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A review by melissayabookshelf
The Inn Between by Marina Cohen, Sarah Watts
4.0
The Inn Between was a fast-paced MG read that I'd been hearing about and anticipating for quite some time. While I wasn't terrified, I know that my 8-12 year old self would've fallen in love with not only Marina Cohen's writing, but also the creepy story itself. I do understand the comparisons to The Shining, especially with regard to the elevator, but don't worry, there aren't buckets of blood, creepy twins, or decaying ghosts stuck in certain rooms for eternity. The scares are MG-sized.
As with a lot of MG horror and horror in general, the setting is an isolated one at exit ZZZZ (possibly 5 Zs, not 4) in between the states of California and Nevada with the creepy slogan, "We've Been Expecting You!" Characters, like the hotel desk employee, Persephone, will clue in adult readers (and some MGers) that there's more going on than meets the eye, and will allow teachers to connect the themes in the book to some language arts and mythology topics.
Finally, not only are the few illustrations quite gorgeous, but also they are well selected to give even more life to the setting and characters than that which Cohen already does. You won't need them into be able to imagine the world, but you will appreciate the way that they further develop the settings.
As with a lot of MG horror and horror in general, the setting is an isolated one at exit ZZZZ (possibly 5 Zs, not 4) in between the states of California and Nevada with the creepy slogan, "We've Been Expecting You!" Characters, like the hotel desk employee, Persephone, will clue in adult readers (and some MGers) that there's more going on than meets the eye, and will allow teachers to connect the themes in the book to some language arts and mythology topics.
Finally, not only are the few illustrations quite gorgeous, but also they are well selected to give even more life to the setting and characters than that which Cohen already does. You won't need them into be able to imagine the world, but you will appreciate the way that they further develop the settings.