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absadoodley_'s review against another edition
3.0
The book was decent. I wasn't that fond of it, I felt as if it was very repetitive and slow-paced. I was very frustrated with all the characters, and none of them seemed to be likable in the slightest. I felt there wasn't any conflict, because everything just worked out so well for the characters. There never was a moment that I felt as if I were on the edge of my seat and wondering what was going to happen next. It was very predictable.
That being said, the book wasn't awful. If I were 15, I would've enjoyed it. The writing isn't terrible, but it's also not enjoyable. It could've been better, it could've been worse. I wasn't exactly impressed with it.
Spoiler
I also think that Cedar was a bit... too forgiving towards Finn. I mean, he left her for seven years, and then just shows back up in her life almost as if nothing has really happened. If there had been time to explore the impact of his absence on her life, and how that affected her, I would've enjoyed it a smidge more. It just appeared very unrealistic to me how quickly they moved on from that.That being said, the book wasn't awful. If I were 15, I would've enjoyed it. The writing isn't terrible, but it's also not enjoyable. It could've been better, it could've been worse. I wasn't exactly impressed with it.
nicolemhewitt's review against another edition
4.0
This review and many others can be found on my blog - Feed Your Fiction Addiction
Through the Door was the third (or fourth?) book I've read this year that was based on Celtic lore. Honestly, I wasn't sure if I was going to love yet another book based on the Tuatha Dé Danann, so I had kind of put off reading this one, but I was pleasantly surprised. This book ended up feeling really unique. This book centered around a little girl who was kidnapped after manifesting inhuman powers and her human mother who was desperate to find her - definitely a different take on the Celtic myths than anything I had read before!
The negatives:
Secrets.
The biggest negative about this book actually started out as a positive for me (see Mysteries below). There were so many mysteries in this book and I was really intrigued to learn about them all! The problem, for me, was that once Cedar met the people who could tell her the truth, they just wouldn't. Even after Eden had disappeared, none of the Tuatha Dé Danann would give Cedar the information that she needed to truly be able to help her daughter. Even her own mother withheld crucial information that would have made all the difference to Cedar. Because of this, the middle of the book dragged a bit for me, as we were forced to learn about what was happening to Eden in tiny bits and pieces. What started out as a really interesting mystery ended up feeling a bit like a plot device and made me dislike most of the secondary characters (the Tuatha Dé Danann and Cedar's mother). Luckily, I was already invested in Cedar herself and in Eden, so that saved the book for me!
What I Loved:
Eden.
I absolutely adored Eden! I mean, how could I resist a sweet little six-year-old girl? The entire beginning of the book where Eden discovers her power was just magical for me and I really enjoyed it. Every scene with Eden was a good one and I hope we get to see much more of her in the next book!
Cedar.
I really felt for Cedar - her sense of pain and loss when Finn left her was palpable and I thought that it was incredibly realistic that her pain filtered into her relationship with her daughter on some level (which isn't to say that her relationship with Eden wasn't good, but there was always a slight sense of loss for Cedar that she couldn't overcome). I felt her sadness and desperation even more keenly when her daughter was taken for her and I loved that she put her daughter first - always! Cedar wasn't always strong, but she was when it came to her daughter and her ultimate desire was always to do what was best for her (even though she didn't always know what the best answers were!).
Finn.
I was definitely a fan of Finn and was rooting for Finn and Cedar to reconcile. He seemed to be the only Tuatha De Danaan who actually had Cedar and Eden's best interests at heart. From the very first scene, I was in love with Finn!
Celtic lore.
McIsaac did an excellent job of weaving the Celtic mythology into her story without making it confusing (which can be hard to do). While she relied on the lore, she didn't use too many foreign terms or rely so heavily on the mythology that it would need to be explained in detail, confusing the story. I thought that this was a great balance!
Through the Door is an enjoyable paranormal novel that led us on an adventure in the land of Tír na nÓg! I definitely recommend it to fans of paranormal romance and mythology! I'm eager to read the next installment in the series to find out what will happen next!
