A Door in the Dark by Scott Reintgen
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Web ID: 16292817Rich and tense
Magic meets horror and romance for an exciting read, which holds until the very last page. Ren's a top student at the Balmerick University and has to wake the interest of one of the major families/houses, which govern their world, in order to achieve her goals. It should be an easy task with her talents but, so far, she's been ignored. Giving in to her best friend, she attends a party only to witness a disaster, which not only strengthens her dislike for the elite families, but also sets off a devastating chain of events. Thanks to a terrible mishap, her and a handful of other students land in the far depths of the wild forests, where dangerous, deadly creatures hunt everything that moves. With no way to contact civilization, limited magic, and even more limited supplies, she and the others must find a way to survive the journey home. But none of them are aware of the true danger. Landing in the wilderness might have been an accident, but now, one of them is thirsty for blood. Rich story telling hits high tension and stakes, and that with more than a little magic. It's an intoxicating mix, which promises an exciting tale...and it delivers. The first chapters are extremely well-woven. The author has developed a thorough, magical realm and provides the background and logic to back to up. While that might sound as if the information will bog down, it doesn't. The opening chapters are rich, allowing character depth to develop (on Ren's end), the world to grow vivid, and the tale to take firm root. It was a delight to sit back and sink into it. Then, the second half of the book hits, and this changes in setting, characters, and atmosphere. Where the first part slides into a story about the magic, families, fighting for positions, and school, this second half jumps into survival, terrifying moments, and dangerous situations. It's definitely exciting and gripping, just not in the same direction...and because it takes on more of a horror and race-against-time vibe (with several characters we don't really know up until that point), the depth that was gained weakens and loses quite a bit of importance. I'm assuming that this will switch back in the original direction with book two, but the switch-a-roo was a little strange for one book. Not to say it was bad. It's not. Just unexpected and makes the brain do a little shift. The second half is also very gripping and keeps the reader on the edge of the seat. Granted, a little more character depth would have been helpful for several reasons. But, in general, it works. There were more than a few unexpected twists and turns, and it was very hard to put the book down. (I might have read this one in a single sitting because of that). As a quick note, this is sold as a young adult read and is a young adult read. The university setting did throw me for a loop, but there was no need to worry. There's gore and violence, some drug use, but nothing extreme. I'm definitely looking forward to book two because this world and Ren carry so much potential. Book one does tie off well at the end. So this isn't a cliff-hanger, and yet, there is plenty of room for the tale to grow into so much more. And I'm looking forward to seeing where it goes from here. I received a complimentary copy and enjoyed the read quite a bit.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Shadowhunters meets '90s teen thriller vibes
Are you looking for a YA book that gives dark academia vibes with some horror and magic thrown in? Then I think this one may be right up your alley. It definitely has the worldbuilding atmosphere of the Shadowhunter Chronicles with a similar feel to Naomi Novik's Scholomance books. There are magical teens, deadly creatures, and even deadlier secrets. Ren, our main character, is the know-it-all of the group, and I'm not using that term derogatorily. She really is the one who knows it all. She's like Hermione Granger with a dark side. Then there is Timmons, her best friend; Cora, the medic; Avy, the tough guy; Clyde, the drug-dealer/bad boy; and Theo, the son of Ren's enemy. It's quite a cast of characters thrown together in a situation that quickly goes from bad to worse when they all get thrown miles away from their home and into a wilderness filled with a lot of magical boogeymen I will say, the worldbuilding in this story is what is intriguing. Once the story starts to pick up about fifty pages in, there were crazy things going down every other chapter. There were wyverns, kobolds, dragons, and very evil humans. Even when the spellwork was explained and things got a little too technical, none of it took away from the actual events in the story. I could believe that characters had magical objects hiding on their person and that creepy monsters were haunting the group. Honestly, it was a good thriller/adventure story. I was constantly wondering how everyone would get out of the situation in one piece. The weakness of this book lies with the characters, however. They just never quite clicked and they came across as rather dry. In my opinion, they needed more personality and to interact with their peers more on the page. Maybe if the book had been longer and added some conversations between the characters, it could have gained some of that development within the story. As is, it's just really hard to get attached. However, it was shocking when bad things would happen to them. But, unfortunately, after the initial "Oh no!" reaction, I didn't feel anything more. Maybe I'm heartless, but I wasn't feeling it. This is definitely not a character-driven book, it's a plot-driven one. So if you like scary-esque plots where kids are trapped in the woods with monsters, and you also like magic and dragons, then this story could 100% be for you. Overall, I think this book could be popular for teens looking for the next series to pick up after Harry Potter or Shadowhunters. It could easily fill those gaps. However, if you're looking for something where you fall in love with the characters, I don't think this book is that. It has more of a '90s thriller vibe set in a fantasy world. It was an entertaining read, just not something I fell in love with. Though, I'm not a huge horror fan, so that could explain why. 3 stars *Note: I received a copy of this book to review from the publisher via NetGalley. This in no way affected my opinion/review.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Thrilling!
Thank you Margaret McElderry Books and NetGalley for this eARC, these opinions are my own. I enjoyed this book quite a bit! Ren lives in a world where everyone has access to magic but not equally. There are five families that stand above the rest, she is determined to be hired into one of those families. While attending the most prestigious school in their city, she along with her best friend, two other scholarship kids, and two of the wealthy students are lost while using the ,avid portals that ferry people around the city. They are stranded in the woods far from home and when they arrive one of them is dead. Who killed him? How did they get there? Can they survive the dangerous forest to make it home? What is hunting them? And can Ren take down the five families? Scott Reintgen writes another thrilling series! Ren is driven, passionate, and not afraid to ruffle some feathers! I also really enjoyed Avy, Cora, Timmons, and Theo! I love that the book started at a really exciting part and then took the reader back in time, it gave me something to look forward to and made it that much more of a I have to know what is going on! And the ending a twist I did not see coming, I should have, but didn’t! I highly recommend reading A Door In The Dark if you like fantasy thrillers! Can’t wait to read it again!
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Perfect for Fans of One of Us is Lying
Fantasy meets dark academia in the start to Scott Reingten’s next series. Brilliantly written, this book will keep you on the edge of your seat from start to finish. If you like Karen McManus’ One of Us is Lying, you’ll love this murder mystery in a fantasy world that will keep you guessing the entire read. Twisty and richly imagined, I’m in desperate need of a sequel ASAP!
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com