Review for "Through the Door"

"Through the Door" is the first book in the urban fantasy series "The Thin Veil" by Jodi McIssac
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The cover features an ornate antique lock, the patina of age marring its surface. We feel compelled to look through the keyhole though there's nothing to see.
Upon preparing for this review I found the new cover. It is fall in the forest, a carpet of orange and brown leaves blankets the ground and the sky. Our focus is drawn to the center tree where it appears a large rectangular piece of bark is swing open. Bright light flows out of the cracks.
A young Cedar McLeod is in love. She's ready and willing to spend the rest of her life with her boyfriend, Finn, creating a home and a family together. But disaster strikes when Finn just disappears one day, leaving nothing behind, not even a note, except for the unknown baby growing in Cedar's womb. Seven years later Cedar is still struggling to put the memories of a happier time out of her mind. That becomes almost impossible when Eden, Cedar's six year old daughter, opens the door to her bedroom one night and walks into Egypt. Now she's desperate for answers, desperate enough to go looking for the man who abandoned her years ago. But the answers she finds only bring up more questions as she is thrown into a world of myth and ancient magics.

 

What I liked:

• Cedar McLeod is an interesting and unique take on the usual heroine. Most characters that I see are very young and only just discovering who they are as a person. Cedar is beautifully unique in that she is the mother of a six year old little girl.
• The relationship between mother, daughter, and estranged father offers a sense of poignancy that is usually lacking.
• The idea of opening and closing sidhe portals is one that I haven't seen before either.  Also the idea of the Tuatha de Dannan being refugees of a Tir na Nog war was also beautifully unique
• The pacing was well done, with barely a slow moment in between
• Each character has its own faults and depth, even Nuala.

 

What I disliked:

• First off there were way too many proofreading errors. I saw one probably around every chapter. In fact this book would have gotten a five smiley rating had it not been for all the errors. They were usually jarring enough that I had to reread a sentence or two to glean the true meaning, which means that I was pulled from the story world with a bit more frequency than I could ignore.
• Spoilers: The ending was a little odd what with characters returning to life without any previous setup. It also makes me wonder if Cedar would have gotten her true gift back instead of the one Maeve had given her. And well she wither away and age or will she be a true Tuatha de Dannan in the end.
• Spoilers: Also through the whole book the author goes to great lengths to make us think that Cedar is just human. I have to say I never believed it for a second and was just waitng for the big reveal. Also I thought that Cedar was Brogan's daughter all along, but I was wrong in thinking that her mother was really her mother.

All in all 'Through the Door' was a wonderful unique read and a fresh take on the Tuatha de Dannan line. The story and the plot line deserve 5 smileys but due to the proofreading errors I couldn't bring myself to do it. It is currently available on amazon for the kindle for $3.99. You can also find the second book in the series 'Into the Fire' for $4.99 You can read more about the author and her series at ww.jodimcissac.com
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4 out of 5 smileys
Recommended mostly for adult fantasy lovers who can truly appreciate the relationship and poignancy between mother and child. I think teens would probably enjoy the book as well but I dislike recommending it to this age group due to the unwed pregnancy.



Synopsis: "It’s been seven years since the love of Cedar McLeod’s life left with no forwarding address. All she has left of him are heart-wrenching memories of happier times and a beautiful six-year-old daughter, Eden. Then, one day, Eden opens her bedroom door and unwittingly creates a portal that leads to anywhere she imagines.

But they’re not the only ones who know of Eden’s gift, and soon the child mysteriously vanishes. Desperate for answers, Cedar digs into the past and finds herself thrust into a magical world of Celtic myths, fantastical creatures, and bloody rivalries. Teaming up with the unlikeliest of allies, Cedar must bridge the gap between two worlds and hold tight to the love in her heart…or lose everything to an ancient evil. The first in the Thin Veil series, Through the Door is a pulse-pounding adventure that takes readers across the globe and deep into the hidden realms of Celtic lore."