***Disclosure: This book was provided to me by NetGalley and 47North in exchange for an honest review. No other compensation was given. All opinions are my own***
Through the Door was the third (or fourth?) book I've read this year that was based on Celtic lore. Honestly, I wasn't sure if I was going to love yet another book based on the Tuatha Dé Danann, so I had kind of put off reading this one, but I was pleasantly surprised. This book ended up feeling really unique. This book centered around a little girl who was kidnapped after manifesting inhuman powers and her human mother who was desperate to find her - definitely a different take on the Celtic myths than anything I had read before!
The negatives:
Secrets.
The biggest negative about this book actually started out as a positive for me (see Mysteries below). There were so many mysteries in this book and I was really intrigued to learn about them all! The problem, for me, was that once Cedar met the people who could tell her the truth, they just wouldn't. Even after Eden had disappeared, none of the Tuatha Dé Danann would give Cedar the information that she needed to truly be able to help her daughter. Even her own mother withheld crucial information that would have made all the difference to Cedar. Because of this, the middle of the book dragged a bit for me, as we were forced to learn about what was happening to Eden in tiny bits and pieces. What started out as a really interesting mystery ended up feeling a bit like a plot device and made me dislike most of the secondary characters (the Tuatha Dé Danann and Cedar's mother). Luckily, I was already invested in Cedar herself and in Eden, so that saved the book for me!
What I Loved:
Eden.
I absolutely adored Eden! I mean, how could I resist a sweet little six-year-old girl? The entire beginning of the book where Eden discovers her power was just magical for me and I really enjoyed it. Every scene with Eden was a good one and I hope we get to see much more of her in the next book!
Cedar.
I really felt for Cedar - her sense of pain and loss when Finn left her was palpable and I thought that it was incredibly realistic that her pain filtered into her relationship with her daughter on some level (which isn't to say that her relationship with Eden wasn't good, but there was always a slight sense of loss for Cedar that she couldn't overcome). I felt her sadness and desperation even more keenly when her daughter was taken for her and I loved that she put her daughter first - always! Cedar wasn't always strong, but she was when it came to her daughter and her ultimate desire was always to do what was best for her (even though she didn't always know what the best answers were!).
Finn.
I was definitely a fan of Finn and was rooting for Finn and Cedar to reconcile. He seemed to be the only Tuatha De Danaan who actually had Cedar and Eden's best interests at heart. From the very first scene, I was in love with Finn!
Celtic lore.
McIsaac did an excellent job of weaving the Celtic mythology into her story without making it confusing (which can be hard to do). While she relied on the lore, she didn't use too many foreign terms or rely so heavily on the mythology that it would need to be explained in detail, confusing the story. I thought that this was a great balance!
Through the Door is an enjoyable paranormal novel that led us on an adventure in the land of Tír na nÓg! I definitely recommend it to fans of paranormal romance and mythology! I'm eager to read the next installment in the series to find out what will happen next!
***Disclosure: This book was provided to me by NetGalley and 47North in exchange for an honest review. No other compensation was given. All opinions are my own***
zianeu's review against another edition
3.0
I bought this on a Kindle Deals day, and it was worth that much. The premise of someone going missing using her door creation power was interesting.The fact of the story was slightly less so, and the promise of the early chapters deteriorated as the end rolled up, and the effort to tie things up was nearly palpable. Wish fulfillment all over the place.
On the other hand I would have liked to have learned more about the war and the characters that were related so closely to the mythos of the world.
At least the female protagonist refused to stand by.
On the other hand I would have liked to have learned more about the war and the characters that were related so closely to the mythos of the world.
At least the female protagonist refused to stand by.
adamrshields's review against another edition
3.0
Short Review: a good beach read modern fantasy. The story is about a single mom that finds out her ex-boyfriend (and father of her child) that disappeared without a trace or a word 7 years ago is not dead but left for her protection. This leads to the revelation that he and his family are from another world and all of the celtic gods and lore are based on them. And her mother had known all along. Good, but not great book. Good enough to read the second when it comes out in December, but it is well trod territory and there is not a lot to make it stand out.
