Reminiscent of of an M. Night Shyamalan movie, The Portals of Sparkling Falls is an interesting concept. A young woman, Laura, hits her head and develops amnesia. In trying to figure out who exactly she is she sets off to explore the house she woke up in. She ventures down into the basement and is suddenly transported to a forest. No longer is there a snowstorm raging but instead it feels like summer. In this strange new land she finds a community who seemingly live in an entire different world. No electronics. No electricity. No cars. Simple homespun clothing and traditional gender roles is what Laura finds.
Laura is quickly taken in by the local aristocratic family and searches to find who she is and how to return to her home. Or did she even have a home and family? Small fragments of her memory return but not enough to tell her who she is or where she is from. At the same time, she’s trying to figure out exactly where, and when, she is now.
Laura attempts to get to know this strange town of Sparkling Falls and their even stranger customs. It appears that these people believe their world is only 240 years old and was created by a man named Litchfield. When a second child from the same family goes missing, Laura and her new friends will seek to understand the mysterious Sparkling Falls and its god.
I really enjoyed the vast majority of this book. I do feel it became sloppy towards the end and the emphasis on religion was a bit too much at times. It felt rushed towards the end and I found that quite frustrating. The twists throughout the book are very engaging and I initially did not see them coming at all. I’d recommend giving this book a chance.
https://www.amazon.com/Portals-Sparkling-Falls-J-Bailey/dp/1643973142
BookNook Reviews 
Leave a Reply