an enlightening way. Armed with weapons, and friendships that will last them a lifetime. Usually, the weapons are insights into their own beliefs, a strengthening of faith and courage, finding that inner warrior and believing that they are worthy of winning the battle. This series plays that format perfectly. It keeps you engaged and invested while fostering a relationship with each character so that by the end of book one, you are close friends with them all.
You also develop a fondness for Rowena and Pitte, which is not unusual in a regular hero's quest. The quest master is always a lovable character and one that you can connect with.
I highly recommend this series and will honestly say that I have enjoyed reading it several times over. I was thrilled when I saw it in the local Walmart because my original copies had gone missing. I have always managed to find two of the three, but never all three. Until now.
Quite convenient since I had to do a book review anyway!
I give Nora Roberts Key Trilogy a solid, heartwarming 5 out of 5.
