In this junior fantasy we see each and every beat that could possibly be a spoiler for the first in the series, and then get straight on with this one, which I have to say from this seems a different beast to the first (and a great chunk shorter, going on my reckoning). Last time, apparently, we had a world saved from tyranny, as a bloke who didn't like children was stopped from having all his way and all the kids of the world locked up. It cost him his life, and our heroine's mother's, too – and what allowed people to travel to the land of the dead and fetch people back, a sacred book, was destroyed as well. So our lead is startled here to be given a key that does the same as the book. Can she fetch her mother, and wake up her father from his mournful torpor? Well, no, for she knows of a bunch of ghost artists, and one of them has done something evil – she must enter the Dantean world and sort that out instead.


And that proved the problem here, at least from someone coming new to this. It appeared to be quite the ill fit – that a great lurch had been made from being political and showing the inspiration for characters to save a generation of kids, to having them rattling around the afterlife to save one child. That (and the fact I don't tend to enjoy plods through purgatory) made me convinced I would not be rushing back to the first book to get the full picture.

However, it has to be said the picture here is not too bad at all. When it finally matches up with what had gone before – when it is able to prove it is of the same family as the first – it does it very well. Some scenes here are quite bravura. But even then the story has to dither from this bit of waterway to that bit of waterway, and I still don't think there was enough here for me to love, even if I had had previous. Returnees may love the swoop from the unexpected attention to the continuation of what they had read prior, but I found a lot of evidence of this being an ungainly trilogy-middle, that had to engineer too much ready for the finale.

'The Book of Stolen Dreams' is one of my favourite books of recent years and this sequel does not disappoint. The book picks up shortly after the events of the first. The evil tyrant Malstain is dead, and Rachel and Robert are heroes. One day, Rachel meets a boy who knows the secret of the blood-red key, that she found at the end of the first book. This key, gives the bearer access to the Hinterland, (where the dead reside). When Rachel discovers that a young girl has been illegally smuggled into the Hinterland, she has no choice but to use her key to rescue her. What she finds there....well, no spoilers from me. You will have to read it for yourself. This is a remarkable story. A real page-turner with some truly wonderful characters. I absolutely LOVED it!!

The second in this series by David Farr and another great, thought-provoking adventure.

Rachel and Robert are celebrated as the heroes of their home town after the events of the last book but there are still mysterious things going on. Rachel discovers a blood red-key and ends up using it to enter the hinterland (essentially the afterlife) to save Elsa who has been taken there against her will.

Traditional myths of the afterlife were woven into the story and it was a face paced adventure as Rachel and Robert try to do the right thing in really difficult circumstances. There was lots to explore and discuss in the story - it would be a great read to challenge older middle grade readers or to read together and discuss.

Having read The Book of Stolen Dreams, I was keen to find out what happened to courageous Rachel and Robert after they had rescued Krasnia from the evil Malstain.

What an exciting book! I read it over about 3 days as the plot hares along. Lots of "peril", cliff hangers and moments when I really wondered how the characters might escape from impossible situations.

Having saved The Book of Stolen Dreams, Rachel wants a calmer time but a break in at the library where her grieving Dad works, means that this is not possible.

This time her "quest" is driven by the blood red key and a sense of compassion for a scared young girl. She must face her own mortality in an unusual way.

Shades of Pullman/ Rundell/Le Guin in some of the adventure in the land that Rachel enters on her quest. Despite the sense of danger , there is a lot that is comforting and healing too. in this sense it's literary fiction for children (although adults will love it as well) It stands head and shoulders above most of the magical adventures, fantasy that dominate "middle grade" literature at this time.

Loved this book, so thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for an ARC

This adventure was a lot of fun, picking up immediately after the events in Book 1. I feel a bit jealous of middle graders these days for having such great stories to read. The plot and story line was adventurous and imaginative- the metaphysical content will have given children quite a lot to chew on! Many thanks to Netgalley for an arc of this book.

Do you need to have read the first book? Well, usually I’d say you possibly not, however, this time - yes. You do need to have read ‘The Book of Stolen Dreams’, so that if the vividness of the story has faded, then the aide memoires in ‘The Secret of the Blood-Red Key' will trigger all the emotions you experienced in Rachel and Robert’s first adventure. It will enrich your experience untold for the delight of reading the sequel.

