Monday 13 March 2023

A Door in the Dark by Scott Reintgen


A fantasy thriller that follows six teenage wizards as they fight to make it home alive after a malfunctioning spell leaves them stranded in the wilderness.

Ren Monroe has spent four years proving she’s one of the best wizards in her generation. But top marks at Balmerick University will mean nothing if she fails to get recruited into one of the major houses. Enter Theo Brood. If being rich were a sin, he’d already be halfway to hell. After a failed and disastrous party trick, fate has the two of them crossing paths at the public waxway portal the day before holidays—Theo’s punishment is to travel home with the scholarship kids. Which doesn’t sit well with any of them.

A fight breaks out. In the chaos, the portal spell malfunctions. All six students are snatched from the safety of the school’s campus and set down in the middle of nowhere. And one of them is dead on arrival.

If anyone can get them through the punishing wilderness with limited magical reserves it’s Ren. She’s been in survival mode her entire life. But no magic could prepare her for the tangled secrets the rest of the group is harboring, or for what’s following them through the dark woods…

Again, because I wasn't aware when I started this; this is the first of at least two, or it has the most open ending I've ever read. None of the blurb or copy mentions this.

However, it's a fascinating read! Information about the world is given at the right speed, the characters are intriguing, nothing is harped on for too long. At one point the characters fall for a completely obvious trap, but otherwise they are smart and resourceful and think things through rather than rush into them.

The magic system is intriguing as well, not one I've encountered before. It's well enough explained that I never felt lost, while still leaving space for a few surprises later on. Scott definitely has skill.

I enjoyed the read overall. I wish I'd known it was a series before starting, but at least now I'll be able to warn other people.



A Door in the Dark publishes on the 28th March, 2023. I received a free copy and am giving an honest review.

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