Review:
*If you’re considering starting this series, you might want to check out my review of Book 1 since it covers certain things that I’m not going to repeat in this review.*
I actually ended up liking this book more the second time I read it. Somehow it seemed less confusing, and I think appreciated the non-paranormal aspects more.
See, Roman was just a really well-written character. He had so much depth and was constantly struggling with this inner darkness—and not the paranormal kind. He went through this major character arc in Book 2… or so I thought. Because this time he seemed to regress. I don’t mean that as a negative thing about the book though, it was a purposeful part of his character’s journey. And that was what made him so interesting to read about, that struggle between being that not-so-great person he used to be and sometimes still was and the good person he wanted to be. His relationship with his father was complicated and screwed up too because of how Roman kept acting, but, at the same time, it was also touching and a little bit heart-breaking. So I loved the chapters about Roman.
Bryn’s chapters, however, I didn’t love. The problem with this book, the reason for the lower rating, is that a lot of the paranormal stuff was inconsistent and unexplained and seemed random. And that’s just a pet peeve of mine, when the magic or paranormal stuff in books starts going haywire and changing from scene to scene with seemingly no set of rules about how it works and what’s possible. I understood generally what was going on, just not why or how it was possible.
I also didn’t like how the scope got even bigger and how, because of that, Bryn became less human and didn’t seem to care much about Roman anymore. I just felt distanced from her. Maybe I should be praising her for keeping her priorities straight rather than fawning over a boy while the world was at stake, but I just don’t find it realistic when characters become too removed from personal things and emotions. That being said, after reading Book 4, I realized she was written that way on purpose and it was part of her arc, so I’m not sure how to feel about it now.
Another thing to mention, the first time I read it, I found the writing really flowery and had a hard time understanding it, but for some reason I didn’t have that problem at all this time.
Lastly, I was bothered by the memory altering that happened in this book. I don’t like the idea of changing anyone’s memories at all. Even changing something small ranges anywhere from morally questionable to morally reprehensible, but I can excuse a small change in certain situations. But the extent to which memories were changed in this book made me uncomfortable, even though it was done with good intent.
So I was frustrated by the constantly changing paranormal stuff and the impersonal vibe I got from Bryn since those are particular pet peeves of mine, but this book was not poorly written, and Roman still had interesting character development.
Recommended For:
Fans of Books 1 and 2 in Laekan Zea Kemp's The Girl in Between Series. Anyone who likes dark paranormal fantasy and character development and doesn't mind changing paranormal aspects and an open-for-interpretation ending. Anyone who wants to read an amazingly realistic portrayal of chronic illness (in Books 1 and 2).
More Books in the Series:
Book Review: The Girl in Between (The Girl in Between Book 1) by Laekan Zea Kemp
Book Review: The Boy in Her Dreams (The Girl in Between Book 2) by Laekan Zea Kemp
Book Review: The Children of the Moon (The Girl in Between Book 3) by Laekan Zea Kemp
Book Review: The Daughter of the Night (The Girl in Between Book 4) by Laekan Zea Kemp
Growing up, Bryn’s nightmares and the debilitating sleep episodes that came with them were what made her weak. But now that she’s learned how to manipulate the dreams, they’re what make her strong. Strength she’ll need now that the shadows have finally trapped her in a nightmare too dark and deep for Roman to reach.
But his nightmares are just as dangerously real. Roman’s past has come back to haunt him, and miles away from Bryn, their both forced to fight for their lives. Alone. But they’re not the only ones whose fate hangs in the balance.
As the countdown to Bryn’s eighteenth birthday continues, a strange epidemic sweeps the globe, and children are falling into comas at an alarming rate. When Bryn finally comes face to face with the monster controlling the shadows, it’s clear that she isn’t the first Dreamer he’s captured, and unless she can find a way to wake back into her body and stop him from wreaking havoc in the real world, she won’t be the last.
Book Author: Laekan Zea Kemp
Publisher: Self Published
Series: The Girl in Between
Genre: Fantasy, Paranormal/Urban Fantasy, Young Adult
My Rating: 3
Series/Standalone: Part of a Series
Non-Human Type: Other Supernatural
Relationships/Sex: M-F
Glad the Roman chapters were good! And yeah sometimes an arc makes sense later but at the time it can be frustrating if it doesn’t seem in character. Nice that you liked some things better this time around though. The paranormal stuff might be a problem for me too since I do like it to be consistent. And interesting about the memory altering- with sleep and dreams being a battlefield of sorts (if I’m understanding it right) I can see where that might be an issue. Sounds like an interesting series for sure.
Thanks, I really enjoyed those chapters! But I do get really annoyed by changing paranormal stuff, so that was unfortunate. The sleep/dream thing was complicated. They altered the minds of people who weren’t Dreamers or related to the craziness, I just wasn’t ok with altering memory period. It is an interesting series though.
Thanks for sharing! I’m sorry that the paranormal aspects didn’t really work for you.
-Lauren
Thanks, I still enjoyed other things at least :-)
It’s too bad that the paranormal stuff seemed inconsistent and didn’t make much sense. That can be so frustrating! I do like it when character’s stumble and revert to old (usually not great) habits – it’s more realistic than progressive growth without any stumbling blocks.
Yeah, it always frustrates me when paranormal stuff gets like that! But I also think it’s realistic and interesting when characters stumble with their growth.
Roman sounds like the heart of this, he’s so well written. Were you surprised at how you felt reading it for the second time?
He was the most well-written and interesting in my opinion, even though he wasn’t the protag. I was surprised because I didn’t remember liking his chapters as much, and I think I understood things better!
I don’t think character growth always has to go forward, and I think it is interesting when it doesn’t happen that way. Because we all know that in real life we all make mistakes and back track at times as well. It’s also very unique as I haven’t seen many books or series do that before, so that actually makes me curious to see how the author handles that.
I agree! Growth is not always easy in real life, so it is realistic when characters go back a bit too. But yeah, you don’t see it much in books!