About the book
🌱Back in 2021 David Farr made his Children’s fiction debut with ‘The Book of Stolen Dreams’. The Night Manager and Hanna screenwriter has adapted his masterful storytelling gift to share the tale of two of the brave children, siblings Rachel and Robert Klein. Inspired by the true events of David Farr’s own Great-Aunts, who as German Jews escaped the Nazi wave of antisemitism during World War II, the first book features many parallels to the Holocaust, those who were taken to concentration camps, those who resisted, and those who survived against all the odds. Thus, David pulled readers into his fictional country of Krasnia under the rule of the ruthless, evil and child-hating dictator President Charles Malstain. On Rachel's birthday her father took her and her brother to the public library where he worked. Felix Klein needed his children to embark on a mission to save their country from the tyrant ruler. There he showed them a rare book with magical powers of eternal life. It was the guardianship and search for the final missing page that put Rachel and Robert's lives in terrible danger whilst they worked out clues and escape from the clutches of the enemy time and again in order to do what's right.

🌱'The Book of Stolen Dreams' reminded readers that children are resilient, brave and hopeful even when in the most perilous of situations. There were so may threads woven into the plot bringing it together just like the poetry and beauty of ‘The Book of Stolen Dreams’ itself. Resistance fighting, believing in people no matter their past and never giving up on freedom, justice and peace are all powerful elements of this memorable storytelling.

🌱In 'The Secret of the Blood-Red Key', the reader is returned to Brava, the capital city of Krasnia, and it is merely 6 weeks since Malstain was deposed, killed, and the evil cruelty of his dictatorship ended. Krasnia’s heroine, 12 year-old Rachel Klein, is trying to find the her new ‘normal’, now back to school and home with her father and brother, she is forever haunted and reminded of her achievements by passers-by. Her father, Felix Klein is wracked with grief and trauma, a shadow of his former book-loving librarian self. Her brother, Robert Klein, is so absorbed with his post-resistance political progress that he barely notices Rachel. How long can they go on like this as a family?

🌱Rachel makes an excellent, selfless, heroine, together with her brother who would do anything to keep her from harm and who has a clever mind, they have survived against all odds. However, a heroine, and one such as Rachel, can’t just slip back into ‘normal’ life. Whether it’s visiting the Meyers (the family of ghosts bound to their home as the creators of the ‘Book of Stolen Dreams’), or not, her life is no longer without the supernatural, and she’ll never be the same again. Luckily for us, I mean Rachel, a ‘spy world’-like clandestine meeting on a park bench takes her on another dangerous quest. And so another 'Stolen Dreams Adventure' begins...

🌱Having been handed a ‘blood-red’ key and a card with an emergency phone number on, she is told that this key gives her entry to the Hinterland - the land of dead souls, with its dark magic. It seems she might now be part of a very special secret society as a ‘keeper of the key’. Once you’ve finished reading my review… scroll down to my ’Symbolism in the Book’ section, because it’s from this point onwards that the implied is so delicious when reading this story, that you are running multiple narratives along in your own imagination that gives the book it’s edge.

🌱Rachel comes to learn of a huge error of judgement by some of the Meyer family that has corrupted order within the Hinterland - the transition realm of the dead. A young 9 year-old girl has mysteriously gone missing from the living world in a village near Brava, and so has one of the Meyer ghosts - the most mischievous and foolish of them all who has made a deal with the ‘Trueblood’ family (I interpret this as ‘Aryan’ if the series continues its underlying abhorrence of the Hitler-Nazi-antisemitism ideology) and it involves a certain ‘Book of Stolen Dreams’ and the thin magical and spiritual veil between the living and the dead.

🌱The mystery of how to return the girl back to her family lies with the key Rachel now has in her possession. She must chant the incantation and journey through the lavender and rosemary filled walled garden in order to open the gate to the Hinterland. Then she has only 24 hours to find the girl and get back out before she can never return again, never see her brother or father until they one day die themselves.

🌱David Farr’s imaginary Hinterland is vividly described, the differences given between the temporary resting places for souls which reflect the lives they led before they died - black and white for adults and colour for children; areas along shorelines named ‘Liar’s Lair’, ‘Tyrants Tower’, ‘Burglars’ Burrows’, ‘Killers’ Caves’, ‘Meadow for Children’, ‘Musicians’ Mews’… all temporary stops before the souls reach a point in their consciousness that they are ready to terminally depart into ’the Flow’ (painted as an almost galaxy like home for souls as the stars sparkling above) via the ‘Sea of Acceptance’. Is this heaven? Does the author believe in heaven? If the story does depict an either/or then hell is the ‘Tyrants Tower’, where those who have committed the most evil humanly possible whilst living are left and never allowed to be at eternal peace in ‘the Flow’. The author includes characters in the Hinterland that are winged, called Bibilos, there are also some ‘shimmering figures’ who make up the High Council. Rachel, like all children in the Hinterland, is assigned a pet. Along comes a bounding beagle filled with all the characteristics needed for this type of life-or-death sleuthing. This is a beautiful addition to the story, the dog having his own living world experience to share like so many of the souls do.

🌱Meanwhile, Rachel’s brother eventually learns of her mission. Without Robert and his ingenuity, bravery and sibling loyalty, she almost certainly would have failed. I have to stop. There are absurdities, incredulities, eerie scenes of transcendence, supernatural reunions and all the while the clock (‘Horus’) is ticking time away until it just might be too late for good to conquer the most evil of evils. Is there anywhere safe? In either life or death? This is a powerful story about loss and pain, and whether it is really possible to play God.

How much of my interpretation is just in my own imagination? You read, you decide!

“I wanted to create my own magical world. I also wanted to write about now, about the world we live in. Charles Malstain is as close to Vladimir Putin or Donald Trump even as he is to Josef Stalin or Hitler. We have monsters in our world too sadly and we need to fight them, as Rachel and Robert do.” - David Farr

I loved the first book and this is a worthy sequel.

It felt different in tone to the first book. Rachel is very much to the forefront in this adventure, with Robert taking on a smaller role. Rachel follows the trail of a young girl sent into the Hinterland for an unknown purpose. A lot of the story is set in the Hinterland this time and it was fascinating to find out more of this version of the afterlife. New characters are introduced and old foes make an appearance. I can’t wait for the next one.

The Secret of the Blood-Red Key is the next incredible adventure in the Stolen Dreams Adventures series, and follows on from the events in The Book of Stolen Dreams which was in my top reads of 2021. I have no doubt that this one will be in my top reads of 2023: it is an absolutely superb, unmissable adventure.

Rachel and Robert Klein have become the heroes of Krasnia, but they seem to have gone their separate ways. Whilst Robert is caught up in politics and speech writing with his new friends, Rachel is caring for their father who is living as a mere shadow of himself after his wife’s death.

On her way home, Rachel meets a boy who shows her a blood-red key identical to the one she has hidden at home. He reveals that she is now a Keeper of the Key, a secret group who know the truth of the Hinterland and who must answer the call of the key. When she discovers that the boy is telling the truth, and the key is asking for her help, she turns to her brother, but he is too distracted by his new life to listen to her.

Rachel’s investigations lead her to the revelation of a terrible wrong: a young girl, Elsa Spiegel, has been tricked into entering the Hinterland (the Land of the Dead) by those with evil intent. Rachel is determined to right this wrong, and uses her key to enter the Hinterland in order to rescue Elsa and reunite her with her distraught family. But what she unearths on her journey leads her to save so much more than one child …
I absolutely loved this heart-racing adventure which I genuinely could not put down as I was transported between a newly free Krasnia to the most fascinating and richly described world of the Hinterland. This is a world where I felt both a sense of awe and wonder and an underlying thread of fear as corruption seeps in.

There is a real sense of danger and time running out as Rachel races to find Elsa and solve the mystery of why she was sent to the Hinterland whilst her brother Robert follows a path of discovery towards his sister. I don’t want to give away any spoilers but, oh my goodness, what incredible twists and revelations! Gasps guaranteed! I thought that the ebb and flow of the dual narrative worked brilliantly to tantalisingly bring the dreadful truth to light.

I really enjoyed being back with familiar characters and meeting new ones. Whilst Rachel and Robert are adapting to their new found fame in different ways, they both have the interests of Krasnia and family at heart. Rachel has a firm belief in doing the right thing and shows great courage in facing danger and fears, and making sacrifices for the good of others. Robert clearly loves his sister, and is determined to make amends for not making the time to listen to her when she needed him. I felt the way that their father’s grief is dealt with was incredibly sensitively handled, and my heart really ached for his evident pain and loss. I will mention one other character – Bobby – readers will definitely adore Bobby!

This is a stunning, gripping story that swept me into a wonderfully intricate world and took me on an unforgettable adventure … a must-read for 9+.

The Book of Stolen Dreams was one of my favorite books in the latter part of 2021. At the time I hoped there would be a second but I didn't know for sure. I'm happy to say this sequel more than lives up to the first volume (if you really wanted to you could read this without having read Dreams, but you'd be missing a lot, and also spoil the ending of Dreams for yourself.)

In the review for Dreams, apart from saying 'amazing' far too many times, I said that I hoped the sequel would make me cry less. Sadly, it didn't, but it's the good kind of crying, so I didn't mind too much. But book three will need a lot of tissues at this rate!

I really do hope there's a third book. The story in this one was - sorry - amazing, so clever and imaginative and far beyond anything I expected when I picked it up. My proof didn't have illustrations, but going by Dreams they're going to be brilliant. I can't wait to see what happens next.

