The Land Beyond the Portal in Willing To Review Christian Group

Feb 03, 2012 Kathleen (Kat) Smith rated it it was amazing

Shelves: christian-action-adventure, fantasy-adventure-fiction, christian-suspense-fiction, christian-fiction, young-adult-fiction, christian-science-fiction, christian-fantasy-fiction, christian-teen-fiction

It's a dark, snowy night when Laura awakens at the bottom of the staircase with a horrible headache and no idea how she got there. To make matters worse, she is alone in the house, snowed in by a blizzard, with no way to call for help. While exploring the house in a desperate attempt to trigger the return of her memory, she discovers a small room beneath the basement. She steps inside, and an unknown force instantly transports her to a mysterious, pastoral land.

She finds a quaint village that at It's a dark, snowy night when Laura awakens at the bottom of the staircase with a horrible headache and no idea how she got there. To make matters worse, she is alone in the house, snowed in by a blizzard, with no way to call for help. While exploring the house in a desperate attempt to trigger the return of her memory, she discovers a small room beneath the basement. She steps inside, and an unknown force instantly transports her to a mysterious, pastoral land.

She finds a quaint village that at first glance seems like a peaceful place; but Laura soon learns that peace is merely an illusion. Why are terrible rumors circulating about the village's leader? Why do the villagers worship a sinister deity who bears no resemblance to her own powerful and loving God? Most importantly, will she ever remember who she is and find her way home? In her quest for answers, she uncovers a myriad of forbidden secrets that might keep her trapped in The Land Beyond The Portal. (excerpt back cover).

In the debut novel from J.S. Bailey, The Land Beyond The Portal, she eloquently weaves a magical story that draws the reader into the land beyond the portal, to that of Sparkling Falls. Here she finds that she is living in a different time frame and one that appears to be from the past. Laura is befriended by a two small children who find her wandering alone in the forest. Still not knowing who she is, she finds comfort in the Owens family who offers her a place to stay in their home. The Owens family are considered the nobility of the town and thus are still dealing with a tragic loss of their younger son who wandered away one night.

Now the town learns of rumors being spread that the Owens family wants the number of children limited to just two in each family, and people wonder if their younger child was killed or murdered by their father. Laura can't accept the rumors and stands to defend the family against those that want to remove him from power in the town. The one thing she isn't expecting is the one person the town worships, who goes by the name of Litchfield, is about to make her life very difficult since coming to Sparkling Falls. She will have to learn to trust God to help her figure out just what sinister evil is lurking beyond the borders of this land.

I received this book compliments of J.S. Bailey for my honest review and was completely drawn into the fantasy world she created in her debut novel. I wasn't quite sure where this was going, or how it would wind up and found myself second guessing the outcome before I got to the end. Boy was I ever wrong. She keeps the reader wondering just how this will all tie together before the book ends and keeps them engaged in the story and characters til the end. My only disappointment, is that I finished it. Now I'll definitely be looking for more from J.S. Bailey in the future. If you love a bit of Science Fiction and Fantasy to your reading genre, then this is not one to be missed. A perfect 5 out of 5 stars! ...more

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Oct 12, 2011 Dana Rongione rated it it was amazing

Alone in an old house with no connection to the outside world, Laura replays the tragic accident over and over in her head. The ring of a phone startles her from her thoughts and forces her to run toward the source of the ringing. In her haste, she tumbles down the stairs, knocking herself unconscious. When she awakes, she has no idea who she is, where she is, or how she ended up at the bottom of the stairs. Little does she know, however, that her journey of intrigue has only just begun.

In her e Alone in an old house with no connection to the outside world, Laura replays the tragic accident over and over in her head. The ring of a phone startles her from her thoughts and forces her to run toward the source of the ringing. In her haste, she tumbles down the stairs, knocking herself unconscious. When she awakes, she has no idea who she is, where she is, or how she ended up at the bottom of the stairs. Little does she know, however, that her journey of intrigue has only just begun.

In her efforts to search the house, Laura stumbles upon a portal that transports her to a quaint village that harbors its own secrets and mysteries. Overall, the people seem kind enough, but there is an undercurrent of malice and discontentment that forces Laura to seek out the truth, even if it means putting her own life on the line.

J.S. Bailey created a masterpiece with this spell-weaving tale of mystery, fantasy and science fiction. The book was a real page-turner, and each page unfolded a new twist that made me cry, "Huh?" Bailey literally dumps you in the middle of a story, giving you enough information to follow along, but not enough to figure out what's going to happen next. And nothing could have prepared me for the ending! Just when I thought the story was about to wrap up, Bailey threw in one last surprise. The Land Beyond the Portal was one of those books that I just couldn't put down, but when I was done, I was sorry to have finished it so quickly.

I don't think I've ever read a book with such a thorough and well-balanced blend of Christianity, mystery, fantasy and science fiction. Typically books fall into one genre or another, but somehow Bailey pulled off a blending that is sure to satisfy readers of all ages and tastes.

The only negative comment I have about the book is that a couple of the characters (even the "good guys") occasionally took the Lord's name in vain. In my mind, that is the way of the world, and a Christian should know better than to disrespect God by using His name in such a way. I feel it has no place in a Christian work, for as Christians, we should be set apart from the world.

All in all, however, if you're looking for a clean book with detailed characters and an intriguing plot, The Land Beyond the Portal is for you. Get a copy today, but make sure you have plenty of time for reading, for once you start, you won't want to put it down! ...more

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