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Doormaker #1.5
Torchlighters
A stand-alone story in the steampunk and parallel worlds Doormaker fantasy series from New York Times and multiple USA Today bestselling author Jamie Thornton. To keep the credits flowing, Junle must light her torches. Indentured to the Tower of Shadows, Junle needs to earn return home credits to pay for her mother's life-saving medicine, so she signs up for the most dangerous and well paying job in the tower. Junle is a torchlighter, one of the few who are strong enough to climb the pipes outside the tower to keep them working, and to keep the special licatherin drug flowing. But when a pattern-machine foretells the death of a torchlighter boy she loves, Junle will do whatever it takes to save him. Even if that means turning the Tower of Shadows into a pile of rubble. “…very evocative…” - BookNest, C.T. Phipps ★★★★★ "...Once again Jamie Thornton has created a winner." - Amie's Book Reviews ★★★★★ "...well-plotted." - Amazon Reviewer ★★★★★ "...blows my mind as to how in-depth Miss Thornton has created this world." -Amazon Reviewer ★★★★★ **Torchlighters takes place inside (and outside) the walls of the Tower of Shadows. This short novel can be read as a stand-alone book.** Q - In what order should people read the Doormaker series? The short story ( Devil’s Harvest ) and the short novel ( Torchlighters ) can be read and enjoyed at any point during the Doormaker series. Otherwise, for the completed Doormaker series I recommend the following reading Who is likely to enjoy the series? Reviewers describe the Doormaker series like HIS DARK MATERIALS meets SLIDERS. It's a little bit steampunk, a little bit urban fantasy, and a little bit medieval (there are parallel worlds, after all!). Electricity only works on one world. Strange machines that feed on blood mixed with a special drug foretell possible futures. Oh, and at least two of the worlds have dragons. Doormaker dragons are called Klylups and have some seriously dark secrets and history. If you like fantasy with strange magic, dark secrets, and some steampunk action, check out the Doormaker series today and get ready for a late night!
- GenresFiction
155 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 16, 2019
6 people are currently reading
31 people want to read
About the author
Jamie Thornton
31 books120 followersI am a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of science fiction and fantasy novels. I like my characters strong and wounded, and my adventures thrilling and dark.
Try out one of my books for free when you sign up at JamieThornton.com
I'm a voracious reader in many genres. I do sometimes judge a book by its cover art. Life is too short to spend time reading or reviewing bad books so you'll see my library, ratings, and reviews represent books I believe are worth sharing.
I live in Northern California with my husband, two dogs, a garden, lots of chickens, a viola, and a bicycle. My anthropology degree shapes my fiction. I write dark adventures (science fiction, fantasy, post-apocalyptic, coming-of-age) with a hint of romance. Follow me at JamieThornton.com
Try out one of my books for free when you sign up at JamieThornton.com
I'm a voracious reader in many genres. I do sometimes judge a book by its cover art. Life is too short to spend time reading or reviewing bad books so you'll see my library, ratings, and reviews represent books I believe are worth sharing.
I live in Northern California with my husband, two dogs, a garden, lots of chickens, a viola, and a bicycle. My anthropology degree shapes my fiction. I write dark adventures (science fiction, fantasy, post-apocalyptic, coming-of-age) with a hint of romance. Follow me at JamieThornton.com
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
February 8, 2019
This novella sets the scene for the arrival of Maella in the Tower of Shadows, introducing the team of torchlighters who, at great risk to their lives and for meagre wages, keep the decrepit Tower working, and the production of licatherin flowing. Because I had already read “The Tower of Shadows”, I did know where this book was heading, but I was nice to concentrate a bit more on the lives of the torchlighters, who have a big role to play – especially Junle and Feren.
While this novel does rely somewhat on understanding the Doormaker worlds, it could be read as a standalone, as the torchlighters’ world is very thoroughly and well presented.
The main characters: Junle, Feren, Shun, Dev, Deep and Supervisor Hull are fully realised. The first five quickly gain your sympathy, and you really want them all to survive and manage to work off their debts with as little damage to themselves as possible. Supervisor Hull is simply odious, and it is a miracle that no-one has pushed him off the tower yet. Unfortunately, his father – Master Hull – is oblivious to his very clear shortcomings – as only a parent can be.
If this is your first Doormaker book, then I am sure you will quickly get as hooked on this world as I am, and impatiently await the next in the series. Highly recommended
While this novel does rely somewhat on understanding the Doormaker worlds, it could be read as a standalone, as the torchlighters’ world is very thoroughly and well presented.
The main characters: Junle, Feren, Shun, Dev, Deep and Supervisor Hull are fully realised. The first five quickly gain your sympathy, and you really want them all to survive and manage to work off their debts with as little damage to themselves as possible. Supervisor Hull is simply odious, and it is a miracle that no-one has pushed him off the tower yet. Unfortunately, his father – Master Hull – is oblivious to his very clear shortcomings – as only a parent can be.
