Gods and Monsters
Author: Lenore Borja
There are four huntresses in Lenore Borja’s Mirror Realm. The first book in the series, The Last Huntress, is Alice’s story. In the second book, The Lost Portal, the honors go to Hadley.
We get a little prologue, introducing us to Hadley’s inner life. She struggles with her father, her brother, and the family’s criminal history. That struggle becomes part of her story as the huntresses face the wrath of the gods.
The Last Huntress was about hunting demons. The Lost Portal is about being hunted by gods. If you haven’t read the first installment, go back and start there. This is a series that introduces and explains its main premise in the first book. If you try and jump into the second book cold, you’ll be hopelessly lost.
The huntresses, though still teenagers, are world-weary and old beyond their years. All four young women have been entertaining, against their will, Greek gods and goddesses in their dreams. They have Hadley revisiting some uncomfortable memories that she would much rather bury.
To make matters worse, those same gods are now demanding the huntresses perform a nearly impossible task: finding the Portal of Osiris. Hadley takes the lead, with the journey leading them ever further into the dangerous world of ancient mysteries and vengeful gods.
The Lost Portal is a strong second installment in this YA fantasy series. As with the first book, you’ll be confused if you don’t have a handle on basic mythology (me, I’m talking about me). If you’ve recently read the first book you’ll be fine. If not, a quick Wiki check of the gods you don’t remember should suffice.
The main themes of friendship and loyalty continue in The Lost Portal. The huntresses do not let each other down, even if there’s a soulmate wedding on the horizon. These are not young women without weakness. Instead they are women who know that their true power lies in using their strengths together.
Romance takes a back seat in this installment, as it should. Hadley is not Alice, and her story is about a relatable human family rather than a love for the ages. It’s a very dexterous switch, maintaining the tone of the first book while switching the focus to a very different character.
I’m enjoying the Mirror Realm series, and I look forward to reading the stories of the other two huntresses. If you read and enjoyed The Last Huntress, you’ll enjoy this new look at their evolving world in The Lost Portal.
Postscript:
How great would it be if series books came with a solid synopsis of the pertinent details from previous installments? If I can’t binge a whole series one after the other, I’m going to forget what happened in the preceding book. A previously in the Mirror Realm section would make me so very happy.
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