A Heartfelt Review of “The Door” by Lorilyn Roberts

About the Book:

The Door is the first book in the Seventh Dimension Series that combines contemporary, historical and fantasy elements into a Christian “coming-of-age” story. A curse put on Shale Snyder, because of a secret, shrouds her with insecurity and fear. Following suspension from school, Shale’s best friend isn’t allowed to see her anymore and she feels abandoned by her family. When a stray dog befriends her, she follows it into the woods. There she discovers a door that leads to another world—a garden with talking animals, demonic underlings, forbidden love, and a king unlike any other. Can Shale overcome her past, defeat the underlings, and embrace her eternal destiny?

About the Author:

Lorilyn Roberts is an award-winning Christian author who writes for the young and the young at heart. When not writing books, Lorilyn provides closed captioning for television. She’s adopted way too many cats from the humane society (she failed as a foster mother) and indulges her border collie, Sirius Black, with far too many walks, but that’s because he thinks all her books are wonderful. And yes, he came from the humane society, too.

Lorilyn is a single mother by choice. She adopted her two daughters from Nepal and Vietnam. Read her Amazon best-selling memoir, Children of Dreams, endorsed by New York Times best-selling author Jerry Jenkins, and be inspired.

My Review:

I can honestly say that The Door is unlike any book I’ve ever read before though it is vaguely reminiscent of The Chronicles of Narnia. Speaking as one who is easily confused by time travel in any form, I am pleased to say that I had no trouble at all understanding what (and when) events were taking place. On the contrary, I truly enjoyed the style of the tale.

In the beginning, I found myself shadowing a teenage girl who had far more problems that she did friends. In the depths of my heart, I identified with her loneliness and her struggle to find her place in the world. As the reader, I ached to hold her and assure her that she wasn’t alone, but fortunately, the author did much more.

Through an accident, the young girl is transported back to Jerusalem in the time of Christ. After hearing multiple stories about “The King,” Shale decides to risk everything and expose the dirty secret she’d been holding back her entire life. During her journey to meet the King, Shale encounters many biblical characters such as the maniac of Gadara and even takes part in some of the miracles of the New Testament. This walk through the biblical past was so refreshing and eye-opening. By mixing the present with the past, the author allowed the truths of the Bible to come alive in entirely new ways, urging me to drink in more of what the Scriptures have to offer.

The author has woven a beautiful tale of love and forgiveness, of grace and mercy. With detailed, realistic characters and true-to-life biblical accounts, this book is a must read for young adults (and older ones, as well).

Currently, the book is available in Kindle format for free through Amazon, but this is likely to change at any time. I urge you to grab your copy before it’s too late!

Do you have a favorite Christian fantasy? If so, what is it, and what do you like about it?