Customer Reviews

Key to Redemption (Gillian Key)

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

A big neon warning sign: the author spends the first few chapters insisting that sex-for-pay is NOT prostitution, unless you're a pathetic junkie street hooker.

And unfortunately Talia Gryphon's latest opus goes downhill after that, fast. Her third novel "Key To Redemption" is a smoking, dribbling morass devoted entirely to the world's worst therapy provided by the world's worst therapist, with the occasional pervert vampire. And of course, as much utterly gratuitous sex as possible, with as little possible consent.

Gillian Key receives the news that she's going to have a couple new patients -- Frankenstein's monster, and the Phantom of the Opera (who, of course, is a hot emo guy in tights). Much to Aleksei's disgust, Gillian has to cure him of all his issues by having sex with him -- because according to Gryphon, that is what all licensed sex therapists do.

Men, please note -- if you don't like and support your new girlfriend shagging a strange man for money, then you are a nasty chauvinist and everyone will hate you.

Enraged by Alexsei's accurate description of her as a "courtesan," Gillian stomps off to tend to the Hot Phantom, a Sidhe/Gargoyle named Perrin who is suicidally depressed. Of course, Gillian is so awesome and loving he suddenly learns to trust and love and have wild sex, and even unleashes a sex-filled song through Castle Rachlav -- causing a mass orgy of ridiculous proportions.

At this point, Gryphon realizes that maybe "Gillian's magic-vagina therapy" isn't all a plot needs. So suddenly eviscerated corpses turn up nearby -- turns out dear ol' Jack the Ripper is STILL stalking Gillian, all the way in Transylvania. When one of Gillian's giggly disposable friends is kidnapped by him, she has no choice but to face him.

The entire point of "Key To Redemption" is apparently to show that there's no one more loving and amazing than Gillian, and that she alone can cure any psychological problem. Gryphon tosses in a few throwaway mentions of Dracula killing people and the whole Jack the Ripper subplot, but the whole thing is finished in a few pages and Jack is kind of a wimp. After that, it's back to Hot Lust-Inducing Vampires.

This would be a disastrous plot for the best of writers, but in Gryphon's hands it becomes uglier than Frankenstein's monster. Way too many descriptions of erections and sexy clothes, as well as truly ghastly dialogue("The vampire's visage and touch have left you ripe for the picking"), and a teen-girl mentality towards attractive men ("yummy" and "squee" are two of the more annoying words used).

Even worse: the sex. The book feverishly inserts as much gratuitous sex as possible, but with as little consent as possible. And the sex is anything but erotic -- whoops, fairy sex-magic orgy alert! Jack the Ripper masturbating! Gillian suddenly becomes a virgin again! And I could have lived the rest of my life without hearing about the Phantom of the Opera being given oral sex lectures.

Speaking of which, it's a bit nauseating how "Key To Redemption" brutally rapes the dying body of "Phantom of the Opera." Apparently the Phantom is a poor shy virginal emoboy, and Christine was really a shallow, stupid, vindictive little slut, who cannot even compare to the magnificence of Gillian. Leroux is spinning in his grave.

This is especially true because Gillian is anything but magnificent. She's brittle, hypocritical, whiny, abusive to all around her, and shows her professionalism by practically piddling herself with lust. All the other characters either worship her, or are desperately in love/lust with her. The only vaguely realistic one is Aleksei, but eventually he decides that having his girlfriend boink various other men while he stays faithful and attentive isn't so bad.

Despite a throwaway plot about a supposedly-powerful bad guy, Talia Gryphon seems more interested in trying to convince readers that her Mary Sue is a hotter Mother Theresa. This isn't a train-wreck -- this is the trainyard blowing up.

Got promiscuity? Because this book does and lots of it. But noooooo, its okay because its a part of the heroine's job description to sleep with other people. No, I'm not kidding. The heroine is actually REQUIRED to sleep with other people because she's a licensed "sex therapist" and its her job to heal a client's sexual problems by sleeping with him. No joke. Even worse -- that is basically the whole plot of the book.

The book starts off with the heroine, Gillian, being informed that a client (actually several clients, but this is a non-issue since they are only briefly discussed in the book and basically cure themselves with little to no help from Gillian the purportedly famous psychologist) will arrive the next day. The client is none other than the infamous Phantom of the Opera himself who has sexual problems and body dysmorphic disorder that Gillian is expected to heal by sleeping with him. Naturally, she is concerned about the reaction of her boyfriend, the vampire Aleksei, to this interesting news. Aleksei, predictably, throws a fit and ends up calling Gillian a prostitute. Gillian takes exception to this, they fight, then they break up. The rest of the novel is a series of interludes with Gillian and the Phantom, his name is Perrin, where Gillian tutors him in lovemaking skills, thereby increasing his self esteem and confidence. Also, because Perrin is half sidhe and half gargoyle he has incredibly strong aphrodisiac-like magic that induces an all out orgy where Gillian reconciles with Aleksei. That's the majority of the book in a nutshell. At the last moment Jack the Ripper is once again thrown into the novel to create some belated action/suspense. However, this fails as predictably Gillian marches in and saves the day by being the one to draw Jack out from hiding. Something nobody else but her can do apparently, because like all the men in this book, Jack has a "thing" for Gillian. With Jack finally permanently dead, Gillian once again sleeps with Perrin. This time he finally removes his mask and is "healed" and made "whole" somehow by the miracle that is between Gillian's legs. Allegedly healed Perrin leaves, freeing Gillian to be with Aleksei. Then in a bizarre ending Gillian meets another client who is a vamp and, surprise surprise, is devastatingly beautiful and causes Gillian to be immediately and extremely turned on (when ISN'T she?) just by smiling at her. He leaves. She goes back to Aleksei and they get it on. THE END.


Really, I can understand why Aleksei called her a prostitute and no better than a courtesan, because that's exactly what she was, a courtesan. She took an inexperienced man (Perrin, the Phantom of the Opera) and taught him about pleasuring himself and pleasuring a woman by showing and performing different lovemaking skills, thereby increasing his self esteem and self confidence, thus "healing" him. This could have been accomplished by a skilled therapist without intercourse ever having been necessary. In fact this is soooooo totally against basic therapeutic tenets because its the therapist's job to help the patient help himself by working through his issues HIMSELF. Not by using her as a real life blow up doll.

I've read this series hoping it would get better. I wanted to like it. I really did but this third book turned me off entirely. I found the heroine's behavior quite disturbing and her priorities totally screwed up. If she really loved Aleksei she would have taken his feelings into consideration, would have better tried to understand where he was coming from. Instead, she basically says "I'm going to have sex with this other guy whether you like it or not, and you can either put up with it or get lost." Not real attractive behavior. In addition, she does not behave in a manner consistent with a marine or a world famous psychologist. In fact she does not behave in any consistent manner at all, having unbelievable moodswings. One minute she's a tough marine who doesn't take s**t from anyone and can take care of herself thank you very much --- to she's so vulnerable she needs to be protected by EVERY man she meets, and everyone is so worried about her because she has her own psychological hang-ups, mainly post traumatic stress disorder from her encounters with Jack the Ripper.

It's such a shame because this series has such great potential. Some of the characters, Aleksei and the dark elf Trocar in particular, would be interesting -- except for the fact that they can't stop panting after Gillian like she's an animal in heat. It is not only unbelievable, its also annoying. Everyone man in this book is beyond gorgeous, and every single one has been or is currently in-lust with Gillian. Frankly I don't know why. Apparently, being petite with blond hair and "Nile" green eyes is enough to overcome her foul mouth, even fouler disposition, manic mood swings, irrational behavior, and general all around nastiness, topped off with the morals of an alley cat. You get the picture.

This is THE END for me also, I doubt I will finish this series. The heroine is just so unlikeable, the men too obssessed with her (for no reason that I can see), and the plot is all over the place. I recommend skipping this series altogether. For those of you who have read the other two novels, Key to Conflict and Key to Conspiracy -- don't bother with this one. It does NOT improve, it only gets worse.

I am not sure what to say, I just finished reading this book and feel so utterly disappointed. I understand the need to make Gillian a strong character, but it truely failed. I went from liking her to totally hating her. I can't help but feel that the whole sex therapist crap was placed in there as an excuse to put in cheap sex. I thought Talia to be a much better author then that. Not to mention that she made Gillian so unbelievablely whiney....poor Gillian...Please...I feel bad for the poor vamp that loves her. And hello....I find it hard to believe that any of the other characters would be so nonchalant as well. Even for a Dark Urban Fantasy this book cause a severe lost in crediablity in the series...I too doubt very seriously if I will finish it out.

Note to author: Sex might sell, but it also cheapens. Seems to be an aweful lot of work to give the whiney protaganist Gillain a spanking.

For a psychologist Gillian doesn't have a clue about people's feelings, she tells Aleksei that she is going to have sex with a client to help him with his sexual problems and then gets mad because Aleksei gets upset and calls it as he sees it? I really liked the first and second book but I am very disappointed with this one, what happened to the war? What's going on with all of Gillian's friends and enemies? There is so much that can be done with this series, I am tired of Gillian's "I can do anything and I don't need anyone attitude". I will read the next book but if there isn't any improvement that will be it for me.

well i read the fist book and it was good not great and i was thinking . ok second book was good also. then this came and after 2 chapters i thought. oh god she is becoming a L.K.H author.....

I have to agree - the third book in this series was a true disappointment. It didn't really add anything to the series. OK - Jack is finally gone - but if we take out all the filler-sex, it could have been a short story! Some of the characters are interesting - Aleksei, Trocar and Tanis could all be very strong characters, but they seem to get pushed farther into the background with each book. I hope the next installment gets back on track.

It has been said before, but I have to re-emphasize it: When you see LKH review a book and like it, save your money. You need not even borrow it at the local library. Just print out the cover of the book, paste it over one of LKH's latest 20 releases and pretend you are reading it. I won't review the plot, read the other reviews, this one is just a friendly bit of advice from someone who saves for real authors and good books.
Oh and btw, I commend the fortitude of those people she mentions by name on the thank you page of her books as inspiration. Let's hope they never sue.

I have read all three of these books now, and I like all of them. Yes, this latest one had a lot of sex in it, but so what? I like some dirty in my books, and if it has a lot of dirty all the better! I think anyone who likes LKH, L.A. Banks, and other similar authors would like this series. I can't wait for the next installment!!

Key to Redemption (Key Novels)

This was a great book and I can't wait to read the next one in the series.

I read the other review and wonder why that person read the book if they didn't enjoy it. I read the first and second in the series before this third entry. Book one gave us the scenario and logistics, along with introducing us readers to wonderful characters. Book two took us on a fantasy journey; lots of suspense and HOT encounters of the Vampiric kind.
Calgon....take me away!
This third book gave me what every Phanatic (Phantom fiction lover) craves; a new take on our Phantom of the Opera and although a bit farfetched; I found it quite enticing to read.
The "Key" series is just what I look for in fiction; a good read to take me outside my everyday life which is filled with work, worries, problems, and rigor-boredom. I love real life; don't get me wrong, but we all have things we'd like to forget if only for a few hours. This book was that 'Calgon Take Me Away' story - as were the first two books.
This isn't Shakesphere nor is it great literature and it isn't meant to be. What it's meant to be it delivers on in spades.
Want the great american novel? Look elsewhere.
Want pure entertainment; this is it.
An open mind is needed because so much of this is fantasy BUT I can't read any of the "Key" series books without at some point wishing I was Gillian Key. She's bold, sassy, brawny, sexy, and brave.

I'd recommend this book AND the first two books. They deliver on giving the reader a compelling and fun reading venture.