"And remember, no touching today for a healthy tomorrow."

The Key Corporation has kept humanity safe from the deadly virus Cerberus for the last fifty years. This virus killed humans quickly as it spread through touch. No one touches anymore, no hugs, handshakes, high fives, kisses, or handholding. Even babies are created and born without touching. Personal space is valued above all else. Breaking the rule of touching is punishable by execution.

Elodie, a young nurse, has never questioned the world's ways. She believes in The Key and its mission and has no problems following all the rules they have laid down for her. But then a young patient is brought into her ward and goes missing. When Elodie sets out to find the girl, she is forced to break the rules that she has always followed to get the answers she is looking for.

Aiden has been given everything anyone could want from The Key- education, a career, and a purpose. However, there is more to Aiden than meets the eye. He holds some dark secrets that could tear The Key apart. When Aiden and Elodie's lives come together, the results are world-changing. What do you do when the company that has always kept you safe is now mercilessly hunting you down?

"Behind every strong woman was a sea of strong women, not behind every strong woman was a sea of yes-minded drones."

This was an interesting read. Some elements felt kind of generic, and others that were surprisingly refreshing. The Key Corporation felt somewhat generic to me. Maybe it's because I'm a fan of the Resident Evil franchise, but Key Corp really just reminded me of the Umbrella Corporation from Resident Evil. The same kind of evil company controls and lies to the public and tries to rule the world. The more I think about this, the more I think it is just part of this dystopian sci-fi trope and less than generic. In any case, it felt very familiar. One of the surprising elements was the undercurrent of feminism that ran throughout the book. That was something that I felt like I hadn't seen a lot of in sci-fi and dystopia.

Elodie, Aiden, and Blair Scott are the main characters in this story, though several side characters are pretty prominent. The narration of the story switches back and forth between the characters. Several times, this narration overlaps where a chapter ends with Aiden's POV, and the next chapter picks up with Elodie's POV. Elodie was an excellent main character; we get a lot of the background information on The Key and the Cerberus virus from her. Every dystopian book seems to have that one main character who starts off believing everything in the world is fine, and by the end of the book, they know the truth of their world. Elodie serves that purpose in this book. I felt like she was believable in her transition from towing the company line to questioning the truth. She and Aiden work well together. He pushes her just enough to get her out of her normal comfort zone.

There is a wide cast of secondary characters, including Elodie's best friend, Astrid, and Gwen's overbearing mother. Astrid helps Gwen to escape when her mother becomes too much and is a great confidant to share gossip with. Blair Scott and her mother, Cath Scott, are also pretty essential characters. Both women work in the upper echelons of The Key and give us a view of the inner workings of The Key. Blair is ambitious and driven, hoping to climb to the top of the ladder at The Key. Her mother, Cath, is more relaxed and works to keep Blair grounded and not step over the line with those above her. The group of characters is really well-rounded, there are all sorts of different personality types included, and I think it would be simple for anyone to find a character they could identify with.

"Or maybe this is freedom. The war before the peace. The storm before the sweet breath of a newly cleansed day."

The story itself is really just the same as any other dystopian story. The world isn't the way it seems, and the protagonist eventually discovers this and joins the revolution. That's part of what felt so generic to me, but as I said above, I think it's just the trope that the author used. There were some elements that I found very surprising, however. The undercurrent of feminism in the book was a really great surprise. It was something that I definitely did not expect in this book. Elodie mentions in her internal dialogue several times how frustrated she is at the fact that everyone keeps thinking her "sensitive" just because she is a woman. It leads to one of my favorite quotes from Elodie, "Why did they keep saying sensitive like it was something to be ashamed of? Empathy was never a bad thing." I loved this line. I think it is very spot-on for what it can sometimes feel like to be female. Blair has an ever better thought later on- "That was interesting. The way guy infiltrated everything. Or man. Man was the same. Repairman. Fireman. Otherman. As if women were less than, an afterthought, or simply didn't exist at all. It was a problem that had plagued mankind- there it was again- since as far back as any historic text cared to remember. But without womankind, there would be no mankind. " After reading this I kind of wanted to jump up and shout YES!

The theme of thinking for yourself, and speaking your mind is clear from fairly early on. Again, I felt this was pretty similar with most dystopian sci-fi books. I did very much enjoy Cast's writing, however. The multiple POV's really helped to ensure that the reader has the whole story, and I like being able to see into more than just one character's head. I also thought that the story moved at a great pace, not too slow and not too fast. It really picked up speed at the perfect moment. I felt the ending was good, it definitely left me wanting to pick up the next book. There were a few things still open in the ending, but knowing that there is another book, I'm hoping that they will get picked up and resolved in the next book. I definitley will be reading the next book, while this wasn't a book that I got super invested in, I did enjoy it, and I do want to find out more about the world, and the characters' stories.

If you like sci-fi or dystopian stories, definitley pick this one up. It's got some really unique elements to it, even if it feels a bit formulaic at times. It's a quick read, and I definitely think that it was worth my time. I'll be starting on book 2, The Key to Fury, as my next read. Definitely give this series a chance, maybe stick it on your TBR and pick it up next time you aren't sure what to read next.

"After the storm comes the dawn." ( )

Just in case you're obsessed with colours, here are the colour stats:

black: 83 (including "Blackstone Publishing")
red: 74
white: 62
violet: 53
gray: 32
green: 31
orange: 26
pink: 25
blue: 21
yellow: 18
brown: 15
beige: 3 ( )

This is the novel that made me finally acknowledge that I have dystopian novels/storylines! I *loved* this novel! I cannot wait until the next installment and then I hope there are more to follow and then, like the House of Night series, further merchandise to follow!

I loved the main characters (and want a color book like House of Night now has so I can color the characters) with the colors they're described with in the book and see their hairstyles, etc. etc.!

The fact that this novel was written before our current COVID pandemic blew my mind as I was reading it, since it sort of all starts and is surrounded by the effects of a pandemic!

Remember, don't touch anything for a safer tomorrow!

Adrianne ( )

Intriguing start to a new series, set in a dystopian world where an omniscient corporation monopolizes and controls every facet of life. There are some, however, who have come to distrust that control and are now rebelling. Watching Elodie go from unquestioning obedience through various stages of uncertainty and even the beginning of rebellion is nicely done. Many readers will also want to hit her fiance up side the head with a 2x4, then turn and do the same to her mother. He's near the top of narcissistic misogynists in recent literature and she's annoying and demeaning. It ends with a very good cliffhanger, leaving readers eager for what comes next. ( )