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Entwined Dimensions A Metaphysical Cozy Portal Fantasy with Kiwi Humor: Book 1 of the Eura Trilogy
Daria has never quite belonged to her world. A scientist living in New Zealand, she’s haunted by vivid memories of a place that shouldn’t exist — a realm of shimmering forests, empathic beings, and ancient songlines that call to her in dreams. Convinced that those memories are more than imagination, Daria designs a device to test the limits of reality itself.
When her experiment tears open a dimensional rift, something — or someone — falls through. A traveler from a realm that mirrors her dreams appears, pursued by forces that want the breach sealed at any cost. Their meeting sets off a chain of events that ties Daria to a long-hidden prophecy about the merging of worlds.
Lightning fast-paced sci-fantasy with zero spice and zero apocolypse, not a traditional portal fantasy!
When her experiment tears open a dimensional rift, something — or someone — falls through. A traveler from a realm that mirrors her dreams appears, pursued by forces that want the breach sealed at any cost. Their meeting sets off a chain of events that ties Daria to a long-hidden prophecy about the merging of worlds.
Lightning fast-paced sci-fantasy with zero spice and zero apocolypse, not a traditional portal fantasy!
247 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 3, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
March 29, 2026
The point of this book (I think) is that love is more important than tidiness, which I agree with, incidentally. It certainly backs up this content with its form.
If ADHD was a book, this would be that book. The prose is all over the place, rich with imagery that frequently doesn't make much, or any, sense ("a belch of fire blurred up like an alibi"), or even says the opposite of what it is trying to say. ("Zipping along like rush hour traffic on an Auckland motorway" - so, extremely slowly?) It's more often correctly punctuated than not, but the punctuation (and grammar) can also get a bit random at times, and someone needs at absolute minimum to run a spell check before publication. (I had a pre-release copy for review via Netgalley.)
It's set in New Zealand, but frequently says things that are true in the USA but not really in New Zealand (like healthcare being primarily about profit), or that are otherwise coded American (an apartment on 3rd Street - in a town, Kaitaia, which has no 3rd/Third Street). The NZ geography feels a little off all over. It's several times implied that Kaitaia is closer to the sea than is in fact the case (it's several km away). The trip from Kaitaia to Wellington, nearly 1000km, takes place in the break between two paragraphs. Two characters walk (even though they're capable of flying) from the ferry terminal at Picton to Motueka, a distance of over 180km by road and about 50km in a straight line, entirely through forest - which would require you to walk not in a straight line - in what seems to be a few hours.
There is some dimension-hopping going on, so perhaps that's part of the explanation. But things being in a different dimension or timeline doesn't seem to prevent them being findable or usable, nor does it interfere with cell service.
There are multiple first-person viewpoint characters, and since their names are not given at the chapter headers, it sometimes takes a few paragraphs to figure out whose head we're in. Sometimes, when we're in the POV of the guy from the fae realm, he uses expressions and imagery that comes from the human world. (Though there is some kind of connection he has to the human world, I honestly lost track of what it was exactly.) Several characters, from the human and fae worlds, speak in NZ slang, but that also sometimes feels slightly off, like it's being used by someone who's heard it but doesn't speak it, and there are Americanisms like "elementary school" instead of "primary school" that make me suspect the author is a transplanted American. There's a mention of one NZ bird and a couple of NZ trees, but the most frequently mentioned birds are hummingbirds (which supposedly can carry you across to the fae realm if you're small enough) and crows (which can talk, and are convenient helpers a couple of times), and neither of those are found in NZ.
One of the characters is ostensibly a scientist as her day job, but we never see her actually working at this job, and she doesn't seem to need to tell anyone there that she's going to disappear from it indefinitely to deal with the plot - something I call a "superhero job". Her being a scientist is presumably how she manages to invent a badly-sciencebabbled device which is supposed to make her capable of getting to the fae realm, but actually does something completely different that kicks off the whole plot, though it's really more of a series of episodes than a plot. This is almost the last proactive thing she does, certainly the last thing she does without a whole lot of help, but she's apparently the Chosen One and keeps getting commended for doing so well, even though, every time she faces the slightest difficulty, a new character will turn up suddenly (the word "suddenly" appears 20 times) to help or rescue her, or to tell her the power was in her all along, or she'll remember a completely unforeshadowed useful thing she has or knows about that solves the problem.
