I had high hopes for this book when I saw the varied representation it offered. I LOVE a diverse cast. Bring it on. All of it. While this did have just that, it didn't seem the diversity was true to character. Maybe a bit more research would have helped and really let the characters shine, they fell flat. It was almost as if the author just wanted to post the rep to draw a wider audience but then didn't follow through. I'd still recommend it because there isn't enough out there for asexual people.

DNF @ 55%
Sadly this wasn't completely for me. I do think that the way the world was built was good and the ways that souls were explored was also very interesting. The importance, description and overall way that souls are apart of the story were well done and that was highlight for me. I will also say that what I did gather about the character's asexuality was well thought out for me personally. I'm not well versed in LGBTQ+ themes and conversations, but it did feel genuine with Kamai trying to figure herself out. I'm certain that some teens will like this in the book and hopefully it'll resonant with some readers.
Now, to my major complaints. I didn't care about Kamai like I had expected; at times she read like she acted her age, but other times, she was whiny and useless and read like a much younger girl. There wasn't much to her personality to make her standout from other YA books I've read this year. I also think that the pacing was slower than I thought; it never pulled me in. I also didn't believe the bond that was supposed to be there between Kamai and her mother; none of the emotions in this book had the expected impact. I also think that the love interest read very cheesy and didn't have the dark allure that I thought he would have. I think those who like quieter fantasies with not much action might like this more. I really wanted to love it, but it just didn't work for me.

I was really drawn in by the cover of this book. It's absolutely captivating. The story itself was pretty good at the start. Events take off rather quickly, and after an initial sequence of lots of danger and excitement, everything peters out and the rest of the story is told mostly in dialogue. Dialogue where one person explains what other people did to lead up to that moment. I would have preferred if we read about each person's actions leading up to that, even if it involved different timelines and perspectives, and pieced it together slowly, bit by bit, with a final BAM conclusion at the end. Instead, we read about the MC being slowly told, by various people, what happened to lead up to the conclusion, and it was like reading a book about a girl being told a story and never really doing much. The first half of the book, crammed with action and adventure. The second half, where we get all the good intrigue and answers to all our questions? Falls completely flat. The very, very end sped up a bit and overall it was a good story, I just feel like everything could have been presented to us better.

This was a highly anticipated read for me and I’m disappointed with how it planned out. It had so much potential.

Things I liked: the dynamic between the villain and the main character, the asexual representation, the concept of soul walking, the unnerving yet alluring darkness behind the door.

However, I have many issues with the book. First, the characters all fell flat for me, minus Vehyn. I don’t feel I know much about them despite having spent a whole book with them.
Second, the plot was achingly slow. It doesn’t pick up until the last 20% of the book and unfortunately the “big reveals” were not worth that long wait.
Third, the god and goddesses mentioned in the book are so heavily influencing the plot despite literally never making an appearance and that was very disappointing.
Fourth, and this is my biggest qualm, is that the main character is an absolute idiot. Or rather, she’s written that way (maybe on accident?) because of the way and the pacing that the author chose to reveal information. We learn about “the darkness” 80% through the book. Obviously that’s who Vehyn is. So the main character has known about The Darkness all this time and never thought that maybe that’s who Vehyn was? She would have to be a complete idiot for it to have never crossed her mind.

So with all that considered, I gave the book 2.5 stars.

I wasn't quite sure what to expect when I picked up A.M. Strickland's <i>Beyond the Black Door</i>, but I'm very glad that I did. I was given the opportunity to review this book prior to publication. Although I thank the publisher for the opportunity to read this book, my review of the book is completely my own.

Kamai is a Soulwalker, so she has the gift of entering into people's souls while they are asleep and finding out their secrets and motives. Her mother was also a Soulwalker and a courtesan. She used her skills with passion to lure people to her bed where she could then walk through their souls and gain insights that are then reported a secret society. However, some secrets shouldn't be known or kept. When Kamai's mother and stepfather are murdered, Kamai finds herself thrust into a world of politics, intrigue, and murder.

