Beyond the Black Door

A young soulwalker named Kamai can enter other people's souls while they sleep, following in her mother's footsteps as a rare practitioner of this ability. During her soul-visits, she encounters a mysterious black door that appears in every soul she enters - a door she has been warned never to open. As Kamai trains and develops her soulwalking talents, she becomes entangled in court politics and dark secrets that threaten both her kingdom and her own identity. Her quest for answers about the black door leads her to confront questions about power, destiny, and the true nature of souls. The novel blends elements of fantasy and horror while exploring issues of identity, sexuality, and the boundaries between self and other. Through its imaginative magic system and complex character relationships, it examines the tension between desire and restraint, between what we are told to fear and what we yearn to understand.

Readers emphasize the book's unique take on asexual representation, with many noting it's rare to see an ace protagonist in dark fantasy. The gothic atmosphere and creepy soul-walking magic system earned positive mentions. Liked: - Clear ace/aro representation without making it the whole plot - Complex mother-daughter relationship - Dark, atmospheric worldbuilding - LGBTQ+ characters normalized within the story Disliked: - Slow pacing in first half - Some found the protagonist frustrating and impulsive - Romance subplot felt forced to several readers - Several mentions of content warnings needed for body horror Ratings: Goodreads: 3.7/5 (2,900+ ratings) Amazon: 4.2/5 (150+ ratings) TheStoryGraph: 3.75/5 Common reader quote: "Worth reading for the ace rep alone, but the plot takes time to get moving." Most recommend it for fans of darker YA fantasy who want LGBTQ+ representation, with the caveat about pacing issues.

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🔑 In this dark fantasy novel, the protagonist Kamai is a "soul walker" - someone who can enter other people's souls while they sleep. However, she herself has no soul door of her own. 🖤 The book explores themes of asexuality and aromanticism through its main character, making it a notable addition to LGBTQ+ young adult fantasy literature. 🚪 The story draws inspiration from the Bluebeard fairy tale, incorporating elements of the classic warning tale about a nobleman whose wives keep disappearing behind forbidden doors. ✨ Author A.M. Strickland wrote this book while living in Alaska, where the long dark winters helped inspire the novel's gothic atmosphere. 💫 The black door of the title has connections to ancient mythology about doors to the underworld, including the Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice, where crossing certain thresholds has dire consequences.