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The Fourline Trilogy #1
Gateway to Fourline
Years before, a gateway opened between their world and ours. Sending one young woman through may be the key to survival for the kingdom of Fourline.
Strapped for cash, college student Natalie Barns agrees to take a job at a costume shop. Sure, Estos—her classmate who works in the shop—is a little odd, but Nat needs the money for her tuition.
Then she stumbles through the mysterious door behind the shop—and her entire universe transforms.
Discovering there’s far more to Estos than she ever imagined, Nat gets swept up in an adventure to save his homeland, an incredible world filled with decaying magic, deadly creatures, and a noble resistance of exiled warriors battling dark forces. As she struggles with her role in an epic conflict and wrestles with her growing affection for a young rebel, Soris, Nat quickly learns that nothing may go as planned…and her biggest challenge may be surviving long enough to make it home.
306 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 1, 2015
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About the author
Pam Brondos
5 books169 followersPam Brondos is the author of The Fourline Trilogy and lives where the wind blows on a daily basis.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 304 reviews
December 4, 2015
Man, this is probably going to be mean but this book? was not a good book. It wasn't a bad book, it was firmly in the boring grey middle.
There were too many conversations about the Magical World with little to no explanation so it went from Mysterious to Annoying pretty fast. The characters were bland and boring and felt more like puppets being dragged around a stage than fleshed out people in their own rights. Don't even get me started on the protag.
There were a lot of moments that were leading to interesting character snapshots and then we had the camera ruthlessly pulled in another direction, a jump cut as it were, and we missed any chance to get to know the protag and just had to take the other character's words that "she's really fast, I've seen her run. She can do this" (also, okay running is one thing but where the hell did the acrobatics come from???)
Someone described it to me as "wish fulfillment fanfiction" and that's pretty much what it feels like.
There were too many conversations about the Magical World with little to no explanation so it went from Mysterious to Annoying pretty fast. The characters were bland and boring and felt more like puppets being dragged around a stage than fleshed out people in their own rights. Don't even get me started on the protag.
There were a lot of moments that were leading to interesting character snapshots and then we had the camera ruthlessly pulled in another direction, a jump cut as it were, and we missed any chance to get to know the protag and just had to take the other character's words that "she's really fast, I've seen her run. She can do this" (also, okay running is one thing but where the hell did the acrobatics come from???)
Someone described it to me as "wish fulfillment fanfiction" and that's pretty much what it feels like.
December 16, 2015
I got this as a free book on some Amazon promotion. It's an oldfashioned "gateway to a fantasy world" story, like the Narnia books or the Magicians trilogy.
Did not like it much: it's slow-paced, the characters are shallow, and the "magical world" just looks like a boring version of the middle ages with an arbitrary and largely undescribed magic system, and a random evil race of tree-dwelling blue spider-monkeys. And then it just ends, expecting the reader to go pay for more. Sorry, no.
Did not like it much: it's slow-paced, the characters are shallow, and the "magical world" just looks like a boring version of the middle ages with an arbitrary and largely undescribed magic system, and a random evil race of tree-dwelling blue spider-monkeys. And then it just ends, expecting the reader to go pay for more. Sorry, no.
December 9, 2015
DNF at 47%
B.O.R.I.N.G.
Apparently, since the protagonist doesn't know what's going on, it's ok for the reader not to either. But it was all so boring that I just didn't care. Stock characters weakly portrayed, and not enough plot development to make an actual story. Snore.
B.O.R.I.N.G.
Apparently, since the protagonist doesn't know what's going on, it's ok for the reader not to either. But it was all so boring that I just didn't care. Stock characters weakly portrayed, and not enough plot development to make an actual story. Snore.
September 3, 2020
There seems to be a lot of mixed reviews of this book, but I loved it! It took me a few chapters to get into it but after that, I got hooked into the story and couldn’t wait to find out what happened. Going on the journey with Natalie into Fourline was a thrilling read and I loved the story and the plot, as well as the world the author created within the book. Loved it so much I’m going on to read the second one in this trilogy next !
April 29, 2016
I tore through this book. It's so refreshing to find a YA novel that doesn't fall into the same Twilight-esq tropes of love triangles and entirely poor decisions (don't get me wrong, there's still poor decision, but they're much more understandable and doesn't make you yell at the characters nearly as much).
Loved it; would definitely recommend!
Loved it; would definitely recommend!
May 3, 2018
I really hate to do this, but I have to. This book is going to be a DNF for me. I was so bored and none of the characters were interesting or likable and I hate saying that. I feel like the author did more telling than showing. I really hate marking a book as DNF. Maybe I’ll come back to this someday, but it is not likely.
June 24, 2016
DNF: Ok I'll admit it: I read almost half of this in an afternoon, but I just can't get myself to pick it back up. Maybe one day I will and maybe my rating will change, but this just isn't quality fantasy, in my opinion. Everything feels rushed, but also too slow. It takes ages for us to be introduced to Fourline, and then we just get glimpses while Nat runs around; there's very little detail to be had and we're just jumping from scene to scene/place to place. Usually it's 1-2 paragraphs, and then she's at her destination and then a page later she's coming back through the portal or whatever. The magical world doesn't feel deeply imagined or realized. And everything rushes by too fast for us to get a good understanding of the world or any of the characters except MAYBE Nat, who is basically just a gold hearted but broke college kid.
I think that by the time I gave up at 47% (at which point we have had a one-chapter "training" montage which was basically just a dream and then she talks to some folks and then suddenly she's not just going into Fourline but she's AT THE PLACE SHE NEEDS TO GO, I mean come on, make up some obstacles for the girl, already!), I knew 10x as much about her financial troubles than I did about Fourline... not into it. The pacing just felt really, really off. It felt like the author skipped through the shit she didn't want to write -- training sequences, the details of getting from point A to point B -- and just wrote what she wanted to move the plot to where she wanted it to go. The world isn't very detailed; the characters are pretty flat; and the plot leaves much to be desired. I just can't do it.