That was one of my biggest problems with the book: it has almost no conflict that lasts for more than a single scene, and solving cosmic problems that have been in existence for an inconsistent number of years is always super easy, barely an inconvenience. The antagonists are intergalactic bureaucrats that don't trust people to love and think that rules are more important, and when they were referred to as "auditors" at one point I immediately thought of Terry Pratchett's Auditors, those faceless, nameless, unindividualized figures that think life is a mistake. These bureaucrats are not as scary as that, though.
The other big problem I had is that the problem and its solutions are so abstractly described with such a wealth of paradoxical imagery that I found it extremely difficult to follow what was going on, not helped by the bouncing around between characters. It also doesn't help that concrete things are seldom described much, including the NZ landscape, which I think was a missed opportunity. And the word "somehow" is doing some heavy lifting at a couple of points.
It's extremely messy, very metaphysical, cozy only if by cozy you mean "almost everyone is nice," a portal fantasy for sure, and with a small amount of Kiwiness that feels a bit off-brand and some extremely mild humour. I finished it largely because I wanted to see whether the author pulled it all together in some way towards the end, but for me, that didn't really happen.
I've started being stricter with my star ratings this year, so this one gets two stars, meaning that while it has some strengths and isn't a complete disaster, it has enough issues (from my perspective) that it doesn't get onto my annual recommendation list. I don't think I was the right audience for it, and if you are, you should ignore my opinion and go ahead and enjoy it.
If ADHD was a book, this would be that book. The prose is all over the place, rich with imagery that frequently doesn't make much, or any, sense ("a belch of fire blurred up like an alibi"), or even says the opposite of what it is trying to say. ("Zipping along like rush hour traffic on an Auckland motorway" - so, extremely slowly?) It's more often correctly punctuated than not, but the punctuation (and grammar) can also get a bit random at times, and someone needs at absolute minimum to run a spell check before publication. (I had a pre-release copy for review via Netgalley.)
It's set in New Zealand, but frequently says things that are true in the USA but not really in New Zealand (like healthcare being primarily about profit), or that are otherwise coded American (an apartment on 3rd Street - in a town, Kaitaia, which has no 3rd/Third Street). The NZ geography feels a little off all over. It's several times implied that Kaitaia is closer to the sea than is in fact the case (it's several km away). The trip from Kaitaia to Wellington, nearly 1000km, takes place in the break between two paragraphs. Two characters walk (even though they're capable of flying) from the ferry terminal at Picton to Motueka, a distance of over 180km by road and about 50km in a straight line, entirely through forest - which would require you to walk not in a straight line - in what seems to be a few hours.
There is some dimension-hopping going on, so perhaps that's part of the explanation. But things being in a different dimension or timeline doesn't seem to prevent them being findable or usable, nor does it interfere with cell service.
There are multiple first-person viewpoint characters, and since their names are not given at the chapter headers, it sometimes takes a few paragraphs to figure out whose head we're in. Sometimes, when we're in the POV of the guy from the fae realm, he uses expressions and imagery that comes from the human world. (Though there is some kind of connection he has to the human world, I honestly lost track of what it was exactly.) Several characters, from the human and fae worlds, speak in NZ slang, but that also sometimes feels slightly off, like it's being used by someone who's heard it but doesn't speak it, and there are Americanisms like "elementary school" instead of "primary school" that make me suspect the author is a transplanted American. There's a mention of one NZ bird and a couple of NZ trees, but the most frequently mentioned birds are hummingbirds (which supposedly can carry you across to the fae realm if you're small enough) and crows (which can talk, and are convenient helpers a couple of times), and neither of those are found in NZ.
One of the characters is ostensibly a scientist as her day job, but we never see her actually working at this job, and she doesn't seem to need to tell anyone there that she's going to disappear from it indefinitely to deal with the plot - something I call a "superhero job". Her being a scientist is presumably how she manages to invent a badly-sciencebabbled device which is supposed to make her capable of getting to the fae realm, but actually does something completely different that kicks off the whole plot, though it's really more of a series of episodes than a plot. This is almost the last proactive thing she does, certainly the last thing she does without a whole lot of help, but she's apparently the Chosen One and keeps getting commended for doing so well, even though, every time she faces the slightest difficulty, a new character will turn up suddenly (the word "suddenly" appears 20 times) to help or rescue her, or to tell her the power was in her all along, or she'll remember a completely unforeshadowed useful thing she has or knows about that solves the problem.
