Thank you NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group,Dutton Books for Young Readers for the copy of There Is a Door in This Darkness by Kristin Cashor. It took a little time to get into the rhythm of the book, but when I did I started to enjoy Wilhelmina and her story. I could feel the love between Wilhelmina and her aunts. I liked how the nail-biting realism of the 2020 election and the dark days of the pandemic were lightened up by the magic Wilhelmina and James experienced. 3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

I wanted to love this cause a magical coming of age during the height of covid? Yes please!

However the reality of this book fell short.

While I like the characters, so many of the flashback scenes had unnecessary details that lost me as they were so unimportant to the story. I found myself not wanting to pick this book up to read just for that.

So premise, overall idea = great. Execution = could be better edited.

This was way different than I thought it would be. I appreciate what the author was going for, but it was a miss for me. I hope others have better luck with it.

Thank you for the ARC.

I don't object to the politics in this book. I do object to the fact that the many pages of Trying to Make a Political Point in this book are boring, lacking stakes, and don't tie in well with the rest of the plot. Every few pages there's a surprise paragraph about the 2020 USA election, or covid lockdown protocols. It rarely works well with the rest of the book, and feels out of place. This feels less like a story, and more like the author had many rants and emotions during 2020 that she wanted to share with a weak framing device.

The one Very-2020 part of this book that I feel DID WORK is the ruminations on isolation. This ties in with one of the major conflicts of the book; the protagonist is cut off from her friends and adrift from regular life. I just wish the other points of this book also tied in with the plot and internal conflict.

A video review including this book with be on my Youtube channel in the coming weeks, @ChloeFrizzle

Thanks to Netgalley and Dutton Books for Young Readers for a copy to review. All opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

“There is a Door in this Darkness” is a touching, heartfelt, and hopeful book about grief, and hope when the world feels hopeless. As someone who can relate to being a young person feeling depression and overwhelm due to COVID and political unrest, I related to MC Wilhelmina’s feelings here. I felt that Cashore’s use of magical realism was perfect for what she was trying to say about grief and hope. There is no clear “explanation” to the magic as some negative reviews have pointed out, but I don’t think it needs a clear explanation.

The back-and-forth format between past and present times was effective in allowing the reader to understand the context Wilhelmina’s story. Slowly these glimpses into the past helped me understand the magical things she was experiencing.

One big aspect that was a hangup for me was that this book felt very slow paced. However I liked it overall and I would recommend for anyone needing a book about grief.

This book had so many emotions, with held and running over. The clarity with which the young people could express themselves brought me to tears. Working their way through the grief and relief of death, the struggles and love of family and friends, the beauty of gardens and birds and magic and hope kept me feel engaged and soothed and loved. A background of fraught politics beats throughout the book. My daughter was also the class of 2020. This book will be a touchstone for me to remember those years.
Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group for this DRC.
#ThereIsaDoorinthisDarkness #NetGalley

This really hit society on the nose. A clever and funny story set in one of the most ridiculously upside times in our lives. Definitely an interesting read for anyone right now.

Mild spoilers. I got a copy of this book from NetGalley. I really loved the writing. And I have been thinking what to write because not sure how I feel about the whole book. Especially the ending. I really liked the parts of Wilhelmina visiting the aunts in Pennsylvania every summer of her childhood. And her friendships with Bee and Julia were well done. The parts of the book that take place in Oct-Nov of 2020 were hard. I don’t think I’m ready to go back to that time. The characters are well written. If you like Kristin Cashore’s books you will probably like this. Though not a fantasy book like Graceling it does have some supernatural elements. Which brings me to Jack. I liked him, not sure I liked how he fit into the book. The ending was a bit unsatisfying, it seemed too romancy for my tastes. It seemed like everything should have led to a bigger conclusion. I do recommend reading it but maybe not if you voted for that one guy for president. #penguinteen

Consider for a moment the Class of 2020: the country churning with anxiety, racism, and uncertainty during your high school years, and then you get walloped by the Covid Pandemic.

Like many of her peers, Wilhelmina Hart is taking a gap year: her father is vulnerable to the Pandemic as he has asthma, while her therapist mother has her hands full with patients. Wilhelmina stays at home to care for her siblings and her trio of beloved aunts -- minus the central member, Aunt Frankie, who has just died of cancer. Meanwhile, her best friends are likewise grappling with the reality of isolation bubbles, mandatory maskings, remote schooling, and the escalating stress of the Trump-Biden presidential contest. Wilhelmina is struggling with depression at the loss of Aunt Frankie, a chronic pain condition, and generalized existential dread at what the future of the country will bring.

This novel, tracking the first week of November, 2020, as well as scenes from Wilhelmina's past, brings that mercifully short period of time back in vivid, painful detail. Things are reaching a breaking point, and Wilhelmina begins having weird visions –– shared, as it turns out, by handsome James Wang. Can she and James make sense of these visions? Is it a message from Aunt Frankie? Can she work through her complicated feelings of jealousy of her two best friends in a bubble without her?

Cashore is one of my favorite YA fantasy novelists, so it was a delight to dive into a thoughtful, imaginative, contemporary story that is -- among other honors! –– sure to make the banned books list for certain pearl-clutching audiences. The aunts are not quite aunts, for instance, but an eccentric, loving, and diverse throuple. Wilhelmina's friends –– one biracial, the other a gay survivor of childhood abuse –– are unapologetically enlightened, politically active, and willing to talk about getting therapy.

