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micheala's review
4.0
I really enjoyed this version of multiverse travel. The idea that you can only have one "copy" of each person per world was great as it explains why it would have taken so long to have invented this technology and why its still so rare.
I enjoyed watching Cara change and grow and then settle into herself as the novel progressed. Finding out the reasoning behind her actions as the novel went was very satisfying.
I personally liked how neat the ending wrapped up, however if you're not a fan of all the loose ends getting tied up just be prepared that that is a thing to expect.
I enjoyed watching Cara change and grow and then settle into herself as the novel progressed. Finding out the reasoning behind her actions as the novel went was very satisfying.
I personally liked how neat the ending wrapped up, however if you're not a fan of all the loose ends getting tied up just be prepared that that is a thing to expect.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore and Violence
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Death, Genocide, and Toxic relationship
gemmagetson's review
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Violence, and Addiction
Minor: Drug abuse, Drug use, Kidnapping, and Terminal illness
catsy2022's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Rating: B+
I turn away, trying to remember the last time I cared about anything to scream for it.
The Space Between Worlds is a refreshing and unexpected read for 2020. I'd place this in the same camp as The Last Policeman and The Gone World which I also read this year. This book is about Cara, a traverser who works for the mysterious Eldridge company; a traverser is someone who travels between worlds. Their purpose is usually analytical, but Cara becomes embroiled in something that's bigger than she expected. She comes from a poor city named Ashtown that has grown into the rival empire of Wiley Town, where pale-skilled rich people live.
I really enjoyed the elements of this story, the characters and world were great, I loved reading about them and how Cara thinks. I loved the complexities of their life and how starkly different from our own life they were. The bounds of the world are limited to Wiley and Ashtown and so we never really go beyond their individual goals. I still really enjoyed this and I liked the myth and mystery around Nyame, the god who inhabits the space between worlds.
There are a few different groups in play in this story, each playing their important part and being explained through the book's modest 320 pages. I think what fell short for me in this book is the direction the story went. I found that the middle of the book could have been something big and immense but it started randomly and I felt that it was ultimately not that major to the course of the story. I really felt the story falling apart around 250 and couldn't really see the motivation to why the story went the direction it did. I was surprised honestly about one change to their way of life late in the story; after it is all pieced together I wondered, was that really all worth it?
Still a decent read, I had a lot of fun and powered through it.
I turn away, trying to remember the last time I cared about anything to scream for it.
The Space Between Worlds is a refreshing and unexpected read for 2020. I'd place this in the same camp as The Last Policeman and The Gone World which I also read this year. This book is about Cara, a traverser who works for the mysterious Eldridge company; a traverser is someone who travels between worlds. Their purpose is usually analytical, but Cara becomes embroiled in something that's bigger than she expected. She comes from a poor city named Ashtown that has grown into the rival empire of Wiley Town, where pale-skilled rich people live.
I really enjoyed the elements of this story, the characters and world were great, I loved reading about them and how Cara thinks. I loved the complexities of their life and how starkly different from our own life they were. The bounds of the world are limited to Wiley and Ashtown and so we never really go beyond their individual goals. I still really enjoyed this and I liked the myth and mystery around Nyame, the god who inhabits the space between worlds.
There are a few different groups in play in this story, each playing their important part and being explained through the book's modest 320 pages. I think what fell short for me in this book is the direction the story went. I found that the middle of the book could have been something big and immense but it started randomly and I felt that it was ultimately not that major to the course of the story. I really felt the story falling apart around 250 and couldn't really see the motivation to why the story went the direction it did. I was surprised honestly about one change to their way of life late in the story; after it is all pieced together I wondered, was that really all worth it?
Still a decent read, I had a lot of fun and powered through it.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism, Physical abuse, Gore, Blood, and Death
Minor: Drug abuse and Child abuse
lilifane's review
adventurous
dark
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I didn't know much about this book when I started reading it, only that it takes place in a world where the multiverse is confirmed and where it's possible to travel between the different earths.
Cara, the protagonist, is one of the few people who get the chance to experience this, because there is one catch: you have to be dead on the other earth, to be able to survive the journey to it. And from the 380 worlds that are similar enough to travel to, Cara is dead on all but 8. So she is hired by the inventor of the technology that makes traversing possible to travel to other worlds and gather information on them, intel that will help her own world to learn and thrive. But then she makes a discovery that changes everything.
I enjoyed the first half of the book a lot. It's a little much at the beginning but the worldbuilding is phenomenal, the cast is diverse and I loved Cara's voice from the start. She is such an amazing complex character. She is strong, smart, ambitious, fragile, makes bad decisions. You get frustrated with her sometimes but she also surprises you when you expect it the least. The writing is beautiful and full of details that get important later. The plot is unexpected, it switches between slow and fast pace, between action and contemplation (it gets a little generic in the second half though). For me it was never about the plot. It's about the world and it's rules, about the character developments, about the struggles between what is right and what is easy to do, about fittng in vs. belonging. I really liked all the characters, even the villains, because due to the multiple earths and versions, you get to know a lot of different aspects of them. I loved the sibling dynamics throught the whole book, the found families, even the spiritual aspects which fit surprisingly well with everything. And then there is this slow burn wlw subplot...
