Blue Window by Adina Rishe Gewirtz

Five siblings fall through a portal into a magical world. In searching for a way to get home, they discover that all is not well in this new place. Will they be able to survive and stay together long enough to figure out how to get back home?

I enjoyed this book while reading it -- it's a portal fantasy, and I generally like those. However, I found it one of the darkest children's portal fantasies I have ever read. The world into which the children fall is incredibly bleak and dangerous, and none of the characters they meet are entirely friendly. I also think that the pacing lags a bit, and the halfhearted attempt near the end to drag in the Children of Prophecy trope was unnecessary. However, the concept is sound and the world is interesting enough, if rather depressing. I'd say that this is guardedly recommended to readers who enjoy children's fantasy with a dark streak.

(Reviewed from an advance copy, courtesy of the publisher.)