If this is your first Doormaker book, then I am sure you will quickly get as hooked on this world as I am, and impatiently await the next in the series. Highly recommended
January 1, 2019
I received a free copy of this book from the author. I had the opportunity to review or not.
This short novel in the Doormaker series was a great introduction into the life and development of Junle as she becomes part of the series. Junle is a Torchlighter by occupation. The most dangerous job in the licatherin manufacturing process. Miles of pipes need constant attention as they heat up, become pressurized and leak. They can explode with little to no warning and must be constantly monitored and repaired. Something Junle is very good at. She is also good at traveling along the pipes with great skill knowing that she could slip and fall at any time or place. She is brave and determined to keep her younger brother from the Torchlighter job, allowing him to be safe and stay a kid. They are both working to earn enough money to keep their ill mother in medicine. Junle's motivation is clear and intense.
As we travel the pipes with Junle, learn of her love for her boyfriend, whom she hopes to leave and live with and her devotion to her brother, we see her character building growing into the strong, focused woman she will need to be in order to survive the dangerous mission in store for her. Ms. Thornton has brought Junle to life with her descriptions and humanity. I thoroughly enjoyed this short novel introducing an interesting young woman into the world of Doormaker.
This short novel in the Doormaker series was a great introduction into the life and development of Junle as she becomes part of the series. Junle is a Torchlighter by occupation. The most dangerous job in the licatherin manufacturing process. Miles of pipes need constant attention as they heat up, become pressurized and leak. They can explode with little to no warning and must be constantly monitored and repaired. Something Junle is very good at. She is also good at traveling along the pipes with great skill knowing that she could slip and fall at any time or place. She is brave and determined to keep her younger brother from the Torchlighter job, allowing him to be safe and stay a kid. They are both working to earn enough money to keep their ill mother in medicine. Junle's motivation is clear and intense.
As we travel the pipes with Junle, learn of her love for her boyfriend, whom she hopes to leave and live with and her devotion to her brother, we see her character building growing into the strong, focused woman she will need to be in order to survive the dangerous mission in store for her. Ms. Thornton has brought Junle to life with her descriptions and humanity. I thoroughly enjoyed this short novel introducing an interesting young woman into the world of Doormaker.
February 14, 2019
Our heroine has the dangerous job of keeping the pipes working. It is a rough task, but she is very good at what she does.
I have not read any of the other books in this series, which is fine. Reading others first might have given a little more background to start with, but this book stands very well on its own and I caught up on the setting without any issues.
This is a coming of age, young adult story with a light steampunk SF setting. In this story, we get a good solid introduction to our heroine and her world, which is dangerous and rough. We also get some of well developed supporting characters, so we have a solid foundation for the books to come after this.
In this book, we get plenty of action and adventure while watching our heroine grow into the strong young woman she will need to be in future adventures. This story is well plotted and gripping, definitely making it hard to put down. Fortunately, it is an easy read and not too long, so it won't keep you up all night.
Highly recommended.
I received an ARC from the author for review purposes.
I have not read any of the other books in this series, which is fine. Reading others first might have given a little more background to start with, but this book stands very well on its own and I caught up on the setting without any issues.
This is a coming of age, young adult story with a light steampunk SF setting. In this story, we get a good solid introduction to our heroine and her world, which is dangerous and rough. We also get some of well developed supporting characters, so we have a solid foundation for the books to come after this.
In this book, we get plenty of action and adventure while watching our heroine grow into the strong young woman she will need to be in future adventures. This story is well plotted and gripping, definitely making it hard to put down. Fortunately, it is an easy read and not too long, so it won't keep you up all night.
Highly recommended.
I received an ARC from the author for review purposes.
December 23, 2018
Doorkmaker, Torchlighters, is a short novel in the doormaker series written by Jamie Thornton. I liked how the author writes these shorter novels to fill in the gaps and tells the stories of other characters in the series, in this case Junle particularly. She focuses on developing her character and does a really nice job doing so, explaining the motivation on why Junle and her brother are at the Tower of Shadows and why they later help Maella.
This book has a really nice pace to it and the author came up with a great plot, providing some background information. I am actually glad I read this one AFTER the Tower of Shadows since otherwise it would have been a bit of a spoiler in my eyes. I would definitely recommend reading this one since it really has quite a bit of depth especially considering that it is definitely more a novella.
This book has a really nice pace to it and the author came up with a great plot, providing some background information. I am actually glad I read this one AFTER the Tower of Shadows since otherwise it would have been a bit of a spoiler in my eyes. I would definitely recommend reading this one since it really has quite a bit of depth especially considering that it is definitely more a novella.
