Gateways, Book I of The Elemental Chronicles

One cruel night, Victoria's mother painted a final gateway, a painting that leads to other realities. For years the painting hung unobtrusively on the wall, until Victoria falls into it. Slipping right past the oil, through the canvas and into the world her mother painted, Victoria discovers a beautiful land inhabited by sphinx and minotaur. The people there are incredibly gifted, able to communic...