Marcia Soligo

After connecting with the author on Facebook, I was extremely excited to dive into The Portals of Tartae by Marcia Soligo! Marcia graciously sent me a signed copy of her wonderful novel, and I have to say, it was such a pleasant surprise!

The novel is about Olivia Halin, a young girl who is suddenly thrust into a seemingly unknown world, named Tartae, with her best friend, Trevor. Olivia and Trevor soon discover that there is something strange and magical about this world with two moons. The two go on many adventures in Tartae and are tasked with a huge challenge that puts the fate of both Tartae, and their own world, in their hands.

Honestly, if I were describing this book to someone, I would say it is similar to The Chronicles of Narnia, only it’s more modern and ultimately higher quality! The Portals of Tartae gives the reader that same whimsical feeling, that you get when you experience another world through a book. However, there were so many ways in which this book raised the bar for portal fantasy.

First of all, the writing in this novel is poetic, and absolutely breathtaking at certain points! On top of that, the themes throughout the book of conquering evil and appreciating nature (among others), are so inspirational and are flawlessly intertwined with the plot. This book has so much depth, that I feel as though I could read it again and find countless more hidden treasures within its pages!

Additionally, the characters were very likeable in so many ways, but Olivia truly shined as the protagonist! From the outset of the book I felt as though Olivia was very easy to relate to. Her feelings were similar to feelings that many people experience in their lives, and I soon became invested in her story. Soligo clearly put a lot of work into developing Olivia, and all the other characters in the novel.

I also enjoyed the little romantic details of Olivia’s life, but I appreciated that the romance did not overtake the plot of the story. Similarly, I love that Olivia’s best friend is a boy, and that their relationship was both deep and platonic. While I occasionally enjoy the friends-to-lovers trope, I think it is used a lot, and Olivia’s relationship with Trevor felt perfect in my opinion.

Overall, I think The Portals of Tartae is a highly underrated book that has the potential to become a modern classic portal fantasy novel! I am so grateful that I got the opportunity to read and review this wonderful hidden gem, and I hope many others get the chance to discover the magic that I experienced while reading this book!… (més)