I think that by the time I gave up at 47% (at which point we have had a one-chapter "training" montage which was basically just a dream and then she talks to some folks and then suddenly she's not just going into Fourline but she's AT THE PLACE SHE NEEDS TO GO, I mean come on, make up some obstacles for the girl, already!), I knew 10x as much about her financial troubles than I did about Fourline... not into it. The pacing just felt really, really off. It felt like the author skipped through the shit she didn't want to write -- training sequences, the details of getting from point A to point B -- and just wrote what she wanted to move the plot to where she wanted it to go. The world isn't very detailed; the characters are pretty flat; and the plot leaves much to be desired. I just can't do it.
November 7, 2015
I don’t read too many books that could have the YA tag attributed to it, but this was free and I have a hard time resisting free things! I didn’t know that it was the first book in a series and was pretty bummed out when I couldn’t impulse buy the second one right after I finished the first. Ha
The world that was built has some interesting bits about it. I thought the idea of the sisters and their different houses was a cool one—mainly because a lot of books choose men-folk fill those roles. I’m not too sure about the nala and have a bunch of questions about them, the accords/rules they have when dealing with the sisters and how their venom works that I hope will be answered and fleshed out in the next book.
I liked most of the characters and they didn’t do anything that made me mentally roll my eyes. You might wonder about that comment—but for serious there are a *bunch* of freebie/debut/first of a series books that I DNF’d because the characters were hella annoying, had a tendency to be horrible drama queens, or had a terrible case of TSTLitus.
I would have liked to read more about some of the characters, but I get that their personalities will most likely filled out in following installments.
The world that was built has some interesting bits about it. I thought the idea of the sisters and their different houses was a cool one—mainly because a lot of books choose men-folk fill those roles. I’m not too sure about the nala and have a bunch of questions about them, the accords/rules they have when dealing with the sisters and how their venom works that I hope will be answered and fleshed out in the next book.
I liked most of the characters and they didn’t do anything that made me mentally roll my eyes. You might wonder about that comment—but for serious there are a *bunch* of freebie/debut/first of a series books that I DNF’d because the characters were hella annoying, had a tendency to be horrible drama queens, or had a terrible case of TSTLitus.
I would have liked to read more about some of the characters, but I get that their personalities will most likely filled out in following installments.
December 22, 2015
This novel was very imaginative and good fantasy but there's no way I'm paying $6 for the next book.
January 15, 2018
Takes a while to warm up, but I couldn't put it down after about the 2/3 point. Looking forward to the sequel.
March 5, 2016
Kind of average read for me. Decent but slightly one-dimensional characters. I think there was an attempt to prevent the characters from becoming stereotypes, and while successful in that regard, the result was that they all became kind of flat.
The plot itself was kind of simple. I normally don't mind that as long as there is plenty of world building and interesting dialogue, but there really wasn't. The story takes place alternating between a small college campus in present day USA and a magical alternate-reality based place called Fourline, where there is no technology or modern transportation, etc..
Fourline is in the middle of a war. The current ruler has been assassinated and her brother, next in line for the throne so to speak, is hiding out in our reality with a small group of supporters, waiting for his chance to go back to Fourline and save the people. This has proven difficult because the usurper has found a way to track them using magic every time they cross over.
Enter Natalie. She's a financially struggling college student in desperate need of tuition money or she's going to end up having to leave school. I liked the fact that Nat wasn't introduced as a heroic Mary-Sue type do-gooder hell bent on saving the day. They need her to go into Fourline and deliver a message. She needs money. Problem solved. Qualifications? None really, other than the fact that she's a runner, and she's certainly going to have to run.
Fourline was fine. Descriptive enough, but somewhat typical. The problem I had with it was that everyone there also spoke English and there was really no explanation of how that was possible or even likely. I decided not to dwell on it though, and was fine until one of the characters referred to his mother as mom, and it kind of bugged me. I would think that at the very least there would be differences in slang, word choice, etc... I refer to my own mother as mom, but if I lived in a different part of the country, I might call her mama or mommy or ma or even mother. There were some fantastical creatures. The Nala which were lethally venomous, intelligent, English speaking and blue could either kill a human with their bite, or choose to change them into some sort of halfling, referred to as a duozi. The duozi are shunned, basically treated like lepers and well hidden, that is if they manage to retain enough human resemblance to remain with their families, that is. I had a problem with both the Nala and the Duozi because I didn't think there was nearly enough physical description of them nor was there adequate explanation for why they exist or what they want or how the transformation process works.
There was no romance in this book. No sex scenes or almost sex scenes. There is a potential relationship building between Nat and one of the Fourliners. I liked that it wasn't the king to be or the leader of the rebel soldiers, but rather the younger brother of one of them who refreshingly had no desire to run off and join the army. But then it's revealed that he wants to be a farmer, ugh. It wouldn't be a problem but Nat is also a farmer when she's at home and that's just too much like a convenient way to a happy ever after. I like it better when there are more obstacles to overcome.
The plot itself was kind of simple. I normally don't mind that as long as there is plenty of world building and interesting dialogue, but there really wasn't. The story takes place alternating between a small college campus in present day USA and a magical alternate-reality based place called Fourline, where there is no technology or modern transportation, etc..
Fourline is in the middle of a war. The current ruler has been assassinated and her brother, next in line for the throne so to speak, is hiding out in our reality with a small group of supporters, waiting for his chance to go back to Fourline and save the people. This has proven difficult because the usurper has found a way to track them using magic every time they cross over.
Enter Natalie. She's a financially struggling college student in desperate need of tuition money or she's going to end up having to leave school. I liked the fact that Nat wasn't introduced as a heroic Mary-Sue type do-gooder hell bent on saving the day. They need her to go into Fourline and deliver a message. She needs money. Problem solved. Qualifications? None really, other than the fact that she's a runner, and she's certainly going to have to run.
