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abutler's review against another edition
5.0
What I initially thought was going to be a superficial summer trip story turned into a wonderfully moving gothic tale about life and death, family and friendship. It's unique, beautiful, and a nice short read.
outsmartyourshelf's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
Quinn and Kara are best friends, and when Kara's parents decide to move the family away, they take Kara, her brother Josh, and Quinn on a final holiday. Quinn is sad her best friend will be moving away, Quinn already lost her sister, Emma, who disappeared whilst walking home from school. After a close call whilst driving, they decide to stay overnight at The Inn Between, a weird place where you can get anything you want but where the staff seem strangely happy and the other guests disappear at odd moment. The next morning Kara and Josh wake to find that their parents have also disappeared, and Quinn starts to fear that they may never return and the kids will never be able to leave.
I really enjoyed reading this one. I think adults will cotton on to what's happening fairly quickly, but the author does a great job of writing a book that's eerie rather than scary for a young age group. It's fairly short at just over 200 pages, but I think a longer book would have started to meander a little, whereas this kept my attention all the way through. Definitely recommended.
I really enjoyed reading this one. I think adults will cotton on to what's happening fairly quickly, but the author does a great job of writing a book that's eerie rather than scary for a young age group. It's fairly short at just over 200 pages, but I think a longer book would have started to meander a little, whereas this kept my attention all the way through. Definitely recommended.
pussreboots's review against another edition
5.0
http://www.pussreboots.pair.com/blog/2016/comments_07/inn_between.html
sarahshoo's review against another edition
5.0
I'm shocked by how much this book frightened me. I don't tend to expect such fear in middle grade books. I'm not sure I can articulate exactly what scared me so much, but I had chills for a good third of the book.
That being said, I thought this was such a well-considered and well-written story. The allusions and the depiction of this stopover hotel did make me smile in appreciation.
I realize this review is vague, but I think going into this novel with as little information as possible makes it that much more interesting.
That being said, I thought this was such a well-considered and well-written story. The allusions and the depiction of this stopover hotel did make me smile in appreciation.
I realize this review is vague, but I think going into this novel with as little information as possible makes it that much more interesting.
jayce's review against another edition
4.0
Originally posted here at In the Senter of it All
This story is so very disturbing. I keep going back and forth about whether it's ok as long as it's in the scary section or whether it's just too creepy to put in our library. I feel like if I'm waffling then it's probably too much. Might be ok for middle school.
And the cover is so far off on this book. No middle grader wanting a creepy book will pick this one up & some sweet 4th grade girls will be traumatized thinking they're getting a book about 2 friends.
**spoilers**
Genre: scary
AR level: 4.3
Grade appropriate: middle school
RATING BREAKDOWN:
Overall: 4/5-- I'm having a hard time rating this book. It hits all of the categories below very well but was so upsetting I am having difficulty giving a high rating. I don't mind scary books as long as they are not too real. This one, woah! I labeled this review as having spoilers but I will try not to give too much away.
Creativity: 5/5-- I did not figure out the twist, where the inn is, until the author revealed it. Total shock.
Characters: 5/5-- liked Quinn & Kara a lot. Very real & easy to relate to.
Engrossing: 5/5-- I HAD to finish this book. It was so upsetting but I needed to find out how it would end. I kept picking it back up.
Writing: 5/5-- I'm one who doesn't notice writing unless it gets in the way of the story. This one just pulled me in.
Appeal to kids: 2/5-- I don't know if this book would upset children as much as it did me. I feel like it would make children very anxious & give nightmares but I understand that the stage of life I'm in right now affects how I read books and this one made me afraid for my kids.
Appropriate length to tell the story: 5/5-- short. Quick read
CONTENT:
Language: none
Sexuality: none
Violence: none (on the page)-- it's obvious by the end that someone abducted the main character's little sister & killed her. The 2 main characters spend the last 2/3 of the book running from a menacing man who's trying to find them.
Drugs/Alcohol: none-- one of the characters at the inn has had a drug problem and is told he's there to rest.
This story is so very disturbing. I keep going back and forth about whether it's ok as long as it's in the scary section or whether it's just too creepy to put in our library. I feel like if I'm waffling then it's probably too much. Might be ok for middle school.
And the cover is so far off on this book. No middle grader wanting a creepy book will pick this one up & some sweet 4th grade girls will be traumatized thinking they're getting a book about 2 friends.
**spoilers**
Genre: scary
AR level: 4.3
Grade appropriate: middle school
RATING BREAKDOWN:
Overall: 4/5-- I'm having a hard time rating this book. It hits all of the categories below very well but was so upsetting I am having difficulty giving a high rating. I don't mind scary books as long as they are not too real. This one, woah! I labeled this review as having spoilers but I will try not to give too much away.
Creativity: 5/5-- I did not figure out the twist, where the inn is, until the author revealed it. Total shock.
Characters: 5/5-- liked Quinn & Kara a lot. Very real & easy to relate to.
Engrossing: 5/5-- I HAD to finish this book. It was so upsetting but I needed to find out how it would end. I kept picking it back up.
Writing: 5/5-- I'm one who doesn't notice writing unless it gets in the way of the story. This one just pulled me in.
Appeal to kids: 2/5-- I don't know if this book would upset children as much as it did me. I feel like it would make children very anxious & give nightmares but I understand that the stage of life I'm in right now affects how I read books and this one made me afraid for my kids.
Appropriate length to tell the story: 5/5-- short. Quick read
CONTENT:
Language: none
Sexuality: none
Violence: none (on the page)-- it's obvious by the end that someone abducted the main character's little sister & killed her. The 2 main characters spend the last 2/3 of the book running from a menacing man who's trying to find them.
Drugs/Alcohol: none-- one of the characters at the inn has had a drug problem and is told he's there to rest.
ericsherwood's review against another edition
3.0
I thought this book was OK. I won't divulge any plot points for spoilers' sake, but I enjoyed the characters and the overall plot.
There was one glaring plot hole at the end which kind of spoiled the book for me, though, just through inconsistency (see my question posted above for more info). I'd really like an author response on that.
There was one glaring plot hole at the end which kind of spoiled the book for me, though, just through inconsistency (see my question posted above for more info). I'd really like an author response on that.
bookishpriest's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This is a great middle-grade or young adult (YA) read, especially for a reader who likes to feel a little creepy and scared as they're reading. Marina Cohen manages to build a sense of foreboding, tension, and anxiety without slipping into gore, cheap scares, or other keep-you-up-at-night type horror. Great atmosphere building and a good story to follow.
If the reader is well-versed in tropes and archetypes from some other fields of literature and story, they might be able to guess at what's going on fairly early in the book, but even if they do, it won't spoil the enjoyment of this well-written story.
If the reader is well-versed in tropes and archetypes from some other fields of literature and story, they might be able to guess at what's going on fairly early in the book, but even if they do, it won't spoil the enjoyment of this well-written story.
melissayabookshelf's review against another edition
4.0
The Inn Between was a fast-paced MG read that I'd been hearing about and anticipating for quite some time. While I wasn't terrified, I know that my 8-12 year old self would've fallen in love with not only Marina Cohen's writing, but also the creepy story itself. I do understand the comparisons to The Shining, especially with regard to the elevator, but don't worry, there aren't buckets of blood, creepy twins, or decaying ghosts stuck in certain rooms for eternity. The scares are MG-sized.
As with a lot of MG horror and horror in general, the setting is an isolated one at exit ZZZZ (possibly 5 Zs, not 4) in between the states of California and Nevada with the creepy slogan, "We've Been Expecting You!" Characters, like the hotel desk employee, Persephone, will clue in adult readers (and some MGers) that there's more going on than meets the eye, and will allow teachers to connect the themes in the book to some language arts and mythology topics.
Finally, not only are the few illustrations quite gorgeous, but also they are well selected to give even more life to the setting and characters than that which Cohen already does. You won't need them into be able to imagine the world, but you will appreciate the way that they further develop the settings.
As with a lot of MG horror and horror in general, the setting is an isolated one at exit ZZZZ (possibly 5 Zs, not 4) in between the states of California and Nevada with the creepy slogan, "We've Been Expecting You!" Characters, like the hotel desk employee, Persephone, will clue in adult readers (and some MGers) that there's more going on than meets the eye, and will allow teachers to connect the themes in the book to some language arts and mythology topics.
Finally, not only are the few illustrations quite gorgeous, but also they are well selected to give even more life to the setting and characters than that which Cohen already does. You won't need them into be able to imagine the world, but you will appreciate the way that they further develop the settings.
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