Start reading The Portal Between (The Portal Series) on your Kindle in under a minute. Don't have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here.

Deliver to your Kindle or other device

 
 
 

Try it free

Sample the beginning of this book for free

Deliver to your Kindle or other device

Read books on your computer or other mobile devices with our FREE Kindle Reading Apps.
The Portal Between (The Portal Series)
 
 

The Portal Between (The Portal Series) [Kindle Edition]

Sarah Barnard
4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)

Digital List Price: £2.28 What's this?
Print List Price: £9.99
Kindle Price: £2.28 includes VAT* & free wireless delivery via Amazon Whispernet
You Save: £7.71 (77%)
Unlike print books, digital books are subject to VAT.

Formats

Amazon Price New from Used from
Kindle Edition £2.28  
Hardcover £17.09  
Paperback £9.99  


Product Description

Product Description

Book One in the Portal Series.

Sam was gone, and no one knew where or why. Her car was found near the old oak tree, empty and abandoned. There was no sign of foul play, but also no sign of Sam, except for footprints that led to the oak tree...and stopped.

Two years later, her best friend Kate still cares for Sam’s children, waiting for Sam to return for them. Then one day she does. “I don’t have long,” Sam says. “Can you help me?” Kate must help her return home from a place that is closer than you might think, but still a world away.

Sam's escape is just the beginning of her journey. Sam must go back to confront and defeat her abductor, leaving Kate to care for her children. Sam returns to the old oak tree, and the Portal to the world where she was held prisoner. In a whirlwind world of magic and monsters, where people and things are not who or what they appear to be, there are hard choices ahead, and Sam must learn if she's strong enough to make them.

From the Publisher

The excellent debut novel from British newcomer Sarah Barnard with more to come in this fantasy series. The sequel, provisionally titled "The Portal Sundered", is expected towards the end of 2008.

Product details

  • Format: Kindle Edition
  • File Size: 301 KB
  • Print Length: 267 pages
  • Page Numbers Source ISBN: 0955688701
  • Publisher: Ethics Trading; 2 edition (7 Feb 2008)
  • Sold by: Amazon Media EU S.à r.l.
  • Language English
  • ASIN: B0037CEUMW
  • Text-to-Speech: Enabled
  • Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #101,963 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
  •  Would you like to give feedback on images?


More About the Author

Sarah Barnard
Discover books, learn about writers, and more.

Visit Amazon's Sarah Barnard Page

What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?


Tags Customers Associate with This Product

 (What's this?)
Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
 
(25)
(25)
(24)
(16)

Your tags: Add your first tag
 

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
A really riveting read 23 April 2008
Format:Paperback
The first night I had this book I had to make myself put it down, at one in the morning. I wanted to know what happened. Looking forward to the next one eagerly. Well done for a first book Audrey Heaton
Comment | 
Was this review helpful to you?
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
By Antonia Chitty VINE™ VOICE
Format:Paperback
If you're looking for a story that switches between this world and another, with strong female characters, you'll enjoy Sarah Barnards new book. An alternative take on a story of growing friendships, this is a good read.
Comment | 
Was this review helpful to you?
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Kindle Edition
When I sat down to read this book I was really looking forward to a good foray into fantasy. The blurb intrigued me, I love the cover, and the idea behind it seemed really interesting. In fact, it was not quite what I expected.

The story tells of Kate, a divorcee living with her two children and the two children of her good friend Sam who suddenly disappeared in mysterious circumstances two years back. The ensuing stress of dealing with Sam's children has broken up Kate's marriage, and her heart as well; and then one day, out of the blue, Sam comes back.

With the help of their friend Lily, Kate and Sam - and all their children - must try to remake their lives; but through the Portal, in the realm where Sam has been kept prisoner by the mysterious Master, trouble has been brewing for a long time. Lily must return to her home and attempt - with Sam's help - to heal the realm and overthrow her old consort, the Master.

So far, so enthralling. The characters are well-defined and the action is interesting and moves at a nice pace. There are places where the sentence construction could be polished, but nothing that really irked me, and some of the descriptions of food did have me feeling quite hungry. So why the three stars?

I dithered about this, in all honesty, and nearly gave it four because the writing is probably worth that at least; but the guidelines say reviews are about how much *you liked* the item in question and in the interests of consistency I had to give it three, not so much because of any inherent flaw in the book itself but because there wasn't as much fantasy in it as I'd been expecting.

Pedantic? Quite possibly; but I don't often read contemporary fiction because I'm not really interested in it. I loved the parts of the story set in Lily's realm, and am hoping there will be more of the story set there in the subsequent books; though the parts of the story set in this world vary from well- to beautifully-written, they are by nature based in real life, and when reading fantasy, that's what I'm trying to get away from. As for the sequels, I will quite probably try the next one, and with my expectations correctly reset, should hopefully get on much better with it than I did with this one.

So: should you read this book? Yes, I think so - but be aware that by far the larger part of it is set around the kitchen table or on the sofa, and if you know that from the get-go, you'll probably really enjoy it. As an escape from real life it might not pull its full weight, but if you're looking for an enjoyable, well-written read, go for it.

JAC
Comment | 
Was this review helpful to you?
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Nice premise, spoiled by poor storytelling
I bought this book on the strength of the description and what looked like favourable reviews. Having now finished, I can only report being sorely disappointed. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Matt Allason
Gripping
I picked up this book because it seemed interesting. When I began to read it, I realized that I GREATLY under estimated the impressive nature of this book. Read more
Published 10 months ago by Catrina M. Rudd
A portal to nowhere...
Two years have passed since Sam mysteriously disappeared, leaving nothing behind except for her car that was found near an old oak tree. Read more
Published 13 months ago by Lindsay Pasch
Great book
I really enjoyed this book by author Sarah Barnard. It's a lovely mix of fantasy and real life and I love how in-depth the characters are. Read more
Published 14 months ago by Deborah Durbin
ok
I thought the book was ok, i usually love these types of books but i think it could of been better.There was one thing that was a constant in the book and that was the Tea... Read more
Published 17 months ago by anne
Great Read
Loved this book and the way it moved between the two worlds. All the characters are well portrayed and really come alive. Look forward to reading the next in the series.
Published 21 months ago by BlueJay44
Gripping read
A gripping read, straying between worlds. A great fantasy read for any time of day!
Published on 16 Jan 2010 by K Jackson
Read this in one sitting ...well I wanted to !
Sarah's book moves from the cosiness of day to day life into the realms of magic and back again with characters so well brought to life that you can see them (well I can !!). Read more
Published on 29 Aug 2008 by Ms. F. Dilston
Unexpected Twists!
I enjoyed this and eagerly await book 2 from Sarah. The characters are likable and dont take the conventional route. Read more
Published on 9 Aug 2008 by E. Boden
Search Customer Reviews
Only search this product's reviews

Customer Discussions

This product's forum
Discussion Replies Latest Post
I'm the author 0 27 May 2008
See all discussions...  
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
 


Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
   
Related forums


Look for similar items by category


Look for similar items by subject





i.e., each title must be in subject 1 AND subject 2 AND ...

Amazon Media EU S.à r.l. GB Privacy Statement Amazon Media EU S.à r.l. GB Delivery Information Amazon Media EU S.à r.l. GB Returns & Exchanges