Fourline was fine. Descriptive enough, but somewhat typical. The problem I had with it was that everyone there also spoke English and there was really no explanation of how that was possible or even likely. I decided not to dwell on it though, and was fine until one of the characters referred to his mother as mom, and it kind of bugged me. I would think that at the very least there would be differences in slang, word choice, etc... I refer to my own mother as mom, but if I lived in a different part of the country, I might call her mama or mommy or ma or even mother. There were some fantastical creatures. The Nala which were lethally venomous, intelligent, English speaking and blue could either kill a human with their bite, or choose to change them into some sort of halfling, referred to as a duozi. The duozi are shunned, basically treated like lepers and well hidden, that is if they manage to retain enough human resemblance to remain with their families, that is. I had a problem with both the Nala and the Duozi because I didn't think there was nearly enough physical description of them nor was there adequate explanation for why they exist or what they want or how the transformation process works.
There was no romance in this book. No sex scenes or almost sex scenes. There is a potential relationship building between Nat and one of the Fourliners. I liked that it wasn't the king to be or the leader of the rebel soldiers, but rather the younger brother of one of them who refreshingly had no desire to run off and join the army. But then it's revealed that he wants to be a farmer, ugh. It wouldn't be a problem but Nat is also a farmer when she's at home and that's just too much like a convenient way to a happy ever after. I like it better when there are more obstacles to overcome.
November 15, 2017
I swear I’m not trying to be picky. Though I won’t deny that it’s possible that after reading a certain amount of outstanding books, one develops a certain taste for good writing and an intriguing plot. Not to mention that elusive element: sharp dialogue! Which isn’t always mentioned, but I fee often makes the story. Because who wants to hear from characters who have nothing interesting to say?
This is part of the problem here. The storyline could be intriguing, but the world building is confusing and inconsistent, and the dialogue is dulllllllll.
I’m 1/4 through and I am
a. Not sure WTF the issue is
b. Clueless as to why this broke student who works hard but doesn’t seem especially bright is picked as the savior
c. Uncertain as to whether any of these only mildly interesting characters might become someone I want to keep hearing from and therefore make it worth my while to continue reading this book.
I’m leaning towards NO on c, so I’m DNFing this one and moving on. #sorrynotsorry
This is part of the problem here. The storyline could be intriguing, but the world building is confusing and inconsistent, and the dialogue is dulllllllll.
I’m 1/4 through and I am
a. Not sure WTF the issue is
b. Clueless as to why this broke student who works hard but doesn’t seem especially bright is picked as the savior
c. Uncertain as to whether any of these only mildly interesting characters might become someone I want to keep hearing from and therefore make it worth my while to continue reading this book.
I’m leaning towards NO on c, so I’m DNFing this one and moving on. #sorrynotsorry
November 29, 2015
I tried to finish this book. I really, truly tried. I almost never give up on books, but this was just awful. The only reason it's two stars rather than one is because I think a much younger reader - single digits or pre-teen - might be a better audience for it. Maybe my issue was that the whole thing was too young for me, but I'm probably being overly kind.
October 13, 2019
Gateway to Fourline (Fourline Trilogy, #1)
Gateway to Fourline (Fourline Trilogy, #1) written by Pam Brondos was an interesting fantasy novel, the first installment of the Fourline Trilogy.
"Years before, a gateway opened between their world and ours. Sending one young woman through may be the key to survival for the kingdom of Fourline.
Strapped for cash, college student Natalie Barns agrees to take a job at a costume shop. Sure, Estos—her classmate who works in the shop—is a little odd, but Nat needs the money for her tuition. Then she stumbles through the mysterious door behind the shop—and her entire universe transforms.
Discovering there’s far more to Estos than she ever imagined, Nat gets swept up in an adventure to save his homeland, an incredible world filled with decaying magic, deadly creatures, and a noble resistance of exiled warriors battling dark forces. As she struggles with her role in an epic conflict and wrestles with her growing affection for a young rebel, Soris, Nat quickly learns that nothing may go as planned…and her biggest challenge may be surviving long enough to make it home." -Book Blurb
This was a fun alternate world fantasy read. While it was not the best fantasy book about doorways to other worlds, it was definitely interesting, unique, memorable. I enjoyed the Kingdom of Fourline. The characters were likable enough, vivid and colorful.
At first it seemed cliché, but as the story unfolded I was intrigued. I became fond of many of the characters. I really liked MC "Nat" aka Natalie Barns, as she was a strong, intelligent character, not a whiney Mary Sue as many heroines of YA books tend to seem like. Many of the other characters were well-written as well, relatable if not likable.
Overall, this was a good read.
[OFFICIAL RATING: 4 STARS]
Gateway to Fourline (Fourline Trilogy, #1) written by Pam Brondos was an interesting fantasy novel, the first installment of the Fourline Trilogy.
"Years before, a gateway opened between their world and ours. Sending one young woman through may be the key to survival for the kingdom of Fourline.
Strapped for cash, college student Natalie Barns agrees to take a job at a costume shop. Sure, Estos—her classmate who works in the shop—is a little odd, but Nat needs the money for her tuition. Then she stumbles through the mysterious door behind the shop—and her entire universe transforms.
Discovering there’s far more to Estos than she ever imagined, Nat gets swept up in an adventure to save his homeland, an incredible world filled with decaying magic, deadly creatures, and a noble resistance of exiled warriors battling dark forces. As she struggles with her role in an epic conflict and wrestles with her growing affection for a young rebel, Soris, Nat quickly learns that nothing may go as planned…and her biggest challenge may be surviving long enough to make it home." -Book Blurb
This was a fun alternate world fantasy read. While it was not the best fantasy book about doorways to other worlds, it was definitely interesting, unique, memorable. I enjoyed the Kingdom of Fourline. The characters were likable enough, vivid and colorful.
At first it seemed cliché, but as the story unfolded I was intrigued. I became fond of many of the characters. I really liked MC "Nat" aka Natalie Barns, as she was a strong, intelligent character, not a whiney Mary Sue as many heroines of YA books tend to seem like. Many of the other characters were well-written as well, relatable if not likable.
