{"id":6451,"date":"2026-05-29T11:06:00","date_gmt":"2026-05-29T11:06:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/?p=6451"},"modified":"2026-05-29T11:06:00","modified_gmt":"2026-05-29T11:06:00","slug":"the-name-and-the-key-by-kristina-elyse-butke","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/?p=6451","title":{"rendered":"The Name and the Key by Kristina Elyse Butke"},"content":{"rendered":"

A haunting curse, a sweet romance, and a bewitching magic system enchantingly meld together in this gorgeously written fantasy.<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Lily Bellamy and Andresh Zatavier are each haunted by the loss of a parent in their childhoods. For Lily, the haunting is literal\u2014visions of her mother\u2019s corpse follow her reflection. For Andresh, the haunting is emotional\u2014a deep distress about death that evolves into a dangerous desire to stop it.<\/p>\n

At twelve, Lily is used to her Mother running off. Just as it is certain that she will run off, she is certain to return, bedraggled but unharmed. That is, until one day, she doesn\u2019t.<\/p>\n

Lily, with her best friend and neighbor, Andresh, and their fathers, set out into the vast woods to find Lily\u2019s mother, but it\u2019s too late. She has filled her pockets and sunk herself in the marsh, a sight Lily won\u2019t soon forget.<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n

From that moment on, Lily sees visions of her mother in her reflection, which she quickly learns to avoid, and smells an unshakeable, sickening smell. But there\u2019s more tragedy to come when Andresh\u2019s father dies unexpectedly, and Andresh must move to Sindalia, where his remaining family lives.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe mirror clouded up. My reflection was clear, but the space behind me was empty, save for a blooming cloud of dark, swampy colors. A greenish-gray hand clutched my shoulder. My body jerked as I felt the fingers dig in, but when I reached to tear the hand away from me, I touched nothing. Nothing was there, and yet in the mirror, the hand remained.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

At eighteen, Lily still avoids mirrors. Visceral visions of her Mother\u2019s corpse, physically reaching out to her and begging Lily to save her, await her in every reflection. So when Andresh finally returns to Lily with the belief that he can free her of her curse, it\u2019s hard to resist, even though it will require stepping into unfamiliar and potentially dangerous territory: Sindalian magic.<\/p>\n

The Name and the Key<\/em> follows Lily and Andresh as they navigate their blooming feelings for each other, tricky demons, and precarious magic. The story beautifully balances loss and love amidst risk, mistakes, and uncertainty, in a world populated with realistic, young characters trying to figure it all out.<\/p>\n

In crisp and captivating prose, Butke introduces an alluring magic system wielded \u201cby Word, by Deed, and by Will.\u201d<\/em><\/strong> The range of the magic in this world is thoroughly compelling, as we learn how each person has their own \u201cfire,\u201d their life force, which can be drawn in or out, or even traded away to demons. The system is unique but never difficult to follow and is unveiled throughout the entirety of the book, which will appeal to readers looking to try fantasy for the first time. The magic, and all the possibilities of it that are yet to be explored, will keep you turning pages.<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2018I want you to,\u2019 I said, breaking the silence.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2018Want me to what?\u2019<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2018Kiss me.\u2019\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Effortlessly woven amidst the magic is a gentle, budding romance. Lily and Andresh\u2019s relationship is a slowly crescendoing sprinkle of sweetness in the novel. Their relationship feels natural and effortless, a pleasant addition to the turbulence of the magic, the curse, and the life around them.<\/p>\n

The Name and the Key<\/em> is for fantasy lovers (or fantasy newbies) who aren\u2019t afraid of a little darkness with a dash of romance. If you\u2019re looking for a romantasy trilogy that will leave you clawing for the next book, The Name and the Key <\/em>is an obvious, satisfying choice.<\/p>\n

The post The Name and the Key by Kristina Elyse Butke<\/a> appeared first on Independent Book Review<\/a>.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A haunting curse, a sweet romance, and a bewitching magic system enchantingly meld together in this gorgeously written fantasy. Lily Bellamy and Andresh Zatavier are each haunted by the loss of a parent in their childhoods. For Lily, the haunting is literal\u2014visions of her mother\u2019s corpse follow her reflection. For Andresh, the haunting is emotional\u2014a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6451","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-bookreviews"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6451"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6451"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6451\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6451"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6451"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6451"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}