January 30, 2019
This short novel has a different feel to it than the rest of the series, which I thought was a very clever choice. Most of the torchlighters are not Earth, so it made sense that their way of speaking would feel different. This book fits in well with the series and provides a lot of detail on the lives of the torchlighters. That said, I think this book is complete enough to stand alone.
It's been a while since I read Tower of Shadows, so I didn't remember much about what lies ahead for Junle. I'm glad about that. I like to think any future is possible for characters I care about, and I really liked Junle as the story progressed. She fights so hard for the people she loves.
I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.
It's been a while since I read Tower of Shadows, so I didn't remember much about what lies ahead for Junle. I'm glad about that. I like to think any future is possible for characters I care about, and I really liked Junle as the story progressed. She fights so hard for the people she loves.
I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.
September 12, 2019
This is a good interim story that gives a lot of background to some of the secondary characters. Gives the reader insight as to why a character made certain decision.
It was an interesting read that gave me some AhHa moments. It wasn't quite as full of action than the rest of the series. But that wasn't the purpose of this short book. I loved finding out more about Junie and her brother. Why they acted the way they did toward the main heroine (Mellia) .
Still well written and enjoyable. Jamie Thornton is a master story teller. It blows my mind as to how in-depth Miss Thornton has created this world. Great characters. Good storyline. I sort of wish I had read this book ahead of the second novel in the series.
I have received a free copy of this book for an honest review.
It was an interesting read that gave me some AhHa moments. It wasn't quite as full of action than the rest of the series. But that wasn't the purpose of this short book. I loved finding out more about Junie and her brother. Why they acted the way they did toward the main heroine (Mellia) .
Still well written and enjoyable. Jamie Thornton is a master story teller. It blows my mind as to how in-depth Miss Thornton has created this world. Great characters. Good storyline. I sort of wish I had read this book ahead of the second novel in the series.
I have received a free copy of this book for an honest review.
October 2, 2019
Kobo 107 pages (Also listed as Doormaker 5)
Short novel set in the Tower before Maelle arrives in the last few pages. It details events mentioned in Book 2 (Tower of Shadows) hence the #1.5 - but confusingly it is also listed as Book 5 (so bookending the series withthe Devil's Harvest prequel).
Junle and Feren are indentured at the Tower to pay for medicine for their sick mother. We meet a number of torchlighters who feature later in the series, as well as Supervisor Hull and his father. A few tantalising hints about the One Door are given, and we glimpse Forster with a boy, Eddie, whose hands are bound - this is someone important for the later books.
More of a bonus to the series as a whole rather than a vital brick in plot building it is nevertheless an interesting read - probably best done before Book 2 rather than right at the end...
Short novel set in the Tower before Maelle arrives in the last few pages. It details events mentioned in Book 2 (Tower of Shadows) hence the #1.5 - but confusingly it is also listed as Book 5 (so bookending the series withthe Devil's Harvest prequel).
Junle and Feren are indentured at the Tower to pay for medicine for their sick mother. We meet a number of torchlighters who feature later in the series, as well as Supervisor Hull and his father. A few tantalising hints about the One Door are given, and we glimpse Forster with a boy, Eddie, whose hands are bound - this is someone important for the later books.
More of a bonus to the series as a whole rather than a vital brick in plot building it is nevertheless an interesting read - probably best done before Book 2 rather than right at the end...
January 16, 2019
This novella explains a lot and fills in some gaps in the rest of the series. It tells the story of Junle and her brother Feren, and the boy she loves - Shun. Junle and Shun are torchlighters. This the most dangerous job on the tower, but also the best paid. Her and her brother had indentured themselves to the tower to earn money to send to their sick mother to pay for her medicine. It has been foretold by the pattern, that the tower will be destroyed and they will all escape. They needed to wait for a girl who had not yet arrived. Would she arrive in time for them all to escape, or would it be too late for some?
January 31, 2019
Not kindle unlimited, one of my freebie ones that get sent here and there in hopes will review, have followed these somewhat but hard to keep up with being exclusive to set at first then released quite a bit later, then trying to figure out actual order, another reason try keep running list on these. These in particular cover 2 different sets of people so it's worse than timey whimey wibbly wobbly etc.
Indentured to the Tower of Shadows, Junle needs to earn return home credits to pay for her mother's life-saving medicine. She signs up for the most dangerous and well paying job in the tower--Junle is a torchlighter, one of the few who are strong enough to climb the pipes outside the tower and keep them working. But when the pattern-machine foretells the death of a torchlighter boy she loves, Junle will do whatever it takes to save him. Even if that means turning the Tower of Shadows into a pile of rubble.
Doormaker series
Torchlighters (A Short Novel) short novel takes place in Tower of Shadows, just before Maella arrives.
Devil's Harvest (A Short Story Prequel 0.5} also in Marked by Fate: Origins: Beginnings. Secrets. Deleted Scenes.
Rock Heaven 1 part of the Marked by Fate anthology too
Tower of Shadows 2
Library of Souls 3
Indentured to the Tower of Shadows, Junle needs to earn return home credits to pay for her mother's life-saving medicine. She signs up for the most dangerous and well paying job in the tower--Junle is a torchlighter, one of the few who are strong enough to climb the pipes outside the tower and keep them working. But when the pattern-machine foretells the death of a torchlighter boy she loves, Junle will do whatever it takes to save him. Even if that means turning the Tower of Shadows into a pile of rubble.
Doormaker series
Torchlighters (A Short Novel) short novel takes place in Tower of Shadows, just before Maella arrives.
Devil's Harvest (A Short Story Prequel 0.5} also in Marked by Fate: Origins: Beginnings. Secrets. Deleted Scenes.
Rock Heaven 1 part of the Marked by Fate anthology too
Tower of Shadows 2
Library of Souls 3
May 21, 2019
A lot of Torchlighters works really well. Very consistent and unusual voice throughout the piece. Made it seem very consistently alien. Some of the characters, especially Dev and Deep, are excellent. The descriptions of the characters' surroundings are wonderful, as is the worldbuilding.
But I think the book requires prior knowledge of the Doormaker series to provide much of the emotional heft of the ending. I didn’t have that knowledge and found myself frustrated at several points because I didn’t understand what was going on. (I did go on to read the rest of the series, though!)
But I think the book requires prior knowledge of the Doormaker series to provide much of the emotional heft of the ending. I didn’t have that knowledge and found myself frustrated at several points because I didn’t understand what was going on. (I did go on to read the rest of the series, though!)
January 30, 2019
Jamie Thornton has done it again. Doormaker: Torchlighters pulled me in within the first few sentences. I was able to get an awesome intro into Junle, the main character of this short novel, AND GET TO go on action packed adventures with her. She has such humanity to her also that allows the reader to really fall in love with her. If you have the opportunity to read this book, I highly recommend it!
February 4, 2019
After meeting the Torchlighters in Doormaker: Tower of Shadows (Book 2) it was great to see they got their own story so we got to learn more of them and the life they have as well as how they became Torchlighters. You learn so much more of their perilous jobs and really get to see the conditions they work in. They have feelings, dreams and some want out from under Supervisor Hull and Mater Hull, you can't help but will Junle and Feren get the ending they deserve.
January 23, 2019
I have read all the Doormaker books to this one and found it is a bit different and has new characters that are strong and courageous. There is plenty of adventure and twists within the story it kept me going to the next page. I do reccommend this book to anyone that has read the other Doormakers or anyone loving adventure.
February 5, 2019
Great story! This is a fast paced read set in the Torchlighter world. The author does a great job of creating and setting up her characters and world. The characters are well developed and have both depth and growth to them. The story world is well thought out and believable. I definitely recommend this story to anyone that likes adventure and great characters.
February 24, 2019
This is a nice emotional and romantic novel and a recommendation to read it as it adds to the story of the doormaker. This is a very emotional one to read but it perfectly add to the setting of the whole story. I would recommend anyone to read this one.
January 8, 2019
Amazing story that introduces us to Junle. She becomes a Torchlighter to earn money to pay for her Mother’s medication. This is an extremely dangerous job. Short but fantastic. Don’t miss out once it’s released.
January 22, 2019
I really enjoyed this book. I couldn't even imagine the dangerous things that Junle had to endure in order to obtain her mother's medicine. She also had her little brother to keep as safe as possible in the horrid tower.
January 30, 2019
This novella provides some backstory to the Torchlighter's series and if you haven't read the other books, this is still a good segue into the series. We're met with fleshed out characters and a grab-me-by-the-seat-of-my-pants adventure!
February 16, 2019
Wow
Just wow! I’m shocked, surprised, and amazed. So many clicks at the end. I’m very happy with how this feel into place. Thanks so much for a wonderful story. I can’t wait for my next book.
Just wow! I’m shocked, surprised, and amazed. So many clicks at the end. I’m very happy with how this feel into place. Thanks so much for a wonderful story. I can’t wait for my next book.
January 16, 2019
Entrancing world creation, with great characters that engage the readers sympathies. A great addition to the magnificent Doormaker series.v
January 17, 2019
This short provides some back story into the lives and motivations of Junle and the other Torchlighters. It is a great read and I definitely recommend it.
January 30, 2019
This was a great story to read and I can not wait to read what the author writes next.
February 18, 2019
Great read! I highly recommend it, great introduction to Tourchlighters!
February 22, 2019
This a book I'd like to get for friend, it's her favourite genre. I buy books with the goal of reading and passing them on to others.
August 23, 2019
Fascinating idea, executed so well.
Want to read
February 23, 2019Loved it
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews