This book was well done. What starts as a slow burner builds more and more as you want to unravel that thread to see what lies beneath the surface. The Victorian-era atmosphere was mesmerizing and i thoroughly enjoyed it as the setting.This book combines some majorly good themes, YA, mystery, and some twists you will never see coming!

I didn't finish this one. Just couldn't seem to get into it although the premise seemed good. It just wasn't as original as I initially thought.

This book made me so restless that i finished it in one day, I can't wait for the second part! The writing is brilliant and it helped my imagination.

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Stuck in a place of habit where every day is the same, for who would go against the master and cause change. Of the six children stuck inside the boundary Penny wants change, freedom. Will it be everything she ever wanted or simply another version of the mind numbing state they’re currently in. Book one of three is like a cross between The Hunger Games and Grossman's The Magicians.


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Six children have grown up inside the boundary, all they know of outside comes from books and who knows how much of that is fiction? One dreams of freedom, days that are not repeats, where the master does not control them. Will their friendships survive the trails that will grant such freedom. Will they survive at all?

I got just over 10% of this and while I did really like the Beauty and the Beast-esqe of the story I beca,e increasingly frustrated with the writing - to the point of me googling the author to see why this might be. I found my answer with the author being a teenager when she wrote this, and although I do find that commendable I felt like I could not read further as I did not want to be critical. A good editor would be beneficially.

I really wanted to like this book but had a hard time getting through. The plot centres around children who are mysteriously kept captive in an eerie mansion. A series of events puts into motion deadly 'trials' but these fell pretty short in my opinion. I did finish the book but felt the ending was underdeveloped and not as exciting as the cliff-hanger lead up to. Unfortunately, will not be continuing on with the series even though the ending sets up a nice bridge to book 2 in the series.

Boundary by Mary Victoria Johnson had me hooked from the very start. I can't wait for the next book to come out. The characters were interesting and so was the plot. This is a must read for all great storytelling.

A promising debut skilfully blending suspense and the supernatural

Penny and her five friends live in an isolated Victorian Gothic mansion surrounded by a dense forest. All their material needs are met: new clothes and good food, as well as lessons and books from which they learn about the outside world.

However, it is clear from the outset that there is a dark underpinning to this tale. For the fifteen years of their lives, Penny and the other children have been confined to the house and its grounds, forbidden to venture beyond the Boundary, an invisible, impenetrable, deadly entity that surrounds the estate. The only other people they have ever seen are Beatrix, the sixty-year-old housekeeper, tutor and cook, and the terrifying, sadistic figure known as the Master, who rules their lives with seemingly omnipotent means of magic at his disposal.

Increasingly stifled by captivity, Penny’s strange dreams and yearning for freedom lead her to question why she and the others are being kept inside the Boundary. Her rebellion sets off a chain of events that shatters the children’s hermetic existence. Secrets, mysteries, mistrust and betrayal ensue as a sinister battle of wills begins to threaten the very lives of Penny and the other children. Can Penny outwit the forces behind the Boundary, and save herself and her friends before it is too late?

The plot moves at a fairly slow pace but this serves to heighten the tension, adding intrigue and curiosity, and it is full of unexpected twists. The reader is drawn in to share Penny’s frustration as she navigates her everyday existence while trying to solve the mystery of the bizarre world around her. When the action occurs, it is both shocking and exciting, increasing the suspense. The uneasy atmosphere of the beautiful mansion and forest is effectively conveyed, lending the story the essence of a dark fairy tale. While the villains remain opaque, the children are well-drawn, though occasionally jarring in the way they speak: sometimes they sound too young for their age and at other times too old. However, this works in context: having known no one but each other, it makes sense that they would not be like other children and would have their own unique way of talking.

All in all, this is an excellent first novel and one recommended for Young Adult readers. The final twist and cliffhanger are superbly rendered, which bodes well for the sequel. It has to be said that the book is in serious need of a proof-reader; there are much glaring spelling and grammatical errors throughout. However, this does not detract from the quality of the content nor the writing style of a very promising young author.

