The Seventh Door

Children of the Bard #3

by Bryan Davis

An apocalypse approaches, and only Matt Bannister and his mother, Bonnie, can stop it. Forced to participate in the demon Tamiel’s scheme, Matt, Bonnie, and Darcy, (Matt’s former foster sister) must travel to seven destinations. Behind each of the seven doors, they find a unique brand of evil that is designed to weaken Bonnie’s soul-healing song and bring about God’s wrath upon the Earth.

In the meantime, Matt’s twin sister, Lauren, searches for their father, Billy Bannister, who has been captured by Tamiel’s soldiers. Lauren is accompanied by Walter, Ashley, and the dragoness Roxil in a desperate attempt to rescue Billy before his captors can carry out their plan to kill him.

Since Sapphira Adi has also been abducted, Elam, Yereq, Makaidos, and Thigocia travel toward a stronghold designed to keep Sapphira’s fiery powers under control. Along the way, a great disaster strikes that threatens their journey as well as Matt’s and Lauren’s hopes to complete their missions.

By the time Matt and his companions face the seventh door, ancient mysteries are solved, dark secrets come to light, and they learn that opening the door will bring doom upon the planet. Yet, a great tragedy befalls the company, and the only remedy is to seek the power that lies behind The Seventh Door.

Genres: Fantasy, Christian, Christian Fiction, Christian Fantasy, Dragons, Fiction, Young Adult

464 pages, Paperback

First published January 17, 2014

About the author

Bryan Davis is the author several speculative-fiction series, including Dragons in Our Midst, Oracles of Fire, Children of the Bard, Dragons of Camelot, The Reapers Trilogy, The Time Echoes Trilogy, Tales of Starlight, Dragons of Starlight, the Oculus Gate, Not So Famous Dog Tales, Astral Alliance, and Wanted: Superheroes.

Bryan and his wife, Susie, have homeschooled their four girls and three boys.

Bryan was born in 1958 and grew up in the eastern U.S. From the time he taught himself how to read before school age, through his seminary years and beyond, he has demonstrated a passion for the written word, reading and writing in many disciplines and genres, including fantasy, theology, fiction, devotionals, poetry, and humor.

Reviews

[Tracey Dyck · Rating 5 out of 5]

Since I've been rereading all twelve books in these interconnected series this year, the parallels between The Seventh Door and Circles of Seven were even more apparent this time around—which was really cool!

There are some deeply sad scenes (the abortion clinic, for those who've read it) and some thought-provoking ones (the missile) that I enjoyed. Lauren plays a crucial role here, and the book ends on a tense note. 5 stars!

(First read in 2014; reread November 2018.)

[Scarletstories · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have never been so torn about the pacing of a book in my life. Half of me wanted to slow down and enjoy it, but the rest of me just could not stop rushing through it. It was amazing. While it had dark themes, Davis explored them beautifully and in a way that gave a person hope. Characters I loved were back in full swing and it was great to see them in action once more. While I agreed with a character at the end who said that this adventure seemed darker and harder than the others, I have great faith in Davis' writing and know that everything will turn out for the best.

[Mandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been waiting for the cover scene for 2 1/2 books now, but it still hit hard! And this series is one of the best rallying calls for the faith out there. It expresses the churchy answers without making it feel overused. Sometimes fiction is the best way to preach.

[Sophie Sage · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is definitely my favorite book in the “Children of the Bard” series so far. I love how the Circles of Seven correspond to the Seven Doors!
Also, a really great cliffhanger for the last book!

[Allison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sacrifice and forgiveness are the recurring themes of the newest installment of the saga that began with Raising Dragons. It has an action-filled plot with a riveting ending, such as you've come to expect from the master storyteller, Bryan Davis. I can’t wait until my son is old enough to be introduced to the story and characters I've grown to love so well. My only criticism is that no matter how soon the next book comes out, it won’t be soon enough!