I found the book very easy to read. I also enjoyed that the protagonist was not a stereotypical heroine searching for love from the boy or the girl. In fact, the Kamai's lack of and embodyment of sexuality is one of the most interesting factors within the book itself. I found the discussion of a variety of sexual and romantic responses to be refreshing and definitely interesting for a book that is clearly queer. I applaud the author on doing something different.

I received a digital advanced reader copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was a cover grab for me. I mean just look at it.. It is absolutely gorgeous and just draws you right in (and so does the story!) This story is just layer upon layer of twists and turns. The cover really portrays that with its spiral staircase.

Beyond the Black Door is a very character driven plot and has a very strong Trans/Asexual representation. We need more of this! We need more Trans visibility and Asexual visibility in todays writing. This novel would make the LGBTQIA+ community proud. It was incredibly respectful.

The story itself is full of heartbreak and betrayal. I was audibly gasping through several pages of this book. The characters are beautifully written and the plot is very well formed. It is fast paced and doesn't leave you bored at all!

I really enjoyed this book, it lived up to its cover hype and was a great read!
Thank you so much to A.M. Strickland, MacMillan Children’s Publishing Group, and NetGalley for this advanced digital copy of this book.
This review will be posted on www.featheredfables.wordpress.com closer to the publication date.

I really wanted to love this book but I can't bring myself to rate it more than 3 stars. I was so disinterested with the main character, the plot didn't seem to pick up until the last ~20% of the book, and I didn't feel much for the world the author had created. There is some really good lgbtq+ representation, however.

All things considered, this is a pretty average book to me. Some parts were described beautifully and made me really interested in the story but the majority of it was "meh, this is fine but when are we going to get to the really good stuff?"

Lushly depicted, with a strong sense of place, BEYOND THE BLACK DOOR is one of the best fantasy novels I've read this year. I was enticed right alongside Kamai and just as eager to unravel the mystery of the black door. The plot is well-paced, with a villain you'll love to hate. I was pleased with the queer rep in this book--Strickland handled the more sensitive aspects with care and respect, especially the ace romance.

If you loved S. Jae-Jones' WINTERSONG, long for a YA retelling of PHANTOM OF THE OPERA, and enjoy dark fantasy, you'll find much to love here. Highly recommended!

Beyond the Black Door was actually one of my most anticipated reads of 2019 and I’m quite honestly disappointed for a lack of better terms. I’ve seen so much hype for this book so I am really happy it’s getting the love it deserves. The writing was not horrible by any means, it was dark, brilliant and beautiful and exactly what I hoped it would be. I found the asexual representation to be an eye opener and a lesson for someone who is quite familiar with asexuality. I just had serious troubles with the characters and forming a connection with them. To me being able to relate to a character and understand them to almost a full extent is what drives me and I just couldn’t connect with anyone. I kept pushing myself because I did want to see how this novel was going to pan out, but eventually I was forcing myself to read a novel I simply wasn’t into. I do hope to return to this novel one day and actually be able to finish it and enjoy it. But for now, it just wasn’t my cup of tea.

This book truly blew me away. I was in somewhat of a reading slump when I started this and man, did this get me out of it! Generally, my thoughts on this book are that it is so well-written and the characters are just so good. You are immediately drawn in to Kamai's story and you're wondering what in the heck is beyond the black door (yes, there's a literal door) and why she can't go past it. You learn soon that Kamai and her mother by design are what they call Soulwalkers, which means they can go into other people's souls when they sleep. This was one of the unique aspects for me that were well world-built and I wasn't left wondering where do they come from, why are they there, that can sometimes happen in books.

