Scan barcode
thechiaraface's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
This is science-fiction novel where we follow Cara, who is a traverser – or a person who can travel between worlds (at least using her companies technology). In this story and this particular world, the technolgy to travel the multi-verse is real, BUT you can't visit another world where your counterpart (or dop) is still alive. Cara makes an excellent traverser because she is dead on so many other worlds. This follows Cara's story as she delves deeper into traversing and finds herself in some sticky situations after one of her few dops left dies mysteriously.
This book was not what I expected but I really liked it. I think if you aren't a big sci-fi person you could still get into this book as it's not too science-y and not too 'out there' (the world in this book is pretty similar to our own, just a little more futuristic). This book explores the class, wealth, and privilege in an interesting way. Cara is good traverser because 'she' dies so frequently, but why is that? - because she is poor and her mother is/was a drug addict. And so many of the other traversers have just as unfortunate stories. The premise itself leads to interesting commentary and musings, and the direction the story ended up going led to even more interesting conversations. I really liked this book, and in particular how many times it surprised me. There were some parts that I found predictable, but I really loved the handful of BIG moments that took me by surprise. The pacing in this was a little off at times in my opinion, part 2 was too long, and in the the last part some things wrapped up too fast. But overall, I really liked this and think it balanced plot, character development, and commentary really well.
This book was not what I expected but I really liked it. I think if you aren't a big sci-fi person you could still get into this book as it's not too science-y and not too 'out there' (the world in this book is pretty similar to our own, just a little more futuristic). This book explores the class, wealth, and privilege in an interesting way. Cara is good traverser because 'she' dies so frequently, but why is that? - because she is poor and her mother is/was a drug addict. And so many of the other traversers have just as unfortunate stories. The premise itself leads to interesting commentary and musings, and the direction the story ended up going led to even more interesting conversations. I really liked this book, and in particular how many times it surprised me. There were some parts that I found predictable, but I really loved the handful of BIG moments that took me by surprise. The pacing in this was a little off at times in my opinion, part 2 was too long, and in the the last part some things wrapped up too fast. But overall, I really liked this and think it balanced plot, character development, and commentary really well.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Child abuse, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, and Violence
moonlit_paperbacks's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Gore
Moderate: Domestic abuse
Minor: Drug abuse and Drug use
malloryfitz's review against another edition
dark
reflective
tense
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Premise- (3.5/5) Alternate universes are such a cool concept. I mean, I never want to get deep into the science and technicalities of it, but I think it always has a lot of potential. Including here! The parallel universes coupled with the mystery-plot was definitely intriguing for me, though it's not exactly my usual genre.
Characters- (4/5) Cara was a really interesting protagonist, especially because we got to see her thoughts and ruminations on the other versions of herself. She was clever and pithy and really self-reflective without ever being weepy or melodramatic or too meta about it. And it was so fascinating to see her relationships with her family, friends, and enemies across different worlds. It really opened those relationships up to deeper depths. It also raised a lot of interesting thought about nature/nurture, and whether people can change, and how much they're shaped by their circumstances. Wrestles with those questions a lot, and Cara's voice was really strong for that.
Plot- (3/5) The thing was, I liked the alternate world plot a lot more than the "actual" plot that the book ended with. The alternate world plot was just a lot more interesting to me than the Earth-0 plot, which was well done, just didn't hold my attention as much. Maybe it was just because I liked the way Johnson played with the idea of a world that's almost yours--if a few things changed that had major shifting consequences. Like I said, the Earth-0 plot, which ended up being the main plot for the second half of the book was well constructed, I just didn't like it as much.
World- (5/5) I really enjoyed Johnson's world building. It wasn't too technical, but the subtleties that were developed between parallel universes gave the worlds a lot of depth. I also liked that we got a good understanding each sector of the world--the city, the Rurals, the Wastes, the desert. And Cara's extensive experience was the perfect way to draw attention to the differences between those settings.
Writing- (4/5) Johnson's writing wasn't flowery, but she had some really poignant lines. And she created a lot of dialogue about important themes like whose lives matter the most, the way class dynamics can play out, and the violence and trauma of growing up in really terrible situations. She was also able to get the book title in there a lot.
Overall- (3.9/5) The Space Between Worlds was a fascinating character study, thanks to the multiverse concept and the protagonist's unique position between these universes. The world building and characters went hand in hand for this book, building on each other to create many-faceted characters and raise questions about how circumstances can shape our personalities. There were a lot of other themes Johnson was able to incorporate too, and Cara was a great protagonist to bring them to light. I did find the main plot to be less compelling than the initial mystery plot, but the character portraits were excellent, and I loved exploring the differences between the parallel universes.
Characters- (4/5) Cara was a really interesting protagonist, especially because we got to see her thoughts and ruminations on the other versions of herself. She was clever and pithy and really self-reflective without ever being weepy or melodramatic or too meta about it. And it was so fascinating to see her relationships with her family, friends, and enemies across different worlds. It really opened those relationships up to deeper depths. It also raised a lot of interesting thought about nature/nurture, and whether people can change, and how much they're shaped by their circumstances. Wrestles with those questions a lot, and Cara's voice was really strong for that.
Plot- (3/5) The thing was, I liked the alternate world plot a lot more than the "actual" plot that the book ended with. The alternate world plot was just a lot more interesting to me than the Earth-0 plot, which was well done, just didn't hold my attention as much. Maybe it was just because I liked the way Johnson played with the idea of a world that's almost yours--if a few things changed that had major shifting consequences. Like I said, the Earth-0 plot, which ended up being the main plot for the second half of the book was well constructed, I just didn't like it as much.
World- (5/5) I really enjoyed Johnson's world building. It wasn't too technical, but the subtleties that were developed between parallel universes gave the worlds a lot of depth. I also liked that we got a good understanding each sector of the world--the city, the Rurals, the Wastes, the desert. And Cara's extensive experience was the perfect way to draw attention to the differences between those settings.
Writing- (4/5) Johnson's writing wasn't flowery, but she had some really poignant lines. And she created a lot of dialogue about important themes like whose lives matter the most, the way class dynamics can play out, and the violence and trauma of growing up in really terrible situations. She was also able to get the book title in there a lot.
Overall- (3.9/5) The Space Between Worlds was a fascinating character study, thanks to the multiverse concept and the protagonist's unique position between these universes. The world building and characters went hand in hand for this book, building on each other to create many-faceted characters and raise questions about how circumstances can shape our personalities. There were a lot of other themes Johnson was able to incorporate too, and Cara was a great protagonist to bring them to light. I did find the main plot to be less compelling than the initial mystery plot, but the character portraits were excellent, and I loved exploring the differences between the parallel universes.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Toxic relationship, and Violence
Moderate: Addiction, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Grief, Homophobia, Medical trauma, Physical abuse, and Sexual content
gemmagetson's review against another edition
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
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: Blood, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, and Violence
Moderate: Grief
Minor: Addiction, Drug abuse, and Drug use
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: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Violence, Drug use, Death, and Gore
Moderate: Domestic abuse
More...