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aformeracceleratedreader's review
sad
slow-paced
2.25
The premise of the story was a cool idea, but it was so slow and things were not wrapped up as well as I think they could've been. I don't need to be spoon fed stuff in books, but a few things felt unfinished/unexplained and rushed while other things were drawn out. I skimmed over a pretty big section after pushing myself to finish this.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body horror, Child death, Injury/Injury detail, Alcohol, Blood, Grief, and Death
kaerene's review
dark
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I liked The Dark Place, I enjoyed the scary bits and the twists I didn’t see coming but felt like it came up short for me. I think the little blurb before the actual summary does a disservice to the book as it compares the writing and themes to John Green’s books and Jordan Peele’s horror movies and I just didn’t get either of those vibes. Both of those creators have such a specific voice in their projects that I kept expecting to be wowed and end up feeling really profound in this exploration of romance/horror/time travel while reading The Dark Place and it just didn’t happen.
It’s a good read if you like the fated mates trope and really short chapters. I would check trigger warnings though. It’s very sad and depressing.
It’s a good read if you like the fated mates trope and really short chapters. I would check trigger warnings though. It’s very sad and depressing.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Gun violence, Murder, Grief, and Death
boredomandwordsofbooks's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.5
This book was so good! If you like Life is Strange, Stephen King, or Coraline, you will love this book.
More review to come later when it's not 2am.
More review to come later when it's not 2am.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Grief, Violence, and Body horror
Moderate: Death, Death of parent, and Child death
Minor: Drug use and Toxic friendship
bookishmillennial's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
disclaimer: I don’t really give starred reviews. I enjoy most books for what they are, & I extract lessons from them all. Everyone’s reading experiences are subjective, so I hope my reviews provide enough information to let you know if a book is for you or not. Find me on Instagram: @bookish.millennial or tiktok: @bookishmillennial
Britney has described this as having Coraline vibes, because the main character Hylee slips into an alternate timeline, and time travels to a time her brother was alive & well. In the present, Hylee has moved to the suburbs in Missouri from Kansas City, Kansas, and her brother has gone missing. Her family refuses to discuss him, as they are all in denial and struggling with their grieving process.
Hylee meets a boy at a party, Eilam, and she accidentally disappears right in front of him, much to her chagrin. They begin to unravel what happened the night her brother went missing, and navigate what is happening to Hylee and her time traveling!
I appreciated the way that Hylee's entire family approached or avoided the conversation about her brother. It showed a realistic representation of what grief looks like, and how it can feel differently based on the person. I don't blame Hylee's parents for the way they behaved, because I can only imagine being in their positions. I have read so much about the inexplicable pain a parent feels when their child goes missing, and feeling resigned to never having answers. It's devastating, and I think Lewis illustrated their utter hopelessness and avoidance so perfectly.
I enjoyed the subplot of romance between Hylee and Eilam; I loved the little reveal between them, and thought they were both valid in their frustrations with the other. I especially enjoyed the ending, because I adore the trope of having to find each other after inevitably changing the present by altering the past. I imagine a HFN for them, as they re-get to know each other, and as Hylee fills in Eilam on all they did in her alternate timeline .
This book was a beautiful tale of coming-of-age, eerie paranormal/science fiction, different types of grief, loss of a sibling, and finding the truth out for yourself!
Britney has described this as having Coraline vibes, because the main character Hylee slips into an alternate timeline, and time travels to a time her brother was alive & well. In the present, Hylee has moved to the suburbs in Missouri from Kansas City, Kansas, and her brother has gone missing. Her family refuses to discuss him, as they are all in denial and struggling with their grieving process.
Hylee meets a boy at a party, Eilam, and she accidentally disappears right in front of him, much to her chagrin. They begin to unravel what happened the night her brother went missing, and navigate what is happening to Hylee and her time traveling!
I appreciated the way that Hylee's entire family approached or avoided the conversation about her brother. It showed a realistic representation of what grief looks like, and how it can feel differently based on the person. I don't blame Hylee's parents for the way they behaved, because I can only imagine being in their positions. I have read so much about the inexplicable pain a parent feels when their child goes missing, and feeling resigned to never having answers. It's devastating, and I think Lewis illustrated their utter hopelessness and avoidance so perfectly.
I enjoyed the subplot of romance between Hylee and Eilam; I loved the little reveal between them, and thought they were both valid in their frustrations with the other. I especially enjoyed the ending, because I adore the trope of having to
This book was a beautiful tale of coming-of-age, eerie paranormal/science fiction, different types of grief, loss of a sibling, and finding the truth out for yourself!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Child death, Gore, Grief, Death, Blood, Racism, and Body horror
pages_with_panda's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
(Disclaimer: I received a free ARC from NetGalley.)
I'm giving this book 3 stars - it wasn't awful, but it wasn't great. I don't think I'll recommend it to anyone however.
The summary was interesting and promised a story about "time, space, and reality," but the first half of the book was so slow and boring I had to force myself to finish it. The second half of the book was so rushed and everything happened with no explanation that it was jarring.
No one around Hylee wants to talk about what happens to her, and they instantly villainize her for something she can't control, can't explain, and can't talk about. Her only friend cuts her off, and her parents ship her away to live with her grandmother, who also will not acknowledge what happened: "...I had to live with Grandmommy because Mama and Daddy didn't know what to do with me after my sudden disappearance (and reappearance)." They treat her like a pariah despite her being a victim of what happened to her.
