Author: Jen Minkman
Publication date: September 8th 2014
Publisher: Dutch Venture Publishing
Genre: Young Adult Paranormal Romance
Source: Review copy
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Hayko, the mysterious stranger, won't let go. After returning home from her stone circle adventure, Moira is beckoned back night after night to the outlandish dreamland by an invisible force. But the hardest part isn't having to fight the terrifying creatures of these nightmares - it's realizing she's falling for a guy without a past who isn't real.
What if you really can fall in love with the man of your dreams?
What does a heroine diagnosed with ADHD, a Wiccan ritual for Samhain, and a mysterious pull into another world have in common? You have to read The Space In Between to fully find out! This novel pulled me in right away, and nothing in this world (or any other!) could have stopped me from turning the pages.
Moira, the main character, and her siblings, fraternal twins Tabby and Dai, find themselves in a place where time seems to stand still when they perform a ritual on Halloween. As a Wiccan, Tabby wants to see if she can lift the veil between the living and the dead to communicate with their grandparents who died a few years ago.
Instead, the trio are in a mostly dark desert, and it's like they're having a collective dream. They see and experience the same things. I had goosebumps imaging myself performing the ritual with them, especially when the wind died down, and then finding myself in a darkened landscape, not knowing where I was or what's out there. Anything could be out there.
There were several aspects about the characters and story that I liked quite a bit. I liked that Tabby is Wiccan and that her family is so supportive of her. There are other lesser known religions talked about in the story, and I knew while reading I would look into them more in depth after finishing the book. All of it ties in with the story and made me want to know more.
I also appreciated the fact that Moira has recently been diagnosed with ADHD and is struggling with how the medication is making her feel. I admit that though I've studied ADHD for my psychology degree, I don't know enough about it, and there are a lot of misconceptions out there. So to see a character with this diagnosis and how she deals with it was refreshing and educational.
The bond between Moira and her siblings was wonderful and strong. They actually have parents. REAL LIVE PARENTS! Parents who are functional, warm, and loving. That's so rare for novels these days! Their dad travels a lot for work, but he's there with them a lot, too. It was easy to see how close knit this family is, and I felt like I was a member, too!
Moira's relationship with Patrick drove me crazy. She switched from going to school full-time to part-time because he didn't approve of her going, so that was her compromise I guess. She couldn't be herself around him, and I wanted to tell her to just kick him to the curb. There were other more disturbing things he said and did that had me scratching my head as to what Moira saw in him.
Hayko is easy to fall in love with. I know he's a virtual stranger to Moira, but I understood how she felt about him and why. She was more inspired by him and how to help him than anything in her "real life", and I think that said a lot about where she was versus where she wanted to be. When things felt so right with Hayko but not with Patrick, I knew that was a sign for sure. I was rooting for Moira to dump Patrick, willing her to figure out something was wrong here. But decisions are always easier when you're looking in from the outside.
The Space In Between will take you on a journey into a place where dreams and reality are mixed together, and you won't be able to tell which is what or who is where. And you'll love every second of it, just like I did.
My Rating:
