A Door in the Dark by Scott Reintgen
Synopsis:
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…
Review:
A Door in the Dark is the first book in an exciting, new YA fantasy series. Beginning with a shocking scene, the story unfolds in a pulse-pounding wave of a fight for survival and revealing backstories. I hope the next in the series does a bit more worldbuilding, as the setting is fascinating and unique. The suspense and thrills demand a reading in one sitting. With complex characters, tragedy, and mystery – this is one of my most memorable reads this year. I look forward to the next in this compelling series.