Review: Keystone by Katie Delahanty

Review: Keystone by Katie DelahantyKeystone by Katie Delahanty
Published by Entangled: Teen in January 2020
Format: Paperback
Source: Publisher
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five-stars

When Ella Karman debuts on the Social Stock Exchange, she finds out life as a high-profile "Influencer" isn't what she expected. Everyone around her is consumed by their rankings, in creating the smoke and mirrors that make them the envy of the world.

But then Ella’s best friend betrays her, her rankings tank, and she loses—everything.

Leaving her old life behind, she joins Keystone, a secret school for thieves, where students are being trained to steal everything analog and original because something—or someone—is changing history to suit their needs.

Partnered with the annoyingly hot—and utterly impossible—Garrett Alexander, who has plenty of his own secrets, Ella is forced to return to the Influencer world, while unraveling a conspiracy that began decades ago.

One wrong move and she could lose everything—again.

Note: I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions shared are my own.

Keystone by Katie Delahanty was my first 5-star read of the year. I absolutely LOVED it. Social media went wrong. A school for thieves. & A whole lot of secrets. It was absolutely my kind of story.

In Keystone‘s dystopian world, social media is currency, and your wealth depends on your social ranking. There are three main social standings: influencer, maker, and unrankables. The main character Ella is an influencer. However, she finds that she doesn’t fit into the cut-throat world of an influencer. When her best friend betrays her, she decides to disconnect and join Keystone, a school for thieves.

I absolutely loved the world Katie Delahanty created in Keystone. Although it’s technically dystopian, it’s very easy to see the parallels between this fictional world and our own. Especially with the rise of social media influencers, and the fact that someone can make a career out of that. However, I find it terrifying to imagine a world where we are completely digital, and the idea of paper and pen are foreign. Keystone definitely makes me think about how I utilize social media and the internet.

I really liked Ella, and I enjoyed learning about her past through her journal entries. I was able to connect with her easily, and I think she exhibited a lot of growth through the story, which I appreciated. Plus, there are a lot of secrets in Keystone. With each passing chapter, I felt like I knew more and yet knew so little whether it was about Ella’s history, the goal of Keystone, or another character. Keystone was quite the page-turner.

I enjoyed Keystone from beginning to end, and I’m seriously hoping there’s going to be more from Katie Delahanty. If you enjoy reading about thieves, spies, heists, or dystopian worlds, I highly recommend reading Keystone. I’m already considering a reread.

Keystone by Katie Delahanty is out now!
If you’ve read it or are thinking about reading it, I’d love to know your thoughts! Happy reading!

five-stars