I loved Kamai's character. She felt so genuine and real and well-rounded. You follow both her plot driven journey as well as her journey to discover more about her asexuality and her identity. I really enjoy books that have inclusion within this community and this one was done really well. I felt like I was there with Kamai and felt for her. I was on the edge of my seat for the entirety of this book and I couldn't stop reading, resulting in me reading it in one sitting. I was enveloped in the story and wanting to know what happens. The world-building was so fantastic and it didn't feel like there were any strings left untouched. I appreciated that because it appears to be a standalone but I could totally see more books in this world!

Finally, I wanted to comment on the romance. It wasn't forced or overdone and made sense with her sexuality journey. The court intrigue was more so what I was interested in and finding out more about Kamai's mother and why the black door is so forbidden. All of the pieces of this story were fantastically moving and I highly recommend this title.

This was a really enjoyable fantasy. The writing is strong, the story well-paced and interesting and overall a solid novel that while self contained leaves you wanting more of the world and characters that Strickland has created. I appreciated the complexities of the relationships that were set up for the heroine, Kamai, and the way in which they explored the depth and range of human connection that goes beyond what you would expect in a YA type of fantasy. There's a lot to offer here in terms of gender representation, though racial issues seemed to have mostly been glossed over other than an early description implied they might be. The focus really is on the idea of a soul in the world created and the way in which Kamai's ability to "soulwalk" is intriguing and leads to questions about the way in which we control and are controlled by our own actions and outside forces.

Advanced copy received via NetGalley for review. .

It’s funny, the timing of things... how the universe can give you what you need in the most unexpected ways.
This book was a gift to me this past month and a half.
And while my reasoning behind it may make it appear that I missed the message behind the actual story, I can assure you, it did not. It just had a little extra hidden one in there for me as well.

I believe what drew me to this book initially was discovering that the main character, Kamai, was going to be portrayed as Asexual; something I’ll admit I didn’t know much about. (Or so I thought.) I thought it’d be a great way to learn more while hopefully enjoying a little story.

This way SO much more than what it appeared to be. There are layers upon layers to this book.
It is so beautifully constructed, from the INCREDIBLE imagery and world building, to the deeper meaning behind so many of the aspects in the story.

The main thing I’ll discuss is how I, personally, was impacted by the book.

I’m sure there will be people who disagree about the portrayal of her Asexually, but I can say that coming from someone who knew very little, I think the author did an amazing job of allowing me to see things through a different emotional lens.

And here’s where I’m going to get pretty personal, because the lens wasn’t so different than mine, I realized.

I say this book was a gift right now because a few years ago, I went through something traumatic.
For a year after that, I thought I was okay because in hindsight I can now see that I was unable to feel anything.
The year after that, I started to get my first PTSD episode.

This year, the episode has hit me so hard I can barely function.

Since it happened, I have struggled daily with a deep feeling of a loss of my “soul.” The way that souls are portrayed in this book is so beautiful and deep. It made me want to show mine a little more compassion. Especially because in the book, the soul is a topic that Kamai struggles with terribly as well. I felt myself wanting to comfort her, and in turn, realized I was no different than this poor girl.

But what really touched me was how much I understood her feelings toward sexuality. I understood her completely.
When she would describe wanting the CONNECTION, yes, still feeling attraction and excitement, but wanting ONLY the connection on a soul level, not a sexual level, I nearly cried. I am like this now. I want to be loved for my spirit. I don’t want to be touched.

Maybe I’m not so alone. I wasn’t always like this, so I can’t claim to understand, but I can say that in my situation, reading this, during my darkest days of the year, no sleep... nightmares... lost in my head... withdrawn from my husband and family... beating myself up mentally for not understanding what’s wrong with me, WHY I can’t get I together yet; this book made me feel understood.

It was a wonderful balance of darkness and light, a surprisingly seductive story that also normalizes all spectrums of our sexual feelings.

Most importantly, it was a beautiful reminder (to me) that my soul is not gone. I still have time.

This is not your average book review, I suppose, I apologize, but sometimes books can affect you in a way that compels you to need to talk about it. This was that.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a complimentary copy for review.
All opinions are my own.

I will be distributing this review among my other platforms soon. I won’t give an exact date this time, because honestly I’m a little off.
Soon!
Links:
http://inkandpaperdreamer.home.blog

http://www.goodreads.com/Inkandpaperwanderlust

http://Instagram.com/inkandpaperwanderlust

Beyond the Black Door is a lush and completely original fantasy that will have you guessing until the very last page. You'll think you've figured it out and then the narrative will turn you back onto your head again.

The mythology and realm this novel is set in are exquisite and original. Soulwalkers are forbidden unless they give their life to the temple, but what happens if you use that soulwalking for spying? With more than one force at play, Kamai has to decide where her allegiance, and heart, lie.

Transgender and asexual people are so beautifully tackled and revered in this book that I nearly cried. So much respect and thought were brought to these identities, with such a beautiful explanation for why they are the way they are woven into the narrative. This book speaks beautifully about LGBTQ+ identities and how everything is a spectrum. It also helps reinforce the fact that ace and aro are not the same things.

Overall, this fantasy is full of twists and turns, heartbreak and betrayal, and a character-driven plot that will have you dying to get to the end, and you'll be sad to get there.

*I received a complimentary copy of this book from Imprint through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.*

As soon as I read the blurb and saw the amazing cover, I clicked to request and when I saw it on my dashboard, I thanked my lucky stars and wore my dancing shoes to perform a scene from singing in the rain but I forgot I was living in LA and it rarely rains here but I kept on dancing!

I think I created to shine the dark objects and show its beauty by sharing my long and appreciative sentences. When it comes something dark, twisty, edgy, my ascendant sign Scorpio takes the front seat to drive me nuts because I really entertain myself too much as normal people get scared and nervous.

But you know the feeling you get too excited about something but it may drive you up the wall with disappointment and frustration because you didn’t get what you highly expected!

This is what happened to me after reading this book. I had some questions on my mind about queer rep because the characters seemed like developed a little haphazardly, artificially. It gave me the feeling the author wanted to take the attention of the readers by choosing an asexual heroine ( which had also wanted me to read this book because I wanted to see attributes, characteristic virtues and I was curious how the author reflected the POV of character’s own sexuality and interaction with others) but it seemed like the author didn’t study her lesson well before writing this story and the situations, relationships between her characters which were a little dull, flat and awkward for me to digest somehow!

Mythological part was nice touch and it should be elaborated and detailed a little bit.

The relationship dynamics and characteristic development didn’t work for me! I understood the reasoning behind them but I still have my own confusions.

Some twists, surprising parts sealed well but when I didn’t relate with the characters and saved too much time to connect with their stories, I feel like the book is not for me!

I liked to read diversity stories which gives me more hope and joy to see people in our modern world learn to respect each other’s differences and respect their bravery because we have every right to choose who we are and everybody should be more moderate and supportive each other’s free expressions and opinions. Maybe this story didn’t work for me but I’m hopeful I’m gonna read much better ones because too many brilliant debut authors are about to release their new works. And I know I will find my best diverse fantasy book sooner than I expected.

Special thanks to NetGalley and Imprint for sharing me this ARC COPY in exchange my honest review.

I started hearing all about this book a little while ago and was really excited to get my hands on it. All I really knew about it was that it featured a villain love interest and that it also had a asexual main character. I've hardly ever seen this representation in YA, so it definitely became something that I wanted to read. The story was definitely interesting, but I found myself skimming alot of this book. It just wasn't for me. The romance didn't cut it for me either and I honestly wasn't a big fan of the main character either. I'm sure there will be plenty of others who like/love this book. Unfortunately, i wasn't one of them.

Do you like dark fantasy? Did you watch Labyrinth and wish that the Goblin King would romantically sweep you around a ballroom? Are you one of the Phantom of the Opera fans that think Christine made a mistake and should've chosen Erik? Fascinated by the myth of Hades and Persephone? Well, here's the perfect book for you!

First you may want to check out the content warnings posted by the author if you have any potential triggers—I always appreciate when authors look out for their readers like this and allow the audience to make an informed decision before starting a book. While the warning about emotionally abusive/manipulative romantic relationships may cause some readers to reconsider, this was actually what convinced me the book would do justice to the central romance. There's nothing worse than a defanged villain, because why even bother with a villain/heroine romance if it's going to play out the same way as a sweet fluffy friends-to-lovers romance? If the love interest is a bad guy, it SHOULD be dark and questionable and manipulative to the max! Conversely, supposedly sweet romances that have toxic underpinnings and are unintentionally problematic cause a whole lot of frustration with the mixed messages and lack of awareness at the abusive nature of the relationships portrayed. But Beyond The Black Door is upfront and self-aware about its characters and romance, which is brilliant!

Our protagonist Kamai is a young woman with the rare ability to soul-walk, a skill that she shares with her mother and develops in secret as it's considered highly dangerous and therefore illegal unless one is a priest or priestess. Kamai is capable of exploring other people's souls which always take the form of a house of some sort, ranging from simple shacks to elaborate palaces. While the visual depiction of each person's soul house or nehym differs from person to person, the one constant is the mysterious black door that follows her around, always lurking somewhere in every nehym, waiting for her to stumble upon it. Since her mother's main rule was to forbid Kamai from ever opening that door, it's obviously an enormously enticing challenge to stay away from it!

The mystery of the black door, what it represents, and the seductive being within develops alongside great personal strife and upheaval in Kamai's life as she arrives in the capital to be presented at the royal court. On one hand, she faces Vehyn who is a mesmerising and aggressively magnetic influence who reels her in against all common sense; on the other, Kamai contends with a complicated web of conspiracies, secret guilds and political intrigue. At times Kamai is frustratingly naive and reckless, and many readers will no doubt despair at her continuing to make poor choices. But well, teenagers aren't known for having the best judgement and given the circumstances under which she is left adrift without proper guidance or support, it's somewhat understandable that she gets herself into one scrape after another!

The pacing felt slow off the mark, for instance Vehyn wasn't introduced until about a quarter of the way through despite being a major character and driving force of the novel! For those who appreciate a good mystery, the tantalising lead-up to his entrance won't dampen their enthusiasm, but readers like myself who are looking forward to the main romantic pairing interacting with each other may be tempted to skim past some of the early set-up chapters. There is quite a bit of exposition to sit through as we're introduced to the religious beliefs that govern Kamai's society; while fascinating, it felt like a lecture at times, often because Kamai was parroting back information that she had been taught for our benefit.

However once the pieces were in place and the larger picture of this world assembled, I appreciated the rich mythology created by the author with gods based on the sun, moon, and the earth. Instead of just naming them for these elements and calling it a day, there is effort put into the more intricate details. For example, to show how aspects of each deity might influence the way people behave, pious women cover their head with a scarf to pay respect to Heshara, the moon goddess who hides her face during the day. Then there's the employment they seek—the Solar Arts governed by the sun god Tain include finance, law, medicine and other intellectual occupations. The world-building was very imaginative and fun to think about with the mythology being incorporated in different unexpected ways.

Now to the most important and celebrated part of the book - the LGBT+ representation! The blurb states that Kamai's asexuality is a central theme and it's developed wonderfully here. Asexuality isn't widely known or understood in our society, and while it's starting to be explored in YA books, this is the first time I've encountered a central ace protagonist in speculative fiction who is experiencing a coming-of-age storyline, and even better, one that involves romantic attraction! People who have some idea of what it means to be asexual will often picture Sherlock Holmes or Sheldon Cooper, arrogant aloof characters who shun human contact and feel superior to their fellows. It's usually a surprise to realise that asexual people may actually desire romance, given that fictional representation includes notable aro-aces like Jughead Jones and Felicity Montague (The Lady’s Guide to Petticoats and Piracy) who are coolly confident in their lack of interest in relationships.