My full review is on my blog at http://bookwi.se/through-the-door-by-jodi-mcisaac/
My full review is on my blog at http://bookwi.se/through-the-door-by-jodi-mcisaac/
erikaellr's review against another edition
2.0
The protagonist is a little too histrionic for my taste, and the fantasy-lite lore and magic is fairly shallow, but it's still an easy read and pretty good escapism. Nice 'mental vacation' book, but not much more.
tracey_stewart's review against another edition
2.0
Usually as I read I make notes, either on the Word doc I write my reviews on or on actual paper with an actual pen. But on going through my list of books read this year, trying to see just how far behind I was with reviews, I suddenly realized that not only had I not reviewed Through the Door (which, I'm afraid, is not a reach-out-and-grab-you sort of title), I hadn't even added it my "read" list or to the body of the page with a space under it to remind myself to start a review. It's not that I don't remember the book; I do recall the plot and characters. It's just that … well … I just looked at the few updates I posted on Goodreads while reading, and two of the five are about how I had to push myself to finish it. It was a LibraryThing Member Giveaway, so I felt obliged; I also feel rather badly about a low rating. (And I kind of hope Ms. McIsaac isn't kin on my mother's side…I'll just feel worse.) But it can't be helped. My last update was: "I realized last night that I didn't read - actually open a book or the Kindle and read - all weekend, just listened to audiobooks. I never do that. And I realized I was unconsciously avoiding this book, close as I am to the end. I just need to finish it..." I just … found it very easy to put it out of my mind. I didn't care for the characters, the plot was messy and convoluted and a bit hard to swallow, and I just couldn't summon up much bother about how it would all work out. It only took me about a week to read it, but it felt like forever.
The sum-up: Cedar is an art student when she falls in love with a young man named Finn, a wonderful musician. On one day which starts out wonderful, she plans on breaking the news to him that she is pregnant, but before she finds the right time to spill it he seems to see someone or something in a crowd, reacts strongly, and before Cedar or the reader knows it he's disappeared, apparently for good.
Fast forward about six years, and we find Cedar no longer the idealistic Artiste (with an "e" and a beret), but a nine-to-fiver using her talent for some soulless corporation while trying to raise her daughter, Eden, alone (with a great deal of help from her mother, and occasional assistance from her friend Jane, who doesn't like children, which was a nice and unusual touch). On one day which does not start out particularly wonderful, Eden shocks both herself and her mother by opening the door to her bedroom – to find on the other side not the little-girl-pink room but Egypt. As the (really awful) Goodreads synopsis says, "Suddenly, Cedar realizes her daughter is anything but normal." Not a particularly pleasant way to put it, but accurate in the main. Her first thought is to go try to track down Finn, which leads her to his parents living not far away – which is interesting, because Finn told her they were dead. They're pretty active for dead folk who aren't zombies, and they're stunned by the news of Eden (since Finn never knew about her), and they begin to help her without really helping her, by which I mean they glom onto her, refuse to let go, take her to meet some very odd people in a very odd place, and overall decline to tell her anything. Any thing. At all. Including anything about Finn and where he is and why he left and where he's been all Eden's life long.
From there it gets hairier as it turns out Eden is a valuable piece in a chess game being played by the immortal fae of Ireland, who have been ejected from Tir na N'og, of whom Finn happens to be one (see? Eden = not "normal"), and Cedar's mother hates them for some reason, except she doesn't, and refuses to help Cedar if she's going to hang out with Those People, except not really, and there's a turncoat in their midst, and there's a kidnapping and a little globe-hopping as everyone tries to get or keep their claws on Eden and either get into or prevent someone else from getting into Tir na N'og.
There are some nice ideas in Through the Door. The portals Eden – and only Eden – can open are a fun idea (though I object to their being called "sidhe" – from what I can find the word means "people of the (fairy) hills", so how does this work?). The modernization of the fae, passing for human in the world, was generally pretty well handled; specifically I don't think it was tremendously successful, but, again, nice idea. The overall plot is original and solid and has a lot of promise.
Execution, though, is what makes a book worth reading. And it just wasn't there.
First I have to say that character names annoyed me thoroughly. The So-Irish names were one thing – considering most of the characters' origin stories – but "Cedar" and "Eden" just made me a little queasy. And then in the middle of all of it was "Jane". Ermph.
