Book Review: Into the Dim (Into The Dim #1) by Janet B. Taylor

Into the Dim 

(Into The Dim #1) 

by 

Janet B. Taylor 

Expected publication: March 1st 2016 

by HMH Books for Young Readers 

ARC for Review 

Summary
When fragile, sixteen-year-old Hope Walton loses her mom to an earthquake overseas, her secluded world crumbles. Agreeing to spend the summer in Scotland, Hope discovers that her mother was more than a brilliant academic, but also a member of a secret society of time travelers. Trapped in the twelfth century in the age of Eleanor of Aquitaine, Hope has seventy-two hours to rescue her mother and get back to their own time. Along the way, her path collides with that of a mysterious boy who could be vital to her mission . . . or the key to Hope’s undoing. Addictive, romantic, and rich with historical detail, Into the Dim is an Outlander for teens.

Uh I’m Not Going in There Thank You Very Much

So…rumor has it this book is a YA version of Outlander. I want to set the record straight other than the whole time travel thing and settings in the highlands there aren’t any other similarities. Was this a good thing or a bad thing? Other than being a bit misleading I’d say it was a good thing this was so different. Even the way the time travel is explained and executed is completely different. That is one bad thing about comparing two books or toting that one is like the other as a selling point. There is an inescapable comparison that takes root and from beginning to end I kept looking for similarities. Ultimately I’d say there aren’t enough similarities to call this the YA Outlander. Enough about that. This was an entertaining read, I enjoyed it very much. I wish I could say that I fell in love with all of the characters but nope at least not until towards the end. I do recommend this read for those that are into time travel or historical fiction. From beginning to end I was entertained enough that I wanted to read more but by 80% it revs up so much I could hardly make time for breathing. The end was probably my favorite part but not in  a bad way. I am definitely keeping an eye on the next release there are some things I want answers to.

The Story, okay so my intro was way long I’m going to try and not ramble with the story line. Hope has lost her mother and she is trying to figure out what is next. Being sheltered her whole life the change in the family dynamic comes as a huge weight on Hope. We get a lot of reflection from Hope on what her life is like and how she’s never felt like she belonged. Agreeing to visit with her aunt in Scotland is about to turn Hope’s entire existence on axis. She is about to learn that her whole life has been shrouded in secrets. The imagery and world building was very enjoyable I felt as though I could see the landscape clear as day. Hope trains to travel and rescue her mother but there is just not enough amount of preparation for what Hope is about to face. We get taken back to a dark time when things were very different. Greed is at the top of the list for all of the awful characters Hope comes in contact with. Don’t despair because there a few shining lights in this read and Hope finally has the answers she never knew she needed.

The Characters, Hope oy vey she has an eidetic(photographic) memory which I was pretty excited about…BUT the way it is explained is, this is more of a burden to Hope than a gift. She suffers immensely. From night terrors to dealing with all the information in her brain this girl is one light breeze short of traveling to Oz on the Coo, Coo Train. I felt bad for her but more so in an oh dear she’s pretty pitiful type of way. By the end I warmed up to her some  but still my feels are a bit meh…she is going to need an extreme makeover at summer camp between books for me to really like her. She is very pretty and very smart but other than that there just isn’t much else there. The fact that she travels back in time for her mother and never gives up on her friends was overshadowed by her somewhat bland and doubting personality. My favorite characters were Sister Hectare and the Queen they were somewhat minimal but absolutely critical to the story. Then I’d say Bran, he started off on my poo poo list but by the end I had visions of roses and unicorns when it came to him. His charm and personality was absolutely delightful he added a wonderful layer of fun and mystery to this read.

The End, okay now for my favorite part! As I mentioned before I thoroughly enjoyed the end! Not because it was over but because it was full of action and revelation after revelation in a flurry and whirlwind of answers and resolutions and mystery and showdowns and bam, bam, bam, bam, BAM!!! Unfortunately I can’t go into details because spoilers are just rotten but I will say…Hope finds what she was looking for and so much more! Bran finally does what he’s been wanting to do and we get the TRUTH! A whole heap of delicious truth! Some of which made my jaw drop but hey it felt like I was there and talk about epic! There isn’t a cliffhanger but there are a lot of loose ends. Hopefully Hope does some major growing and we get to see a more developed confident character fingers crossed! Until next time my pretties!

My Rating

3.5 Funeral, Plane, Aunt, Evil Matriarch, Librarian, Explosion, Tesla Machine, Dim, Knives, Past, Medicine, Forbidden, Meetings, Mystery Opal, Gathering, Queen, Sister, Evil Mother, Captive Mother, Lies, Lies, Lies, Bars, Gift, Abbey, Truth, Truth, Truth, Tree, Doll, Hospital, Abandoned, Return, Promise Love Filled Stars!  

Purchase Through

Amazon

About the Author

Janet Taylor lives in such a small town in Arkansas that if you happen to sneeze when you pass by, you'll totally miss it. (Cause, you know, you can't sneeze with your eyes open. For real--try it--it's impossible)

Her debut novel, INTO THE DIM (coming 3/1/2016 from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt) is about a 16 year old girl who travels through time. Totally on purpose and stuff.

She's a reader/fan first and a writer second. She lives with her fantastic husband, two hilarious sons, and Dorda the diabetic dog who won't win any beauty contests, but has a "nice personality".

She would think you're the coolest thing since AC on a hot day if you'd like her on Facebook. Follow her on Twitter or visit her web site. And if you felt like adding INTO THE DIM to your Want to Read well golly! She'd probably come over to your house and do cart-wheels on your front lawn. (probably)

(PS-check out the bracelet on Janet's pic. That's a teeny-tiny Tardis. Uh, Whovian much?)