Overall, this was a good read.
[OFFICIAL RATING: 4 STARS]
Read
September 29, 2018This has been in my Prime reading queue since they started it, so I finally made myself read it. It's not bad, but it's definitely aimed at the YA audience and doesn't bring a lot of new to the table. Your ordinary overworked college girl gets sucked into adventures in a different world, remarkable for its sentient blue spiderlike creatures called Nala. There's a little bit of class issues due to the concept of Duozi (humans bitten and partially changed by the Nala), but beyond that it's a pretty straightforward fantasy world and adventure. Nat, our protagonist, gets roped in because she has the 'traits' of the sisters (the female guardians of Fourline, now in decline and ruin), but never really buys into the world until she's spending most of her time there (the second half of the book).
The book tries to balance between our world and Fourline, but doesn't really pull it off, and Nat never made much of an impression on me. There's definitely nothing wrong with the world and story (some of the dream abilities are interesting), but there also wasn't anything unique enough about it for me to be interested in reading more. With the glut of amazing fantasy and science fiction available these days, being adequate just isn't enough for me.
The book tries to balance between our world and Fourline, but doesn't really pull it off, and Nat never made much of an impression on me. There's definitely nothing wrong with the world and story (some of the dream abilities are interesting), but there also wasn't anything unique enough about it for me to be interested in reading more. With the glut of amazing fantasy and science fiction available these days, being adequate just isn't enough for me.
October 19, 2023
Pacing was slow and too many side characters were introduced that didn't contribute much to the story. Fourline is the magical world that had great potential but it fell short in providing enough context and details to fully understand or connect with it.
I realize that the story needed a compelling reason for Nat to be desperate enough to work with them. But from my own biased perspective, I find it challenging to sympathize with storylines where someone resorts to drastic measures because they suddenly can't afford college. Her family was supposedly always poor but were able to pay for her college until her dad's health prevents him from working and they could no longer send her money. For a lot of people, the idea of anyone paying for their school is a distant dream from the very beginning. There are numerous alternatives for covering tuition without resorting to life-threatening choices AND it is mentioned that she had the opportunity to go to a different university on a full ride... Just dumb.
I'm still going to give book 2 a chance, mainly because I became more invested in Soris and Nat's relationship and the book ended abruptly without any closure.
I realize that the story needed a compelling reason for Nat to be desperate enough to work with them. But from my own biased perspective, I find it challenging to sympathize with storylines where someone resorts to drastic measures because they suddenly can't afford college. Her family was supposedly always poor but were able to pay for her college until her dad's health prevents him from working and they could no longer send her money. For a lot of people, the idea of anyone paying for their school is a distant dream from the very beginning. There are numerous alternatives for covering tuition without resorting to life-threatening choices AND it is mentioned that she had the opportunity to go to a different university on a full ride... Just dumb.
I'm still going to give book 2 a chance, mainly because I became more invested in Soris and Nat's relationship and the book ended abruptly without any closure.
July 9, 2019
Natalie Barns has found a new world in her job at the costume shop. Little does she know that she becomes a big part of what will happen in this book and in the trilogy. She is included in the royal family in the kingdom of Fourline immediately. Each character showing her a new side of herself in this exciting but dangerous adventure.
March 27, 2018
So, this was pretty boring... a billion characters and I had no love for any of them. The story started out way too mysterious, so much so, that I just didn’t care. Luckily I had the audiobook , so I was able to push through it, otherwise would have been a DNF
August 14, 2019
I tried getting through as much as I could with this book. Unfortunately it's very slow and I can't seem to get into any of the story or characters ☹
June 26, 2020
Not necessarily bad; there just wasn't anything about plot, characters or world building that caught my interest. Mostly I found it kind of boring.
April 12, 2018
I... honestly wasn't expecting much from this one. Generic medieval fantasy at best, and some blank slate Mary Sue of a heroine who manages to Save the Day and Get the Guy without having to do a single lick of work at worst.
And... yeah, Nat does seem a whole lot like your typical Generic Everygirl who has very little by way of either personality or distinguishing features so that absolutely any reader can pretend to be her with absolute minimal effort on the part of the author. Obligatory Sad Backstory, check. Obligatory plain looks and bland personality in contrast to her much more outgoing, individualistic, and interesting roomate, check.
The setup... was not particularly promising either. The opening chapter gives us very little clue of what's going on, who these characters are, who the Sisters are, what are the motivations of the Nala and this Lord Mudug, or what Barba and Annin are trying to accomplish. That's... well, it's not great, but there are very few writers who can manage sufficient worldbuilding and get the story moving right off the bat, and at this point I'll take vagueness and confusion over a series of long-winded info dumps where nothing happens. For an intro, at least, this isn't outstanding but it does fall within the realm of acceptability.
The problem is that even well after the intro, at roughly the 20% mark where we should know at least enough to have a handle on the world, we still don't know what's going on, we still don't know who these characters are, we still don't know what the motivations of the Nala and Lord Mudug are, and we still don't know what Barba and Annin are trying to accomplish. Worse, the writer isn't even showing us the action anymore: it's all been relegated to exposition, with one of the characters telling the others what's been going on back in Fantasyland. Would it really have been so hard to actually write out that sequence of events? None of the characters are interesting and the worldbuilding is paper-thin, so c'mon, throw us a bone here and at least try to give us a good action scene!
If I thought that the intro was confusing the first time I read it, it really doesn't hold up in hindsight. Such a sequence could easily have been used to:
-Establish what the main conflict is about
-Establish Estos's backstory
-Explain why and how this group is going into exile
-Give us a motivation for the Nala beyond simply "enemy" and "gross Other"
-Give us even so much as a glimpse of Barba and Annin's characters beyond "generic medieval warrior" and "generic fantasy halfbreed"
-Show us the dissolution of the Sisters
Instead, we're shown a brief spying venture-slash-skirmish, that doesn't even seem to be a key scene, where we get to watch Barba and Annin sneak around and exchange some words with a Nala in a pointless scene that reveals exactly nothing—it would have been possible to skip the intro altogether without losing anything of significance. But hey, why bother to show us anything when you can tell it later instead?
