Between

Thank you for the early look at Between. We'll be purchasing copies during our next collection review.

Review: 4 out of 5 stars

Between is a book that started off a little strange for me, everything seemed to happen at such a rapid pace that my head was spinning, one moment everything was normal, we have siblings conversing and a family dinner and in the next moment we are thrust into fantasyland or in this instance the Between, it was all mind blowing but in saying that it quickly settled down and I started to really enjoy this book, to the point where I stayed up until all hours just to finish it.

Seventeen year-old Charlie Page was a likeable character without a clue as to her importance in a realm she never knew existed until she is attacked by a ‘Mothman’ and her life as she has known it she soon discovers was based on complete lies.

Separated from her mother and brother when she was whisked away and now in the mystical realm of Ellauria, Charlie is forced to navigate through her new reality and hone in on magical abilities she didn’t know existed, all with the help of someone she thought she knew – Seth but he too isn’t who she thought he was.

Seth is a broody, protective sweetheart; I adored his interactions with Charlie and the sweet stolen moments they were able to share but a relationship between them is my favourite kind - forbidden but I won’t tell you why. Their chemistry was wonderful.

Also helping Charlie was Keiran, I thought he was fabulous and I thought we’d have a love triangle which I always dread but nothing eventuated thank goodness, I was surprised by Keiran’s past and I am intrigued about what is to come of him now.

The world-building was interesting and the plot entertaining with some great action scenes. There was never a dull moment as we see Charlie train, search for her mother and brother, work out why magic is weakening and the Between wilting and also learn about why Charlie had been hidden and her importance to the realm, It all came together nicely.

After the rapid start things slowed down and we got to enjoy the amazing imagery of the Ellauria setting which was wonderfully detailed and vivid, you could picture everything clearly which I appreciated. I also liked the creatures that reside there such as fairies, centaurs, elves, unicorns, harpies etc. and the part the Fellowship play in all of it. The bad guy was also quite interesting, I’m curious to see how everything now plays out in future instalments.

Between doesn’t read like a debut novel, it is very well written and engaging with some wonderful dialogue and witty banter; I am definitely eager to read the next book in this series.

Thank you to Spencer Hill Press via Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review Between by Megan Whitner.

I featured Between as a previous W.O.W. post because the premise, blurb and cover excited me. I'm glad to say it didn't disappoint!

Main character Charlie (Charlotte) finds herself being thrown headfirst into a difficult and strange situation and doesn't know who to trust. Charlie has to flee to the Between, where she learns about magic and all things mythological. Even though she's suddenly surrounded by the unknown and magical (a few teenage bratty moments aside), she deals with it all well. She's sweet, fierce, headstrong and desperate for answers. Charlie can be rash but it was easy to understand why she reacts at times but I kept hoping we'd get more answers.

I found Seth intriguing and didn't always know what to make of him. He's both endearing and infuriating, but handles everything well. I appreciated his loyalty, although he could have been a bit more open. In a strange kinda way he reminded me a bit of Dimitri from Vampire Academy.

The concept of the in Between was clever and the world building was really imaginative. Sometimes fantasy books can be heavy with descriptions but in this case it worked well and added to the story.

There are a large number of characters, which was a little confusing at times. The secondary characters were good and I wanted to see more of certain ones and less of others. I enjoyed the twist and turns and am looking forward to the next instalment.

4 Stars in my Sky!

****I received this book from Netgalley / Spencer Hill Press in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.**

*Genre* YA, Paranormal
*Rating* 3-3.5

*My Thoughts*

Between is Megan Whitmer's debut novel and the first in a yet to be named trilogy. Between's opening chapters come at you like a massive tidal wave. The best thing you can hope for is that you don't get swept away by the plethora of mystical characters that are introduced, or the world that Whitmer has created.

The story features Seventeen year old Charlotte "Charlie" Page who has absolutely no clue that she is something magical or special or that magical creatures actually exist. Charlie is a talented artist who loves to draw. She loves her brother Sam, and her mother Adele, and has wondered why her neighbor Seth can understand when something is wrong.

After an attack on their home by a creature known as the Mothman, Charlie sees things through different eyes as she watches her mother fight off the Mothman, and is spirited away by Seth through the Between, and into a land called Ellauria. I'll touch briefly on the Between by saying that its the center of all magic, and thus important to events that happen in this story, as well as Charlie.

Ellauria is a place filled with mystical and legendary beings like fairies, pixies, centaurs, unicorns, mermaids, dragons, gorgons and a whole multitude of others that you've probably heard about before. This mixture of mystical being is what makes Between stick out from others. Megan's ability to actually blend various mystical and legendary characters together to bring her story to life is what impressed me the most about this story.

Ellauria is governed by the Fellowship whose job it is to keep mortals from seeing things like the Lock Ness monster, or Big Foot. If mortals get too close to the truth, the problem disappears. As Charlie gets a first hand look at the new world she's supposed to belong to, she slowly learns the whole truth about Seth (her protector), her mother, and her brother, along with those she can and can't trust.

Obviously, there are more memorable characters than not. I'll mention Alexander, Clara, Lulu, and Kieran as the ones who stick out the most for me. I personally have questions about the trustworthiness of several of the characters, especially after Charlie's fight with the story's villain, and how they acted after it was all said and done.

There is a bit of romance in Between, but it is not rushed, or thrust into your face, or twisted into an 3-way triangle. Seth, as Charlie's protector and neighbor for years, has responsibilities and duties to the Fellowship. He is supposed to protect Charlie from all enemies without getting personally, or emotionally involved.

I have to say that I admired Seth's strength and courage in not breaking his vows to the Fellowship, even when Charlie wants more from their friendship. I admired the fact that he was put into situations where he has to stand by and watch as others attempt to train Charlie on her abilities, and could only stand by and watch her from a distance.

As this is the first novel in the trilogy, the ending leaves many questions to be explored in the sequels. While Between touches on Charlie's family roots, and we do get a glimpse into who her parents were, I sincerely hope that we learn more about them in the sequel, and that perhaps Charlie can get the answers she needs to go forward in this new reality she finds herself in.

I want to send a personal thanks to Megan for being so open while I asked questions via Twitter. It is that openness that goes a long way towards gaining my desire to keep reading this series until the end.

*Recvd 07/11/2014 via NetGalley* Expected publication: July 29th 2014 by Spencer Hill Press

Fun and intriguing. I can't wait for more from the author.