I received a copy of this from NetGalley in return for an honest review.

This was so good! There were plenty of twists to keep my attention and the characters themselves were really compelling. I really enjoyed the nonlinear timeline, labelled "Before" and "After". The wasn't a lengthy focus on any one character, but rather the actual murder case. However, there was still plenty of character arcs. Each family member for the most part got a solid chunk of the story so we get a bit of the story from all their perspectives.

Overall, this was a solid mystery. Because of the flashbacks, there was never a boring lull in the book. I absolutely loved the ending twist. Finlay really knows how to lay out a compelling mystery with plenty of surprises.

This reminds me of Coraline, but for teens.

In a high school basement, there’s three doors labeled yesterday, today and tomorrow. If you walk through them, you walk into an alternate reality. The people you love may be there, but with different personalities.

Marina’s getting used to a new school. But she keeps getting pulled into a mysterious group of teens obsessed with Down World. When Marina goes through the door labeled “Today” and into Down World, everything changes. She finds a version of her brother still alive, and learns that her real brother may have never actually died, but become trapped in another portal. Marina and her new friends work to save her brother, but you can’t remove anything from Down World without consequences.

I found this journey through the alternate worlds fascinating. As the characters get pulled deeper and deeper in, and as the stakes increase, I couldn’t foresee how it was all going to end, but I knew I was along for the ride. This book was hard to put down. I think this is one I’ll reread again and again.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance review copy of this book.

I didn't like it at all, but it has a very great plot, it's very intriguing but everytime I finished a chapter I got bored, that's the reason why I didn't ended it at the time

I read Down World overs 3 weeks ago and I still am not over it... It is an insanely good story about time travel, friendship, family and sacrifice !

I saw the book being compared to Stranger Things and I totally get it. We have teens who are faced with mysterious disappearances, and a strange portal leading to other dimensions! I don't know what else I could have asked for. The fact there are alternate worlds always gets to me, and I thought the ones here were introduced well, and somehow made sense.

More than alternate dimensions, the plot always kept my brain working. I kept trying to guess the characters' next moves, the reasons for their actions, and so on. The trope of a group of teens gathering to save one of their friends is one I absolutely love, and Rebecca Phelps served us right with this.

There's also a lot of action going on, and I can assure you I never got bored one bit reading Down World. Sometimes that speedy pace also made me lose track of some action, but overall it just kept me reading and reading and reading... until I sadly reached the end.

Characters-wise, the characters were pretty good. I thought the teens, who are the main characters, were very far from most clichés I have sometimes read before. Sure, they sometimes are a little blinded by their emotions, but nothing unbelievable. I'm rarely rooting for the main character, but Marina was a wonderful one, and I truly enjoyed following the story through her eyes.

The adults are a little odd at times, and I wish we could have seen more of their intentions for their actions and have an insight to their mentality, but it also made Marina's POV more believable and realistic. So, yeah I both liked and disliked the adults here. I'm a bit indecisive about them haha!

No matter small little details that I thought weren't perfect, I devoured this book and wish it had never ended. I'm fairly sure I developped an addiction to this book now!

Rebecca Phelps created a world you end up never wanting to leave. I honestly can't wait to see what she's going to publish next, because she definitely needs to keep writing!

Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow. 3 doors that lead to 3 different times. Are the rumors true? Does the high school hold a secret?
Marina is still shaken by the unexpected death of her brother, even 4 years later. She cannot accept that he is gone and will try anything to get him back. When she first visits DW, she takes something back with her but soon realizes that you can take something without losing something else. Different realities and times contain different versions of the same person and when one enters, they take the place of the old one.
Marina travels through time and realities to try and find her brother and make things right again but entering these new realities comes at a price, but is it something she is willing to pay and will she be able to save her brother without losing herself and the life she has!
Interesting story line like nothing that I have read previously! An enjoyable read overall! Thank you Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

4.5

This book brought something different to the table. With a plot that is uniquely it's own, I found it hard to put down. I look forward to the next book.

Thank you, Rebecca Phelps, NetGalley, and Wattpad Books, for this ARC of Down World. I really enjoyed train of events in this story. The protagonist was so well developed, and it was super thought-provoking to read how she processed everything coming her way. I felt like I was there!

There were moments when it seemed similar to Stranger Things, but I preferred this story. There were complex elements and imagery that does not compare. This one will definitely stick with me as it gave me a lot to think about.

I received a copy of the book from Netgalley to review. Thank you for the opportunity.
An interesting idea behind the story, quite Stranger Things esque that I feel would appeal to fans of the show. The writing is quite good and the story enaggaing.
However, at times it gets a bit dull and difficult to follow the story. The writing could also be improved as it felt very start and stop.
On the whole, a good book.

Unfortunately, I lost this copy and can't read it. I'll rate it high due to that I feel like this can be a new favorite of mine.

