Early Review: Between by Kerry Schafer

Between
Author: Kerry Schafer
Series: The Between, book 1
Publisher: Ace
Release Date: January 29, 2013
ISBN-10: 042526114X
ISBN-13: 978-0425261149
Source: From Netgalley
Buy it here: Amazon | Book Depository
For more information visit Kerry Schafer's website

Reviewed by: Beth


Vivian is working at a hospital when some strange stuff starts to happen. Her dreams are getting more intense and then she meets a book shop owner who happens to be someone she dreams about. On top of that he loans her books, and one of them has her on the cover. Right after this she finds out her kind of estranged grandfather has passed away, and that he was much more than he seemed. His legacy is passed down to her, but with it comes an evil sorceress who will stop at nothing to get her hands on a ‘key.’

Between is the debut novel of author Kerry Schafer.

The story takes place in three places. The first is ‘Wakeworld,’ our world. Vivian doesn’t spend much time in Wakeworld, but Zee, the man she dreams about does. Then there is ‘Dreamworld.’ Dreamworld is the world of dreams. Vivian inherits little crystal balls, each one a dream. With the tiny crystal balls, she doesn’t have to open any doors to get into dreams, all she has to do is look into them. Then there is ‘Between,’ where most of the novel takes place. Between is the line between awake and asleep. In the Between is a kingdom where the sorceress happens to live. The worlds and how they are put together are what makes Between unique.

Vivian’s story kicks off when she learns of her grandfather’s death and is given a quest, to destroy the key. She has no idea what the key in this case may be, but she does know she must travel to Between. Vivian is medical professional, something parent throughout the novel, but lacks common sense. Before she is given her quest she is given a book that fills in so many of her future questions, but it takes her almost the whole book to figure it out. This made her, for me, seem dense. She doesn’t pick up on clues even though a part of her purpose is to put things together. I also felt as if she picks and chooses when to be courageous. One moment she running into certain death and destruction, in the next she is frozen in fear.

A part from Vivian I deeply enjoyed all the other characters. The sorceress is wonderfully bad! Zee is not your average hero, and was a taste of something different. My favorite character by far is Poe, the penguin that hangs out with Vivian. He adds some giggles into the pages.

Despite my drawbacks with Vivian, the story keeps its pace, and is made for page flipping. It seems set up to be an urban fantasy, but really most of the novel is set in a kingdom with dragons. It’s one of those where characters are put into another world. The other world in Between is where it’s set a part. The story quickly grows intense.

I was a little disappointed with the ending for two reasons. The first was lack of description for how an end was obtained, and Vivian not asking the right questions. She seems to ignore huge facts that bugged me. Luckily this is the first novel, and I look forward to seeing where Schafer will take the characters from this point.
My Rating: