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The Blackthorn Key

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The Blackthorn Key
Cover image of The Blackthorn Key
  • The Blackthorn Key (2015)
  • Mark of the Plague (2016)
  • The Assassin's Curse (2017)
  • Call of the Wraith (2019)
  • The Traitor's Blade (2022)
  • The Raven's Revenge (2024)
AuthorKevin Sands
Cover artistMike Miller
LanguageEnglish
PublisherSimon & Schuster
No. of books6
Websitekevinsandsbooks.com/the-blackthorn-key

The Blackthorn Key is a historical fiction book series written by Kevin Sands. The series consists of six novels: The Blackthorn Key (2015),[1] Mark of the Plague (2016),[2] The Assassin's Curse (2017),[3] Call of the Wraith (2019),[4] The Traitor's Blade (2022), and The Raven's Revenge (2024).[5]

This book series takes place in 17th-century England/Europe. The main character is Christopher Rowe, and his friends are Tom Bailey and Sally Deschamps. Together, they solve mysteries and stop malicious plots against their king, King Charles II.

Plot

[edit]

The Blackthorn Key

[edit]

The book series starts on Ascension Day, May 28th, 1665. Christopher and his friend Tom are building a cannon while master Benedict Blackthorn comes and tells them not to. Benedict Blackthorn is Christopher's master, and he is an apothecary and codebreaker. Christopher learns all sorts of skills such as remedy-making, codebreaking, and even speaking Latin.

However, one day, Christopher was ordered by his master to run an errand. When he came back, he found his master murdered, along with one message. In the rest of The Blackthorn Key, Christopher and his best friend Tom decode master's message to find the most powerful incendiary ever - The Archangel's Fire.

Mark of the Plague

[edit]

Mark of the Plague begins in late August of 1665. People are starting to catch the Black Death (plague) and are dying. Everybody starts becoming violent and starts stealing food due to a shortage. Sally gets beat up, and Christopher and Tom saves her and takes her to Blackthorn. She heals, and eventually they help track down the plague, except, they figure out Melchior (the "prophet") starts poisoning people with fake plague. Later, they find other people involved in the plot, and eventually the antagonists flee.

The Assassin's Curse

[edit]

The Assassin's Curse begins in November 1665, when they receive a letter from Lord Richard Ashcombe. They find out that the king is in danger because assassins are attacking him and the French family. Christopher, Tom, and Sally are ordered to go to Paris by Lord Ashcombe and the King, and Christopher has to pretend like a fake baron. He and his friends find Molay's Curse stating that an ancient treasure is promised to anyone who kills the French royal line. To stop the assassins, Christopher and his friends find the treasure first before the assassins can, and save the French royal family. At the end, Marin Chastellain dies, and the mysterious character named the Raven sends Christopher a letter.

Call of the Wraith

[edit]

Call of the Wraith begins when Christopher wakes up in a mysterious room and remembers nothing, including who he his himself. He is confused, and a farmer's family saved him from the shore on Devonshire. He later finds out stories about the White Lady taking children, and after solving each clue, he earns a piece of his memory back, until he finally has all of his memory back. He eventually finds out that the Darcys are selling the children to pirates, and Christopher, Tom, and Sally stop them. At the end, Lord Ashcombe comes and saves the three.

The Traitor's Blade

[edit]

The book starts as Christopher, Tom, and Sally come back to London. They find their friend, Simon Chastellain, as he enters the house injured. Christopher brings a doctor to treat him, while he starts hunting down mysterious letters. He determines that they are from traitors who are trying to get rid of England's King. So, Christopher follows the messages and barely stopped the king from getting poisoned on time. At the end, he receives a letter from the Raven.

The Raven's Revenge

[edit]

Christopher is in his shop, when he suddenly gets arrested. He is brought to Newgate prison for being accused of murder. Lord Ashcombe comes and saves him from prison. With Lord Walsingham, Christopher's spymaster, they help find who the Raven is. As the story progresses more and more, they narrow down possible candidates for the Raven.

The Raven gets Christopher and his friends into a game. Eventually, the friends find Issac, the bookseller, and they determine that the Raven is Peter Hyde, Benedict Blackthorn's apprentice before Christopher.

When the first meet the Raven, the see Simon. Soon, the realize the actual Simon was taken over by the Raven, who has plotted this out. In the end, Tom appears to be dead from Arsenic poisoning, but he later gets up and kills the Raven.[6]

Publication details

[edit]
  • The Blackthorn Key. New York: Aladdin. 2015. ISBN 978-1-4814-4651-8.
  • Mark of the Plague. New York: Aladdin. 2016. ISBN 978-1-4814-4674-7.
  • The Assassin's Curse. New York: Aladdin. 2017. ISBN 978-1-5344-0523-3.
  • Call of the Wraith. New York: Aladdin. 2018. ISBN 978-1-534-42848-5.
  • The Traitor's Blade. New York: Aladdin. 2022. ISBN 978-1-534-48457-3.
  • The Raven's Revenge. New York: Aladdin. 2024. ISBN 978-1-534-48460-3.

Awards and honours

[edit]

The Blackthorn Key (2015),[7] Mark of the Plague (2016),[8] The Assassin's Curse (2017),[9] and Call of the Wraith (2018)[10] are Junior Library Guild books. The Chicago Public Library, and Kirkus Reviews named The Blackthorn Key among the best middle grade books of 2015.[11][12] The following year, Bank Street College of Education included it on their list of the best historical fiction for children ages 9 to 12,[13] and the Association for Library Service to Children included on their list of Notable Children's Books for Middle Readers.[14][15] Bank Street College of Education also included Mark of the Plague on their 2017 list of the best historical fiction for children ages 9 to 12.[16]

Awards for The Blackthorn Key books
Year Work Award Result Ref.
2015 The Blackthorn Key Cybils Award for Middle Grade Fiction Winner [17]
2016 Crime Writers of Canada Awards of Excellence: Best Juvenile or Young Adult Crime Book Finalist [18]
E. B. White Read Aloud Award for Middle Readers Honor [19]
Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best Juvenile Finalist [20][21]
John Spray Mystery Award Winner [22]
2017 Silver Birch Award Finalist [23]
Mark of the Plague Geoffrey Bilson Award Winner [24][25]
2018 The Assassin’s Curse Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best Juvenile Finalist [26]
Geoffrey Bilson Award Winner [27]
John Spray Mystery Award Finalist [28]
2019 Call of the Wraith Crime Writers of Canada Awards of Excellence: Best Juvenile or Young Adult Crime Book Finalist [18]
John Spray Mystery Award Finalist [29]
2020 Forest of Reading Red Maple Award Finalist [30]
2022 The Traitor's Blade Crime Writers of Canada Awards of Excellence: Best Juvenile or Young Adult Crime Book Winner [31][18]
2024 The Raven's Revenge Ruth & Sylvia Schwartz Children's Book Award for Young Adult/Middle Readers Winner [32]

References

[edit]
  1. ↑
  2. ↑
  3. ↑ Eisenhart, Mary. "The Assassin's Curse: Blackthorn Key, Book 3". Common Sense Media. Archived from the original on June 9, 2023. Retrieved August 31, 2026.
  4. ↑ "Call of the Wraith". CBC Books. August 21, 2018. Archived from the original on April 9, 2025. Retrieved January 2, 2026.
  5. ↑ "The Raven's Revenge by Kevin Sands". CBC Books. May 19, 2023. Archived from the original on May 26, 2023. Retrieved August 30, 2026.
  6. ↑ "Summary - The Blackthorn Key". SuperSummary. Archived from the original on May 14, 2026. Retrieved November 29, 2025.
  7. ↑ "The Blackthorn Key". Junior Library Guild. Retrieved August 30, 2026.
  8. ↑ "Mark of the Plague: A Blackthorn Key Adventure". Junior Library Guild. Retrieved August 30, 2026.
  9. ↑ "The Assassin's Curse: The Blackthorn Key". Junior Library Guild. Retrieved August 30, 2026.
  10. ↑ "Call of the Wraith: A Blackthorn Key Adventure". Junior Library Guild. Archived from the original on March 16, 2025. Retrieved August 30, 2026.
  11. ↑ "Best Fiction for Older Readers of 2015 — a staff-created list from Chicago Public Library". Chicago Public Library. Archived from the original on September 11, 2025. Retrieved August 30, 2026.
  12. ↑ "Best of 2015". Kirkus Reviews. Archived from the original on August 14, 2022. Retrieved August 30, 2026.
  13. ↑ "Best Children's Books of the Year, Nine to Twelve, 2016 Edition" (PDF). Bank Street College of Education. 2016. Archived (PDF) from the original on December 24, 2021. Retrieved August 30, 2026.
  14. ↑ "ALSC names 2016 Notable Children's Books". American Library Association. Archived from the original on March 13, 2026. Retrieved August 30, 2026.
  15. ↑ "Notable Children's Books: 2016". Booklist. March 1, 2016. Retrieved August 30, 2026.
  16. ↑ "Best Children's Books of the Year, Nine to Twelve, 2017 Edition" (PDF). Bank Street College of Education. 2017. p. 6. Archived (PDF) from the original on December 24, 2021. Retrieved August 30, 2026.
  17. ↑ "2015 Cybils Winners". Children's and Young Adult Bloggers' Literary. Archived from the original on March 25, 2023. Retrieved March 25, 2023.
  18. 1 2 3 "Awards of Excellence - Past Winners and Shortlists". Crime Writers of Canada. Archived from the original on July 1, 2026. Retrieved August 31, 2026.
  19. ↑ Hawkins, Rosemary (March 16, 2016). "ABA Announces 2016 Indies Choice/E.B. White Read-Aloud Award Finalists". American Booksellers Association. Archived from the original on March 22, 2023. Retrieved June 15, 2023.
  20. ↑ "Edgar Allan Poe Awards 2016". Bookreporter.com. Archived from the original on December 19, 2024. Retrieved August 30, 2026.
  21. ↑ "MWA Announces the 2016 Edgar Award Nominations". Mystery Writers of America. January 17, 2016. Archived from the original on August 16, 2025. Retrieved August 30, 2026.
  22. ↑ Cerny, Dory (November 18, 2016). "Florence, Thisdale win TD Canadian Children's Literature Award". Quill and Quire. Archived from the original on June 23, 2025. Retrieved August 29, 2026.
  23. ↑ "Research Guides: Forest of Reading®, K to 6 Programs: Silver Birch Fiction Nominees, 2017". Queen's University at Kingston. Archived from the original on August 17, 2025. Retrieved August 31, 2026.
  24. ↑ Godfrey, Laura (November 22, 2017). "'Great Auk' Wins TD Canadian Children's Literature Award". Publishers Weekly. Archived from the original on August 11, 2022. Retrieved August 29, 2026.
  25. ↑ Toromoreno, Rodrigo (November 21, 2017). "Jan Thornhill wins $30K award for best Canadian children's book". CBC Books. Archived from the original on January 3, 2026. Retrieved August 28, 2026.
  26. ↑ "2018 Edgar Awards Nominations". Locus. January 19, 2018. Archived from the original on February 25, 2026. Retrieved August 30, 2026.
  27. ↑ Deziel, Shanda (October 30, 2018). "Town is by the Sea, The Marrow Thieves, When the Moon Comes honoured at TD Canadian Children's Literature Awards". Quill and Quire. Archived from the original on December 7, 2021. Retrieved August 29, 2026.
  28. ↑ Deziel, Shanda (September 6, 2018). "Wendy Orr, Cherie Demaline, and Monique Gray Smith among CCBC Award finalists". Quill and Quire. Archived from the original on September 7, 2018. Retrieved August 29, 2026.
  29. ↑ van Koeverden, Jane (September 5, 2019). "Jillian Tamaki, Kelley Armstrong, Janice Lynn Mather among Canadian Children's Book Centre finalists". CBC Books. Archived from the original on May 28, 2025. Retrieved August 28, 2026.
  30. ↑ "2020 Forest of Reading Award Nominees". Locus. June 15, 2020. Archived from the original on July 24, 2026. Retrieved August 30, 2026.
  31. ↑ "Toronto author Ashley Audrain among the winners of 2022 Crime Writers of Canada Awards". CBC Books. May 26, 2022. Archived from the original on March 3, 2023. Retrieved March 3, 2023.
  32. ↑ "The awards highlight authors and illustrators of English-language Canadian children's literature". CBC Books. June 17, 2024. Archived from the original on September 5, 2025. Retrieved August 30, 2026.
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