[Angela C Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good book about faith and hope

I really like Bryan Davis' series. There are sad parts in these stories. But we have the same source of hope that they have. It's good to be reminded of that promise.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Seventh Door is the long-awaited third book in Bryan Davis’s Children of the Bard series and the eleventh in his ‘series of series’ that began with Raising Dragons. In my opinion, it’s the best yet. I quite literally could not put it down. The plot is very fast-paced and almost every chapter seems to hold a new twist or mystery that will keep you constantly wondering what’ll happen next. I was pleased to see Tamiel featured more in this book, as he’s quickly become my favorite Davis villain. I also enjoyed the way the main plot of The Seventh Door mirrored a book in a previous series without turning into the same story with different characters.

In addition to being exciting, The Seventh Door is also encouraging and edifying. Through his characters, Davis gives readers strong examples of faith, redemption, sacrifice, and God’s love. Characters constantly risk their lives for one another, and some do make the ultimate sacrifice. Also, certain characters who’ve made less-than-honorable choices in previous books are given second chances to redeem themselves, and one of these quickly becomes my favorite character in the book.

The Seventh Door does have a few flaws. Though most of the plot was fresh and exciting, some portions, particularly relating to the development of certain characters, seemed like parts of previous books in the Dragons in Our Midst and Oracles of Fire books, with the only real difference being the names of the characters. Also, one of the main characters drove me crazy for a fairly large portion of the book. However, these are very small issues in an otherwise excellent book.

Overall, The Seventh Door is an exciting and uplifting book that will keep you on the edge of your seat while encouraging you in your faith. Fans of the series will definitely not be disappointed!

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really, really enjoyed it. It was beautifully written, wonderful yet sad yet happy yet elating. It had Bryan Davis' ability of sucking you in and not letting go until the entire story is gone. You never even realize you are reading until there are not any more words. His conflict is real, heart-wrenching and soul-searching. It was real to life and did not sugar coat the difficulties, yet did not delve into describing every awful detail. It was a very well written balance of reality and discretion for a variety of reader maturity levels. Overall, another wonderfully beautiful story full of meaning, adventure, fantasy, and of course, DRAGONS! I can not wait to read book THREEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!! :)

[Belinda · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book while it short of parallels Circles of Seven is written in a way where I still find it enjoyable. A few example is that instead of the circles being in a parallel universe it's in the it's set in the same world, and instead of Billy going through the circles it's Matt, and the circles even though they are similar are also different at the same time. I also enjoyed the end times factor and the new/ old charaters that were introduced in the book. I'm looking forward to reading the last book to see what happens next because there where some stuff that were like ahhh.

[Sullivan Elenburg · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I was reading this book, my emotions flipped entirely during every chapter. It goes from happy to sad to horrifying to everything in-between. The plot was excellent and the story just drives you insane as you flip page after page to find out what happens next. The characters are portrayed greatly and their unique personalities truly just builds on the entire story-line as a whole. This book is a great combination of faith, religion, comedy, adventure, and drama. In conclusion, once again, Bryan Davis has written a phenomenal book and an amazing series.

[Keturah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is absolutely fantastic, just like all of Bryan Davis' other works. I was actually chosen as a pre-publication reviewer for this book and was very excited. You can find it on the last page of reviews, second to last on the page. I definitely recommend reading this book and anything else Mr. Davis writes.

[Kayla Roberson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. Such a well thought out plot... And like typical bryan Davis style, the reader is Left on a huge cliff hanger. I'm Dying to know who will still be alive in the final book of all these incredible dragons in our midst series.

[Sofia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once again, Bryan Davis has amazed me! This book was incredible, and it left me anxiously waiting for the release of the next book in the series.

[The Impossible Girl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really really good

[Corey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Literal Book Titles:

Characters die, but who knows for how long?

[Bookysteria · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow another masterpiece by Brian Davis! Someday i may actually write a review but today is not that day.

[J Allestad · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked the Mystery of the seven doors. The suspense. You know that it is similar to the Seven Circles, but to what extent is Tamiel make the seven doors similar to the Seven Circles?

[Sarah Laren · Rating 5 out of 5]

it is awesome

[Brooke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Might cry.

[Nathan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maybe your best book! I couldn't put it down. It was so powerful and so masterfully intertwined with all of the other books, Circles of Seven especially.