The Spider Key

Written by Jacquelyn Hagen

Narrated by Wayne Farrell

DON’T LOOK. DON’T ASK. DON’T GET INVOLVED.

 

This was once Inkwell Featherfield’s way of life. It was simple. Straightforward. Easy to remember. Too bad he botched it so spectacularly. And now, despite his best efforts to escape his troubles, things are even worse.

 

The Wickwire Watch is showing him visions—though not about the missing parents he seeks. The powerful Lady Seherene is now an ally but demands a steep price for it. The Colonists have welcomed him into their family . . . which might be nice if they weren’t hunted fugitives in constant mortal danger.

 

Worse still, his grandfather is back from the dead and demanding that Ink help put a stop to Caradoc, the Keyholder attempting to gain control of the ghostly Spektors. Allegedly. Trouble is, he’s also the one person able to keep Ink safe from them. If only the man wasn’t so secretive. It would make life so much easier.

 

Above all else, Inkwell and the Colonists are in desperate need of answers. The pursuit will lead them through grand halls and trap-riddled trenches to a secret ceremony and a private city high in the frozen mountains. Ink’s eyes are opened to things more beautiful and terrible than he ever could have dreamed. It’s enough to wish he’d kept them shut.

The Spider Key is the second book of the epic fantasy series The Riverfall Chronicles. For more information, visit jacquelynhagen.com.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Mastmarner Books
• Release date: Apr 23, 2023
• ISBN: 9781958853054

Reviews for The Spider Key

[Kayla Yetman · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

5/5 Stars

An enthralling sequel! Jaquelyn Hagen delivers yet another masterful story within The Riverfall Chronicles.

It’s always a joy when I come across a book or series I don’t want to put down, quickly invests me in the characters, easily immerses me in the world, leaves me internally screaming and eager for the next book.

So far Jacquelyn Hagen has delivered on this, twice!

The Spider Key helped solidify and build on the characters we came to know in The Wickwire Watch. Further investing readers in their circumstances, seeing how they’ve become who they are today, yet building doubt about their intentions, and their past.

The variety of characters is well balanced, and each felt nuanced. With quirky, charming, conniving, rough, capable, endearing or morally grey characters. From their good and bad traits, I’ve come to love this cast of characters and the found family that’s been built.

One thing I was excited to see was further exploration of the world and magic. As the characters travel, we get to learn more about the towns, history, magic and players within the plot.

There’s also no shortage of emotionally evoking scenes. From intense or wholesome moments, suspense, and emotional damage there was a lot to process. Despite this I had a hard time putting the book down. Between the character growth, plot developments and intensity of the scenes it was a mesmerizing read.

The Spider Key also shows where the authors skills have grown in various aspects, most notably in pacing and storytelling. The story progression was spot on, storytelling masterful and wove several breadcrumbs in to keep readers theorizing.

As the stakes get higher, the characters are faced with harder choices, and increased danger. Something I appreciated was the inclusion of more action without taking away from the story or characters.

Now, the biggest surprise was just how dark the author could go, showing the severity of those higher stakes. Between all these aspects, the story felt faster paced with small breathers in between.

All of this demonstrates incredible skill! To create satisfying character/plot developments while still shrouding them in mystery, getting readers to root for the characters yet sowing doubt, along with spot on pacing, a seamless blending of genres, and expanding the world artfully, is hard to do. Yet Jacquelyn Hagen accomplishes it with ease.

So far, The Riverfall Chronicles has been an immersive read that’s hit the mark and become a new favourite. This is how you write stories that keep readers coming back.

Don’t sleep on The Riverfall Chronicles, an incredible blending of gaslamp fantasy mystery, cozy fantasy, supernatural, horror, and thriller expertly crafted into a rollercoaster of a binge read.