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drearyletters's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
msjennymax's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
caylin_k's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
rochelleah1's review against another edition
4.5
I really enjoyed this but also took me ages to get through. Maybe I was slumping...I dunno. Eventually, I'd like to read the rest of the series.
cornmaven's review against another edition
5.0
Sands brings readers back to 17th century England during King Charles II, a time when no one really knows much about medicine, and apothecaries are what doctors are today in status and expertise. Orphan Christopher Rowe is selected by Benedict Blackthorn to be his apprentice, which pretty much saves his life.
I loved the attention to detail Sands uses to get us into the moment - most kids won't realize how bad life was back then, how there were only a few homeopathic cures for illnesses, and no understanding about germs. Christopher's life is rough, but his new master is at least kindly and fatherly. While Christopher is learning the trade, we are, too, especially the degree to which an apothecary will hide his intellectual property - his recipes for cures - from everyone else via codes and ciphers. Christopher is a quick study, and sucks it all up by osmosis.
There are mysteries involved, as nefarious people are trying to find special formulas to make spectacular things like bombs. Blackthorn leads Christopher, and his friend, Tom, on a quest to find the recipe of all recipes, which takes readers through cemeteries and tombs and crypts.
We also learn about the beginnings of labor unions, the guilds, and how they operated, and the power they held in that time. This is after Cromwell's government fell, and the monarchy was restored, all pretty fascinating stuff if put in the right perspective for kids, and Sands has done that. The writing is excellent, with lots of action, and kept me turning pages late into the night.
NOTE: This review may appear on my library's social media book review channel in the future.
I loved the attention to detail Sands uses to get us into the moment - most kids won't realize how bad life was back then, how there were only a few homeopathic cures for illnesses, and no understanding about germs. Christopher's life is rough, but his new master is at least kindly and fatherly. While Christopher is learning the trade, we are, too, especially the degree to which an apothecary will hide his intellectual property - his recipes for cures - from everyone else via codes and ciphers. Christopher is a quick study, and sucks it all up by osmosis.
There are mysteries involved, as nefarious people are trying to find special formulas to make spectacular things like bombs. Blackthorn leads Christopher, and his friend, Tom, on a quest to find the recipe of all recipes, which takes readers through cemeteries and tombs and crypts.
We also learn about the beginnings of labor unions, the guilds, and how they operated, and the power they held in that time. This is after Cromwell's government fell, and the monarchy was restored, all pretty fascinating stuff if put in the right perspective for kids, and Sands has done that. The writing is excellent, with lots of action, and kept me turning pages late into the night.
NOTE: This review may appear on my library's social media book review channel in the future.
only1braincell2's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
hellohannahk's review against another edition
4.0
Exciting, mysterious, and well written. A little too much murder and bloodshed for me, especially at the end. But I enjoyed the story!
brennieree33's review against another edition
2.0
I don't even know what to rate this book. I read this a long time ago before I had Goodreads, and the only thing I remember about this book was how weird the plot twist was. Like, wow, this book had me so confused as to whether I liked it or not because it was so weird.
burlesot's review against another edition
4.0
Adventure, magic and explosions. It had me turning page after page late into the night.
karrama's review against another edition
5.0
Kevin Sands’ Blackthorn Key is well written. Period. I would share it in a heartbeat, and it's a quick and easy read.
Christopher was an orphan in the busy London of the mid 1600’s. Taken as an apothecary’s apprentice at eleven, he’s bonded to his master. What’s more, he’s good at learning the trade. There’s a murderer about, and he stalks apothecaries. The rest you’ll have to read.
It’s been a long time since a book’s impressed me this much. Christopher and Tom are likeable, and the sensations of London come across palpably. Kevin Sands’ solid writing, the good editing, the accurate historical setting, the puzzles without making reading difficult, all of it adds together to make a great book for the 4-7th grade readers.
The only reservation that I have about it is the inclusion of a particular cult that along with some of the history wouldn’t make sense (it’s a very specific year in England’s history) to a young reader. A second concern is the deaths that start the mystery are pretty grim, though off-screen.
~review based on an ARC
Christopher was an orphan in the busy London of the mid 1600’s. Taken as an apothecary’s apprentice at eleven, he’s bonded to his master. What’s more, he’s good at learning the trade. There’s a murderer about, and he stalks apothecaries. The rest you’ll have to read.
It’s been a long time since a book’s impressed me this much. Christopher and Tom are likeable, and the sensations of London come across palpably. Kevin Sands’ solid writing, the good editing, the accurate historical setting, the puzzles without making reading difficult, all of it adds together to make a great book for the 4-7th grade readers.
The only reservation that I have about it is the inclusion of a particular cult that along with some of the history wouldn’t make sense (it’s a very specific year in England’s history) to a young reader. A second concern is the deaths that start the mystery are pretty grim, though off-screen.
~review based on an ARC