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3.56 AVERAGE
3.56 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
My full review can be found on the Epilie Aspie Chick blog!
Thank you to Abbie Emmons for providing the arc for an honest review.
This book is filled to the brim with emotion and questions. Every person in this story goes on a deep and meaningful journey, better understanding what they want their life to be in the end. It's intense and powerful if that's the experience you want out of this book. For a casual reader, it's likely to be too overwhelming of content.
Thank you to Abbie Emmons for providing the arc for an honest review.
This book is filled to the brim with emotion and questions. Every person in this story goes on a deep and meaningful journey, better understanding what they want their life to be in the end. It's intense and powerful if that's the experience you want out of this book. For a casual reader, it's likely to be too overwhelming of content.
emotional
funny
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
In my opinion, this book had a lot of potential. I love the concept, the plot is great, and the writing style is awesome.
Although the characters were very stereotyped (Orca is the sweet little girl that fights off protection but everyone tries to protect her anyway even if she doesn't need to, Adam is this shy selfless guy who thinks the girl is better off without him because he's so bad for her and Jack is the sidekick, the underdog that feels underappreciated and seeking attention).
The pace of the events threw me off. It took half the book just to finish the synopsis on the back cover and to actually start the drama. Also, who the hell falls in love in 3 days ?! Like they want to get married two weeks after they meet.
I enjoyed my reading because the story flowed pretty easily and I wanted to know how the father daughter relationship would end up being like after the runaway. This book is good if you need instant love, but nothing more in my humble opinion.
Thank you for choosing me as an ARC reader ! I know this review can seem harsh, but I've read better from Abbie Emmons.
Although the characters were very stereotyped (Orca is the sweet little girl that fights off protection but everyone tries to protect her anyway even if she doesn't need to, Adam is this shy selfless guy who thinks the girl is better off without him because he's so bad for her and Jack is the sidekick, the underdog that feels underappreciated and seeking attention).
The pace of the events threw me off. It took half the book just to finish the synopsis on the back cover and to actually start the drama. Also, who the hell falls in love in 3 days ?! Like they want to get married two weeks after they meet.
I enjoyed my reading because the story flowed pretty easily and I wanted to know how the father daughter relationship would end up being like after the runaway. This book is good if you need instant love, but nothing more in my humble opinion.
Thank you for choosing me as an ARC reader ! I know this review can seem harsh, but I've read better from Abbie Emmons.
tbr review:
ahhhh i can’t WAIT to read this!! the VIBES are amazing!!
—————————————————————————
ahhhh i can’t WAIT to read this!! the VIBES are amazing!!
—————————————————————————
emotional
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I have loved Abbie Emmons’ writing since her debut novel. This book did not fail to blow me out of the water just the same. The writing style, character development, and plot are thoroughly and amazingly crafted. I cannot believe I had the opportunity to receive the ARC. Thank you a million, Abbie Emmons—I flew through it!
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
"Perhaps we are all butterflies, and the world is our hurricane."
I have a lot of mixed thoughts about this book, so please bare with me as I try to unpack them in a way that isn't just complete chaos.
Overall
The Otherworld is a beautiful book. Abbie's writing has improved so much since 100 Day of Sunlight. From the lush prose to the effortless worldbuilding and character banter, this book is really just the best, most cozy little book that made me want to sit with Orca inside the lighthouse drinking tea while we watched the rain outside. And, guys, I don't even like tea, so that should be a pretty good indicator about how much I wanted to crawl inside the pages of this book.
But, even amidst those feelings . . . I have to admit that this book does have some problems. So, let's get into the details, shall we?
What I Liked
-Orca. I know some people have expressed irritation with her, but I actually really liked her. She was a bit immature for an eighteen-year-old, but that didn't really bother me since it fit with her character and background. I think that her internal conflict and personality were well-written, and I genuinely just wanted to sit down and hang with her for a while.
-The BANTER. If there's one thing that Abbie has always done incredibly well, it's banter. Orca, Jack, and Adam all had such comedic moments that left me wondering how Abbie comes up with this stuff and MAKES IT SO ORGANIC.
-Sibling energy. Adam and Jack's interactions were incredible, and I will always be jealous of the way that Abbie writes brothers.
-The worldbuilding. I already touched on this, but seriously, it's so good. I cannot emphasize enough how much this made me want to LITERALLY JUMP INTO THE BOOK. It's been a long time since I've felt that way about a book, so if worldbuilding is important to you, this book will not disappoint.
What I Didn't Like
-The insta-love. I don't remember Abbie pitching this as an insta-love, so it caught me really off-guard when characters were confessing their love after only knowing each other for like, three days.For most of the novel, it felt like certain characters were either "in like" or "trauma bonded," which made the whole romance feel superficial and unrealistic. I did enjoy the romance, but it definitely required a certain level of suspension of disbelief that was, at times, a little annoying.
-The predictability of the story. I called the major plot twist at about 30%. I know that this might just be because I understand Abbie's tendencies and how a lot of plot twists work, but it did take away a little from my ability to be surprised by the latter part of the book.
-The age gap romance. I've never really read an age gap romance before, but it generally just gives me big "ick" energy. I will say that I think Abbie handled it better than I expected, but it's still not totally something I liked.
-The way every single character seemed to take the Lord's name in vain every 5 seconds. If this was written by someone else (or most other people), I probably would just roll my eyes and be like "Yeah, of course they did that." But, I thought Abbie was a Christian . . . and Christians are called to a higher standard. As a writer and a Christian, I cannot condone this kind of swearing because it goes against what we, as Christians, are called to do. Abbie's other characters in 100 Days of Sunlight did the same thing, but I guess I was hoping that she wouldn't do it here . . . and unfortunately, I think she did it more in this book.