That was one of my biggest problems with the book: it has almost no conflict that lasts for more than a single scene, and solving cosmic problems that have been in existence for an inconsistent number of years is always super easy, barely an inconvenience. The antagonists are intergalactic bureaucrats that don't trust people to love and think that rules are more important, and when they were referred to as "auditors" at one point I immediately thought of Terry Pratchett's Auditors, those faceless, nameless, unindividualized figures that think life is a mistake. These bureaucrats are not as scary as that, though.
The other big problem I had is that the problem and its solutions are so abstractly described with such a wealth of paradoxical imagery that I found it extremely difficult to follow what was going on, not helped by the bouncing around between characters. It also doesn't help that concrete things are seldom described much, including the NZ landscape, which I think was a missed opportunity. And the word "somehow" is doing some heavy lifting at a couple of points.
It's extremely messy, very metaphysical, cozy only if by cozy you mean "almost everyone is nice," a portal fantasy for sure, and with a small amount of Kiwiness that feels a bit off-brand and some extremely mild humour. I finished it largely because I wanted to see whether the author pulled it all together in some way towards the end, but for me, that didn't really happen.
I've started being stricter with my star ratings this year, so this one gets two stars, meaning that while it has some strengths and isn't a complete disaster, it has enough issues (from my perspective) that it doesn't get onto my annual recommendation list. I don't think I was the right audience for it, and if you are, you should ignore my opinion and go ahead and enjoy it.
March 12, 2026
Entwined dimensions is a vivid take on fantasy sci-fi that brings together the worlds of fae, dragon and a fair few other fantastical creatures under the guise of dimension hopping adventure. A gifted scientist with a sense of belonging to another reality embarks on experiments the consequences of which could be potentially catastrophic. With the walls of reality tumbling and a host of shifty agencies and friends / foes in pursuit, a rag tag bunch of intrepid associates form bonds of friendship as they discover deep secrets about the universe. An interesting idea executed with a good standard of writing. However, for me there are a few issues. The story is written from the first person perspective switching between characters each chapter. This becomes a little hard to follow and lends itself to the characters kind of becoming hard to differentiate. (As a caveat, some characters are essentially - small spoiler alert - the same 'person' but others are not but get swept up in the sameness.) Also, after a while it feels like the author embroils themselves too heavily in a habit of simile and metaphor. Everything becomes a comparative of something else so that there is a heavy weight of descriptiveness going on that could certainly be paired back without losing the essence of the story. I should point out this is personal taste on my behalf. Having said all this, I can see this book being successful and having a huge fan base among readers who enjoy incredibly imaginative fantasy world building with flowery prose examining the old cliché of the shape of love across the multiverse. It is not for me but more for those who prefer existential reasoning, new age philosophy and identity rational in their reading. Despite not being my cup of tea, I'm awarding a 4 star rating because I can appreciate the artistry that went into the writing and can see how that will appeal to others.
April 14, 2026
Daria has never felt that she belonged to her world. A scientist living in New Zealand, she's haunted by vivid memories of a place that shouldn't exist - a realm of shimmering forests, empathic beings, and ancient songlines that call to her in dreams. Convinced that those memories are more than imagination, Daria designs a device to test the limits of reality itself. When her experiment tears open a dimensional rift, something - or someone - falls through. A traveler from a realm that mirrors her dreams appears, pursued by forces that want the breach sealed at any cost. Their meeting sets off a chain of events that ties Daria to a long-hidden prophecy about the merging of worlds.
This novel was not the easiest book to read. At times, I felt l\”lost” whi;le reading this book. It is a fast paced -paced fantasyscience story. The story isn’t an apocolypse type. It’s not a traditional portal fantasy. I wi;ll leave it up to the reader to decide what this novel is really about.
Disclaimer: I received an arc of this book from the author/publisher from Netgalley. I wasn’t obligated to write a favorable review. The opinions expressed are strictly my own.
April 22, 2026
With thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the copy.
The title wasn't lying: dimensions do be entwined. This book falls into the kitchen sink fantasy genre, where we have fairies and technology and goblins and also aliens.
The take on fairies is, to be favourable, original. But the story was unable to catch my interest. Everything just kind of happened and at no point was I curious to find out the next step because I knew I would just be told in a few pages. Someone somewhere might discover their new favourite universe in this book but it sadly wasn't me.
