Reviewed by Alissa Deann for Readers' Favorite

The Dark Key by Graeme Winton is a captivating story about Matthew Wilson, a librarian who lives in a small town in Scotland. Matthew goes for a walk and notices strange ghost-like monks, which terrify him. He starts carrying out research and secret investigations, which align with some strange dreams he had. Matthew finds out that he is linked to a magical artifact called the key, which is capable of opening and closing a portal to a dark realm where demons and evil souls reside. With the help of David de Longford, a half-human, half-demon, and his father, Jonas, Matthew learns that the power of the key is being hunted by Didier Grondin and his team, who want to unleash evil into the world. Matthew has to stop their plans and either destroy or keep the key safe, despite the risk and sacrifices involved.

I really enjoyed this book. The characters were well developed and played their roles excellently. The scenes, settings, and actions were explained in detail so that I could feel the tension and suspense. I loved how Winton combined elements of history, fiction, and horror while still maintaining the flow. The book maintained a smooth pace with suspense that built up gradually from strange dreams, ghostly monks, and secrets from the past. The narrative moved between different times, from the 1400s to the 2000s, showing how the key affected people across the centuries. One of my favorite characters is David de Longford; his struggle as a half-demon, half-human made me root for him. I also love Jane's personality; her strong support for Matthew despite the dangers was impressive. This book gave me mixed emotions; some parts were scary, exciting, and sad. It talks about good and evil, choices, and the fight to do what is right despite how difficult it may seem. I recommend The Dark Key by Graeme Winton to readers who love dark fantasy novels with creepy historical stories and events.