In book one Rachel and Robert were passed a stolen book by their librarian father which they were tasked to protect it at all costs. They had to uncover its secrets and track down the final, missing page.
In book two Rachel and Robert have defeated the tyrant Malstain and become the heroes of Krasnia, but Robert leaves Rachel alone to take care of their father, who's lost without their mother.
But someone appears knowing the secrets of the hidden blood-red key. When a young girl is illegally smuggled into the Hinterland, Rachel must use her key to save Elsa and reconnect with her brother.
The adventure and suspense continues in this masterful piece of writing with a strong female protagonist proving herself to everyone.

A brilliant sequel - possibly even better than the first - with even more dastardly foes to defeat and perils to overcome. A riveting adventure right from the start with some lovely new characters too - especially loved Bobby the dog whose loyalty and bravery were fantastic. It will have you on tenterhooks until the very last page.

Well, I knew it would be magnificent and I was not wrong. Entirely compelling, exciting and thrilling to the very last second, this new adventure for Rachel and Robert Klein pushes the boundaries of life and death.

When the Book of Stolen Dreams was destroyed, Rachel was given a blood red key. This sequel begins some time later and Rachel is a hero of Krasnia, Constanza is president and Robert is preparing for the youth council. When a young boy gives Rachel a card and explains that she will know when to use the key she tries to share this with Robert. Rachel is disappointed to see that he is not interested and their father, Felix Kelis is still grieving and struggling with life without his wife.

The story deepens with the news of a stolen child in the Hinterland and the Meyers, our favourite ghost family, are hiding some deep secrets. Rachel decides to go after the child and bring her back but the full force of the truth is still to be discovered. This child has a purpose in the hinterland and it all comes down to the Truebloods, a noble family keen to live forever.

With just 24 hours before the key expires, Rachel must find Elsa and bring her home. It won’t be easy with Mary Trueblood and the familiar villain of Charles Malstain trying to change their fate.

I was so charmed and bowled over by the Book of Stolen Dreams. Sequels can sometimes just transport you back to a world where you loved being and that is certainly true of this adventure. Rachel and Robert are brilliantly written characters and they feel so real as you read about them and adventure with them.

This had me gripped and worried towards the end and I didn’t want it to stop! Get ordering this sequel, you won’t want to miss it!

The Book of Stolen Dreams was an extremely hyped fantasy adventure that certainly lived up to that hype and so I was obviously very much looking forward to reading the sequel, The Secret of the Blood-Red Key (which has also been very much hyped with some very exciting emails along the way!) Following from where the first book left off, the heroes of Krasnia have saved the land from the evil Charles Malstain, but soon new secrets and adventure beckon. David Farr has created a beautiful fantasy world in Krasnia and the Hinterland (a magical and sometimes ominous afterlife). With themes of loss and grief central to the story, The Secret of the Blood-Red Key is a tale filled with heart and the importance of acceptance. I absolutely loved it!

Rachel is the central character to this story and she is a fierce and likeable heroine with a strong moral code. She knows right from wrong and commits herself to justice. Her brother feels like he has almost stepped away from the family in his pursuit to make Krasnia a better place and as such it seems as though he is missing out on the importance of family and listening to their feelings. The reader meets a whole range of key new figures and well…no spoilers…but there may be a few evil characters and potentially even some returnees we’d rather have forgotten…

A thrilling return to Krasnia with vivid descriptions and exciting adventures. 5 out of 5 stars.

After a colleague had bought book one for me as a gift - a book which I thoroughly enjoyed reading - I’m sure that you can imagine my absolute delight to find this book available as an ARC! Thank you to NetGalley, David Farr and Usborne for letting me read this ARC in exchange for my review.

David Farr has done it again! I loved meeting up with Robert and Rachel as they try to navigate life after defeating the odious Charles Malstain. This time around, there were some new foes to vanquish, even greater challenges to overcome and brilliant new characters to meet along the way - who wouldn’t want a Bobby? There were so many times in this story where I found myself trying to read it as quickly as I possibly could just so that I could find out what would happen next and how out heroine could possibly discover a way out of the predicament that she found herself in. There were plenty of times where my predictions were completely wrong, thanks to the many plot twists throughout the story, all of which added to the adventure and intrigue! I was hooked!
A magically brilliant read, that I will definitely be recommending to my pupils, as well as my colleagues, that leaves this story open enough to hint at the possibility of this series being continued - something that I very much hope will happen!

My daughter hasn’t read the first in this series so when she read the synopsis of this was and loved the sound of I bought the first book for her and she read the books back to back.