Worse, the author frequently writes about this or that as if she expects the readers to know what she's talking about, even though it's never been mentioned before. At one point there's a couple of offhand lines that refer to Estos as "the prince" and Andris as "the soldier", and wait a minute, nowhere in the previous text was there even so much as a single mention of either of those things! It's as if the author thinks the readers can read her mind—or maybe the story she's writing is just so generic that she doesn't think that she needs to explain anything because clearly any reader can be expected to have read the exact same story at least 10,000 times prior.
Nor is this the only time this happens: the first time that Natalie goes into Fourline, the story is being told from her point of view when she passes through the room where Riler was treated and it's mentioned that the makeshift gurney is gone and everything is back in place. Except Natalie doesn't know about what happened to Riler. Nat was sound asleep in a completely different part of the house when Riler came back, and she sure as hell wouldn't have agreed to carry that first message if she'd had any inkling of what had happened to the last guy who'd tried. So yeah, the author's clumsy attempt at letting us know that it was indeed the same room (because we couldn't have figured that out for ourselves or anything) instead ends up putting knowledge into our protagonist's head that she never should have had.
Looks like the Generic Everygirl who's nevertheless somehow Super Speshul is panning out as well. Granted, it at least makes sense that they'd pick someone who was really good at running to deliver an important message—but it doesn't stop there. Estos tells her at one point that Barba has been evaluating her for an extended length of time, and out of all the other girls that she's had her eye on, Nat is somehow the one who has the potential to become an amazing Sister. Apparently she's shown great strength (even though she doesn't have the spine to give a piece of her mind to her bratty middle sister who won't lift a finger to help when their family is going under financially or stand up to her parents who would throw a fit over her getting a tattoo by withholding Christmas presents—what is she, six?). Intelligence, I'll buy—but not to the point where she somehow stands out among thousands of other students who also managed to get into the same university that she did, especially when she's been struggling through her courses just as much as anybody else. Empathy? What has she ever done that's empathic? She certainly didn't see anything wrong with her friend's cruel charicatures of Annin, for one, and even her more compassionate reactions to her father's injury or to Estos's backstory are hardly outside the norm; not being a certifiable sociopath is not the same thing as being unusually empathic. Which brings us right back around to a character who completely dazzles the much better-trained andmore interesting less boring inhabitants of an actual fantasy world, even though she's carefully written as being so completely bland and unremarkable that absolutely anyone can imagine themselves in her place.
Not to mention that anyone who doesn't like her eventually comes around, or ends up being humiliated and then comes around. Look, Andris may be a huge ass, but he has a point. They're sending in a college student with no training and very little knowledge of the world she's going into to do a warrior's job, or at the very least a professional scout's job, with a weeks'-long crash course that in no way adequately prepares her to deal with the dangers, and whatever Estos might promise, this is a huge risk for Nat if she gets caught—and given how many snags she hits when it comes to passing, getting caught is well within the realm of possibility. (Seriously, I thought that Cass was something of a Generic Everygirl too, but at least she knew when she was in over her head!) Pointing out that she hasn't done anything to warrant the constant insults and demanding that Andris show her some common courtesy? Yes, that's good! First humiliating him, then lecturing him not to tell her what she can or can't do when he has a lifetime's worth of experience on her, has trained long enough to earn his confidence, and is taking time out of his night to teach her at least enough basics that she hopefully won't die? Yeah, not so good. Especially when the character who's voicing many of the exact same concerns that I had ends up being portrayed as an unfairly judgmental asshole. Even more so when Andris is shaping up to be—dare I say it?—the only interesting character in the book. He's certainly the only one to have even the barest shreds of a genuine personality.
I'm also wondering why there are suddenly romantic signals between Estos and Nat? First he was that weird person she barely knows and who's always seemed just a little bit off—generally speaking this screams "serial killer", not Prince Charming. Then he made her a job offer that was too good to be true, with a bunch of other people who also seem just a little bit off. (Note to readers: in Real Life this is usually an indication that your new employers are deep into something illegal and you're about to be sold to a sex trafficking ring.) Then she was mad as hornets at him for convincing her to do something that she only said "yes" to because she literally thought the whole thing was only a dream. Then he's... all of a sudden tenderly brushing her hair back from her face while he tells her his life story??? This while she's still mad as hornets and straight out tells him that literally the only reason she's not sending him packing is that she's too curious now that she's actually seen Fourline?
Uh-huh. Obligatory Romance strikes again!
(Not to mention Nat getting swept off her feet in Fourline by another guy she's only just met and barely spoken to at all. I smell a Love Triangle incoming.)
As a whole, this story is just... sad. And not entertaining. Literally the only unique thing in it is the Nala, and I'm afraid I can't get too excited over the demonization of a race that, reading between the lines, seems to be fighting back against the people who stole their land and now hunt them with impunity. (Also, what was the point of turning people into duozi? They don't turn mentally, only physical, so the Nala get no new allies out of it and instead only end up with one more person who has every reason to hate the Nala? The hell kind of sense does that make?) If I want to read generic medieval fantasy I have literally thousands of other titles to choose from, so I see absolutely no reason to stick with this one.
And... yeah, Nat does seem a whole lot like your typical Generic Everygirl who has very little by way of either personality or distinguishing features so that absolutely any reader can pretend to be her with absolute minimal effort on the part of the author. Obligatory Sad Backstory, check. Obligatory plain looks and bland personality in contrast to her much more outgoing, individualistic, and interesting roomate, check.
The setup... was not particularly promising either. The opening chapter gives us very little clue of what's going on, who these characters are, who the Sisters are, what are the motivations of the Nala and this Lord Mudug, or what Barba and Annin are trying to accomplish. That's... well, it's not great, but there are very few writers who can manage sufficient worldbuilding and get the story moving right off the bat, and at this point I'll take vagueness and confusion over a series of long-winded info dumps where nothing happens. For an intro, at least, this isn't outstanding but it does fall within the realm of acceptability.
