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oldandnewbooksmell's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
Alicia is a single mother to her eight-year-old son, Kenny. Lately, between the school accusing him of ridiculous shenanigans, like making a large pile of rocks, or disappearing in the middle of class, and her son’s principal is seemingly unconvinced she’s a fit mother because she’s on the autism spectrum.
Not sure entirely what’s going on with Kenny, Alicia tries to track down his father, but that’s easier said than done, she only saw him one night, nearly nine years ago, and it’s a night she’d rather forget. But now, Alicia has a man following her and claiming her son is the heir to an elvish throne. After a break in at their apartment, Alicia, Kenny, and the mysterious man go on the run. Alicia just wants to keep her son safe, but on their new adventure, she discovers they have to give up everything they’ve ever known to help a world they knew nothing about.
I liked that the author showed Alicia’s struggles, not only as an autistic parent, but also as a aromantic and asexual individual. Her conversations and reasoning were always thought out and I really respected Alicia’s character for being the badass that she was. Even with everything life is throwing at her, she would take it by the horns and throw everything she could into it. The author even wrote her coping mechanisms when she was overwhelmed and you don’t see that much in novels right now.
Overall, I enjoyed this self published fantasy novel filled with adventure in a new world, the In-Between. This is also a good read filled with representation of characters with all types of identity types and disorders.
*Thank You MJ James and The StoryGraph for a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review
nics's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
ema114's review against another edition
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
marslovestoread's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
noldorin's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
I got interested due to the aroace / autistic MC and definitely was not disappointed. As an aroace autistic person myself I found a lot of comfort in Alicia's character and the way she navigates the world and interacts with people around her.
The focus on the Mother/Son relationship was also a really good way to show the routines Alicia put in place and the boundaries there were between Kenny and her.
I would have wished a bit more of character depth as I really wanted to know more about everyone. I also would've wanted to know a bit more about the elven world in itself I felt a bit confused by the way everything was installed.
It felt a bit rushed on that side of the story but nonetheless I enjoyed every moment of it and its fast pace definitely had me hooked.
The focus on the Mother/Son relationship was also a really good way to show the routines Alicia put in place and the boundaries there were between Kenny and her.
I would have wished a bit more of character depth as I really wanted to know more about everyone. I also would've wanted to know a bit more about the elven world in itself I felt a bit confused by the way everything was installed.
It felt a bit rushed on that side of the story but nonetheless I enjoyed every moment of it and its fast pace definitely had me hooked.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Ableism, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, and Sexual assault
kelskiiz's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
I was initially interested in this book because the mc is Autistic and aspec, and I did like how these aspects of her were shown to affect her life; Alicia’s interactions with some of the initial background characters were some of my favourite parts. The principal of Kenny’s school was infuriating, but realistic bc people really can be Like That. Also Alicia’s relationship with her friend/trainer was a nice addition, and many aspec people might find in it a bit of familiarity. I liked the focus on the mother-son relationship, and the whole premise/plot was good, I just didn’t really like the execution. I didn’t vibe with the writing style, sadly; a lot of telling, very little showing/feeling. It made the stakes, flow, any interpersonal conflicts, etc, feel like nothing. It was also very fast paced; events and characters didn’t get a lot of depth to them because we j moved on from things so quickly.
author_tri_drexler's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I really liked this story. It could have easily been a 2-part series or even a trilogy if the author stretched out parts of the plot. But I like that this is an epic standalone. In-Between is a unique urban fantasy about a single mom with autism. Alicia is raising her son, Kenny, all on her own when she begins to receive various complaints from her son’s school about his strange behavior. From random disappearing acts to making a garden grow in an instant.
These behaviors turn out to be magical powers he inherited from his unknown father, an elven king. The king is a cruel man who attacked Alicia while she was at a club with her college roommates. She never understood why no one helped her and why there were no witnesses when there were people all around her as she was dragged out to an alleyway. Now she must trust the king’s righthand man to help her son.
The plot was well structured and flowed nicely. Even though I like this book as a standalone, I do wish we got to know more about the characters. I was very much interested in Alicia and wanted to know more about her struggles living in a society that doesn’t understand the way she thinks. How she conquered autism and was able to raise a son she didn’t plan on having and how she did it alone. I also felt like the conclusion happened a little too quickly. Even still, I was not disappointed.
bookishescapades's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Ableism and Rape
Minor: Violence and Blood
auntieyorgareads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
4.0
I discovered indie author Mj James and their debut novel, In-Between, on Bookstagram, and I am excited to share my first review of a book I found through social media! :-)
Alicia is an autistic, aromantic, and asexual single mother to 8-year-old Kenny. The road for Alicia and Kenny has been a rough one, and it doesn't help that Kenny's school insists that there is something wrong with him. After losing yet another job, Alicia goes to look for Kenny's father to see if she can find answers about her son's quirks that cause him trouble in school. Little did Alicia know, that this action would cause their world to crumble and they would soon be on the run from elves that live in the In-Between, a magical illusionary world much like the human world, but then again, not. In the end, Alicia and Kenny discover more about themselves than they thought possible and realize they are stronger than they ever imagined.
I really enjoyed this story! Part real-life & part fantasy, this book highlights the struggles Alicia had in life due to misunderstandings about her autism and being a single parent to a child with extraordinary abilities. I loved the idea of the In-Between world where magic & elves exist. There were quite a few characters that I grew to love and I can't wait to read more about them if another book is written about this world!
There were a few times that I wished there was more in the way of in-depth character and world-building. I also struggled a bit with the written conversation between characters, but only because there was a lack of common contractions that made the dialogue stumble a bit at times.
Overall, I have to say that I was highly impressed with this DEBUT SELF-PUBLISHED novel by Mj James. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in a fantasy story about love, family, magic, and adventure that includes autistic, aromantic, asexual rep with a side M/M love story and written by an actually autistic and nonbinary author!
Alicia is an autistic, aromantic, and asexual single mother to 8-year-old Kenny. The road for Alicia and Kenny has been a rough one, and it doesn't help that Kenny's school insists that there is something wrong with him. After losing yet another job, Alicia goes to look for Kenny's father to see if she can find answers about her son's quirks that cause him trouble in school. Little did Alicia know, that this action would cause their world to crumble and they would soon be on the run from elves that live in the In-Between, a magical illusionary world much like the human world, but then again, not. In the end, Alicia and Kenny discover more about themselves than they thought possible and realize they are stronger than they ever imagined.
I really enjoyed this story! Part real-life & part fantasy, this book highlights the struggles Alicia had in life due to misunderstandings about her autism and being a single parent to a child with extraordinary abilities. I loved the idea of the In-Between world where magic & elves exist. There were quite a few characters that I grew to love and I can't wait to read more about them if another book is written about this world!
There were a few times that I wished there was more in the way of in-depth character and world-building. I also struggled a bit with the written conversation between characters, but only because there was a lack of common contractions that made the dialogue stumble a bit at times.
Overall, I have to say that I was highly impressed with this DEBUT SELF-PUBLISHED novel by Mj James. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in a fantasy story about love, family, magic, and adventure that includes autistic, aromantic, asexual rep with a side M/M love story and written by an actually autistic and nonbinary author!