Flame Tree Press Blog Tour - The Portal

 

TITLE: The Portal

AUTHOR: Russell James

PUBLISHER: Flame Tree Press

PUBLISHING DATE: October 20, 2020

FROM GOODREADS: 

Three hundred years ago, on an isolated island in Long Island Sound, Satan tried to open a doorway to Hell. Now he's returned to finish the task. 

A black speedboat arrives at the small island community of Stone Harbor. Its mysterious passenger, Joey Oates, inspires terror by his very presence. He’s Satan incarnate, back to complete a ritual left unfinished three hundred years ago. A lost talisman called the Portal can open a doorway for the demons of Hell to enter our world. Oates plans to find the Portal, and finish unlocking it. 

 Former lovers Scott Tackett, family hardware store owner, and Allie Layton, flamed-out Hollywood actress, are about to reconnect after years apart, until they discover the evil growing in town. Only they can stop Oates’s awful plan and save the world from the living nightmares standing ready to crawl out of Hell.

MY THOUGHTS:  Honestly October was a great month for this book's release and I really hope lots of people pick it up in the future.  Seriously, Joey Oates gives off some serious Randall Flagg vibes and it's been since I've read The Stand last year that I've encountered such a sinister character.

The book starts off looking back at years ago when a coven of witches, under Satan's influence, tried to open a portal on Long Island Sound. Something happened which caused the ritual to fail but now, 300 years later, Satan has returned, in the form of Joey Oates, and this time he's formulated a better plan for success.  If he does, a portal will open which will literally unleash Hell on Earth.

I found this book to be extremely interesting and the pacing, while not always action-packed, was steady and consistent.  Toward the end, the pacing picked up because clearly Janes was building toward an epic battle and I found that I couldn't read fast enough.  I also felt truly invested in some of the characters.  Both MCs, Scott and Allie, are flawed, especially Allie, but they were so realistic and so endearing that I never stopped hoping that things worked out for them, and for the rest of Long Island Sound as well.

If you are looking for a creepy book which takes an in depth look at good versus evil and how even good people sometimes are led to do bad things, then definitely pick up The Portal.  James does a wonderful job with character development and the book is a great mix of character driven prose and plot driven action.  Go get it now!

RATING: 4 PAWS

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Russell James grew up on Long Island, New York and graduated from Cornell University and the University of Central Florida. After flying helicopters with the U.S.

Army, he has had multiple horror and paranormal thrillers

published. His wife reads his work and says "There is

something seriously wrong with you."