I received an eARC from the author, that doesn’t affect my opinion of the book, all my thoughts are my own and honest.
Twelve-year-old Porter would much rather spend his weekends playing soccer than channelling spirits in the parallel universe of Pericael. Unfortunately for him, Porter's family has guarded the gate between Earth and monster-filled Pericael for generations, so he's not getting out of Gatekeeper lessons anytime soon.
Porter hates the spirits, they are creepy and he doesn’t trust them. That’s hard considering they are the brunt of his magic. Porter would much prefer to never cross through the gateway to Pericael and forget about the parallel universe.
The characters were interesting and all different in their own ways, which made it entertaining when they interacted with each other. I didn’t love the characters but there wasn’t anything wrong with them either.
The plot was fast-moving and the intrigue grew as the story went on. I felt like the main problem was resolved way too quickly when it was built up so well. I wish the author had taken the time as they did throughout the whole novel to expand it as it made the pacing of the novel off.
The world Pericael was so extensive and thought out, it was my favourite thing about the book. I could imagine exactly what was happening and why the world was dangerous.
I found the magic system very complex and sometimes hard to keep up with, but by the end I was pretty confident I knew the system well. But that asks the question: was it too complex for a middle grade? I’m not sure if it was just me having trouble with it. But saying that I still found the system to be very cool and unique. The writing was a bit muddled at times, I found it hard to keep up at times.
This is a story of a boy discovering his inner strength and his true calling in life, which was sending a great overall message throughout the novel.
Overall I liked it, but there were parts that could have been done better. If you like adventure stories, where the hero is never safe this is the book for you.
3 ⭐️
Thank you, Hayley Reese Chow, for giving me the chance to review your novel.
Find Hayley Reese Chow Here -
Find The Gatekeeper of Pericael Here -
AMAZON - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B091F3G34M
