Beyond the Ocean Door: A telepathy fantasy adventure

by Amisha Sathi

In every mind there exists an Ocean Door, a hidden gateway to one’s subconscious, a realm of possibility and manipulation. And there are only two telepaths in the world who have power over it.

A young telepath named Kallista wakes up in a beautiful, secluded valley called the Vale with no memories of her early life. For the next decade, she trains as a soldier for the Vow, an enigmatic military organisation led by a legendary telepathic warrior, Valeria Reed. Years after a childhood escape attempt that ended as a miserable failure, Kallista resolves to try one last time.

But strange things are afoot in the pipe-smoking spies that disappear from one’s memory, a red-haired ghost who wanders the west woods, the arrival of an odd new boy with strange powers, and murmurs of conflict outside their borders. Kallista discovers that escaping is going to be more difficult than ever. To pull off her daring plan, she must unfold the mysteries of the Vale and master a powerful new ability to infiltrate the subconscious through a peculiar blue door.

Beyond the Ocean Door is a brand new coming-of-age fantasy adventure, featuring a unique telepathy-based magic system and a thrilling 'prison break' story.

Genres: Young Adult

522 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 21, 2024

Reviews

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of the most unique and creative books I’ve read this year. I enjoyed the humor and flow of the story and getting to see the characters grow and overcome some pretty rough challenges. The visuals were stunning and helped paint a vivid picture of the world to further bring this story to life.

[Christopher · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beyond the Ocean Door is a fantasy with an impressive amount of world-building and history before the book even begins. In a secluded valley, the Vale, there is a military organization, the Vow, that keeps the people safe from everything outside of the valley. We're never entirely sure just what's out there. The Vow was founded by legendary telepath Valeria Reed, who trains the telepath students. In the current class of "Rooks", there are only three of them.

Not all telepaths are the same, as there are nine different gifts that they might have, but all can create imaginary worlds called "Veils", which usually look like the regular Vale.

Kallista, who had her memories erased when she was brought to the Vale ten years ago, has the same powers are Valeria, while Maya, who was born in the Vale, has a different ability. Both Maya and Kallista want to leave the Vale because they feel like they are prisoners.

No ocean doors appear until nearly halfway through the novel. It's a door that Kallista discovers in her Veil that seems to lead into some chaotic dimension. We later learn that everyone has an ocean door and it leads into their subconscious, and by entering a telepath can manipulate a person.

I liked the world-building but I thought the book was a little long and dragged in places, but the pace picks up toward the end. And I enjoyed the use of "stories in three acts" to relay flashbacks through an unreliable narrator.

[Reva Fowler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beyond the Ocean Door is a brooding tale of a young woman’s struggle for personal autonomy. It takes place in a world where telepaths can access the minds of others and manipulate the senses and perception of those around them. The legendary telepathic warrior, Valeria Reed, possesses extraordinary power and uses it to “protect” the people of the Vale. Kallista, telepathic and stripped of her childhood memories, has never adapted to Valeria’s constraints. The author constructs a unique world of telepathic magic and a compelling story of Kalliista’s struggle for freedom.
I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily submitting a review.

[Sarah Sims · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the author's writing on multiple levels. There was some fun wordplay and a great balance of exposition and "showing" the reader what this world was like that kept me from being lost while still not feeling over-explained.
I also enjoyed the worldbuilding and magical system in this universe. It feels especially topical right now as it explores the relationship between access to information (or lack thereof) and power. I'm looking forward to more from this author for sure.