Marina's brother died four years ago. She's finally back in the town where it happened and the ghost of her brother lingers over her. Something about his death doesn't feel right and his best friend, Kieren, who also happens to be responsible for his death, seems to hold the answers.
Marina embarks on a journey to find that not everything is as it seems in the world and that maybe, just maybe, her brother might be out there somewhere. Begging for help.

The premise of this book sounded amazing. Obviously, or else I wouldn't have picked it up. Alternate dimensions? Murder mystery? I was sold on absolutely everything. I devoured the first half of the book. I read it in one night and could not put it down. But, it sort of fizzled out for me. It was intriguing and I had questions all the way until the end.
That ending? I don't know about that ending. It suited the premise of the book, but I was left desperately wanting more. Needing more. It made me stop and think about my own reality which was a scary thought to have. It wasn't a bad book at all, very intriguing, but the ending did fall flat for me.

A portal to a parallel universe?

The following ratings are out of 5:
Romance: ❤️💙💜💛
Heat/Steam: N/A
Story/Plot: 📕📗📘📙📔
World building: 🌎🌏🌍🌎🌏
Character development: 👤👤👤👤👤

The setting: East Township High

The heroine: Marina O’Connell - her brother Robbie died when he was 14 and she was 12 years old. He was hit by a train. Their mother has been depressed ever since and blames Kieren who was Robbie’s best friend. He was also Marina’s friend until Robbie and Kieren got too old to hang out with his younger sister.

The Hero(s): Brady - Senior at East Township High, his girlfriend disappeared after leaving on a train. It had something to do with DW.
Kieren Senior at East Township and Robbie’s best friend. Robbie and Marina’s mother blames him for pushing Robbie in front of the train. Kieren wants forgiveness from Marina and maybe something else.

The Love Story: Marina meets Brady Picelli on her first day at East Township High. She develops a crush on him. Days later she sees some strange things and is led to a place in the basement of the school which leads to an alternate reality. Eventually Brady and Kieren begin helping her find out what really happened to Robbie.

This is a very weird story. It is tragic and crazy and all kinds of creepy. Though I don’t really want to give anything about the plot away. I went into this after only reading the blurb, so I want others to have the same experience. The blurb says it is stranger things meets the Netflix series Dark. I haven’t seen Dark but I have seen stranger things and it is similar in that they both kind of deal with an alternate reality.

Down world seems like a traditional alternate reality (where it is the same people as on earth, but possibly their path through life might be different based on choices or timing, or all the minute little things that can happen). Either way it differs from the alternate reality in Stranger Things which is like a world where alien beings exist. Though I can see why they are compared. It seems closer to the 90’s TV show Sliders in many ways though.

This was certainly interesting and would make for an awesome movie! It isn’t just that these people can go into an alternate reality but there are rules and mysteries and a dilemma to figure out. So there is plenty going on that needs to be resolved. I was definitely fascinated throughout the story. It got very involved and complex but never boring.

I voluntarily read & reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts & opinions are my own.

Beautiful cover, interesting blurb - but for me, this book failed. I wish I could properly say why, but I can't. The plot took too much time and the style just kept dragging and dragging. Marina was horribly annoying (I tend to get annoyed easily with female main characters, it's not the author's fault, most of the time.)
It's just me, who hoped for more "Stranger Things" compareable material... Oh, and another thing: It's not necessary to bring up the brother's death every second page. The reader is not THAT stupid and forgetfull.

I received a free copy by Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Down World is a highly engaging thriller with a dynamic cast of High Schoolers on the edge of discovering a long-kept secret by local officials and those who already knew!

Marina is changing schools. No longer is the tuition for the private school affordable and her parents are sending her to Town Ship High. Leaving behind her friends, she runs into kids she has not seen in years since her elementary years and the fateful accident of her brother Robbie.

Town Ship High was once a military facility to house scientific developments years ago and Brady is the first she runs into on her first day at school and also the one who will open new realms of a secret world to her. With a glimmer of hope of making new friends, she does not expect what is to come.

There have been rumors about a doorway in the school that would lead to multiple timelines to a place called Down World. When Marina’s mother disappears, she discovers that there is a possibility to find her brother in a different timeline, so she lies to her father to follow rumors of a mystical hotel that should give her the answers she seeks and perhaps solve the disappearance of her mother as well. What she can’t imagine is that more portals to these parallel worlds have been opened and before she knows it, she’s on the path that descends deeply into other timelines.
But everything has its price and certain rules must be obeyed or like a ripple effect, her actions will change the past, present, and future.

*
This is a fast-paced, high-interest ride for those with a knack for the paranormal. The school setting and cult-like discoveries imbue the feel of recent shows made with an 80’s vibe. Not a minute to rest, there is action around most corners in this novel fueled with mystery and a dash of angst and heart.

I loved the concept of the old military abandoned building used in a school setting and though the premise isn’t new perhaps, this novel drew from many different aspects of paranormal stances and combined them into one very readable nugget perfect for teen / young adult readers.

When looking for the next read for those reluctant readers or you enjoy rebel characters and a bit of that metaphysical, give this a try.

For fast reading, a definite recommend.

