The Fourth Portal

J.A. Merkel

Upholding her tribe's highest law, Fenri must keep her heart—the body's fourth portal—closed at all times, or face execution.

Fenri is a Knowledger, a brilliant collector of information who dreams of discovering the ocean’s secrets. The tribe’s Masters grant her permission to explore the ocean, but only if she first traverses the perilous desert with four strangers to retrieve a precious base metal. Despite a condition that makes her slower and weaker than her counterparts, Fenri accepts the mission, eager to prove her worth. She will succeed or die trying.

When hormone-sniffing beasts begin stalking their group, it’s clear that someone has opened their fourth portal. Determined to protect her chances of exploring the ocean, Fenri vows to find and eliminate the traitor before the love virus spreads. As forbidden feelings surface, the group begins to unravel, turning their mission into a race to close the fourth portal before the beasts or their fellow tribesmen end them. That is, if they don’t kill each other first.

THE FOURTH PORTAL is the first book in a multiple POV epic fantasy series filled with elemental magic that is rooted in the seven chakras residing within all of us, exploring the sacrifices we’re willing to make for love when it's forbidden.

More Details

IAC Main Tropes:

Forbidden Romance/Love, Magic, Hidden Secrets, Forced Proximity

Detailed Tropes:

forbidden love, elemental chakra magic, hidden identities, societal secrets, love as a virus, forced proximity

Representations in This Book:

BIPOC, Health Disorder, LGBTQA+, Mental Health, Mental Illness, Neurodivergence

Age Groups:

New Adult

Spice Level:

Level 4

Available Formats:

Paperback, Hardcover, eBook

Content Information:

Level 4

Sexual content, grief, parental loss, forced amnesia, drug use, violence, light gore

Links to Purchase

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Other Books in the

Song of Saudade

About the Author

J.A. Merkel

"Enter the gauntlet" with fantasy and sci-fi author, J.A. Merkel. You won't regret it.

J.A. Merkel is the author of The Fall Gauntlet Series. His novel The Fourth Portal took Gold in Science Fiction & Fantasy at the Global Book Awards, and he is a two-time Honorable Mention in the Writers of the Future contest.

Growing up on a farm with eight siblings means he's never been short on material. He's taught English in South Korea, worked in Hollywood on productions including Outsiders and The Good Doctor under showrunner David Shore, and spent time at a genetics company tracing ancestral patterns through the human genome. The experience sparked a personal journey of his own, ultimately earning him dual citizenship in Hungary, the country where his grandfather was born.

A professional copywriter by trade, J.A. knows how to hook a reader in the first sentence. He's always trying to uncover what makes his characters tick and why some love to defy his plans (he's looking at you, Craeya). When he's not writing, J.A. is probably planning his next trip abroad or watching professional tennis, and definitely not daydreaming about his next Greek-inspired fantasy idea.

You can sign up for J.A. Merkel’s newsletter on his website, jamerkel dot com, to receive free content, publishing updates and early access to giveaways!

This author is not an Indie Author Collective member, so some information may be missing or inaccurate.

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