The problem is that even well after the intro, at roughly the 20% mark where we should know at least enough to have a handle on the world, we still don't know what's going on, we still don't know who these characters are, we still don't know what the motivations of the Nala and Lord Mudug are, and we still don't know what Barba and Annin are trying to accomplish. Worse, the writer isn't even showing us the action anymore: it's all been relegated to exposition, with one of the characters telling the others what's been going on back in Fantasyland. Would it really have been so hard to actually write out that sequence of events? None of the characters are interesting and the worldbuilding is paper-thin, so c'mon, throw us a bone here and at least try to give us a good action scene!
If I thought that the intro was confusing the first time I read it, it really doesn't hold up in hindsight. Such a sequence could easily have been used to:
-Establish what the main conflict is about
-Establish Estos's backstory
-Explain why and how this group is going into exile
-Give us a motivation for the Nala beyond simply "enemy" and "gross Other"
-Give us even so much as a glimpse of Barba and Annin's characters beyond "generic medieval warrior" and "generic fantasy halfbreed"
-Show us the dissolution of the Sisters
Instead, we're shown a brief spying venture-slash-skirmish, that doesn't even seem to be a key scene, where we get to watch Barba and Annin sneak around and exchange some words with a Nala in a pointless scene that reveals exactly nothing—it would have been possible to skip the intro altogether without losing anything of significance. But hey, why bother to show us anything when you can tell it later instead?
Worse, the author frequently writes about this or that as if she expects the readers to know what she's talking about, even though it's never been mentioned before. At one point there's a couple of offhand lines that refer to Estos as "the prince" and Andris as "the soldier", and wait a minute, nowhere in the previous text was there even so much as a single mention of either of those things! It's as if the author thinks the readers can read her mind—or maybe the story she's writing is just so generic that she doesn't think that she needs to explain anything because clearly any reader can be expected to have read the exact same story at least 10,000 times prior.
Nor is this the only time this happens: the first time that Natalie goes into Fourline, the story is being told from her point of view when she passes through the room where Riler was treated and it's mentioned that the makeshift gurney is gone and everything is back in place. Except Natalie doesn't know about what happened to Riler. Nat was sound asleep in a completely different part of the house when Riler came back, and she sure as hell wouldn't have agreed to carry that first message if she'd had any inkling of what had happened to the last guy who'd tried. So yeah, the author's clumsy attempt at letting us know that it was indeed the same room (because we couldn't have figured that out for ourselves or anything) instead ends up putting knowledge into our protagonist's head that she never should have had.
Looks like the Generic Everygirl who's nevertheless somehow Super Speshul is panning out as well. Granted, it at least makes sense that they'd pick someone who was really good at running to deliver an important message—but it doesn't stop there. Estos tells her at one point that Barba has been evaluating her for an extended length of time, and out of all the other girls that she's had her eye on, Nat is somehow the one who has the potential to become an amazing Sister. Apparently she's shown great strength (even though she doesn't have the spine to give a piece of her mind to her bratty middle sister who won't lift a finger to help when their family is going under financially or stand up to her parents who would throw a fit over her getting a tattoo by withholding Christmas presents—what is she, six?). Intelligence, I'll buy—but not to the point where she somehow stands out among thousands of other students who also managed to get into the same university that she did, especially when she's been struggling through her courses just as much as anybody else. Empathy? What has she ever done that's empathic? She certainly didn't see anything wrong with her friend's cruel charicatures of Annin, for one, and even her more compassionate reactions to her father's injury or to Estos's backstory are hardly outside the norm; not being a certifiable sociopath is not the same thing as being unusually empathic. Which brings us right back around to a character who completely dazzles the much better-trained and
Not to mention that anyone who doesn't like her eventually comes around, or ends up being humiliated and then comes around. Look, Andris may be a huge ass, but he has a point. They're sending in a college student with no training and very little knowledge of the world she's going into to do a warrior's job, or at the very least a professional scout's job, with a weeks'-long crash course that in no way adequately prepares her to deal with the dangers, and whatever Estos might promise, this is a huge risk for Nat if she gets caught—and given how many snags she hits when it comes to passing, getting caught is well within the realm of possibility. (Seriously, I thought that Cass was something of a Generic Everygirl too, but at least she knew when she was in over her head!) Pointing out that she hasn't done anything to warrant the constant insults and demanding that Andris show her some common courtesy? Yes, that's good! First humiliating him, then lecturing him not to tell her what she can or can't do when he has a lifetime's worth of experience on her, has trained long enough to earn his confidence, and is taking time out of his night to teach her at least enough basics that she hopefully won't die? Yeah, not so good. Especially when the character who's voicing many of the exact same concerns that I had ends up being portrayed as an unfairly judgmental asshole. Even more so when Andris is shaping up to be—dare I say it?—the only interesting character in the book. He's certainly the only one to have even the barest shreds of a genuine personality.
I'm also wondering why there are suddenly romantic signals between Estos and Nat? First he was that weird person she barely knows and who's always seemed just a little bit off—generally speaking this screams "serial killer", not Prince Charming. Then he made her a job offer that was too good to be true, with a bunch of other people who also seem just a little bit off. (Note to readers: in Real Life this is usually an indication that your new employers are deep into something illegal and you're about to be sold to a sex trafficking ring.) Then she was mad as hornets at him for convincing her to do something that she only said "yes" to because she literally thought the whole thing was only a dream. Then he's... all of a sudden tenderly brushing her hair back from her face while he tells her his life story??? This while she's still mad as hornets and straight out tells him that literally the only reason she's not sending him packing is that she's too curious now that she's actually seen Fourline?
Uh-huh. Obligatory Romance strikes again!
(Not to mention Nat getting swept off her feet in Fourline by another guy she's only just met and barely spoken to at all. I smell a Love Triangle incoming.)