Wilhelmina is a strong, bright character who reminds me of a contemporary Meg (A Wrinkle in Time) Murry, fully involved in the moral struggles of her time. The magical realism strikes just the right note in counterpoint to the overwrought reality of that time.

Ultimately both hopeful and heart-warming, this is a novel that captures a tumultuous time with grace, reminding readers that there is joy and light to be found even when things look grim. That there is, after all, a door in this darkness.

Thanks Netgalley and Dutton Books for the e-arc in exchange for my unfettered opinion.

Such an interesting book! It was so neat to read the current and then the earlier timelines, and gradually put things together. I do think that a year or two ago, I wouldn’t have been able to read about this time period, with first the political upheaval and then the pandemic, but at this point, though certain things made me wince in vivid memory, I was able to focus on Wilhelmina and what growing up in this time had done to her and those around her. (I wonder how readers will feel about it in 10 or 20 years?)
I liked the touch of the inexplicable—is it magic? How else to explain it?—while still feeling fully real-world. And how people you love can drive you crazy—a theme that still resonates in my life! After I finished reading this, I couldn’t stop thinking about it. Definitely recommend.

This does a great job in creating a magic field book about grief and hope. It uses the young adult elements perfectly and was able to tell a great story that a lot of people will resonate with. The characters felt like real people and they were that they were dealing with grief in a realistic way. It was a fantastic plot, and I enjoyed how good it was written. Kristin Cashore has a great writing style, and I've enjoyed other books by her.

Great writing and intriguing character development set in 2020 and the senior high school class most impacted. I think the reception of this book will hinge on whether 2024 audiences are ready to journey back to 2020 or whether it is too soon.

In this captivating read, the author masterfully weaves a narrative that is both engaging and thought-provoking. Through a blend of richly developed characters and a meticulously crafted plot, the book offers a unique exploration of its central themes, inviting readers to immerse themselves in the story's depth and complexity. The narrative is paced perfectly, balancing moments of intense action with thoughtful reflection, ensuring that readers are hooked from the first page to the last. The author's ability to evoke emotion and create a vivid, immersive world is truly remarkable, making this book a must-read for anyone looking for an exceptional literary experience.

Beyond its compelling storyline, the book stands out for its insightful commentary on the human condition, weaving philosophical questions into the fabric of its narrative. The author's skillful use of language not only enriches the text but also elevates the reader's experience, offering new perspectives on familiar themes. Whether it's the intricate dynamics of relationships, the exploration of identity, or the confrontation with ethical dilemmas, this book tackles complex issues with sensitivity and intelligence. It's a testament to the power of storytelling to illuminate the nuances of life, making it a valuable addition to any book lover's collection. Regardless of genre, this is a work that resonates on multiple levels, affirming the enduring impact of well-crafted literature.

Thank you to the publishers, author and NetGalley for the free copy of this book.

I requested this because I love Kristin Cashore's writing and it did NOT disappoint! SO good. This tugged at my heartstrings in all the right ways. While very different from her Graceling series it was beautiful in its own way and so well written. I definitely need this on my shelf for a re-read in the future!

Loved this! Everything Cashore writes is a masterpiece. The writing was beautiful and the story itself was seeping with emotion. I felt so connected to the main character and her journey through grief. I also think the premise around the elections was interesting, something I haven’t seen before.

Fantastic fantasy that’s kinda subtle with it in a way that works utterly gorgeously. Thanks for the arc, would recommend

I loved the story, the world building and meeting the different characters. I felt completely immersed in the story and couldn't stop reading it.

4.25⭐️
Rep: thoracic outlet syndrome, chronic pain

Thank you so much to Penguin Teen and NetGalley for an ARC! Overall, I really enjoyed this.
This is a contemporary novel following Wilhelmina and her family, in the past but also during COVID and the 2020 election, and addressing all those feelings that came with both events. The main focus is on family and friends, which I loved, and while there was a touch of romance, I love that the author chose to make it all about family. This book also touches on grief and the passing of a loved one.
I really loved specifically the focus on Wilhelmina’s relationship with her aunts as well, as this is a relationship you usually don’t see in books. They reminded me of own aunts and so this really touched me!
There is a magical aspect, which at first I thought seemed out of place with the rest of the story, but I really like how it ended.

Overall, I’d definitely recommend this! I really liked the author’s writing style as well.

While this one was not for me necessarily (I'm not a fan of bringing in real world applications to YA- I'm trying to escape it!), it is definitely 100% such an important book. It would be great for high school classrooms to start discussions on some very hard hitting but necessary topics. Mixed with a little magic realism, this touches on the Covid pandemic and the heartbreaking elections that we've sat through and how one girl has dealt with it and finds hope at the end of it all. I recommend it completely, and I would just say that my lower review is a personal preference entirely.

Big thank you NetGalley and to the publisher for the chance to review this book pre-release. This was a much different read than I was expecting, however, I really did enjoy being a part of it. The main character is going through so much turmoil, but the reader really finds themselves connecting throughout it, as so many people imagine where they were, and what their emotions were when a lot of these monumental moments in history were happening. It covers loss, and is done so well and tastefully. Please look for my review around publication week on my IG/TikTok and Goodreads.