Candice923's Full Review: Nora Roberts - Key of Valor
Nora Roberts is one of the best romance writers today. Her stories are full, her characters are rich, and her books always keep her readers wanting more. The final book in her Key Trilogy, Key of Valor, is yet another triumph for this wonderful author.
Key of Valor is the third and final book in Roberts' amazing Key Trilogy. The first is Key of Light, which tells the story of Malory Price. The second is Key of Knowledge, which deals with the adventure of Dana Steele. The third and final book is Key of Valor, which sums up the trilogy while telling about Zoe's quest.
The Plot of the Trilogy
Malory, Dana and Zoe are three women that live lives that have never crossed in the same small Pennsylvania town. Malory is the head of an art gallery, Dana is a librarian, and Zoe is a hairdresser that is also a single mother. The three women are brought together by Rowena and Pitte, two mysterious figures that live at Warrior’s Peak. They are told that they are linked to three demi-goddesses whose souls are locked in a box by the evil sorcerer, Kane. Only Malory, Dana and Zoe can free the souls of The Daughters of Glass by each completing a quest for a specific key to unlock a lock on the box. If each of the three women completed their individual quest, the Daughters would be freed and each woman would receive $1 million each.
Plot of this Book
Zoe McCourt is a young mother, and very protective of her 9 year old son Simon. She's reluctant to let anyone into her life in fear of indirectly allowing them to hurt Simon. So, Zoe makes sacrifices. One of the sacrifices Zoe tried to make over the past two months was a relationship with Bradley Zane IV, heir to the fortune of the home-store chain, Homemakers. For the past two months, Brad has been trying to win Zoe's affections, but Zoe has fended him off.
Now it's time for Zoe to find the third key to unlock the box of souls which contain the Daughters of Glass. Zoe is painfully aware that she and Brad are destined for each other, the same way that Dana & Jordan and Malory & Flynn paired up during their quests. Zoe has to deal with solving the quest and deciding what she wants to do with Brad at the same time.
This time, there's a hitch. The evil sorcerer Kane isn't following the rules set by the King any longer. Kane isn't supposed to be able to spill human blood. As we found out at the end of Key of Knowledge, Kane will stop at nothing to stop the three women from finding the final key. That includes killing them.
Zoe and Brad make sure that Simon is kept safe under spells cast by Rowena and Pitte. Pitte even watches over Zoe as she faces demons from her past, then battles one from her present. Zoe follows through with her quest by following her heart to Brad's arms. As expected, all ends happily ever after.
It's a sweet plot, though a bit anti-climatic after the action-packed adventure that Dana went through in Key of Knowledge. There are a lot of different avenues that the plot can explore, but Roberts seems to choose the easy way out. Some of the situations that occur seem a bit unmotivated, and more of the plot is designated to the relationship between Zoe and Brad than the quest itself. I found that disappointing, as the quests in the two previous books were very exciting to read.
The Characters
One thing that Nora Roberts does is write her characters consistently. With her trilogies, she actually takes the time to develop the different characters over three books, concentrating on a pair at a time. In Key of Light, we learned about all of the characters, but delved into the lives and personalities of Malory and Flynn. In Key of Knowledge, it was Dana and Jordan, while learning a little bit more about the other characters. Finally, in Key of Valor, readers feel they know all about all of the characters, and learn the intimate details of the lives and personalities of Zoe, Brad and Simon.
The differences between all of the women is fabulous. You can really believe that these three women, with all of their differences in their personalities, can truly be good friends. Furthermore, they all seem like real people. Malory is the quiet, sophisticated one. Dana is the brash, loud one. Zoe, as we learn in this book, is the timid yet protective one.
The male characters, on the other hand, all seem as though they are cut from the same cloth. Each has a substantial about of money. Each is protective of their respective girlfriend. Each is incredibly handsome. Each has a successful career. Each can have a pretty bad temper. Boring, even if it might be what the female reader may want for her life.
Simon is really developed in this story, and Roberts does an excellent job with his character. I could really relate to the 9 year old without a father, and all of the emotions he was going through with Brad. It made me wonder if Roberts herself was raised by a single parent.
The Story
The story of Key of Valor is the final book in the story of the lives of the three women mentioned above. I love this story because it combines elements of mythology with present-day reality. It makes the reader think about what they would do if they were approached by someone who told them that they could complete a quest... Would you believe them, or would you think they're crazy? What would you do if you were in the position of any of the three women chosen for this quest?
I like the story of Key of Valor because it shows us how women face their demons. Zoe doesn't come from a very good background. She got pregnant when she was just 16 years old, and the boy that knocked her up took off. (Something that I would like to point out here is that Zoe was 16 when she got pregnant, and the boy was 19. Nothing is mentioned about statutory rape, which annoyed me to no end. I think it would have been a bit more effective if the father was 17 when she got pregnant and didn't stand by her, rather than 19. That's just wrong.) Roberts tells about Zoe's plight with candid frankness, and is humble with how Zoe overcomes outrageous odds to make a life for herself and her son.
Another element of the story that I like is how the women are bonded together as such good friends so quickly. I know what it's like to be bonded to someone like that, and I appreciate the relationship between girlfriends that many women live their whole lives without. Roberts does a great job telling about the story of the friendship between these three women.
Overall
If you've read Key of Light and Key of Knowledge, you simply must read Key of Valor to find out the ending of the trilogy. It's a good book and an excellent ending to the Key Trilogy, but the book simply cannot stand alone. I don't know if that is a good or a bad thing, but if you read this book without reading the other two first (and in order), you wouldn't really know what is going on.
In conclusion, you have to read the entire trilogy. I don't mean just to understand this book; I mean for the sheer enjoyment of it. This is one of the best trilogies that I've ever read, even if the final book leaves me a bit deflated. To tell you the truth, I think I was left deflated because I know that it is over... Unless Roberts releases a story about Rowena and Pitte.
If you like romance novels, you'll love this one. Do yourself a favor: Go to your local bookstore or library and get these three books. You won't be sorry.
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