I received a digital copy of this novel for review from Netgalley in exchange for a voluntary and honest review. All opinions are my own.

Down World for me is like Fringe meets Wrinkle in Time. Once I got the lay of the land DW became an entertaining read that I didn't want to put down. Phelps has created an alternative reality that has twists and turns that keeps the reader turning the pages. My only complaint was the ending. It had the feel of being rushed. So the epilogue is vague and should have been longer to help the reader have closure and a better understanding of what happened when one of the portals was supposed to be destroyed. It's unfortunate I was left with a disappointed feeling because overall I really enjoyed it.

A really interesting sci-fi read that I havent seen done before. The world building and the atmosphere the reader gets sucked into is mesmerizing. The characters I didn't really connect to on an emotional level, but nevertheless their individual arcs was satisfying to follow and see where they went.

Okay, so, I read the first three chapters of this book and then stopped reading.

There were so many problems at the beginning of this book that I couldn't force myself to continue. First of all, why is the protagonist instantly in love with this guy? I just didn't get it. Second of all, where was the plot? I kept looking and looking, but it took WAY too long to get going.

I think pitching this as a Stranger Things comp is reaching.

This story starts off quite mysteriously in the first chapter. The world in which the story takes place is generally a well-known place in the world as we know it today, but there is something different, something supernatural hidden in the story and that thing soon emerges. At first you get to know Marina’s character, her friends and family. Basically the ‘normal’ situation for a 16-year-old girl: going to school. All until she does a great discovery.

The introduction of the characters is fine, not too much dept hand the author quickly focuses the story on the mysterious aspect by introducing Marina to Brady. He is unknown, interesting and mysterious. Nonetheless, Marina thinks he’s quite cute. This last part was pretty obvious and it doesn’t really add much later in the story, which is a shame, because Brady’s character is very interesting. The aspect of love itself isn’t that important to the story though, although the author tried to add it. It feels a little forced and unreal, like it was added to the story because the readers expect it, but it might have been even better without it. Although there are not many characters in the story, it’s a little difficult to keep them all apart in the beginning. This also has to do with the rules in Down World and because it’s a parallel universe. It makes everything a little more complicated, which also keeps the story interesting.

From the moment Marina is introduced to Down World, the pace and the tension rises with every chapter. What’s possible and what’s not? What rules are applied and how exactly does Down World work? Who are the people who live in that world? As a reader you slowly get some answers to these questions. But the most important question is: what happened to Marina’s brother? The parallel world remains quite mysterious throughout the story and after some surprising developments, new questions keep piling up. As the end of the story approaches, it fees like there is still a lot to do, still a lot to figure out, but the author has had a different idea about that.

The mysterious atmosphere is very well portrayed, but because of all the questions you might have as a reader, the story works itself a bit in a circle. Every time you get an answer to a question, a new question rises. How the world exactly works it quite a puzzle and could’ve been more detailed. On the other hand, it is also interesting to just read whatever happens because it’s just the way it works. It makes the story unpredictable and innovative.

A mysterious and somewhat elusive story that triggers your curiousity and makes readers marvel at the possiblities of an unknown but limited world.

This was an interesting story, but one that I feel I've almost read before with how things played out. Even still, I did enjoy reading it and would recommend it to others!

Just no.
Down World is a novel that wants to be an interesting, convoluted story full of twists and turns. But by wanting to be that, the novel forgot that you need some growth, otherwise the twists and turns just end up being a rollercoaster that just deposits you where you started from.
In Down World we follow a teenage girl called Marina who is just returning to her local school after spending some time at a private school after her brother died. On her first day at school, she meets a handsome young boy. She is also faced with the memories of her life from before everything changed. We also see that her family has been suffering in the years since the accident.
One day while at school she sort of sees something and then ends up investigating the things, e voilà she is told that there is a portal to another world on the school grounds. And somehow all of this is connected to her brother.
What follows is a twist after a twist, followed by a turn, and then a loophole, and then “we’re not really here” moments and there’s even a “he’s not his son!” revelation… Just no. This book has entirely too many things happen in the span of fewer than 370 pages! The author needed a clear plan and she just needed to stick to it.
In the description it says it’s for the fans of Stranger Things and Dark. As I haven’t watched Stranger Things, I can’t speak for them, but as a MASSIVE fan of Dark, I gotta say no, this is not for us. The reason why we LOVED Dark was not the fact that the story was convoluted, but that the convoluted story had a plan, a point, a clear direction, and was done in a very smart way. If you want something like Dark, just go on Netflix and watch the original once more.

It’s a no from me, I’m sad to say. I wanted to like this book, after all the blurb promised smart intrigue and parallel worlds, but it seems that this year when it comes to that I’m 0 for 2. Better luck with next book.

*I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced reader's copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you Netgalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review*

I liked the cover.. The story was a good concept and I mostly enjoyed it overall. The characters were well developed and interesting. I do believe that including more of the scientific background for the time travel could have been beneficial and added to the overall story. Also the elements of time travel weren't very organized and were written in a confusing way.