TITLE: The Between
AUTHOR: Lisa J Cohen
Seventeen year old Lydia is being stalked by Clive – and it’s freaking her out. When, during a bus trip home, he rescues her from a swarm of dark things called Darklings then drags her to a place called The Between, she goes from freaked out to angry. Discovering Clive wants to take her to Faerie where she will be under Oberon’s rule in The Bright Court, does little to improve her mood. Nor does discovering she is in fact a fae – and one that is being fought over by Oberon’s Bright Court and Taitania’s Shadow Court.
Ignoring the popular advice to avoid portal fantasy plots, Lisa J Cohen has crafted a beautiful story of a young girl discovering that sometimes what we want to do and what we need to do are very different things. And that the choices we face may not be as obvious as they seem.
This is the first time I’ve read any of Cohen’s work and I was impressed. The characters are well rounded and plausible; the good guys are complex and the bad guys have enough depth to warrant your attention.
Faerie itself is presented as a cliché – woods, greenery, canvas tents and masque balls – but Cohen not only acknowledges the cliché, she points it out. And it works – you find yourself wondering why you would expect Faerie to be anything but what she has presented.
My only – very minor – disappointment was the lack of elaboration as to why iron was a problem in Faerie but I should add that it did not distract from the story in any way whatsoever.
Although perfect for the 11 to 16 age group, The Between is a comfortable read for an adult.
There is mention of a possible sequel – and I hope that does happen but in the meantime, find a sunny spot and curl up with The Between and get lost in Faerie with Lydia. It will be worth it.
Angelique Jurd (originally posted for The Kindle Book Review on Amazon)
