When we sleep, it is said that our souls roam to a realm beyond our own.
Phantasmagoria images flash like undeveloped film to which we retain little recollection. We wander through our dreams like Alice’s slow descend into Wonderland until we reach a place where we ground ourselves for the evening’s voyage.
There are many safe doors we unknowingly unlock while we dream. Yet there is something so alluring about that black door that you can see just out of the corner of your eye. You know that it must remain locked at all times but even so, temptation and curiosity causes fingers to twitch and hearts to race. Before you know it, you’re once again tracing that cold metal doorknob of the black door. Behind this door, lies the corridors to our own self; it is undoubtedly the most frightful and undeniable siren call that beacons forth from the other side.
Now that your hand is wrapped around the knob, will you venture forth beyond the black door?
Beyond the Black Door by A.M. Strickland is such a unique dark fantasy unlike any other read of 2019. There was an exemplary, diversified cast of characters and I particularly enjoyed the LGBTI+ representation through the main protagonist, Kamai. I enjoyed how the premise of the story centered on how Kamai came to terms with her own identity and how it strengthened as she dealt with what lay beyond the black door. Strickland’s latest work will fill the dark corners of your imagination where you will be swept away by darkness incarnate and journey alongside a soulwalker.
Favorite Quotes
"I simply adore the delicate way you put things. How you cover the truth with softness to make it less sharp. Rose blossoms over thorns."
“If his darkness was tainting me, my humanity seemed to be rubbing off on him.”
"Books were doors I was allowed to open with the flick of a wrist...unlike the black door."
“Some secrets weren’t meant to be discovered. Some doors not meant to be opened. I’d already made that mistake once, and I shouldn’t be tempted to do it again.”
“If I’d found something resembling a monster behind one door, I had yet to find anything more than a rose behind the other."
About the Book
Beyond the Black Door
by A.M. Strickland Publisher: Imprint Release Date: October 29th 2019
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, LGBT
Synopsis:
Kamai was warned never to open the black door, but she didn't listen ...
Everyone has a soul. Some are beautiful gardens, others are frightening dungeons. Soulwalkers―like Kamai and her mother―can journey into other people's souls while they sleep.
But no matter where Kamai visits, she sees the black door. It follows her into every soul, and her mother has told her to never, ever open it.
When Kamai touches the door, it is warm and beating, like it has a pulse. When she puts her ear to it, she hears her own name whispered from the other side. And when tragedy strikes, Kamai does the unthinkable: she opens the door.
A.M. Strickland's imaginative dark fantasy features court intrigue and romance, a main character coming to terms with her asexuality, and twists and turns as a seductive mystery unfolds that endangers not just Kamai's own soul, but the entire kingdom ...
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About the Author
AdriAnne Strickland was a bibliophile who wanted to be an author before she knew what either of those words meant. She shares a home base in Alaska with her husband, her pugs, and her piles and piles of books. She loves traveling, dancing, vests, tattoos, and every shade of teal in existence, but especially the darker ones. She is the coauthor of Shadow Run and Shadow Call (Delacorte/Penguin Random House) and author of the forthcoming BEYOND THE BLACK DOOR (Imprint/Macmillan).
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Stars: 23rd October 2019
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