Rate this book

Dark Between (2013)

by Sonia Gensler(Favorite Author)

3.47 of 5 Votes: 1

ISBN

129977881X (ISBN13: 9781299778818)

languge

English

genre

Horror

publisher

Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers

review 1: Sonia Gensler's engaging mystery takes place in Cambridge and concerns the adventures of three very different teenagers, thrown together unexpectedly in the midst of a turn-of-the-century paranormal research investigation. Each tries to uncover the truth behind a series of mysterious deaths, and all are led to members of the Metaphysical Society, a learned group of men dedicated to the scientific investigation of psychic phenomena.Gensler creates a tight mystery and a whole host of attractive characters. Her three protagonists are delightfully diverse: Kate, steely and practical, a street-wise urchin, with a sweeping set of skills; Elsie, romantic and addicted, an epileptic, with otherworldly talents; and Asher, wealthy and at loose ends, only just coming into his own as a... more man of substance. How these three form an unlikely friendship in the midst of a spine-tingling mystery is deftly and beautifully handled.The plot is skillfully constructed, with lots of action, twists, turns, revelations, romance and high jinks. It has been a long time since I've read a YA novel that didn't broadcast every plot point well in advance. It felt like a rare delight to read Gensler's work--focused, tight and wonderfully lively. The Spirtualism movement is an interesting, sometimes sad and certainly weirdly wonderful era in history. Gensler manages to capture all of it--the cynical cons who preyed on grief-stricken innocents, the researchers who struggled to make authentically scientific strides into the spirit world, the wide-eyed believers who took risks with body and mind, in their attempts to communicate with metaphysical realms.Since this book only neatly wraps up one portion of the overall mystery, I expect a sequel (or two, or three) in the coming years. I look forward to more. Gensler has managed to create a truly gripping set of circumstances and a finely wrought trio of main characters.
review 2: Okay, so I got a little excited with this book, but I just LOVE ghost stories! And good ones at that!It is so rare that you find a proper ghost story that keeps you hooked all the way. The only other one I can think of right now is Maureen Johnson's Name of the Star (brilliant book, highly recommended, go buy it NOW!), but Sonia Gensler succeeded in writing a very successful ghost story - i.e. interesting and spooky all at the same time.A good ghost story is one that has an interesting story line, a group of strange, unfit, very different characters that have been pushed together due to random unrelated (or are they?) circumstances, and a lot of history and facts that back up the world of Spiritualism. You have the believer, and you have the skeptic, but then...you have the gifted.Kate, Elsie and Asher are three very different people who find themselves stuck in the Thompson's household due to different series of events that led them there. What starts out as a very awkward, and at times, antagonistic friendship blooms into a wonderful shared bond between the three.It's been a while since I found myself invested in a story this way. On goodreads as I tracked my reading progress, I was so engrossed that I kept writing down how I felt and what I thought with every entry.Gensler knew how to keep the readers guessing. I thought I had it all figured out, and I was sure I knew who was behind all the murders, only to be shocked by the revelation at the end. I also appreciated (in a I hate it yet love it kind of way) the open-ended ending of the book.And the romantic in me is rooting for Kate and Asher (despite the age difference). I am definitely hoping there is a sequel, this story is far from over. less

Download links for: Dark Between

Advertising