Arwen Evenstar

Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review

Boundary is the story of children who are being held captive, essentially, by a "master" he has raised them and allowed them to live in his house for the last fifteen years. But Penny wishes to escape, she'll do whatever it takes to escape the boundary... including risk her life and the lives of her friends.

A must read! This book was extremely well written, when you realize that Mary wrote this when she was 14, WOW! It was very much a page-turner, wanting to find out more about the Boundary and the Master. Leaving you with suspense and wanting more details on how the children came to be there in the first place. Looking forward to Book 2.

I got a copy of this for a fair and honest review. Penny and the others seem to live in a world that seems perfect, but that is only a smoke screen. They are cut off from the outside world and thing change when Penny longs for something that is just out of her grasp. This is the first book in The Other Horizons. What she wants changes the fates of all those involved.

While this doesn't have the most sophisticated prose, te plot is unusual and engaging with the sort creepiness you'd expect from a gothic novel and the emotional conflict and questioning found in the best dystopian novels. The characters were sufficiently well developed and the 'master' was epically disturbing. This book was a pleasant surprise for me. I look forward to seeing how things develop in book 2.

The premises of Boundary is a familiar one. Penny and her friends live a sheltered, yet luxurious life, but there is something sinister at work that is triggered by a brash decision on Penny's part. I found myself rather conflicted about some parts of this book, but I will start with the good.

While the premises feels familiar and and seems to have elements from other YA novels, it is executed in a creative way. There are nice plot twists and turns throughout and for the most part, the writing is nice and the writer has her own style which I did enjoy reading. I did feel like the writing felt more like that of an older children's book as opposed to a typical YA book. The characters seemed much younger than the 15 that there were supposed to be so I had a hard time comparing it to other YA books, as they seemed like there were closer to 11 or 12. The book was pretty clean and did not involve anything sexual and language was minimal- I believe only d*** was used.

A few things that could have been improved upon:

There were definitely some editing issues: Misspellings, words flipped, and minor details. However, I feel it worth mentioning if I notice more than a few, which I did here. Some of the author's writing also felt a bit awkward and wordy. I'm also a wordy person so I certainly understand, but there where parts where the "less is more" philosophy was obvious, even to me.

The characters seemed a bit lacking. Most of the characters seem a bit lacking in depth and development. With exception to a few, they were relatively static. I also felt like the ages seemed quite off. It has been 10 years, so I don't perfectly remember being 15, but I found it odd that only two characters in the book seemed to have any romantic feelings and that they were so interested in hide-and-seek. Perhaps it was the sheltered lifestyle they had prior to that point, but it just felt a little odd. However, for those who do not care for love stories added into mysteries, the lack of an engaging romance is probably a plus!

The beginning of the book was very SLOW. I found it kind of boring until about 1/3 of the way through, but it started to get a lot better after that so I would recommend continuing it if started, because it really does improve greatly. I easily finished the book within a day as I keep reading to find out what happens. Some parts felt a bit redundant- like mentioning how bad the food tastes....over and over and over and over and over and over again. I get that she was probably just trying to be descriptive, but it goes back to the "less is more" concept again.

All in all, it was a pretty good debut book. There was a nice plot line with an engaging mystery that drew me in. While there were some issues, I feel like they should not keep anyone from reading the book and I believe the authors next book probably improve upon some of these critiques. It seems like she really put a lot of thought into the book and would definitely give an A+ on her effort! I am excited to read her second book in this serious to see what happens next!

Better than expected. The character development was actually really good. The tropes in the book prevented me from fully loving it, however, this is a solid plot with a solid idea. Definitely not a waste of an afternoon.Cant wait to read the next book.

This was a great start to what I hope will be an exciting series. Filled with mystery and magic, it's a great book to curl up with on a rainy day. The cast ensemble is wonderful, which each one worming their way into your heart at some point. I actually read this a year ago already and was glad to read it again. Not to mention I've been waiting for the sequel so I can find out what happens.