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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
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
jessmarticorena's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Hylee Williams doesn’t know why she can disappear, only that when she does, she’s thrust into a dark, rotting version of the night that has defined most of her life: the night someone violently broke into her house and her brother went missing.
She’s convinced that this terrifying place is the key to understanding what happened to her brother, but she can’t seem to stay in that other place long enough to get the answers.
When she meets Eilam Roads, he seems all too familiar despite having never met. And when she disappears right in front of him, she has two options - lie or reveal her secret. “Together, Hylee and Eilam investigate the truth about time, space, and reality, with Hylee increasingly convinced her time travel holds the key to saving her brother. But the more they learn, the more Hylee begins to see darkness lurking in her world--and in herself.”
This book was stunningly creepy, and I could feel The Dark Place lurking on every page. There were so many things that I loved about this book.
The horror time travel element was so unique and effective and allowed us to really see all of these parts of Hylee and her internal world. It served so well to explore Hylee’s grief and processing of her trauma. I loved the bit of romance that develops (we all love to see a grounded, stable, positive love interest!!). Eilam is my favorite. And it’s so refreshing to read teenagers that actually act like teenagers! Britney Lewis does an incredible job at creating characters that make teenage decisions and say teenage things realistically, and I think that this book is going to be so important and meaningful in the hands of teens who need it.
In addition to the horror and time travel plot, we get complicated familial relationships, friendships, and Hylee’s own journey of grief.
I really enjoyed the end wherewe see how the closure of her brother's death allowed for a future where Hylee and her family healed together. I love to see our characters get the ending that they needed.
This is a wonderfully spooky book about coming to terms with the things we can't change and the ways that the past can fester and haunt us.
I devoured this in a single day and enjoyed every page.
Thank you Britney Lewis, NetGalley, and Disney Hyperion for the advanced readers' copy in exchange for an honest review!
She’s convinced that this terrifying place is the key to understanding what happened to her brother, but she can’t seem to stay in that other place long enough to get the answers.
When she meets Eilam Roads, he seems all too familiar despite having never met. And when she disappears right in front of him, she has two options - lie or reveal her secret. “Together, Hylee and Eilam investigate the truth about time, space, and reality, with Hylee increasingly convinced her time travel holds the key to saving her brother. But the more they learn, the more Hylee begins to see darkness lurking in her world--and in herself.”
This book was stunningly creepy, and I could feel The Dark Place lurking on every page. There were so many things that I loved about this book.
The horror time travel element was so unique and effective and allowed us to really see all of these parts of Hylee and her internal world. It served so well to explore Hylee’s grief and processing of her trauma. I loved the bit of romance that develops (we all love to see a grounded, stable, positive love interest!!). Eilam is my favorite. And it’s so refreshing to read teenagers that actually act like teenagers! Britney Lewis does an incredible job at creating characters that make teenage decisions and say teenage things realistically, and I think that this book is going to be so important and meaningful in the hands of teens who need it.
In addition to the horror and time travel plot, we get complicated familial relationships, friendships, and Hylee’s own journey of grief.
I really enjoyed the end where
This is a wonderfully spooky book about coming to terms with the things we can't change and the ways that the past can fester and haunt us.
I devoured this in a single day and enjoyed every page.
Thank you Britney Lewis, NetGalley, and Disney Hyperion for the advanced readers' copy in exchange for an honest review!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Murder, and Death
This book largely deals with processing grief and trauma through the lense of time-travel and alternate realities. Death of a sibling, grief-torn family dynamics, and processing a murder/home invasion are large plot points/themes in this one.
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