It's really hard for me to describe the book because I haven't read anything like it before and there is so much to think about and discuss. And even though I think the second half was weaker than the first half, the ending was just perfect for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, and Violence
Moderate: Grief
Minor: Addiction, Drug abuse, and Drug use
enbylibrary's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse and Gore
Minor: Homophobia
azrah786's review
4.75
**I was gifted a copy of this book for a blog tour with Pride Book Tours in exchange for an honest review**
This is one debut you don’t want to miss!
The Space Between Worlds takes place in a universe that has discovered to traverse the multiverse. A total of 382 Earths have been discovered and are able to be transported to however, there’s a catch. Hopping to an alternate reality and running into yourself doesn’t cause a massive paradox as sci-fi stories to date have had us believe – landing on an Earth where an alternate version of you already exists straight up kills you. Thus a select group of people, usually those belonging to marginalised communities and having a lower life expectancy, have been recruited by a company to traverse between worlds as a means to observe and collect data. Our protagonist Cara is the most valuable of them all because out of the 382 Earths, she is dead in all but 8 of them.
When another one of her doppelgänger is reported as dead, Cara has a new world to traverse to. Though this journey has more repercussions than the average dimension jump – ones that could affect not only her but the entire multiverse as a whole.
Johnson’s prose immediately draws you in and her unique take on parallel universes is so cool!! The various aspects of the immediate world are gradually revealed, and I was hooked with how intricately crafted each of the versions of the Earth were. The themes of identity and privilege are at the forefront of this unique story, and the fast paced plot will keep you on the edge of your seat. I really loved how through both the narrative and the cast of characters there is this a constant discussion of both scientific theory and religion when it comes to the multiverse.
All the characters in the story are wonderfully nuanced and multi-faceted, and our kickass protagonist captured my heart from the first chapter. As each piece of the puzzle that is Cara’s life was slowly revealed I loved her character more and more. Just like with the different Earths, I was captivated by the various interpretations of each of the character that Johnson imagined and how complexly woven into the story they were.
I’ve always loved well written familial relationships in books and I really enjoying the sisterly relationship between Cara and Esther. The primary romance (f/f) in the book was also beautifully done, a slow burn full of all the angst and pinning that is bound to pulls on your heart-strings.
I did find the ending slightly rushed when put into comparison with the rest of the book hence me knocking off a quarter star but all in all I loved every second of this one!
I can’t wait to see what Micaiah Johnson writes next!!
Final Rating - 4.75/5 Stars
This is one debut you don’t want to miss!
The Space Between Worlds takes place in a universe that has discovered to traverse the multiverse. A total of 382 Earths have been discovered and are able to be transported to however, there’s a catch. Hopping to an alternate reality and running into yourself doesn’t cause a massive paradox as sci-fi stories to date have had us believe – landing on an Earth where an alternate version of you already exists straight up kills you. Thus a select group of people, usually those belonging to marginalised communities and having a lower life expectancy, have been recruited by a company to traverse between worlds as a means to observe and collect data. Our protagonist Cara is the most valuable of them all because out of the 382 Earths, she is dead in all but 8 of them.
When another one of her doppelgänger is reported as dead, Cara has a new world to traverse to. Though this journey has more repercussions than the average dimension jump – ones that could affect not only her but the entire multiverse as a whole.
Johnson’s prose immediately draws you in and her unique take on parallel universes is so cool!! The various aspects of the immediate world are gradually revealed, and I was hooked with how intricately crafted each of the versions of the Earth were. The themes of identity and privilege are at the forefront of this unique story, and the fast paced plot will keep you on the edge of your seat. I really loved how through both the narrative and the cast of characters there is this a constant discussion of both scientific theory and religion when it comes to the multiverse.
All the characters in the story are wonderfully nuanced and multi-faceted, and our kickass protagonist captured my heart from the first chapter. As each piece of the puzzle that is Cara’s life was slowly revealed I loved her character more and more. Just like with the different Earths, I was captivated by the various interpretations of each of the character that Johnson imagined and how complexly woven into the story they were.
I’ve always loved well written familial relationships in books and I really enjoying the sisterly relationship between Cara and Esther. The primary romance (f/f) in the book was also beautifully done, a slow burn full of all the angst and pinning that is bound to pulls on your heart-strings.
I did find the ending slightly rushed when put into comparison with the rest of the book hence me knocking off a quarter star but all in all I loved every second of this one!
I can’t wait to see what Micaiah Johnson writes next!!
Final Rating - 4.75/5 Stars
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Violence, Drug use, Death, and Gore
Moderate: Domestic abuse
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