Oh, I only saw the "cosy portal fantasy and kiwi humour" tagline as I came to review this book here. Well, that explains. Cosy doesn't do it for me. I definitely got Dungeons and Lattes vibes mixed with Plastic Eating Crow Boy (but that one's Australian, I swear I'm not trying to insult either kiwis or Aussies) so that line is accurate and if it is something you do like, do check out the book. Again, original take and the prose isn't bad so, could be someone's new favourite.
The title wasn't lying: dimensions do be entwined. This book falls into the kitchen sink fantasy genre, where we have fairies and technology and goblins and also aliens.
The take on fairies is, to be favourable, original. But the story was unable to catch my interest. Everything just kind of happened and at no point was I curious to find out the next step because I knew I would just be told in a few pages. Someone somewhere might discover their new favourite universe in this book but it sadly wasn't me.
Oh, I only saw the "cosy portal fantasy and kiwi humour" tagline as I came to review this book here. Well, that explains. Cosy doesn't do it for me. I definitely got Dungeons and Lattes vibes mixed with Plastic Eating Crow Boy (but that one's Australian, I swear I'm not trying to insult either kiwis or Aussies) so that line is accurate and if it is something you do like, do check out the book. Again, original take and the prose isn't bad so, could be someone's new favourite.
June 14, 2026
I received this ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
I’ll start with the good. The premise is intriguing and unique, the characters seem right for a cozy fantasy, and the writing itself isn’t bad.
This is obviously a newer writer, and that’s fine. This should’ve been a 400-500 page book. The dimensions weren’t fleshed out, characters were barely introduced, and the main characters fell in insta-love. The lead up to plot points was non existent. The romance part of this was really cringy for me personally, and the ending was also way too cheesy for me. If this is a cozy fantasy, there is way too much at stake, so the book doesn’t feel like a cozy fantasy.
This isn’t the worst book I’ve read by a long shot, but I really stopped caring after part one. I finished out of obligation unfortunately. This has good bones, but the execution isn’t for me.
I’ll start with the good. The premise is intriguing and unique, the characters seem right for a cozy fantasy, and the writing itself isn’t bad.
This is obviously a newer writer, and that’s fine. This should’ve been a 400-500 page book. The dimensions weren’t fleshed out, characters were barely introduced, and the main characters fell in insta-love. The lead up to plot points was non existent. The romance part of this was really cringy for me personally, and the ending was also way too cheesy for me. If this is a cozy fantasy, there is way too much at stake, so the book doesn’t feel like a cozy fantasy.
This isn’t the worst book I’ve read by a long shot, but I really stopped caring after part one. I finished out of obligation unfortunately. This has good bones, but the execution isn’t for me.
April 4, 2026
Fantasy set in Fae and our world. The image and text of the prologue had me gripped. But then it didn’t seem as interesting for quite a while. The style of the prologue seemed to be missing. Towards the end my interest picked up again. So I actually went back and read the book again. I found on second reading it made more sense and held my attention. So 3.5 stars. Thank you to BooksGoSocial and NetGalley for the ARC. The views expressed are all mine, freely given.
April 11, 2026
The book is listed as being fast-faced and it is, that is not something that I mind at all. I did find that because it was fast-paced a lot of jumps and skipped information happened between events or chapters that I was mildly for a good portion of the book. I am definitely someone who loves world building and learning how certain elements work within a fictional world but this one lost me a little bit, definitely could use more detail regarding how things work.
June 26, 2026
This was a really imaginative, fast-paced story blending fae lore with cosmic, time-bending ideas (timey wimey Doctor Who vibes).
I liked the variety of creatures and concepts, and there’s a thoughtful message about kindness and slowing down. The New Zealand–influenced voice also gave it a unique feel.
That said, the writing leans heavily on similes and metaphors, which sometimes made it hard to picture what was actually happening. The pacing is very quick, jumping from one big idea to the next, and the tone shifts into more abstract, metaphysical territory, which didn’t quite land for me.
Overall, this didn’t fully come together for me, but I appreciated how creative and original it was. If you like surreal, experimental fantasy, this might work for you.
I liked the variety of creatures and concepts, and there’s a thoughtful message about kindness and slowing down. The New Zealand–influenced voice also gave it a unique feel.
That said, the writing leans heavily on similes and metaphors, which sometimes made it hard to picture what was actually happening. The pacing is very quick, jumping from one big idea to the next, and the tone shifts into more abstract, metaphysical territory, which didn’t quite land for me.
Overall, this didn’t fully come together for me, but I appreciated how creative and original it was. If you like surreal, experimental fantasy, this might work for you.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews