Will be good to have in classroom library even though it wasn't one I was very wild about. I do think students will enjoy reading it.

A solid YA read. I thought it would be a bit darker, but appreciated the discussion around good and bad.

I ended up dnfing this one. It couldn’t keep me interested. I thought maybe since I hadn’t read any angel books that I would try it out but it couldn’t keep my interest enough.

The plot is intriguing, but I felt the characters could have been more developed. For example, I wanted to know more about Casey’s relationship with Liddy’s parents. I wanted to find out more about Casey’s parents and I wanted to know more about Red’s story. Perhaps there will be a sequel, but I wasn’t sure. I did enjoy the wisecracking Evan who is there to protect Casey. He, Liddy, and Casey have been friends since they were babies and apparently Evan has feelings for Casey that go beyond friendship. Talk about bad timing.

If you like face-paced and engaging YA fantasies with limbowalkers, lost souls, and archangels, give this book a try.

The Dark In-Between was a fun read. I expected it to be a little darker than it was based on the cover and premise alone, but it maintained a lighter tone alongside the fast-paced writing style and quick plot progression. It was an entertaining ride. And while I'm always one to "ship" the fallen angel characters, this is most definitely not that kind of book (thankfully—I think it's better without that element).

My only complaint is that the story is written in third person present tense, which is a unique choice—but not my favorite. Because we're so close in the POV, it felt awkward; it would have benefitted from switching to first person POV with the present tense.

The way this was written in 3rd person POV made it a little hard to love. I did enjoy it but I think that instead of buying this one borrowing it from the library would be a better idea. There were parts that I think were just way to slow and things that we just don't see enough of like Liddy. I loved the relationship with Red and Casey but overall the story just felt off.

It took me a couple of attempts to finish The Dark In Between by Elizabeth Hrib. The fight between good and evil is not bad. I just did not connect with the characters. Hrib attempted to create a romantic triangle between the fallen angel, the heroine, and the boy who has been her friend forever who she has never seen in a romantic way. It just didn’t ever really feel connected enough.

I think if Hrib had just kept to the battles and the inner turmoil of Casey the story would have been better. I liked the connections and the battles that Casey made with and for the secondary characters. I could see this becoming a series if Hrib had concentrated on this and strengthened the love triangle by building a foundation first with Evan.

There are some strings that Hrib could come back to and build upon, but I would leave the love stories alone for now because she has something with the battle sequences. This is just my opinion though, you should read The Dark In Between and let me know what you think.

Did not expect to love this, but wow! It’s so good! And the cover is absolutely perfect. This is absolutely a title for YA and adult YA fans to savor and I am so glad I read The Dark In-Between.

'The Dark In Between' is a paranormal ya novel that treads where few go - limbo. The characters are very real and the story is unique. If this is your genre it should be on your shelf!

Eh. Casey and her best friend Liddy are in a terrible boat accident. Casey lives, Liddy dies — but Casey can’t seem to let go of her best friend. Then a fallen angel turns up to clue Casey in that she really is seeing her best friend everywhere — because Liddy is stuck in limbo and Casey has to get her out. This was fine but forgettable. Trying to write this review, everything sounds very dramatic — navigating the world between the dead and the living! protecting the world of the living from the dead! a fallen angel must earn back his wings! — but the book itself isn’t particularly exciting. For me, this was a case of a synopsis that ends up being much more engaging than the actual book.

The Dark In-Between by Elizabeth Hrib was a fascinating story. I haven't read very many with angels so this was new to me and I enjoyed it. I felt the story had a great message as well for readers.

Casey has to face her demons, her guilt and has to get over something traumatic. I loved Casey and Red’s relationship and also Casey and Evan’s, they were both genuine and even funny.

The main problem for me was the third person narration, I think it made the book a lot slower than I thought it would be and it took me a while to really get to know the characters. The final revelation blew me away and made it think long after the final pages.

I really had to think about what happened during Casey’s journey in this book, I could see grief and guilt, loyalty and love, friendship tested to the limits of time and space. This book was all about forgiveness, because you can’t’ really go on if you keep going back with your mind, you have to forgive yourself first.

Overall a really good read!