-The ending. Don't get me wrong: I did enjoy the ending. But . . . it felt rushed. Everything wrapped up a little too quickly and neatly for me. I would have loved an epilogue or something to give things a chance to slow down and really soak in those final moments.
At the end of the day, this was a solid 3.5-3.75 stars for me. It had its moments that made me want to scream at the characters for being idiots and whisper "please, Abbie, don't." But, it was also delightful, fun, and ultimately felt like watching a trainwreck that made me giggle with evil reader glee.
So, if you like gorgeous prose/worldbuilding, angsty YA energy, brotherly bonds, dreamer girls, insta-love, and wanderlust, definitely check out The Otherworld.
*I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.*
I have a lot of mixed thoughts about this book, so please bare with me as I try to unpack them in a way that isn't just complete chaos.
Overall
The Otherworld is a beautiful book. Abbie's writing has improved so much since 100 Day of Sunlight. From the lush prose to the effortless worldbuilding and character banter, this book is really just the best, most cozy little book that made me want to sit with Orca inside the lighthouse drinking tea while we watched the rain outside. And, guys, I don't even like tea, so that should be a pretty good indicator about how much I wanted to crawl inside the pages of this book.
But, even amidst those feelings . . . I have to admit that this book does have some problems. So, let's get into the details, shall we?
What I Liked
-Orca. I know some people have expressed irritation with her, but I actually really liked her. She was a bit immature for an eighteen-year-old, but that didn't really bother me since it fit with her character and background. I think that her internal conflict and personality were well-written, and I genuinely just wanted to sit down and hang with her for a while.
-The BANTER. If there's one thing that Abbie has always done incredibly well, it's banter. Orca, Jack, and Adam all had such comedic moments that left me wondering how Abbie comes up with this stuff and MAKES IT SO ORGANIC.
-Sibling energy. Adam and Jack's interactions were incredible, and I will always be jealous of the way that Abbie writes brothers.
-The worldbuilding. I already touched on this, but seriously, it's so good. I cannot emphasize enough how much this made me want to LITERALLY JUMP INTO THE BOOK. It's been a long time since I've felt that way about a book, so if worldbuilding is important to you, this book will not disappoint.
What I Didn't Like
-The insta-love. I don't remember Abbie pitching this as an insta-love, so it caught me really off-guard when characters were confessing their love after only knowing each other for like, three days.
-The predictability of the story. I called the major plot twist at about 30%. I know that this might just be because I understand Abbie's tendencies and how a lot of plot twists work, but it did take away a little from my ability to be surprised by the latter part of the book.
-The age gap romance. I've never really read an age gap romance before, but it generally just gives me big "ick" energy. I will say that I think Abbie handled it better than I expected, but it's still not totally something I liked.
-The way every single character seemed to take the Lord's name in vain every 5 seconds. If this was written by someone else (or most other people), I probably would just roll my eyes and be like "Yeah, of course they did that." But, I thought Abbie was a Christian . . . and Christians are called to a higher standard. As a writer and a Christian, I cannot condone this kind of swearing because it goes against what we, as Christians, are called to do. Abbie's other characters in 100 Days of Sunlight did the same thing, but I guess I was hoping that she wouldn't do it here . . . and unfortunately, I think she did it more in this book.
-The ending. Don't get me wrong: I did enjoy the ending. But . . . it felt rushed. Everything wrapped up a little too quickly and neatly for me. I would have loved an epilogue or something to give things a chance to slow down and really soak in those final moments.
At the end of the day, this was a solid 3.5-3.75 stars for me. It had its moments that made me want to scream at the characters for being idiots and whisper "please, Abbie, don't." But, it was also delightful, fun, and ultimately felt like watching a trainwreck that made me giggle with evil reader glee.
So, if you like gorgeous prose/worldbuilding, angsty YA energy, brotherly bonds, dreamer girls, insta-love, and wanderlust, definitely check out The Otherworld.
*I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.*
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing
Moderate: Sexual content, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Abandonment, Alcohol
There is a lot of kissing, and some of the kisses are a bit more sensual/descriptive.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
First, thank you so much Emmons for this opportunity to read and review The Otherworld as an ARC reader. I enjoyed every bit of the process.
Secondly, I am in awe of how incredible it was. The story was well thought out and absolutely stunning. The characters were dynamic and exciting to read about. I loved every bit of this story from the characters’ internal struggles, development, and drive, to them navigating their way through relationships, unlike those they have ever experienced. This book had a beautifully written love triangle that had me switching sides from one to the other (which rarely ever happens). However, I must highlight Emmons did a wonderful job creating characters that focus on so much more than just their romantic relationship. We saw Orca Monroe handling her relationship with her father as well as the overwhelming feelings of The Otherworld. The brothers, Adam and Jack, focused on their relationship with each other and their parents. I found that this truly added to the experience of reading about these characters. It made them feel more human, more real.
Let me just add that Orca’s personality throughout the novel was amazing. She’s like sunshine bottled up. A fun-loving, headstrong, responsible girl who loves the ocean, and her father. A girl who is curious about everything. She reminded me of Anne from Anne of Green Gables and I loved that. Orca’s energy throughout the novel was unmatchable. It made me want to go to a small beach town, sit in a coffee shop and read this book. She’s bubbly and excited all the time. It made me happy to read about her.
In addition to the character development and construction, the plot was engaging. There was always something happening externally that drove an internal shift in mindset. This feedback loop between the two was wonderful to see and made the story seem all the more alive.
All around, I would 100% recommend this book. It is a beautifully written beach romance with so much to offer and I would recommend giving it a read.
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes