This book has a lot of great things going for it. Good plot, lots of fearless, concrete imagery and bold plot choices. Unfortunately it suffers from a bit of laziness, relying on numerous YA movie tropes to get by. It's a decent read if you're willing to adopt a "just go with it" mindset. More Pike than Stine.

One element I find hard to forgive though is the main protagonist herself. I've never read such a wishy-washy character, allowing herself to get tossed back and forth between aggressive boys without any acknowledgement of their at times abusive traits. That, coupled with an uncomfortable obsession to talk about how beautiful every character is or isn't, made this a tough one to finish. Takes a lot to make me cringe, but this one did it in spades.

If you are a fan of stranger things this one should be right up your alley.
They aren't one for one. But they have some very similar undertones.

And I loved it!! It was one of those books that had you flipping pages and not wanting to put the book down for.
I got lost in the pages.

This was an interesting read. It was very sci-fi at times and contemporary at others. I was a little reminded of stranger things or strange days at blake holsey high (both of which I love)!

Interesting and decently paced. A quick read with some neat characters and an intriguing enough plot.

I will read anything and everything pitched for fans of Stranger Things! This was a very compelling read, had me at the edge of my seat.

I loved this book. I ended up purchasing it as well to have to read again and when my daughter shows interest she will probably read it as well.

This book was so out of my comfort zone, but surprising I enjoyed it a lot more than I was expecting to. The story was great and had a good ending.

3,75/5

Marina, 16 years old, and her family comes back to her small home town after several years away, following the sudden death of her brother. Her first day at her new high school does not go as she expected. She meets Brady, a senior student, who helps her find her way in the labyrinth of the school. She finds strange markings talking about a "Down World". She investigates this mystery and finds herself involved in alternate universes and family secrets get revealed.

Overall, I really enjoyed this paranormal YA story. I found that it was very fast-paced and the plot was very intriguing and it really kept me hooked on this book. I did enjoy most of the characters and I really felt immersed in the world building. Considering that alternate universes are a main part of this book, being immerse in those universes was very important to me.

Most of my issues were mainly with the plot and character coherence. Many times throughout the book, I didn't understand why certain things happened and felt that some actions from the characters did just not make sense. I felt like that character would not have done this or that action and it happened multiple times throughout the book. I also had an issue with some stereotypical YA tropes found in popular YA books. The writing was not always on point for me. Although, considering that this is a YA wattpad book, I thought it was a very well done. I can also aknowledge that I am not the targeted reader for this book.

I really did enjoy reading this book nonetheless and I did have a good time reading this book. I would recommend it to readers who love paranormal stories, alternate universes, typical YA tropes and wattpad books.

I’m having a hard time writing this review, since I honestly don’t really know what I think of this book. I enjoyed it but I wasn’t really impressed by it.

I liked the main character, Marina, she went for what she wanted. I also enjoyed some of the side characters, mainly Brady, Kieren and Robbie. Brady being someone she met at school, Kieren is a childhood friend and Robbie is her dead brother. Brady was also supposedly the love interest, but that could have been left out of the story if you ask me. Besides these three, there were a lot of less important side characters, btu there were a bit too many of those. To me that became a bit confusing.

I really liked the portal traveling to parallel universes in this book! It was cleverly done, but I feel like I some parts a bit more explanation was needed! I did really like that we actually saw quite some consequences of actions being done by our characters. And how they tried to solve these consequences.

When I was reading the book, I was flying through the story. But once I put it down, for some reason I was not very intrigued to pick it back up. And I do not really know why..

I do recommend this book if you like portals to parallel universes, and a fast-paced thriller!

If I had to describe this book in just a few words, they would be an instant hit. With an amazing and super in depth storyline, it's perfect for anyone fourteen years and up, and quickly became one of my new favourite books even at twenty four. It's just one of those books where every time I thought the story was coming to a pause or a good place to end, it ended up just being the beginning. And I just couldn't get enough of it.

Following a young girl named Marina from her viewpoint in first person, she's about to start grade ten in a small town in the United States. But after losing her brother to a train accident three years ago, her and her parents lives have become very grim and depressing. Blaming her brother's best friend, they despise him, and Marina lost her only friend because of it. And now she's starting at a new school. Could things get any worse? She probably would say no, but this is just the beginning of a much bigger and almost unbelievable picture. That is, if she didn't see it for herself she wouldn't believe it.

Originally an army base, the school is a labyrinth of twists and turns, and after getting lost on her first day, she meets a senior named Brady. He's a nice and very cute boy who genuinely just wants to help her out, and even though she doesn't see him again for about six months after her first day, she can't stop thinking about him. After all, everyone else that she grew up with acts like they don't know her. But when she finally sees him again, he's harbouring a deep secret and a mysteriously hysterical girl. And after following them to the train station where her brother lost his life, she learns that the secret really involves things that she could never imagine were real; parallel universes.

Not only is the army base turned high school confusing and filled with doors that have been bricked over, but living in it's basement is an Annihilation-like spiral staircase. And at the bottom are three doors, one each for yesterday, today, and tomorrow. But only the today one is accessible. And when Marina goes inside it, she finds her brother in the flesh, happy and thriving. That can't be right, though, can it? He died. Little did I know, that this was just barely grazing the surface of what was really going to happen in this book.

This book is insanely in depth for how many pages it is. Jam packed with rich backstory, the characters really seem like they could be real people, despite the obvious differences between our world and theirs. Addicting and mysterious, I was pulled in from the second I started it, and I didn't want to put it down for a second. It's amazing without gore or romance, and I think that's something that's difficult to do sometimes. A perfect story in my eyes, I would be delighted to get this as a present, and it would make a really great addition to my bookshelf, with it's breathtaking cover. I think even if you're not super big into scifi, this is a really great story, and everyone should check it out and give it a chance to unravel itself. Even half way through the book I was thinking, this could be the end, right? But it wasn't there was more, and more, and more. I'll definitely be thinking about it for a long time.

(Radioactivebookreviews.wordpress.com)

It’s the last Wednesday of the month, so it’s review time! I honestly only requested this month’s book because the cover was kind of thriller-esque. It turned out to be more soft sci-fi, which was a nice change. Down World by Rebecca Phelps was released yesterday (March 30th) from Wattpad Books. As usual, I must thank them and NetGalley for access to an ARC in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. So, let’s get to it.

Down World follows Marina as she enters a new school and struggles to leave her past and the death of her brother behind her. When she realizes her new crush, Brady, and her brother’s old friend, Kieren, are hiding something, she finds herself in the middle of a weird new reality: doorways to different planes of existence, the potential of her brother actually being alive, and somehow it all connects back to her mother. As Marina delves deeper into these secrets, she has to face the past and make some difficult decisions that might completely change her present.

I called this soft sci-fi because even though the science is discussed, it feels shaky at best. The characters are unsure of what’s going on and just guessing themselves, so the science feels like guesswork to the reader. I’m okay with that. I don’t mind letting the fiction drive the story. But I do know people who prefer hard sci-fi where the science drives everything and is possible. I don’t think this book is for them. But for my fiction-with-a-dab-of-science folks, this book had some definite Coraline (but for an older audience) vibes to it that were fun.

The plot was okay. It had some nice twists and turns along the way. It wasn’t exactly surprising, but it wasn’t super predictable either. I figured out a lot early on, but there were a couple of things I didn’t catch until closer to their reveals. It was enough to keep the story interesting for me. At least moreso than the characters. They were all pretty flat and could’ve used some fleshing out. I just never really felt they were people as much as stereotypes. So yeah, the plot carries this story more than the characters.

My biggest issue with this book was the pacing. The first third was beyond slow despite the lack of description (the whole book could’ve used more descriptions to help us picture the places and people). The second third felt really rushed, though I admit the description was better. Things didn’t seem to find a good rhythm until the last third. That’s always kind of annoying to me even though I know I’ve been guilty of it too.

The writing itself was fine. It wasn’t exactly memorable. I finished the story a few days ago and am already having trouble remembering the finer details. It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t great. No lines stuck out for quotes or anything. However, it was a fairly smooth read.

Ultimately, Down World just wasn’t my cup of tea. It’s a standalone, so I don’t have to worry about reading another one. It does have the potential for other books set around the same premise, like a series of otherwise unconnected stories, but I won’t be looking for them if that happens.

Overall, I gave it 3 out of 5 stars. If I’m being super honest, it’s 2 and a half stars. If you like YA sci-fi, you might enjoy this. I just happen to like books that are more fleshed out.

It's been four years since Marina O'Connell's brother, Robbie died in an incident on the train tracks, now Marina is starting school at East Township High with the senior class that her brother should be in.  East Township High is a scrabble of mazes, fake doorways and hallways that lead to nowhere since it was once a military base for scientific experiments during World War II.  However, the hallways hold a dangerous secret, hidden portals to other dimensions called Down World.  After a chance meeting with senior Brady Picelli and Robbie's friend Kieran, Marina is pulled into the dangerous and mysterious Down World.  Marina discovers that Down World holds many secrets including secrets about her own family.

Down World is an exciting and fast-paced young adult science fiction thriller. From the time that Marina discovered the doors to Down World I was hooked on the worlds, how they worked, where they came from and what could happen in them. Marina's character is a very typical teen girl, focusing on romance and what someone might think of her at any point;  however, she is also dealing with a lot of issues.  She is still carrying around grief from her brother's death as well as dealing with her parent's depression from the event, when her brother died she also lost her core friend group and now needs to rebuild.  Because of all of this, Marina very easily grabs on to the first person to pay attention to her, Brady.  I was intrigued by the different realms in Down World, how they were all different and the consequences of going into the worlds.  I do wish there was more explanation of how the worlds were built in the 1940's and why.  I would love to know if they helped to alter World War II.  I enjoyed the ending, the solution was appropriate and didn't leave everything perfect, but did fix what needed to be fixed. 

This book was received for free in return for an honest review.

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Review *Thank you to Smith Publicity for a copy of the book for my honest review*

Wow! Okay so I normally gravitate towards fantasy, romance, and thrillers.. that being said I’m not the biggest fan of Sci-FI’s but this one, this one was fun and kept me interested the whole time!

We have this rag tag team of high schoolers who discover a long-kept secret from officials. Marina is the new girl at the high school, Town Ship High. Her parents can’t afford private school anymore and she’s not happy to leave behind her friends. Even if that means she runs into some people from her past, a past that includes tragedy with her brother Robbie.
Town Ship High was once a military facility, and there are rumors that there is a secret doorway that leads to multiple timelines. Maybe this is the hope she needs to find her brother again!

Down World was such an intriguing thriller that was engaging and grabbed me from the first page! I loved the protagonists and a couple side characters. Marina comes from such tragedy that shapes the story. It was very fast paced and made me enjoy an actual SciFi book.. and maybe that’s because it was part thriller with a touch of magic!

This book was very entertaining and kept me frantically turning the pages; however I found much of it difficult to follow. I believe this is due to the fact that some of the plot points are tied up so quickly and easily that they are left partially unexplained in my eyes as the reader.

*Thank you Netgalley for providing me this ARC for review*

I REALLY wanted to love this. The premise was fantastic and really reminded me of a YA Dark Matter, but sadly it kind of fell flat.

The first half was really weak and I almost DNFed the book. We follow Marina, and literally in the first 5 pages she is " in love" with a guy she just met. The first part of this book is SO choppy and jumpy and I honestly didn't connect with any characters. We span almost a year I think in the course of a few pages and we are supposed to relate to Marina and care about her weird love triangle but I just didn't.

The 2nd half was better, but it was still a bit convoluted and left too many questions unanswered. The science of it all didn't fully make sense to me, but that could be because I am not a science minded person so I give that a pass.

I did appreciate the ending, even though the resolution seemed a bit too simple and some of the conflict didn't feel developed enough.

All in all, this is a good story that was fast paced and had so much potential. It just felt like a rough draft to me though

I liked this book. It’s about a new girl named Marina who transfers to a new school, after her brother’s death, where it’s rumored that there have been experiments with space and time. It’s rumored that there is a secret doorway called Down World where there are multiple realities and timelines. Once she meets Brady, her world has changed...

I really enjoyed the concept of this story and the story line. I haven’t read many sci-fi books but this book gave me Stranger Things vibe but without the monsters. I enjoyed the author’s writing and pacing but I felt that the Down World got complicated throughout the book. I was sometimes lost on what was happening in the book and was left confused. Though this book did have some wonderful twists and turns throughout it and I enjoyed the journey the main character had.

I enjoyed Marina and thought she was a fun character who doesn’t give up on her family. There were some character development but nothing major and I wish there was. I enjoyed the few side characters in this book and seeing how they were all out into the book. There wasn’t much romance in this book for those who love romance but overall the characters were like able.

I thought the ending was well done but also a little confusing. There were some flaws to this book and it just didn’t have that growth that I was looking for. I think many people who enjoy this book especially if they love sci fi reads because they might understand the world better than I did. I recommend this book to those who enjoy Stranger Things, Dark and Caroline.

Down World review

I want to thank @wattpadbooks and @netgalley for giving me the e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review

What lengths would you go to for the ones you love? What if the world hangs in the balance?

Down world by rebecca phelps follows marina— a girl who’s family was left hollow in the wake of the mysterious death of her older brother Robbie. Sadness and anger color her home life, as they try to cope with the loss and find someone to blame— namely his best friend Kieren. But as the strange occurrences in town persist, so do the whispers of “down world”, and Marina is determined to find out what it is, and what it has to do with her brother.

This book was an exhilarating and fast paced page-turner, and I found myself eager to see how the mystery and drama would unfold. It was an easy and enjoyable read, which makes it difficult for me to rate because as much as I enjoyed seeing the plot play out, I did have a lot of problems with the book as a whole.

One of my main criticisms was that the characters fell a bit flat for me. Between a confusing and not very well explained love triangle, to several instances of “insta love”, I didn’t find the relationships between the characters believable. For such an engaging story premise, the ending really fell flat for me, leaving a lot of loose threads and a rather unsatisfying conclusion. There were so many secondary plot lines and hints towards certain things that I never got to see played out— it seemed that the book built up to a really hasty ending.

I am a tiny bit frustrated because I wanted to love this book and I was really being sucked into the really cool premise and engaging plot, but the ending and character arcs made me dock a few stars from this one. I would give it a 2.75 personal rating, but I am really eager to see rebecca phelps’ future works and ideas, and would still recommend picking it up for anyone looking for a fast and interesting sci-fi read!

Available March 30,2021

5 stars / This review will be posted at BookwormishMe.com today.


Marina’s brother was killed in a tragic accident four years ago. Run over by a train, everyone believes his best friend Kieran pushed him. But not a piece of Robbie was ever found. No clothes. No shoes. Nothing. He just vanished into thin air. Marina’s family has never been the same. She was shipped off to a private Catholic school, torn away from everything she knew.

But here she is, four years later, starting at the public high school due to her mom’s depression and her father’s work setbacks. Nothing is the same. She has no friends here, and no big brother to lean on. Robbie would be a senior. So that first day of school when senior hotshot Brady takes her under his wing, she is grateful and smitten. Then things start to happen at the school that are unexplained. Piper, Brady’s girlfriend and beautiful cheerleader goes missing. Marina knows what happened to her. At least somewhat. Marina is forced to confront Brady and whatever this DW is. “DW I’ll never tell” is etched on a bus seat, and Marina is determined to find out what it is and how it plays into Robbie’s death and Piper’s disappearance.

Let me just say that I was blown away by this novel. I stepped into this twisty, dark time warped world of very real emotions and tragedy but also science fiction to the nth degree. We all know that there are theories of alternate universes and wormholes, but Phelps takes it to another level with Down World. How one little slip of science and magic can turn a normal small town into a very dark world.

Read this entire book in two sittings. It was magical. Cannot say enough fabulous things about it. Hoping that Phelps will continue to bring books like this to the YA and adult genre.

honestly, i did not expect to like this book as much as i liked it. it was such a good book, and it was just such a cool book with the whole time travel element, which i actually really liked, which was a surprise. and with the whole romance was kind of cool, since it wasn't the main focus of this book, and like just this side plot. and i completely loved how everything all fell together and how it all wrapped up. but, i do wish there a a little something about all the characters remembering each other.

The beginning of this book confused me a little bit but I pushed through and am so glad I did. It was a whirlwind after that and I couldn't get enough of the story and the characters!