As a whole, this story is just... sad. And not entertaining. Literally the only unique thing in it is the Nala, and I'm afraid I can't get too excited over the demonization of a race that, reading between the lines, seems to be fighting back against the people who stole their land and now hunt them with impunity. (Also, what was the point of turning people into duozi? They don't turn mentally, only physical, so the Nala get no new allies out of it and instead only end up with one more person who has every reason to hate the Nala? The hell kind of sense does that make?) If I want to read generic medieval fantasy I have literally thousands of other titles to choose from, so I see absolutely no reason to stick with this one.
January 26, 2018
I didn’t expect too much from this book going in, it was a free book from audible and I figured why not since I’m practically bed ridden. The narrator was sloppy and the story was choppy....too much detail on things that didn’t need explaining, like objects that were around but didn’t matter to the story. The story didn’t seem to really do anywhere untill 75% through and then jumped to the ending. Obviously I won’t be continuing this series but thanks audible for a free read and count towards my goal.
November 21, 2015
Another thumbs up for Amazon's Kindle First program.
Gateway to Fourline isn't the most complex and detail rich fantasy book I've read, however, it was still an enjoyable read. My favorite thing about this book is that the majority of this book takes place in a world where women are respected for this wisdom, strength, and magic. These women, or "Sisters" as they are called, were once viewed as the greatest protectors against the Nala, large blue spider like creatures tormenting the land. The Sisters even kind of have a Harry Potter/Divergent sorting thing going on. There is the Healing House, the Wisdom House, and the Warrior House (I'm pretty sure I'm forgetting one more...oh well).
The narration was pretty interesting. I'm still not sure how I overall feel about it. There would be a few times where the narration would be focused on one character and then switch to another character, like the reader was going into another room. This kind of got frustrating because there would be some things that the reader would know but Nat wouldn't (like when you see the killer in a horror movie but the character on screen doesn't). In all honesty, being frustrated with that wasn't necessarily a bad thing on the author's part since it made me feel somewhat sympathetic and even made me feel frustrated for Nat who is basically operating completely on a need-to-know basis, risking her life in a completely different and strange magical world for a group of rebels to gain the needed money to pay her college tuition and help her family.
The plot was kind of predictable and I felt like the romance between Soris and Nat was kind of rushed, life threatening situation or not. I felt like I didn't really get to know Soris that well let alone Soris and Nat together . To be honest, there were a few parts where I wasn't sure if Nat was supposed to be falling for another character Estos or not. Honestly, if it wasn't for the book description I would have been disappointed. It just seemed like there was more chemistry with Estos than with Soris. I kind of felt the budding romance with Soris was to make the reader somewhat sympathetic to Soris for what happened to him towards the end of the book. A somewhat cheap but smart method for an author to play. Actually, many of the characters feel like they need to be developed a bit more. It's the first book though hopefully that will happen in the next two books now that the foundation of the story has been set up.
Overall, this was a nice, quick read good for people who don't like to get bogged down by details and just want the meat of the story. This book caught my attention and I look forward to seeing how Pam Brondos continues to build this world that she has created.
Gateway to Fourline isn't the most complex and detail rich fantasy book I've read, however, it was still an enjoyable read. My favorite thing about this book is that the majority of this book takes place in a world where women are respected for this wisdom, strength, and magic. These women, or "Sisters" as they are called, were once viewed as the greatest protectors against the Nala, large blue spider like creatures tormenting the land. The Sisters even kind of have a Harry Potter/Divergent sorting thing going on. There is the Healing House, the Wisdom House, and the Warrior House (I'm pretty sure I'm forgetting one more...oh well).
The narration was pretty interesting. I'm still not sure how I overall feel about it. There would be a few times where the narration would be focused on one character and then switch to another character, like the reader was going into another room. This kind of got frustrating because there would be some things that the reader would know but Nat wouldn't (like when you see the killer in a horror movie but the character on screen doesn't). In all honesty, being frustrated with that wasn't necessarily a bad thing on the author's part since it made me feel somewhat sympathetic and even made me feel frustrated for Nat who is basically operating completely on a need-to-know basis, risking her life in a completely different and strange magical world for a group of rebels to gain the needed money to pay her college tuition and help her family.
The plot was kind of predictable and I felt like the romance between Soris and Nat was kind of rushed, life threatening situation or not. I felt like I didn't really get to know Soris that well let alone Soris and Nat together . To be honest, there were a few parts where I wasn't sure if Nat was supposed to be falling for another character Estos or not. Honestly, if it wasn't for the book description I would have been disappointed. It just seemed like there was more chemistry with Estos than with Soris. I kind of felt the budding romance with Soris was to make the reader somewhat sympathetic to Soris for what happened to him towards the end of the book. A somewhat cheap but smart method for an author to play. Actually, many of the characters feel like they need to be developed a bit more. It's the first book though hopefully that will happen in the next two books now that the foundation of the story has been set up.
Overall, this was a nice, quick read good for people who don't like to get bogged down by details and just want the meat of the story. This book caught my attention and I look forward to seeing how Pam Brondos continues to build this world that she has created.
July 5, 2018
Natalie needs a new job. She is attending an Ivy League University on a partial scholarship but her father's recent injury and inability to work has put stress on the family finances. Between her cafeteria job and the effort to keep her grades up, Natalie is stressed and falling behind financially and scholastically. Luck is on her side when the costume director for the theater major hires her to help with her off-campus family business. The business is actually a front for a Gateway into a land called Fourline. The king of Fourline is hiding in this world until he is old enough to take back his throne and the rest of the odd crew in the costume shop are his entourage who escaped with him. They need Natalie to use her intelligence, speed, and courage to destroy a tracking system that keeps them from returning to their world. They make a financial offer that Natalie can't refuse. She crosses the barrier, falls in love, faces danger, and returns having completed her mission.