I didn’t love the narration, which is just a ME issue since I’ve never been a fan of third-person narration, but I thought the overall story was quite good.
I enjoyed the characters. I enjoyed the plot and message the story represents, and I thought the mix of paranormal really added to the story. Definitely a good story that I think others would highly enjoy.

This has been my favorite debut so far this year! The Dark In-Between tells the tale of a girl who happens upon an angel when he falls in the road in front of her car. Surprisingly, the angel is there for her so she can help her friend pass over into the afterlife. Turns out, she has special abilities and ends up helping lots of people cross over while searching for her friend.

The most unique thing about this book was there was no angel romance! I swear, when supernatural creatures are involved, there is always romance! It took me by surprise but made me like the book even more. I always feel bad for human boyfriends because, really, how can you compete with supernatural creatures?

This book was fast paced. The action picked up quick and kept going. I didn't want to put it down!

Four stars for this amazing debut! I will definitely recommend it to all my fantasy loving friends.

I've always had a soft spot for angel stories but this one was great! Libby and Casey were "borrowing" a boat and they ended up in an accident. Both Casey and Libby were dead but Casey was able to be revived while Libby was not. Casey carries that guilt of being a survivor. However, upon trying to grieve for the loss of Libby Casey finds out that Libby has a connection to her and is now stuck in Limbo because of that connection. Joining forces with Evan(both Casey and Libbys friend) and Red(a fallen angel) they went forward to trying to help Libby cross over and close the connection. Through the wild and deep ride throughout the book you see love and loss along with deeper understanding of many aspects of life. I really enjoyed this book and once I started it I found I had a really hard time putting it down. I would definitely recommend!

The Dark In-Between is a paranormal YA novel about life, loss, and Limbo.
Casey and Liddy are best friends, but then a terrible accident ends both their lives. Casey comes back, but Liddy is gone for good. Or so everyone thinks. When Casey starts hearing Liddy whispering to her, she knows she has to figure out what's going on. Enter Red, a fallen angel. With his help, and the help of her other friend Evan, Casey must face off against the darkness if she wants to save Liddy before it's too late.
I really liked this book. I'm a sucker for stories about fallen angels, demons, Purgatory, etc., so this was right up my alley. I definitely wasn't disappointed.
I really liked all of the characters. They were well-written and fleshed out. I was a little surprised, though, that Evan took so easily to Red. Most characters tend not to believe right away, so the fact that he just went along with it did surprise me. But those two have a little bromance at the end, which was fun.
The plot is paced nicely, and the book is a quick, easy read. The world building was done well, and there are even some emotional moments within the pages.
Fans of YA paranormal, and fans of books about angels, will enjoy reading The Dark In-Between.
4 stars!

I chose to read this book because I love young adult fantasies with angels and, of course, it is a debut novel.

Casey blames herself for surviving a tragic boat accident when her best friend, Liddy, died. However, Liddy isn’t dead. She’s in Limbo, the space that exists between the living and the dead. How does Casey know this? Red, the angel who literally fell from “upstairs”. He is here to protect Casey while she goes to Limbo to save Liddy’s soul. You see, Casey is a Limbowalker. She died and came back to life that day and now she can navigate Limbo to help her best friend cross over and sever the link between them. For Casey, Limbo has two rules… leave where you enter and seal the doorway. Because if she doesn’t the dark things, the obsii, the bringers of death, the grim reapers, the shadow monsters will escape.

The plot is intriguing, but I felt the characters could have been more developed. For example, I wanted to know more about Casey’s relationship with Liddy’s parents. I wanted to find out more about Casey’s parents and I wanted to know more about Red’s story. Perhaps there will be a sequel, but I wasn’t sure. I did enjoy the wisecracking Evan who is there to protect Casey. He, Liddy, and Casey have been friends since they were babies and apparently Evan has feelings for Casey that go beyond friendship. Talk about bad timing.

If you like face-paced and engaging YA fantasies with limbowalkers, lost souls, and archangels, give this book a try.

Thank you to Ms. Hrib for giving me the opportunity to read this book with no expectation of a positive review.

Casey and Liddy just wanted to have a fun day on the water when an accident ended Liddy’s life. Casey may have survived the accident, but she is not the same. She is tormented by nightmares and eerie whispers which are pushing her sanity to the limit. When she sees a boy fall from the sky, she fully believes that she has finally lost her mind. Who is this boy? Will his ability to take her to Limbo be what is needed to save her sanity?

The Dark In-Between is a stand-alone supernatural thriller. Readers will enjoy the mystery, the traveling between the living and the dead, and the risk-taking by these characters. Hrib did a wonderful job setting up the story, yet in the end, it still fell flat. I wanted to enjoy this book, but my mind kept wandering and I had to force myself through it. This might be because I’ve just finished a similar book and it wasn’t the right time for me. I still recommend this book to those who want a quick read with a supernatural twist.

A little girl's determination and a dash of spunk make her a ballerina, who dances to her own tune.

Katarina loves ballet, but her father just doesn't have enough money to pay for lessons. When a talent show is announced at school, she's determined to win and use the prize money to help pay for ballet classes. While things don't quite go as she'd hoped, she does get the chance to attend a ballet school, but her independent style doesn't quite mix with the rest of the ballerinas.

Katarina is a girl with tons of energy, dreams and a lovely lean toward doing her own thing. She's never over-bearing or snippy, though, making her simply the kind of person, who would be fun to play with and be around. She has friends, who support her, but still, faces issues which many young readers can relate to. So, when problems hit, it's easy to root for her.

The troubles are very usual ones. While her father and her have a wonderful relationship, the constant financial struggle does cause a little trouble. Instead of grumbling, Katarina immediately wants to help out as much as she can—an attitude which matches her sunshine of a personality. The peer pressure she faces from the other ballerinas does get to her a little bit, but even this one pulls through in inspiring ways which does bring a message to readers, too.

While this book is for middle graders, I'd slide it toward the lower end. There are several aspects to the story which stretch reality (the dog following her everywhere, Katarina's use of paper without a thought for a tutu, etc.) But it is a sweet story, which especially girls who enjoy ballet are sure to enjoy.

'The Dark In-Between' by debuting author Elizabeth Hrib which follows the path of a sixteen year old accident survivor, Casey Everett, as she struggles to adapt to the changes it has wrought on her life.

Reconciling the loss of her best friend Liddy proves difficult, especially as the eyes of those around her either purposely avoid meeting her own or look on her with pity. It isn't easy it seems, becoming known as the one who survived even with the unwavering support of her other best friend and childhood crush, Evan or her aunt Karen.

Her reality seemingly affected by dark shadowy scenes, whispering voices calling her name, and her friend's screams.. she's left reeling. Then the unthinkable happens. She sees a boy fall from the sky. A fallen named Red, sent to Earth to earn his wings back by guiding her through Limbo where Liddy will remain trapped unless they can lead her out.

I'm a sucker for a fallen angel story, sue me. I'll pick up a book with that trope nearly every time, though that doesn't mean I'll enjoy it. I still probably want to read it and see.

In this case, the story is an unorthodox one. The idea of humans and fallen guides popping in and out of Limbo to save souls.. even one specific soul.. isn't something I've come across much. As a freshman effort, it's not bad. The story is put together cleanly, there's logical progression, character development, and reveals here and there.

Though I wasn't particularly fond of Casey and couldn't relate to the reasons the characters around her seemed to like her so much, Evan had an amusingly sarcastic wit and Red certainly had emotional moments which were very moving. The two boys absolutely made it easier for me to stay interested in the book, as I wanted to know what was going to happen to them.. how things would come out. For better or worse.

Limbo itself was of interesting design. I won't give you detail and ruin it for you. I'll only say the concept of how it might appear and what might be happening there was creative.

No fallen story would be complete without some heavy hitting Archangel mythos and I really liked the way the guardian design was written. I loved the transitions when invoking them and the idea of how and why they exist the ways they do. The conflict was worrisome at times and that's as it should be.

I will say, the Limbo sequences at times felt a little more like a tour than a storytelling path in such that they read more akin to formulaic sequences. I wasn't wild about that, but the scenes were intriguing, visual, and sometimes moving as well.

All in all, it was a pretty solid story. The author has a lot of room to grow and seems to have the building blocks to improve with. It's worth a read.