Beyond the gag order of her "curse," Hylee is forced to deal with the traumatic disappearance of her brother, that also no one wants to talk about, and we're left with a very confusing first half of the book where Hylee is forced into a very mundane routine where honestly nothing happens.
There's no "investigating" anything. Hylee and Eilam meet at a party and he tells her a few lines about what he knows about time travel (mostly from Marvel movies). Their relationship is so forced with very little chemistry, but Eilam is the only one who will actually talk to Hylee so of course they end up spending time together.
I wish the "dark place" would've been explored more. We're given no reason for it's existence or the strange creatures that live there or why the creatures have their horrific characters of no eyes and sewn mouths.
The ending was very sad and bittersweet, but I felt like we weren't given any time to actually feel it. There was no emotional connection before the book ended.
I wanted to like this book and thought we were going to have a nice "Corline" meets "Get Out" story, but it left a lot to be desired and didn't feel as fleshed out as it should've been.
I'm giving this book 3 stars - it wasn't awful, but it wasn't great. I don't think I'll recommend it to anyone however.
The summary was interesting and promised a story about "time, space, and reality," but the first half of the book was so slow and boring I had to force myself to finish it. The second half of the book was so rushed and everything happened with no explanation that it was jarring.
No one around Hylee wants to talk about what happens to her, and they instantly villainize her for something she can't control, can't explain, and can't talk about. Her only friend cuts her off, and her parents ship her away to live with her grandmother, who also will not acknowledge what happened: "...I had to live with Grandmommy because Mama and Daddy didn't know what to do with me after my sudden disappearance (and reappearance)." They treat her like a pariah despite her being a victim of what happened to her.
Beyond the gag order of her "curse," Hylee is forced to deal with the traumatic disappearance of her brother, that also no one wants to talk about, and we're left with a very confusing first half of the book where Hylee is forced into a very mundane routine where honestly nothing happens.
There's no "investigating" anything. Hylee and Eilam meet at a party and he tells her a few lines about what he knows about time travel (mostly from Marvel movies). Their relationship is so forced with very little chemistry, but Eilam is the only one who will actually talk to Hylee so of course they end up spending time together.
I wish the "dark place" would've been explored more. We're given no reason for it's existence or the strange creatures that live there or why the creatures have their horrific characters of no eyes and sewn mouths.
The ending was very sad and bittersweet, but I felt like we weren't given any time to actually feel it. There was no emotional connection before the book ended.
I wanted to like this book and thought we were going to have a nice "Corline" meets "Get Out" story, but it left a lot to be desired and didn't feel as fleshed out as it should've been.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, and Gun violence
Moderate: Grief and Body horror
Minor: Racism and Blood
cortanasreadingnook's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Thanks to Britney S. Lewis and Disney Publishing Worldwide for the complimentary copy through Netgalley! It doesn’t affect my review in any way and I’m very happy to read another book by this author.
Seventeen-year-old Hylee Williams has always carried the grief of the day her older brother went missing. However, she started disappearing to a place that is a twisted version of our world, full of creeping vines, moss, and complete darkness. And when she meets a boy named Eilam after going to a party with her bestfriend, things take for a turn when she disappears right in front of him. And as her disappearances become more frequent, Hylee soon realizes she’s not alone in the world, and that she holds the key to finding the truth about her brother, and possibly save him.
The Girl Who Leapt Through Time meets Stranger Things in The Dark Place, which tells such a remarkable story of grief that involves elements of science fiction and fantasy. It is a wonderful tale that warps of time and reality with a little bit of the classic cliché teen romance. Lewis’s characters are exceptional, and I absolutely love her storytelling. Her writing has improved, and her pacing is perfect, hitting right into a reader’s heart. This YA horror novel does not only tell us a sentimental story of love between siblings, but it navigates a story of regret, truth, and acceptance leading towards a bittersweet and emotional ending. I do believe a few elements were left untouched and felt that they should’ve been explored more, but this stand-alone just hits right in the feels! I would absolutely love to hear more from this author.
P.S. I would really love to time travel just to see my grandmother again like how Eilam does. I don’t know if she’ll recognize me, but I would do it just to hear her voice again and ask her all the things I wasn’t given a chance to. She passed away a year ago and I truly miss her a lot.
Seventeen-year-old Hylee Williams has always carried the grief of the day her older brother went missing. However, she started disappearing to a place that is a twisted version of our world, full of creeping vines, moss, and complete darkness. And when she meets a boy named Eilam after going to a party with her bestfriend, things take for a turn when she disappears right in front of him. And as her disappearances become more frequent, Hylee soon realizes she’s not alone in the world, and that she holds the key to finding the truth about her brother, and possibly save him.
The Girl Who Leapt Through Time meets Stranger Things in The Dark Place, which tells such a remarkable story of grief that involves elements of science fiction and fantasy. It is a wonderful tale that warps of time and reality with a little bit of the classic cliché teen romance. Lewis’s characters are exceptional, and I absolutely love her storytelling. Her writing has improved, and her pacing is perfect, hitting right into a reader’s heart. This YA horror novel does not only tell us a sentimental story of love between siblings, but it navigates a story of regret, truth, and acceptance leading towards a bittersweet and emotional ending. I do believe a few elements were left untouched and felt that they should’ve been explored more, but this stand-alone just hits right in the feels! I would absolutely love to hear more from this author.
P.S. I would really love to time travel just to see my grandmother again like how Eilam does. I don’t know if she’ll recognize me, but I would do it just to hear her voice again and ask her all the things I wasn’t given a chance to. She passed away a year ago and I truly miss her a lot.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death of parent, Murder, Gun violence, and Grief
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