Secondly, characterization. Cedar annoyed me even more than simply her name did. I just could not like her. She was weak; she was strong; she was hysterical; she was determined; she was … annoying. And then she lost her memory and it was unintentionally funny. Everything she knows or thinks she knows is turned inside out, and her reaction to all of it is just … off. Her daughter was not, thanks be to Brighid, as annoying as I feared she would be; she was actually a pretty decent child character, and never lapsed into either twee adowableness or I'm-so-precocious-you-will-hope-I-die. The book would have been deleted from my Kindle very quickly had she done so. Cedar's mother Maeve … what a bizarre enigma. I like that she had a whole back-story and that that was why she did all of what she did. I did not like that the back-story got dumped on me in one huge dense clod of flashback and "and then I did this and then he said that". And I most of all did not like what she did do – it was absurd. It made no sense whatsoever, as a Woman With a Past or as a mother or as a grandmother. Cedar isn't about to win any Mother-of-the-Year awards – unless she's in the running against her own mum (or the fae woman whose name I can't remember who when all's said and done kind of caused a lot of the rest of the mess), in which case Cedar takes the prize by default.
The bad guy (gal) was kind of a hot mess. She was completely trusted by the others, not so much because she was a good actress but more that the others were completely oblivious; her talent (because all the fae have one) was kind of evil, but that's okay, 'cause they trusted her; her personality reminded me of one of those movie villains in something like Home Alone, foiled by the darn-you-clever-kids. All histrionically bad attitude and not quite knowing what to do with the child.
Finn … I don't even know what to say about Finn. To avoid spoilers I'll keep it minimal, but … He was flat. There was so little to him, and for the most part he accomplished so little (with one major exception), that he's the character I think I have the vaguest memory of. Cedar's friend was more vivid.
The secondary characters, the fae … I wanted to like them. (It always feels like the kiss of doom when I say that.) But they were …also flat. In one of the struggles over Eden, someone is killed, and the reaction is … minimal. No spoilers, but there is a tiny flare-up of grief, and then … nothing, not even from the person's family. This death is tangential to the main story – but then a while later a major character is killed, and there doesn't seem to be a whole lot of impact from that, either.
Speaking of impact, something that I couldn't keep out of the back of my mind as I read was the question of what was going on about Cedar's job. As mentioned, it's a standard office drone job, only artistic – but the Soulless Corporation she works for sounds like one or two of those I've worked for. They tolerated some of the early goings-on – barely; when she just up and takes off altogether, I don't think her desk will be there waiting for if she decides to go back. Which she probably won't. But still, she could have called in or heard she was fired or something. It matters to the plot not at all, but it was a practical detail that niggled at me for having been overlooked.
The plot… It kind of became a bit of a mess, to be honest. The fantasy elements don't play well with the mundane – they seem a little ridiculous as they begin to take over Cedar's very commonplace life. And then there's the whole >BAM< aspect of the sheer number of revelations dropped on Cedar's head, and incidentally on the reader's. Characters refuse to reveal information to a point that it becomes not only cruel to Cedar but to the reader as well, or at least very frustrating, and this refusal also tends to result in large infodumps when all the information finally has to come out. New elements – often entirely unrelated to everything that has gone before – keep popping up out of the blue. Mermaids. New characters who are vital to the plot yet have never been mentioned before (related to the mysterious past of Cedar's mother, which itself pops up unheralded more than halfway through the story). The bigger bad guy, who's just terrible, yet. Brand new abilities for people, to the tune of "Wait, you could do THAT and didn't mention it before?" Seven-league boots, for heaven's sake, just to obviate the need for conventional travel; that felt a lot like deus ex machina.
Mainly, though, it was the writing that kept this from being very good. What's the Mark Twain quote, about the difference between the right word and the almost right word? It's like the difference between the lightning and the lightning bug? There were a lot of lightning bugs flitting about in this book. The one example I made note of: "She whirled her head around at the sound of approaching footsteps". I – just – ow. It's a really good example, actually, of the general style of the writing, as if throughout the author had a thesaurus open beside her and was conscientiously trying to avoid the obvious phrasings for any given sentence; that one couldn't just be "Cedar heard footsteps approaching and looked around quickly" or "and whirled to face that direction" or something simple. Sometimes, though, the obvious is best. You just can't transform a lightning bug into lightning by force.
While, again, this was not outright awful, it was all kind of a textbook example for mistakes to avoid in writing. Keep it simple. Don't overuse the thesaurus. Avoid infodump. Show, don't tell. It's best to give some sort of foundation for new elements of the story which pop up partway through.
Also? Get a good synopsis written.
The sum-up: Cedar is an art student when she falls in love with a young man named Finn, a wonderful musician. On one day which starts out wonderful, she plans on breaking the news to him that she is pregnant, but before she finds the right time to spill it he seems to see someone or something in a crowd, reacts strongly, and before Cedar or the reader knows it he's disappeared, apparently for good.
Fast forward about six years, and we find Cedar no longer the idealistic Artiste (with an "e" and a beret), but a nine-to-fiver using her talent for some soulless corporation while trying to raise her daughter, Eden, alone (with a great deal of help from her mother, and occasional assistance from her friend Jane, who doesn't like children, which was a nice and unusual touch). On one day which does not start out particularly wonderful, Eden shocks both herself and her mother by opening the door to her bedroom – to find on the other side not the little-girl-pink room but Egypt. As the (really awful) Goodreads synopsis says, "Suddenly, Cedar realizes her daughter is anything but normal." Not a particularly pleasant way to put it, but accurate in the main. Her first thought is to go try to track down Finn, which leads her to his parents living not far away – which is interesting, because Finn told her they were dead. They're pretty active for dead folk who aren't zombies, and they're stunned by the news of Eden (since Finn never knew about her), and they begin to help her without really helping her, by which I mean they glom onto her, refuse to let go, take her to meet some very odd people in a very odd place, and overall decline to tell her anything. Any thing. At all. Including anything about Finn and where he is and why he left and where he's been all Eden's life long.
From there it gets hairier as it turns out Eden is a valuable piece in a chess game being played by the immortal fae of Ireland, who have been ejected from Tir na N'og, of whom Finn happens to be one (see? Eden = not "normal"), and Cedar's mother hates them for some reason, except she doesn't, and refuses to help Cedar if she's going to hang out with Those People, except not really, and there's a turncoat in their midst, and there's a kidnapping and a little globe-hopping as everyone tries to get or keep their claws on Eden and either get into or prevent someone else from getting into Tir na N'og.
There are some nice ideas in Through the Door. The portals Eden – and only Eden – can open are a fun idea (though I object to their being called "sidhe" – from what I can find the word means "people of the (fairy) hills", so how does this work?). The modernization of the fae, passing for human in the world, was generally pretty well handled; specifically I don't think it was tremendously successful, but, again, nice idea. The overall plot is original and solid and has a lot of promise.
Execution, though, is what makes a book worth reading. And it just wasn't there.
First I have to say that character names annoyed me thoroughly. The So-Irish names were one thing – considering most of the characters' origin stories – but "Cedar" and "Eden" just made me a little queasy. And then in the middle of all of it was "Jane". Ermph.
Secondly, characterization. Cedar annoyed me even more than simply her name did. I just could not like her. She was weak; she was strong; she was hysterical; she was determined; she was … annoying. And then she lost her memory and it was unintentionally funny. Everything she knows or thinks she knows is turned inside out, and her reaction to all of it is just … off. Her daughter was not, thanks be to Brighid, as annoying as I feared she would be; she was actually a pretty decent child character, and never lapsed into either twee adowableness or I'm-so-precocious-you-will-hope-I-die. The book would have been deleted from my Kindle very quickly had she done so. Cedar's mother Maeve … what a bizarre enigma. I like that she had a whole back-story and that that was why she did all of what she did. I did not like that the back-story got dumped on me in one huge dense clod of flashback and "and then I did this and then he said that". And I most of all did not like what she did do – it was absurd. It made no sense whatsoever, as a Woman With a Past or as a mother or as a grandmother. Cedar isn't about to win any Mother-of-the-Year awards – unless she's in the running against her own mum (or the fae woman whose name I can't remember who when all's said and done kind of caused a lot of the rest of the mess), in which case Cedar takes the prize by default.
The bad guy (gal) was kind of a hot mess. She was completely trusted by the others, not so much because she was a good actress but more that the others were completely oblivious; her talent (because all the fae have one) was kind of evil, but that's okay, 'cause they trusted her; her personality reminded me of one of those movie villains in something like Home Alone, foiled by the darn-you-clever-kids. All histrionically bad attitude and not quite knowing what to do with the child.
Finn … I don't even know what to say about Finn. To avoid spoilers I'll keep it minimal, but … He was flat. There was so little to him, and for the most part he accomplished so little (with one major exception), that he's the character I think I have the vaguest memory of. Cedar's friend was more vivid.
Spoiler
Another quote from the Dreadful Synopsis: "only the deepest love will survive". Yeah, see, I don't get that from this book. Cedar loves her daughter – that I get. Cedar and Finn? They haven't seen each other in almost seven years. He shows up and gives her puppy-dog eyes. She flounces and rants and raves, and four minutes later is in bed with him – and other than being directly told how this is twoo wuv I just never saw it.The secondary characters, the fae … I wanted to like them. (It always feels like the kiss of doom when I say that.) But they were …also flat. In one of the struggles over Eden, someone is killed, and the reaction is … minimal. No spoilers, but there is a tiny flare-up of grief, and then … nothing, not even from the person's family. This death is tangential to the main story – but then a while later a major character is killed, and there doesn't seem to be a whole lot of impact from that, either.
Speaking of impact, something that I couldn't keep out of the back of my mind as I read was the question of what was going on about Cedar's job. As mentioned, it's a standard office drone job, only artistic – but the Soulless Corporation she works for sounds like one or two of those I've worked for. They tolerated some of the early goings-on – barely; when she just up and takes off altogether, I don't think her desk will be there waiting for if she decides to go back. Which she probably won't. But still, she could have called in or heard she was fired or something. It matters to the plot not at all, but it was a practical detail that niggled at me for having been overlooked.
The plot… It kind of became a bit of a mess, to be honest. The fantasy elements don't play well with the mundane – they seem a little ridiculous as they begin to take over Cedar's very commonplace life. And then there's the whole >BAM< aspect of the sheer number of revelations dropped on Cedar's head, and incidentally on the reader's. Characters refuse to reveal information to a point that it becomes not only cruel to Cedar but to the reader as well, or at least very frustrating, and this refusal also tends to result in large infodumps when all the information finally has to come out. New elements – often entirely unrelated to everything that has gone before – keep popping up out of the blue. Mermaids. New characters who are vital to the plot yet have never been mentioned before (related to the mysterious past of Cedar's mother, which itself pops up unheralded more than halfway through the story). The bigger bad guy, who's just terrible, yet
Spoiler
is rather easily defeatedMainly, though, it was the writing that kept this from being very good. What's the Mark Twain quote, about the difference between the right word and the almost right word? It's like the difference between the lightning and the lightning bug? There were a lot of lightning bugs flitting about in this book. The one example I made note of: "She whirled her head around at the sound of approaching footsteps". I – just – ow. It's a really good example, actually, of the general style of the writing, as if throughout the author had a thesaurus open beside her and was conscientiously trying to avoid the obvious phrasings for any given sentence; that one couldn't just be "Cedar heard footsteps approaching and looked around quickly" or "and whirled to face that direction" or something simple. Sometimes, though, the obvious is best. You just can't transform a lightning bug into lightning by force.
While, again, this was not outright awful, it was all kind of a textbook example for mistakes to avoid in writing. Keep it simple. Don't overuse the thesaurus. Avoid infodump. Show, don't tell. It's best to give some sort of foundation for new elements of the story which pop up partway through.
Also? Get a good synopsis written.
haahu's review against another edition
2.0
It was ok, I suppose. Nice combination of Irish mythology and modern day environment, but otherwise kinda "meh".
kblincoln's review against another edition
4.0
The book's trailer on Youtube caught my eye, and did a good job of convincing me to buy this indie ebook. Cedar is a single mother with a child from a boyfriend that disappeared years ago.
She comes home from work one day to find out that her child has an amazing ability; to open a door to anywhere.
This realization sends Cedar and her daughter, Eden, hurtling down a path of discovery towards Eden's true parentage the world of the Tuatha De Danaan.
For an indie release, this book was excellent, on par with a traditionally published book in terms of editing and format. The story went along at a good clip after Eden discovers her power; with both Cedar and Eden finding themselves battling magic to find their way home to each other. The Celtic lore in this is definitely detailed and believable.
Unfortunately for my own taste, I never really gave my heart to Eden or Cedar, which lessened my enjoyment of the book. We spend time in the POV of Nuala, a Tuatha De Danaan who is the main antagonist. I think this was meant to show Nuala off as more than just a cardboard villainess, but it ended up taking too much time away from Cedar for me. Cedar's mommy issues along with her own complicated feelings about Eden are a goldmine of interesting character development that I thought the book kind of glossed over. I was hoping for a deeper delving.
The gaggle of Tuatha De Danaan that came along with Cedar's ex-boyfriend could all be rich characters in their own right. However, this book didn't spend enough time with their introduction or giving them fully fledged stories for me to keep them straight. Thus some of their motivations seemed just general irritation and crankiness and later sad events lost some depth of feeling.
In general, this is a good debut novel. I'd at least try the second in the series to see if the characters can come more richly alive as the story develops.
This Book's Snack Rating: Salt and Vinegar Lay's for the Irish pub folklore flavor on decent characters
She comes home from work one day to find out that her child has an amazing ability; to open a door to anywhere.
This realization sends Cedar and her daughter, Eden, hurtling down a path of discovery towards Eden's true parentage the world of the Tuatha De Danaan.
For an indie release, this book was excellent, on par with a traditionally published book in terms of editing and format. The story went along at a good clip after Eden discovers her power; with both Cedar and Eden finding themselves battling magic to find their way home to each other. The Celtic lore in this is definitely detailed and believable.
Unfortunately for my own taste, I never really gave my heart to Eden or Cedar, which lessened my enjoyment of the book. We spend time in the POV of Nuala, a Tuatha De Danaan who is the main antagonist. I think this was meant to show Nuala off as more than just a cardboard villainess, but it ended up taking too much time away from Cedar for me. Cedar's mommy issues along with her own complicated feelings about Eden are a goldmine of interesting character development that I thought the book kind of glossed over. I was hoping for a deeper delving.
The gaggle of Tuatha De Danaan that came along with Cedar's ex-boyfriend could all be rich characters in their own right. However, this book didn't spend enough time with their introduction or giving them fully fledged stories for me to keep them straight. Thus some of their motivations seemed just general irritation and crankiness and later sad events lost some depth of feeling.
In general, this is a good debut novel. I'd at least try the second in the series to see if the characters can come more richly alive as the story develops.
This Book's Snack Rating: Salt and Vinegar Lay's for the Irish pub folklore flavor on decent characters
ac223's review against another edition
4.0
First of all, thank you Jodi McIsaac for the ARC copy of Through the Door.
Cedar loved Finn more than anyone, and after two years was about to give him the news that she was pregnant. That was before he disappeared without ever knowing they were having a child. Six years later, Eden opens a door into wherever her mind can take her. Cedar has no idea what is going on, but she's convinced that Finn must be the link to Eden's ability to open these portals. During her search she finds Finns parents, whom she was told were both deceased. While Cedar is on her quest for information, Eden disappears from their home. Cedar is desperate to find Eden and despite her fear of this new world she knows she must accept help from the only people who can help her.
***Spoilers***
Finn and his family are all Tuatha De Danann, from the land of Tir na nOg. Sometimes referred to as the "little folk" of Irish folklore. Eden must have inherited her abilities from her fathers family. Nuala who always wanted to be with Finn, but was rejected for Cedar kidnaps Eden to force her to open a portal back to Tir na nOg, where her kind have been unable to go for thirty years. Lucan, a nasty Danann whose power is absorbing others gifts upon their death, started a war with their previous High King long ago, and took over Tir na nOg with his other followers. They were all intent on returning here, to Eriu, and defeating the humans and taking their rightful place. Finns group and several others escaped after a lengthy battle, and hid in Eriu posing as humans. Finns father closed the portal, stopping anyone of Lucans group from coming here, but also preventing anyone from returning. Nuala travels with Eden all over searching for a picture of Tir na nOg, so that Eden can open the portal. After a visit with the mermaids she has what she needs, but because Tir na nOg is no longer how they left it, the painting they found doesn't allow Eden enough information to go there. Cedar finds out that her mother is a Druid who fell in love with the High King Brogan. Once the war started he left Maeve to return, telling her he must fight with his people and stand by his wife. He later comes to Maeve in a dream asking for her help, they are all in danger and he needs Maeve to hide his wife Kier and their unborn child. Kier comes through the portal, but she is in bad shape. Once the baby is delivered, Kier uses the last of her power to help Maeve turn her into a human, giving her the gift of humanity and preventing anyone who would use her from finding her. Maeve raises her lovers child as her own, and no one is aware that Cedar is really the princess of Tir na nOg. That is until the Danann find out she gave birth to a Danann child. Cedar and Finn follow Nuala and Eden into what was once the beautiful fairyland, only to find it a shell of it's former beauty. Cedar knows that her gift is humanity, and knows how to save Eden. When Lucan kills her, he automatically absorbs her humanity and turns into a very old man. Finn is able to kill him easily and escape with Cedar's body and Eden. A few days later Eden wakes up and is told that Lucans gift held the souls of those he killed, and with his death they were all returned. None of them knew if Cedars soul would return through the portal, but she was too broken to be moved back and wake up only to die. In the end Cedar and Finn decide to return back to Tir na nOg to help their people restore it to it's former glory.
Cedar loved Finn more than anyone, and after two years was about to give him the news that she was pregnant. That was before he disappeared without ever knowing they were having a child. Six years later, Eden opens a door into wherever her mind can take her. Cedar has no idea what is going on, but she's convinced that Finn must be the link to Eden's ability to open these portals. During her search she finds Finns parents, whom she was told were both deceased. While Cedar is on her quest for information, Eden disappears from their home. Cedar is desperate to find Eden and despite her fear of this new world she knows she must accept help from the only people who can help her.
***Spoilers***
Finn and his family are all Tuatha De Danann, from the land of Tir na nOg. Sometimes referred to as the "little folk" of Irish folklore. Eden must have inherited her abilities from her fathers family. Nuala who always wanted to be with Finn, but was rejected for Cedar kidnaps Eden to force her to open a portal back to Tir na nOg, where her kind have been unable to go for thirty years. Lucan, a nasty Danann whose power is absorbing others gifts upon their death, started a war with their previous High King long ago, and took over Tir na nOg with his other followers. They were all intent on returning here, to Eriu, and defeating the humans and taking their rightful place. Finns group and several others escaped after a lengthy battle, and hid in Eriu posing as humans. Finns father closed the portal, stopping anyone of Lucans group from coming here, but also preventing anyone from returning. Nuala travels with Eden all over searching for a picture of Tir na nOg, so that Eden can open the portal. After a visit with the mermaids she has what she needs, but because Tir na nOg is no longer how they left it, the painting they found doesn't allow Eden enough information to go there. Cedar finds out that her mother is a Druid who fell in love with the High King Brogan. Once the war started he left Maeve to return, telling her he must fight with his people and stand by his wife. He later comes to Maeve in a dream asking for her help, they are all in danger and he needs Maeve to hide his wife Kier and their unborn child. Kier comes through the portal, but she is in bad shape. Once the baby is delivered, Kier uses the last of her power to help Maeve turn her into a human, giving her the gift of humanity and preventing anyone who would use her from finding her. Maeve raises her lovers child as her own, and no one is aware that Cedar is really the princess of Tir na nOg. That is until the Danann find out she gave birth to a Danann child. Cedar and Finn follow Nuala and Eden into what was once the beautiful fairyland, only to find it a shell of it's former beauty. Cedar knows that her gift is humanity, and knows how to save Eden. When Lucan kills her, he automatically absorbs her humanity and turns into a very old man. Finn is able to kill him easily and escape with Cedar's body and Eden. A few days later Eden wakes up and is told that Lucans gift held the souls of those he killed, and with his death they were all returned. None of them knew if Cedars soul would return through the portal, but she was too broken to be moved back and wake up only to die. In the end Cedar and Finn decide to return back to Tir na nOg to help their people restore it to it's former glory.
jenbsbooks's review against another edition
3.0
I liked this ... I think I'll likely continue on with the series, but I'm not sure. I'll have to see if it calls to me. I'm not a huge fan of fae ... this wasn't as "fae" as some stories. No seelie/unseelie stuff. They are "Celtic Gods" with powers, come from a different "fairyland" ... Some merpeople, druids and a leprechaun too . As it starts out and for several chapters in, everything is fairly traditional. Then, magic doors. We the reader find out about the fae connection with Cedar as she attempts to unravel the mystery and track down her daughter.
I wasn't sure I swallowed the ending ... and I really could have gone either way with Cedar's story at that point.
I wasn't sure I swallowed the ending ... and I really could have gone either way with Cedar's story at that point.