The Door to the Lost by Jaleigh Johnson
Expected Release: July 3rd 2018
Format: Ebook
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Source: NetGalley
The Door to the Lost Synopsis:
From the New York Times bestselling author of The Mark of the Dragonfly comes a thrilling fantasy adventure about two magical friends living as refugees in a world that doesn’t trust magic. Perfect for fans of Serafina and the Black Cloak and the School for Good and Evil series!
There was no warning the day magic died in Talhaven. It happened with a giant explosion and the arrival of a skyship full of children, all with magic running through their veins and no memory of home.
Rook and Drift are two of those children, and ever since that day, they’ve been on the run, magical refugees in a world that doesn’t trust magic. Because magic doesn’t die right away–it decays, twists, and poisons all that it touches. And now it’s beginning to poison people.
Try as they might, Rook and Drift can’t remember anything about their lives before Talhaven. But it’s beginning to look like they’re the only ones who can save their adopted world . . . if that world doesn’t destroy them first.
Review:
A BIG Thank You to NetGalley, Delacorte Books for Young Readers and Random House Children’s for providing me a copy of “The Door to the Lost” by Jaleigh Johnson in exchange for my review. Before I begin, I would like to say that I’m not a fantasy reader in any way. It’s not that I don’t enjoy it, but it takes quite some time for me to finish a fantasy novel. I prefer to read realistic fiction for the most part. Having said that, I selected this book in NetGalley because I LOVED the cover design! I am glad I selected it because Wow, this was a roller coaster of a read!
Let’s start off with the characters. For a fantasy adventure, the characters are down to Earth that we can relate to. All the three main characters, Rook, Drift and Fox have endearing qualities that make them naive and charming. I loved that we directly jump into the adventure and learn about the characters, instead of getting a proper introduction. My favorite character was Fox. He’s so adorable the moment he bumps into Rook and Drift! Even though he doesn’t have much of a dialogue, his ardent support throughout their journey makes him very memorable. I also loved the other exiles that the team meets in the ship, and wished they also had a backstory. The author has also written Dozana very well and you cannot help despise her for the crooked villain she is.
Now let’s talk about the story-line. From the get go, we travel with Rook as she tries to survive in the land of Talhaven. The whole book is action packed and there is never a dull moment in the story. There are some great suspenseful moment like when Rook and Drift hide in Mr. Baroman’s attic, or when Rook hears knocking on the other side of the door or when she gets trapped in the giant spider web. I really couldn’t predict what was going to happen next, and was completely engrossed in the book till the climax.
This is the first book I have read by Jaleigh Johnson, and I really like her style of writing. She beautifully blends the progression of the characters while keeping the fast pace of the story. My only question is, is this a standalone book or part of a series? The only part that could have been better was if the author provided more details of the characters and the history of the land. As much as I loved the story, I felt that the author cut down a lot to keep it in pace with a middle grade novel. Perhaps that is why I would love to read about more of these characters and hope there is a continuation. I want to pick out her “World of Solace” Series to see if that is equally good.
Overall, I completely enjoyed this book and give it 4.5 out of 5 stars.