She loved how original the story was in this one. It wasn’t what she expected and she loved how she had no idea where the story would end up. She liked how dramatic the story was and loved getting to know the characters.

5 stars from her and she’s eagerly anticipating book 3.
One of her favourite reads of 2023 to date.

I have not read The Book of Stolen Dreams (though I may have to get hold of a copy now!), but The Secret of the Blood Red Key works quite well as a stand-alone read. It essentially picks up where the previous book ended, but there have been a few developments in the interim.

Despite having defeated the evil Malstain, bringing peace and happiness to Krasnia, things are not going entirely well between Rachel and Robert. While Robert is preoccupied with his new friends, Rachel makes an unexpected discovery that has enormous implications for her.

A strange boy appears to inform Rachel that she is one of an elite group who are designated Key Keepers. They are responsible for controlling access to the Hinterland of Krasnia, where only those who have passed away are supposed to go.

So when Elsa, a young girl, is illegally smuggled into that forbidden zone, it becomes all to evident that Rachel will have to use the Key to undertake a rescue mission.

Adventure, heroism, magic and mayhem are plentifully on offer in this marvellous read. It is a really enjoyable story, and readers will find themselves swiftly transported to a faraway land, where exciting events are underway...

The sequel to The Book of Stolen Dreams didn't disappoint. I read it straight off the back of book 1 as I just couldn't wait! As with book 1, I was invested from start to end. Absolutely brilliant 👏

Peace and freedom has been restored to Brava when Rachel is contacted by another keeper of the key. Before long, she is investigating the disappearance of 9 year old Elsa and how this is connected to her friends the Meyers, who she senses are uncharacteristically lying to her. Rachel soon finds herself having to use her blood red key to find Elsa, placing herself once again in danger and having to draw on all her wit and courage.
Vividly described settings, a clever, resourceful heroine and truly malevolent villains combine in an enthralling adventure as Rachel meets some extraordinary helpers and confronts an all too familiar foe. Full of suspense and tension as the narrative switches between the actions of Rachel and older brother Robert, at heart this is a story of familial love, loyalty and loss. Thoroughly engrossing an a cracking good read.

The Book of Stolen Dreams was one of my favourite reads two years ago (you can read my review here ) and I've been very excited about the prospect of a sequel ever since.

Since the end of book 1, both Rachel and Robert have become heroes as life in Krasnia gets back to the way it should be; however, things at home aren't wonderful as their father is struggling to get used to life at home without their mother. One day after school, Rachel is stopped by a boy who seems to know all about the blood-red key, in fact he has his own. He tells her that they are both keepers of the key and should use their keys wisely. He gives her a calling card with a phone number on it and then leaves. She tells Robert as soon as she gets home but he brushes it off. However, when Rachel discovers that a young girl has been smuggled into the Hinterland, Rachel determins to use her key to save her. The journey is far from an easy one and the fate of Krasnia, Rachel and the girl hang in the balance.

As with The Book of Stolen Dreams, The Secret of the Blood-Red Key is an immersive, cinematic adventure that I simply couldn't put down. The description transports you right back to Krasnia and the vivid images are once again painted in the reader's mind. The world-building is once again spectacular and the time spent in the Hinterland is particularly special. The beginning of the book skillfully recaps the events in book 1 which allows you to venture into the main plot seamlessly (I love when a sequel does this).

Already invested in the characters, it was great to join them on their journey again, as well as meet some new ones. Rachel's love for her family shines out of the book as does her bravery, and I love her as a character.

Publishing, 14/9, The Secret of The Blood-Red Key is a book that is fantastically unputdownable and utterly delicious. Be prepared for a rollercoaster of a ride that will leave you with an incredible book hangover.

Today I was whisked away into the Hinterland on a rescue mission by Rachel Kline and it was amazing!

When last seen Rachel and her friends saved their country Krasnia from an evil dictator in “The Book of Stolen Dreams”. In doing so they had to find and destroy the Book, the only way into and out of the Hinterland where people go once they die. Rachel is left with a special Blood Red Key, which she hides away assuming it will not be needed in their now bright, happy, friendly Krasnia. However, one day a boy mysteriously appears holding a matching key he explains it’s importance to Rachel as one of the “Keepers of the Key “. Not long after the library is ransacked, strange things occur with her ghostly friends and the key does indeed ket her know she must act to save all that she knows and loves once again.

“The Blood Red Key” successfully recaps the previous adventures from “The Book of Stolen Dreams” introducing both old and new characters without ruining the narrative. It is a mesmerising adventure story. I loved it and thoroughly recommend readers to hold on tight to the Blood Red Key and join Rachel and her brother Robert as they save us all.