Adventures in Ink (Reviews): A Review on Gateway by Christina Garner

Gateway

(Gateway Trilogy #1)

Christina Garner

Genre: YA Science Fiction/Fantasy

Release Date: May 17, 2011

ASIN: B0051UBSLE

Pages: 185

Goodreads Rating: 3.63

My Rating: 5

Book Description:

Everybody has their demons. Some are just a little more real than others...

Ember has always known she doesn't belong in this world. But when she tries to correct the mistake, she wakes to find herself in a mental institution.

She's soon drawn to Taren, the mysterious boy with hazel eyes. He's not what he seems, but what is he?

When chaos erupts, they are forced to flee the institution together, and the secret that Taren has been keeping brings Ember closer to understanding her own. And leads her to... the Gateway.

My Take On The Book:

After reading the synopsis of the book I went into what my friends would call a book obsession in overdrive. I just knew I had to read it. The premise was right up my alley and I couldn't get this book out of my head. It was haunting me. The cover though minimalistic was right on point with the story. And once I started I couldn't really stop. It took me a couple of hours but truthfully I think it only took so long because I was forced to stop 3 times, once to sleep, the next to eat and the last because I had errands to run and you can’t very well read while driving a car. I'll admit the. Chapter lengths threw me for a loop in the beginning as the first 3 were relatively short but understandably so. It was at chapter 5 when I realized they had lengthen dramatically. But I kinda liked it that about the story.

The Great (Pros):

Ember. There is just something about this girl that makes you care. She’s strong even if she herself doesn't know it and it’s refreshing. Too many times you have a strong female character that just oozes self-esteem and that can make it too hard for a reader to connect with the character. Ember was nothing like that, she had limitations and while she felt inadequate quite often it wasn't done in a whiny way. She just pushed herself to be better.

Taren. Right off the bat I loved his character. He was shrouded in mystery and you really don't know where he stands but I'm a sucker for those kinds of leading me. He had his moments, or rather I had moments where he made me angry but I always held out hope. His chemistry with Ember was tangible and sweet. And his caring for Callie usury proved how multidimensional he really was.

Kat. What's not too love about her. She's snarky, caring, tough as nails and loyal. She’s understanding to Ember's situation, a real friend to Taren but from what I see, it doesn't get in the way of her ability to do her job. Plus she's a lesbian which is way cool because I haven't read many books with gay female characters as they all tend to be gay males.

Callie. So cute and innocent. And downright frightening. I really liked reading the scenes with her.

Demons, daemons and the gateway. I loved the history and thought put into this book. The difference between demon and daemon is chilling and the gateway was crafted so perfectly I was able to envision it all with crystal clarity.

Guardians and Keepers. While these terms have been used before and will probably continue to be used in paranormal books, I liked the variation in this story. It just serves as further proof at the attention this author gave the story while writing it.

The Not So Great (Cons):

There aren't many to speak of. The story was left open ended but not a cliffhanger. The characters were well developed but we didn't get too much backstory which is fine. There were some passages that I had to reread because the wording felt a bit odd but that was the only flaw I could find in my eyes. I can honestly say there aren't any characters that I disliked.

5 stars

This way a solid read. Something I would happily recommend to readers. It had romance but nothing too severe to stifle the progression of the storyline. It had genuinely unique ideas which is hard to come by when dealing with paranormal books especially those with demons. I really enjoyed it and look forward to the next installments! Keep your eyes peeled for my review on the next book :) if you read and enjoyed 'Undertow', 'Scars of the Bifrost' or 'Dark Souls' after my review or you've read 'The Revealers' by Amanda Marrone then this book is right up your alley. You can purchase this book via amazon or B&N for 2.99. I suggest you also take the time to sign up for the author’s newsletter for info on this series.

Author Bio

Christina Garner began writing stories at the age of six. At eighteen, her aspirations as an actor had her loading up her Buick and setting off for Hollywood. Since then she has written and directed 10 short films, including Rewind and Reminder, both of which received acclaim on the festival circuit. In 2007 she was hired to write her first feature film. May of 2011, her debut novel, Gateway became an Amazon Bestseller, followed by Chasm, Book 2 in The Gateway Trilogy. Look for Tether in late 2013.