This is a very enjoyable, if formulaic, read. The characters are likeable and courageous with some complexity to their make-up. The plot is solid and moves at a decent pace but there is some wobbling between reality and dreams that can take a double read to comprehend for a sure sense of place. Natalie makes some understandable gaffs while in Fourline as she tries to fit in, but the really surprising thing is that both sides of the gate speak the same English and no one has difficulty understanding her, nor does she have any trouble understanding them. This isn't central to the plot or characters but seems a little odd. Lack of attention to this type of detail is the book's biggest flaw, otherwise it is quite enjoyable, just not new and the story lacks depth.
This is a very enjoyable, if formulaic, read. The characters are likeable and courageous with some complexity to their make-up. The plot is solid and moves at a decent pace but there is some wobbling between reality and dreams that can take a double read to comprehend for a sure sense of place. Natalie makes some understandable gaffs while in Fourline as she tries to fit in, but the really surprising thing is that both sides of the gate speak the same English and no one has difficulty understanding her, nor does she have any trouble understanding them. This isn't central to the plot or characters but seems a little odd. Lack of attention to this type of detail is the book's biggest flaw, otherwise it is quite enjoyable, just not new and the story lacks depth.
April 23, 2020
I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway in 2016. I'd give it a 4.5-star rating. It was a fantastic read.
Fourline is an alternate world where Lord Mudug tries to take over the land through fear and a secret alliance with a blue spider species named the Nala. Together, they drive honored women, the Sisters, to the fringes of the world after killing off many of them.
Six years of learning the setup, we meet Natalie, who is trying to pay for her college tuition. Times are hard at home, and financial aid & loans don't do much, so she jumps at the chance to work for a woman named Barba, who we know to be a Fourline Sister. She also ends up getting swept up with the issues of her coursemates - Annin and Estos - along with others from Fourline. Estos, we learn, is a Very Important Person in Fourline.
The costume shop is more than what it seems, and those running it happen to be Sisters, half-Nala, royalty, and traitors (as far as Mudug is concerned). Nat has been chosen to help her newfound friends by going into Fourline to deliver a message...and then to carry out a plan. The promise of more money lures her in, but to ensure justice is being done, she wants to stay.
She is put into danger, meets some surprising people, and learns more about another world than she ever expected to.
Fourline is an alternate world where Lord Mudug tries to take over the land through fear and a secret alliance with a blue spider species named the Nala. Together, they drive honored women, the Sisters, to the fringes of the world after killing off many of them.
Six years of learning the setup, we meet Natalie, who is trying to pay for her college tuition. Times are hard at home, and financial aid & loans don't do much, so she jumps at the chance to work for a woman named Barba, who we know to be a Fourline Sister. She also ends up getting swept up with the issues of her coursemates - Annin and Estos - along with others from Fourline. Estos, we learn, is a Very Important Person in Fourline.
The costume shop is more than what it seems, and those running it happen to be Sisters, half-Nala, royalty, and traitors (as far as Mudug is concerned). Nat has been chosen to help her newfound friends by going into Fourline to deliver a message...and then to carry out a plan. The promise of more money lures her in, but to ensure justice is being done, she wants to stay.
She is put into danger, meets some surprising people, and learns more about another world than she ever expected to.
January 8, 2016
The good:
Compared to some other recent YA/NA I've read, this book was relatively well written and edited. That's about all I can say in its favour, and earns it an extra star.
Oh! The book was free. I guess there's that.
The bad:
The plot is so thin as to be almost non-existent. Sometimes I can let that go if the worldbuilding is rich enough, but the author had obviously decided that 'mediaeval alternate universe' (mysteriously speaking presumably American-accented English, since it's never brought up) was enough and left it at that. The protagonist most of the time has no idea what is going on and is an entirely passive actor, and she's not interesting enough in her own right to make that tolerable.
Overall, this book just bored me. It was well-enough written that I finished it, but I won't be bothering with the sequel, even though book 1 ended on a cliffhanger.
Compared to some other recent YA/NA I've read, this book was relatively well written and edited. That's about all I can say in its favour, and earns it an extra star.
Oh! The book was free. I guess there's that.
The bad:
The plot is so thin as to be almost non-existent. Sometimes I can let that go if the worldbuilding is rich enough, but the author had obviously decided that 'mediaeval alternate universe' (mysteriously speaking presumably American-accented English, since it's never brought up) was enough and left it at that. The protagonist most of the time has no idea what is going on and is an entirely passive actor, and she's not interesting enough in her own right to make that tolerable.
Overall, this book just bored me. It was well-enough written that I finished it, but I won't be bothering with the sequel, even though book 1 ended on a cliffhanger.
January 28, 2016
I was promised the next Magicians, but all I got was an uninspired story about a girl finding her way into a magical world. I had a hard time keeping the characters apart. None of them have a very specific voice or any interesting characteristics. The 'magical world' was the most interesting thing of the story, but not nearly exciting enough to carry the story. Even the scene where she gets thrown into the magical world, didn't do it for me, and that is pretty hard to fuck up.
All in all, not what was advertised, but at least none of it annoyed me either. If it wasn't for the ARC I would have stopped here, but let's hope part 2 will be a big surprise.
All in all, not what was advertised, but at least none of it annoyed me either. If it wasn't for the ARC I would have stopped here, but let's hope part 2 will be a big surprise.
July 1, 2016
This must be written for a much younger audience. there was no inappropriate content for young readers, which I find refreshing, but I found the plot to be so slow and the characters not entirely enticing. i actually put it down for a month and only came back to it because I needed something to read.
July 16, 2017
I listened to this book free on kindle unlimited. It's a book about magic and other worlds. It's a book I'm glad I listened to. It was interesting and was written in such a way I could see the world clearly. Its the first of three books and I will definitely finish the series. perfect book for anyone middle grade to adult.
November 2, 2017
Thoroughly enjoyed this foray into fantasy. I'm a huge fan of gateway fantasies like Narnia and Alice In Wonderland and while Fourline isn't filled with magical creatures, the adventure Natalie Barnes finds there is nothing short of magical.
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