However in Beyond The Black Door, a new dynamic is presented as Kamai struggles with her orientation and being different from others. This puts her into sexual situations to see if she can make herself feel like she's 'supposed to' and later trying to work out the limits of what she's comfortable with while experimenting with her connection to Vehyn. She has a beautiful arc of grappling for self-acceptance and overcoming the intrinsic feeling that she's damaged because she's not like everyone else. The specificity with which her feelings are written ring very true to me as a fellow ace, but regardless of orientation, these themes of alienation, of feeling alone and misunderstood and striving to fit in are universally relatable to a wider audience. Kamai's journey in dealing with her asexuality raises the profile of this minority, helping aces in the audience to feel more visible and offering clarity to other readers who may not have understood or even realised this identity existed. The author cleverly incorporates the mythology she's created to help illustrate the different aspects of the asexual spectrum via the phases of moon, which is such a great metaphor!

The distinguishing feature of this book is definitely the diverse representation - aside from Kamai, a notable side character identifies as both ace and trans (or 'soul-crossed'), plus a range of minor characters are depicted as being bisexual or gay. This will likely be a hook for a lot of readers, but while the diversity may prompt someone to pick this up, the beautiful imagery and lush descriptions along with the tantalising mysteries will be what keeps them reading. After a slow start to establish this new world, the court intrigue and fascinating character dynamics lead into quickly accelerating action and stunning plot developments that will keep you tense and frantically turning the page!

[To be published September 12th]

An intensely woven plot that will grip with it's dark and mysterious magic. World-building of epic proportions that fill your mind with the possibilities of worlds upon worlds of intriguing mysticism that you can't wait to know more about as the characters interact. The characters are engrossing and heartfelt as they experience real world issues about sexuality and love; what's considered "normal" and where they fit our don't fit in that mold. It's such a unique story that hinges on so many different aspects of life - the importance of family, your sexual identity, your loyalties, your true self. This is a true coming of age story for one girl but it is so much more as she finds that within her lays so much more. . . a darkness that others would use to take over her world. It's a wonderful read. A little slow going to start of with, but once it got going I found I was flying through it till the end.

*** I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review. ***

This is a DNF for me because I didn't enjoy how the book was written (it felt like it used flowery language to cover up basic craft issues), and I've now learned that it contains my least favorite romance trope (villain love interest).

3.5 stars There was so much to like about this book. Pieces of the plot were truly inventive. I loved the idea of soul walking. It became critical to the plot just at the moment I was disconnecting from it. I also loved the way that gender and sexuality were addressed throughout the story.

That said, there were some things that annoyed the heck out of me - so much so that I skimmed a lot of this book. Early on there was so much telling that if it weren’t for the frank treatment of sexuality I would’ve assumed this was a middle grade book. The main character was a total Mary Sue and I just couldn’t connect with her motivations because the author told me everything rather than showing me why. I expect that the author will improve as she goes and I look forward to her future books. Representation matters and this book brought it in a big way.

*ARC was provided to me by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*

Thank you to the publishers and Netgalley for an ARC.
I have to say this was a quick and enjoyable read. The world, the magic, its mythology and religion were all really well done. People who can walk into others’ souls when asleep, secret organizations dedicated to serving different gods, a bit of political/court intrigue, and yes, an asexual main character!
LGBT+ is very relevant in this in a way that is profoundly lacking in other books. Her asexuality isn’t just mentioned in an offhand comment in a single paragraph, it prevails throughout the novel as the protagonist comes to term with it. There are other characters that are gay or pan, a character that is trans and it is also not just an offhand thing mentioned once. It’s also made to fit into the religion and mythology of the world.
The plot was easy to follow and fast paced and entertaining and I zipped through this, which is always a good thing for me.