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A review by balletbookworm
A Door in the Dark by Scott Reintgen
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Maybe 3.5 stars. We picked this for our teen book group at the store (was also a monthly pick last month).
And I liked the magic system, the way it worked in concert with capitalism and class in this world. I also like how morally gray Ren was as a character (yes, I guessed the final chapter).
However, I am convinced this was originally written for the adult market and then scaled down to YA "standards." It is both overwritten and underwritten. The characters are all seniors in college and/or grad school (? wasn't clear on that) so some very adult situations are referenced (multiple characters get high throughout the book and there's a throwaway trivia bit involving nipple rings and pain play but is referred to as "alternative activities" *sideeye*) but are also very juvenilely written (for instance, Theo/other male characters are referred to as "boys" throughout despite that they're all entering the workforce and being poised for positions of power). The author isn't shy about the drug use or the violence or Ren's desire to take out House Brood to avenge her father and others in the lower class, but skitters away from the sex HARD. I think this would have been a SOLID adult contemporary fantasy series had Reintgen actually written into his adult characters rather than infantilize some of them because I would have comped this to The Magicians had it been presented for that market.
I'm also convinced this is Dramione fic (and Theo's dad? Hello Lucius Malfoy)
And I liked the magic system, the way it worked in concert with capitalism and class in this world. I also like how morally gray Ren was as a character (yes, I guessed the final chapter).
However, I am convinced this was originally written for the adult market and then scaled down to YA "standards." It is both overwritten and underwritten. The characters are all seniors in college and/or grad school (? wasn't clear on that) so some very adult situations are referenced (multiple characters get high throughout the book and there's a throwaway trivia bit involving nipple rings and pain play but is referred to as "alternative activities" *sideeye*) but are also very juvenilely written (for instance, Theo/other male characters are referred to as "boys" throughout despite that they're all entering the workforce and being poised for positions of power). The author isn't shy about the drug use or the violence or Ren's desire to take out House Brood to avenge her father and others in the lower class, but skitters away from the sex HARD. I think this would have been a SOLID adult contemporary fantasy series had Reintgen actually written into his adult characters rather than infantilize some of them because I would have comped this to The Magicians had it been presented for that market.
I'm also convinced this is Dramione fic (and Theo's dad? Hello Lucius Malfoy)