Black Thorn Key By Kevin Sands

Hi, my name is Deven, and this is my Eighth article that I am posting on the illiterete blog site. While a friend and I were talking about various books we liked, my friend mentioned The Black Thorn Key. Curious about the title, I inquired about the plot. She explained that it is a mystery book that deals with cyphers and mysteries. Immediately, I was intrigued and finally read it. 

 

Plot

 

The Black Thorn Key is about apothecaries in medieval London. Apothecaries are known for creating objects and potions for individual people and the town that can be deadly or beneficial. As a result of this service, they mainly sell medicine. One extremely successful apothecary within the town is Master Benedict Blackthorn. The narrator of the story is his apprentice named Christopher Rowe who was originally an orphan. Master Benedict not only teaches Christopher but also takes care of him, which is uncommon compared to other master and apprentice relationships. Usually, the apprentice is a servant to the master and is commonly beaten.

When talk about a rising cult called the Cult of the Archangel starts to become apparent after the murder of an apothecary, masters within the town became fearful that they may also be murdered. Master Benedict, however, thinks there is no need for concern which only worries Christopher more. One day, Christopher's worst fears become reality as he looks at his master's body lifeless on the floor. Devastated and enraged, using only a note that his master provided to him as his last words, he looks for the people behind his master's murder and ultimately the people behind the Cult of the Archangel.

 

What I Liked About the Book

 

I absolutely loved this book. Not only did it keep you intrigued with the main mystery of who was behind the Cult of the Archangel, but it also features various cyphers, coded messages, and mini mysteries which easily amused me. Another aspect of the book I enjoyed was the various potions Christopher created throughout his journeys and, as an added touch, it was apparent that the author completed research about these potions Christopher used in the book to make the story more realistic. When reading the book, I was able to relate to the main character because he is around 15 when this adventure takes place; thus, his actions made logical sense to me. 

 

What I Didn’t Like About the Book

Frankly, I liked every aspect of the book. The mysteries were solved relatively quickly which kept me engaged and the plot moved at a pace that wasn't too fast nor slow which was surprising because Christopher had to solve many smaller mysteries in order to solve the main mystery. Overall, I really enjoyed this book and recommend this book to anyone who likes mysteries, cyphers, and crafting interesting potions.