“Portal” by Katrina McKee

Portal

Katrina McKee
Toshiro Books (2025)
ISBN:‎ 978-1764134002
Reviewed by Paul Knobloch for Reader Views (08/2026)

The title may be unassuming, but Katrina McKee’s Portal proves to be a far more engaging novel than its name initially suggests. Blending contemporary fantasy, science fiction, mystery, and adventure, the novel builds an imaginative mythology around a network of hidden portals concealed beneath some of Australia’s best-known historic buildings. While the prose and exposition remain straightforward, the novel succeeds because of its brisk pacing, appealing cast of characters, and an underlying emotional story about loyalty, family, and inherited responsibility.

The story follows Sydney Madinah, who leaves New York to begin managing Adelaide’s historic Medina Grand Hotel. What appears to be an ordinary career move quickly becomes something far stranger when she stumbles upon a secret organization protecting a hidden network of portals connecting locations throughout Australia. Her accidental discovery places her alongside Raymond Barry, the latest Keeper responsible for locating long-hidden portal keys, Kingston, the enigmatic Protector charged with safeguarding them, and a small circle of trusted allies. As outside forces begin hunting both the keys and those who protect them, Sydney finds herself drawn into an increasingly dangerous conflict stretching back generations.

McKee handles the gradual expansion of the story well. Rather than overwhelming readers with mythology from the outset, she reveals the history of the portals piece by piece as Sydney learns alongside the reader. By the time the novel reaches its later revelations regarding the portals’ true origins and Kingston’s hidden past, the groundwork has already been established well enough for the larger science-fiction elements to feel like a natural extension of the story rather than an abrupt change in direction.

The characters are one of the novel’s greatest strengths. Sydney is an effective point-of-view character because she reacts much as an ordinary reader might, asking sensible questions while gradually accepting an increasingly extraordinary reality. Raymond, quiet and intelligent, provides the emotional heart of the novel, while Kingston initially appears mysterious before gradually developing into one of its most sympathetic figures. His long history, protective instincts, and growing relationship with Raymond provide much of the book’s emotional weight. Jake and Rita also prove to be valuable supporting characters whose loyalty, competence, and occasional humor help balance some of the darker developments.

Marcus serves as an effective antagonist precisely because he is not driven by simple conquest. His desire to return home gives him understandable motivation even as his methods become increasingly ruthless. Although his worldview often borders on arrogance, his actions create genuine tension throughout the latter half of the novel.

The pacing remains consistently strong. McKee favors short chapters that frequently end on small cliffhangers, making the novel difficult to put down. New discoveries, kidnappings, betrayals, and revelations arrive at regular intervals without becoming confusing. Even when much of the middle section consists of investigation rather than action, the steady sense of momentum keeps the story moving.

Thematically, Portal explores the burden of inherited responsibility more than the portals themselves. Nearly every major character wrestles with obligations imposed by family history, asking whether preserving the past justifies sacrificing one’s own future. Questions of trust, secrecy, loyalty, and chosen family run throughout the narrative, particularly in the relationship between Raymond and Kingston, which becomes the novel’s emotional center.

Although the ending resolves the immediate conflict, it clearly leaves room for future installments by expanding the mythology and introducing larger questions surrounding the portal network and its guardians. Rather than feeling incomplete, it functions as the close of a satisfying first adventure while pointing naturally toward a broader series.

Portal by Katrina McKee delivers an entertaining blend of fantasy, science fiction, and mystery anchored by likable characters and an imaginative premise. Its clean pacing and accessible storytelling outweigh occasional exposition-heavy passages, making for an enjoyable adventure that should appeal particularly to readers who appreciate secret histories, hidden worlds, and character-driven speculative fiction.