Some of the books I read this week are in the sidebar. I liked some of the a lot and one of them a little, but still I recommend them all.
The Blackthorn Key by Kevin Sands is on this year’s Great Stone Face list. I know why. It is a suspenseful adventure of friendship and intrigue set in 1665. It seems like a challenging time to live but Christopher Rowe has found comfort in his life. He has been accepted as an apothecary’s apprentice, with home that he can one day be part of the Guild. He is lucky to be in this position because he was orphaned AND because his master, Benedict Blackthorn, is kind and caring. Christopher feels his luck everyday as he works beside his master to prepare medicines and salves, potions and ointments. He is encouraged and questioned, given books of all kinds to read and taught lessons helping him to explore new ideas. Christopher sees what could be through his best friend, Tom Bailey, the baker’s son who is routinely beaten and shamed.
Christopher is taught that he has been given the tools of his trade by God and that through them he is to find ways to make the world a better place. He is always to use his skill to do good. But others challenge that. A mysterious cult is in search of something they believe the apothecaries have. They will stop at nothing to reach their goal and so, one by one, are murdering the apothecaries. The day after his birthday, the day after he solves the mystery of his puzzling gift, and the day after Benedict Blackthorn fall prey to the cult, Christopher receive a cryptic warning. He must break the code and uncover the key to a terrible secret that could tear the world to apart in the wrong hands. He has incredible choices to make with hardly any time to weigh the consequences or discover the truth.
This story is full of exciting adventure and heart-stopping suspense. You’ll be eagerly turning pages to the very end. One thing is certain – nothing is as it seems. Even when you get to the end some questions remain. What would you do in Christopher’s place?