I absolutely loved this one. From the very first scene, when Elān captures a salmon-stealing raven in his cupboard, I was hooked. What starts as a quirky moment unfolds into an unforgettable adventure steeped in myth, belonging, and transformation.

Elān is a storyteller, not a warrior, and watching him rise to the challenge felt deeply rewarding. The crew he gathers includes a bear-cousin, a massive wolf, and an irreverent raven, and they quickly become more than companions: by the end, they felt like old friends.

The prose captures the mist and salt of storm-torn seas, making every scene vivid and alive. The stakes deepen as alliances shift, giants appear, and shapeshifters haunt the edges of the world. But it's the quieter moments that stay with you: moments where Elān grapples with belonging and identity.

If you're drawn to folklore-rich fantasy with a beating heart, this is a book you won't forget. It's a reminder that stories have the power to save worlds—and ourselves.

** Thank you to Rebellion | Solaris, Netgallery, and Caskey Russel for an e-ARC in exchange for my honest review. **

Elān is made for the sheets (of paper) and not for the streets!

Or that is how the story begins. Elān is more interested in stories, knowledge, and books than he is in becoming a mighty warrior like his grandfather. He's never fit in and is seemingly trying to find his place among his tribe and in the world. But when he catches a foul-mouthed, cantankerous raven stealing his salmon, he traps him in a cupboard. Raven tells Elān where he can find a powerful weapon lost at sea by the Koosh invaders. When elder Ixt catches wind of this, he sends Elān, mouthy Raven, and a group of misfit warriors to retrieve the weapon and save his people.

Elān and his crewmates face a perilous journey against the sea, cannibalistic giants, and the Koosh invaders. Constantly compared to his warrior grandfather and crippled with self-doubt, Elān must figure out who he wants to be and earn the crew's respect. Along the way he learns that all he ever needed to be was exactly himself.

Overall: How do you critique a story that feels like it has always been? This book is unique in that the story feels like one that has been passed down from generation to generation. It was touching to read that this is a story he developed for his kids, as it felt like one of those stories you are told by your parents after you've been tucked in tight for the night. "Please, one more chapter!"

Recommended: for anyone! Literally, everyone should read this book.

Feels like: an Indigenous version of the Odyssey- only way better!

Gripes: None! Well, I could have used a little more Raven, who is now one of my all-time favorite characters!

Rating: 5/5- Perfection, no notes!

Note to the author: This is my advanced PLEA for the second installment of this story!

A classic adventure story told with an indigenous voice, setting, and characters, giving it a unique and refreshing take! To be added to any library of indigenous reads!

I can't remember the last time that I read a quest fantasy in which I truly felt like I was reading something new and fresh. It's safe to say that this is the case here. Most of this immersive story takes place while out at sea in a smaller vessel (by choice, mind you, and not by force). I really had no idea how much I needed a story and a setting like that until it fell into my lap. I thought I had read stories like this before, but I definitely hadn’t.

Another thing that stood out to me was the narration. More specifically, the way that it draws on oral storytelling and folkloric traditions, making big stakes feel incredibly intimate and relatable (and funny; you'll know what I mean when you read). To me, this is what folklore does best and I see that type of that storytelling reflected here.

And speaking of tradition, this is a theme that saturates the expansive world that Russell has created. Alongside the themes of worldview and otherness, readers are being treated to familiar themes wrapped in an unfamiliar packaging.

In my opinion, this is what makes TDOTS truly shine; its ability to take the well-known and make it wholly unknown.

What a delightful epic fantasy.
Elan, our narrator and unlikely hero is 18 and though he believed himself to be more bookish (a bookeater) but is convinced to go on an adventure with a diverse group of warriors and seamen.
The characters are trying to outrun the Koosh who are spreading evil and destroying villages with their dzanti. They are even stronger than cannibal giants.
Raven, is a raven but also a silly guy with the greatest insults I have read in a while. The raven can speak any language human or animal but often refuses to translate. Which makes communicating with Chetdyl (a wolf) hard.
This book was much more action packed than I had thought. The world building is so clear, it’s like you are in their boat.
I cannot wait for the next installment of this book.
Highly recommend it for anyone who loves fantasy and epic stories.

"An epic quest fantasy debut that is the Tlingit indigenous response to The Lord of the Rings.

When Elān trapped a salmon-stealing raven in his cupboard, he never expected it would hold the key to saving his people from the shapeshifting Koosh invaders plaguing their shores. In exchange for its freedom, the raven offers a secret that can save Elān's home: the Koosh have lost one of their most powerful weapons, and only the raven knows where it is.

Elān is tasked with captaining a canoe crewed by an unlikely team including a human bear-cousin, a massive wolf, and the endlessly vulgar raven. To retrieve the weapon, they will face stormy seas, cannibal giants and a changing world. But Elān is a storyteller, not a warrior.

As their world continues to fall to the Koosh, and alliances are challenged and broken, Elān must choose his role in his own epic story."

Do the human-bear cousin and the massive wolf cub demand second breakfast?

effective adventure story that feels like it's ancient and yet new. despite the tlingit worldbuilding the plot is relatively standard but it works. 5 stars. tysm for the arc.

As I read Caskey Russell’s The Door on the Sea, I realized for the first time just how much of the epic fantasy genre is European-coded. The people talk in British accents on the audiobooks and characters are humans, elves, and dwarves. Cities seem to always resemble medieval manorial towns and the social structure is often straight out of European Feudalism with Lords, Knights, and Serfs (perhaps with some different titles and names). Russell’s The Door on the Sea felt…off to me until I reoriented my perspective. I’ve done it before, and you probably have too for Asian-inspired fantasy books, but there have been hundreds of societies that have come and gone…so why not use something else as the basis for a new epic fantasy series?

And that’s precisely what Russell has done with his novel, The Door in the Sea, based on Tlingit folktales and legends.

The Tlingit, if you aren’t familiar with them, are indigenous to the Pacific Northwest (think British Columbia in Canada or southern Alaska). They are one of the tribes most famous for carving totem poles and have a rich tapestry of history and stories to draw from. So when our main character, Elān, travels via canoe to other fishing villages, it felt inauthentic until I had to stop myself to realize we can (and should) mine other cultures for their unique aspects and fascinating villains and characters.

Once I got past the “non-Euro-ness” of the story, I settled in and had a great time with Elān and his found-family fellowship. There was a certain Tolkein-esque vibe to how Russell sets up Elān on his journey. Our main protagonist, Elān, is a storyteller, not a warrior, and that aspect is woven throughout the story, giving other characters places to shine and a chance for Elān to add his own uniqueness to the quest. For a time, the tension between Elān and the female warrior who accompanies him, Kwa, was almost too much, but it finally got to a good place for the characters in the end.

Of course, what would this story be without a foul-mouthed, belligerent raven who may hold the key to defeating the Koosh, but is nearly entirely unwilling to assist the fellowship in the ups and downs of their journey to get it? At times, Raven was both my favorite and least favorite character, and perhaps that’s exactly what Russell was going for.

Ultimately, I enjoyed The Door in the Sea and will absolutely pick up the sequel to see what Elān and crew get up to in the next installment of this very non-European epic fantasy.

Thank you to Solaris for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.