A review by lyzz
The Space Between Worlds by Micaiah Johnson

adventurous emotional mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

I enjoyed this novel! I think I would have enjoyed it better if I was more experienced listening to science fiction/fantasy on audiobook. (This is also a genre I do not read a lot in general.) The narrator, Nicole Lewis, is spectacular and perfectly embodies the scrapiness of Cara.  The challenging part on audio for me was that the author does an excellent job of world building but you have to keep track of multiple dimensions and the same characters in different dimensions. If I could go back in time, I think I would have told me to listen to the book and then read the eBook to help everything stick in my mind. 
 
What I particularly liked about this book: 
  • World building is imaginative and explores themes of racism, classism and homophobia.  
  • I loved that the author let us explore this world before diving into the main plot. The plot unfolds slowly and this allows us to immerse ourselves in this world.  
  • Interesting character development that is meaningful - especially in the Cara character.  
  • There were some interesting support characters like Gene and Del that are also well-developed and contribute meaningfully to the story. 
  • Cara's voice is strong in this book.  She is a bit sarcastic, humorous, pragmatic, a little idealistic, and scrappy.  I loved her.  

I do want to emphasize that I would 100% recommend this book to someone looking for a science fiction read.  I would caution them about listening on audiobook unless they have experience listening to SFF on audio and can follow a complex world with multiple characters.  I definitely think this is a book I'll reread to capture some of the details I missed this go-round.  
Expand filter menu Content Warnings