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lilifane's review against another edition
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: Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Blood
Moderate: Grief
Minor: Addiction, Drug abuse, and Drug use
ellaisntreading's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, and Violence
Minor: Drug abuse
caseythereader's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
📚 Wow, what a premise! Multiverse travel, but make it hinge on race and class. If being dead in many worlds makes you a good traverser, then the poor and oppressed who are more likely to die are the best traversers, not the rich and privileged.
📚 Casual, built-in queerness, but it's not a coming out story.
📚 Several excellent twists, some of which I did not see coming.
📚 The writing is just superb. Excellent dialogue, and I could envision the world perfectly.
📚 I'll follow Micaiah Johnson into any world she creates.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, and Blood
Moderate: Addiction and Drug abuse
Minor: Sexual content
azrah786's review against another edition
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: Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, and Violence
Moderate: Domestic abuse