As the first book in the series, Key of Light did the job: it set the story arc up, introduced all the main characters and, in the end, wrapped up the first couple's love story in a nice HEA.The PNR aspect of the story was interesting, with a gothic vibe that was eerie and unexpected. An old mansion named Warrior's Peak, guarded by gargoyles, sitting at the top of a hill surrounded by mist... A dark and stormy night... A woman driving alone, wondering what she was going to find at the mansion... That was on the first pages of the book and, no matter how cliché that was, I was chilled to the bone and wondering if Malory, the heroine, would turn out to be one of those TSTL blondes whose aim in life is to step willingly into the arms of death just to keep the story going. Thankfully, it wasn't like that and the story moved along quite nicely, once Malory and her newfound friends/partners Dana and Zoe, the heroines in the following books in the series, were presented with the task they were supposed to do: find the keys that would release the souls of three demigoddesses who had been imprisoned hundreds of years ago. I'm not going into details here, but the tale about their lives was very charming and romantic - regardless of the sad ending, that is.Flynn, Dana's brother, joined the quest for the keys in no time, even though he was skeptical about the whole thing... Well, all of them were skeptical at first, but they changed their minds when strange things started to happen. Back to Flynn... He was the all-around good guy, charming, seductive and, of course, commitment-shy. Malory was soon in love with him - who could blame her? :) - and he was in too, even though it took him longer to see it that way. There was really no conflict in their relationship, and that was a problem for me. Not that I wanted them to go all angsty or start a fight just for the sake of it, but there wasn't anything that prevented them from being together and their relationship felt kind of boring to me.On the other hand, I think NR did a much better job when it came to showing Flynn's friendship with Jordan and Brad - not coincidentally, the heroes in the next books in the series. I actually thought that Flynn's scenes with his friends were more interesting than his scenes with Malory, and that's not a good thing in Romancelandia. Malory's scenes with Dana and Zoe were less entertaining and felt a little too juvenile to me. They would have been more fitting if they had been in their early twenties, IMHO.There's a lot of talk about symbolism and coincidences in this book: some interesting, some confusing. I thought the "key" Malory was supposed to find was only a metaphor but it turned out to be "real" - or the next best thing, since this is a PNR story. As for the ending, I was as fooled by Malory's trick as the villain: I thought Flynn would have to rescue her with a bang, but I should have known that she was smart enough to do it by herself. Girl Power, yay! ;)All things considered, this was an overall good, although not stellar, read for a nice and lazy afternoon/evening. And, referring to the first paragraph above, it did the job: I'm interested enough in keep reading the series.
This was a fun, though light, read. I happened to be in the exact right mood for this book, so I'm afraid I devoured faster than usual.It doesn't hurt the book that the main character's name is Malory and one of my first crushes was Mallory Keaton (yes, that Mallory Keaton). I know, I'm a dork. Still, Malory Price is an extremely likeable character even if some of her best lines are too stereotypical to take seriously. I particularly like that she is brave enough to confess her feelings before she is sure that they are (or will be) reciprocated. There are enough unique traits to keep her from being just a stereotype of the girly-girl thrust into an action/detective role.Flynn is even more of a stereotype than Malory. He's kind of a self-conscious cross between George Bailey (from It's a Wonderful Life) and Clark Kent in his mild-mannered reporter guise (from... do you really have to be told this one?). It helps that he compares himself to George Bailey, so at least it functions more of an homage than amalgamated rip-off.Even if there's a lot of formula in the characters, the frame story is an interesting one. I don't know if Roberts found and borrowed an actual obscure Welsh myth, but it doesn't really matter if she did or not. The frame story is compelling and the identification between the figures of the myth and the girls of the story is an interesting one. In the end, the combination of frame story and seeing how it relates to the modern setting and characters held my interest and attention to deliver an enjoyable read.A note about Steamy: This book had a standard couple of explicit scenes. Nothing terribly remarkable about the frequency or content of them, though don't take that to mean that there's anything "blah" about it...
What do You think about Key Of Light (2003)?
O conceito por detás desta Trilogia sempre me fascinou: Um Deus Rei apaixona-se por uma Mortal e leva-a para o seu Reino semeando assim o caos e a discórdia. Eles têm três filhas com almas semi-mortais que são adoradas por todos... bem, por quase todos! Num momento de distração um feitiço é lançado e as almas das três irmãs são presas numa caixa com três fechaduras. As chaves são escondidas no Plano Mortal e três mulheres- que são fisicamente idênticas às três princesas- são encarregues de encontrar as chaves. Cada mulher tem exactamente 28 dias para o conseguir. Se a primeira falhar, as outras também falham. Se a segunda falhar, a terceira também falha. Se falharem, na geração seguinte nascem outras três mulheres com a mesma missão. As almas têm de ser libertadas num período máximo de três mil anos, caso contrário o feiticeiro que aprisionou as almas dominará o Plano dos Deuses e o Mortal.Lindo não acham? Mágico....Agora é a vez de Malory, Zoe e Dana tentarem a sua sorte. Nenhuma destas mulheres se conhecia, a vida professional de cada estava por um fio, mas após um misterioso convite para irem ao Pico do Guerreiro e a missão de encontrar as chaves lhes ser atribuída, uma forte amizade é forjada. A primeira a procurar a chave é Malory.A Chave da Luz constituí uma leitura agradável e ligeira, com um delicioso toque de humor, magia e romance. Contudo, apesar de me ter proporcionado bons momentos, não foi de todo dos melhores que já li da autora. Gostei de não se focar única e exclusivamente no casal principal, como também nos personagens secundários que terão o seu próprio livro. Após ter lido este, julgo que o meu preferido será o da Zoe, que é o último da Trilogia.
—Cata
Let me tell you a story... the story of three demi-goddesses who were born to a god king and his mortal wife. Jealous of his happiness & outraged by his marriage to a mortal, the other gods secretly plotted to destroy the king. One god succeeded in stealing the daughters's souls. The angry god then locked them each in a box that could only be unlocked by mortal 3 women... I am such a fan of Nora Roberts. Her romances always leave me sitting back in my chair wondering why the hell my life isn't one of her stories!Key of Light is the first book of the Key trilogy and a nice start to the series. It's been quite a few years since I've read this book or series but I remember how much I enjoyed it. The storyline is very engaging and you're guaranteed to relate to one of the 3 women (for me it was Zoe & Dana.... Malory is the complete opposite of me) who find themselves on the Key quest. And of course their male counterparts are swoon worthy but I was more interested in the underlying plot then the romance of the book. The fantasy/paranormal element of the book was fun with just a slight hint of darkness.This is such a quick read that the story feels a little rushed but it's still worthy of a read. A decent read & a very good series.
—Lauren
This is the 3rd trilogy I'm reading of Nora and I'm very much appreciating her consistency and character development. One consistent thing I commend her for is that despite the main lead couple, the revered friends in the background get their own chance to show you who they are and what they're capable of whether it's a chance of badass comment or an lol trip-over-yourself moment. The story flows beautifully, and the chemistry between Flynn and Mal was spectacular. Flynn's humor grew on me very quickly, as well as how close he is to his "brothers" Brad & Jordan. The women still have yet to have a bonding moment that captures me, but I understand their bonds of friendship are just blossoming as opposed to Brad, Jordan and Flynn who've known each other since childhood.
—Mary
