I would like to thank NetGalley and The Parliament House for my complimentary copy of "The Between". I absolutely loved this book! It's an epic ride that kept me on the edge of my seat from start to finish.

The story focuses on Paul Prentice and his best friend Jay and their amazing adventure in the underworld of "The Between". When Paul finds a secret door leading down underground in his backyard, they embark on a journey that will change their life forever. They encounter monsters, strange creatures, and others who have become trapped in this weird world. They must fight to the death if they want to survive.

What exactly is "The Between" world though? In order to find out, make sure you give this book a read! It's a throwback to the 80s video games and horror genre. If you enjoy this type of story, this book is definitely for you! "The Between" was a debut novel and I certainly hope the author Ryan Leslie writes more books. I am excited to see what he may have in store. As a debut novel, "The Between" is a well written, incredible book that keeps the reader engaged and rooting for the characters.

Thank you to NetGalley and The Parliament House for this ARC.

We follow two friends who discovers a door hidden beneath the ground. And when they go down it, they become trapped in The Between, and must embark on a dungeon crawl, cursed objects included, to find their way out.

It’s an intricate and interesting story about our world and how it’s tied together with others.
An enjoyable read with a lot of welcome nostalgic feels about Dungeons and Dragons as well as text based computer games.

I was hooked immediately by the premise of this story and I wasn't disappointed. Such great characters, a creepy and original atmosphere/setting, suspense, science fiction... the story felt long but not in a bad way, more in an epic kind of way. Such a pleasant surprise, unlike anything I have read and one I will definitely want to reread in the future.

Thanks to the Parliament House and NetGalley for the advance digital copy to review. All opinions are my own.

I know you should never judge a book by it’s cover, but in this case the story is just as awesome as the cover that drew me to it. I couldn’t put it down, this was one of the few books that left me completely blind to what was coming next in the best way. It was intense and fast-paced without feeling rushed and had great world-building during the plot progression rather than an info-dump at the beginning that tends to happen with sci-fi/fantasy books. The character’s were well-written and the banter between our main character’s, Paul and Jay, made them feel real. Truly the only complaint I have about this book was that it wasn’t longer so that I didn’t have to let go of the world so soon!

I am unsure where to begin with this book. This is one of the most interesting, visceral and entertaining books I've read in years. Being a long-time fan of role-playing games, I didn't know what to expect from this Lit-RPG Style book.
WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD

I'll be honest, it started out a bit slow. I was unsure after chapter one that I was going to keep on reading. But as soon as Paul and J end up in that first room, I was hooked. Everything from that point on is a whirlwind of horror, violence and loss (RIP Min-Woo) , combined with pure grit and determination.

I want re-read this book more than once, so I could try to get a lot of the nuances that I may have missed upon the first reading. I would also easily buy a hardcover copy.

The author has a great descriptive talent and a gift with dialogue. The interplay between characters is realistic and just sarcastic enough to make you shake your head more than once. We all have a friend like Jay, a lovable, obnoxious slacker.

Thank you to Netgalley, Parliament House Publishing and Ryan Leslie for allowing me to read this excellent book. I look forward to a sequel, Ryan!

All opinions are my own.

Trigger Warnings: Death, gunfire, bloody violence, horror violence

The Between

[Blurb goes here]

A story as trippy as the book's cover suggest, The Between is a wild ride into a place between dimensions, a place where you will be in constant danger, be it from the inherent perils of it or from the people trapped in it. Some of those people will look eerily familiar, but they might not be the same ones you know. Ryan Leslie has done a wonderful job at keeping the reader on edge and his characters trapped in a maze without a hint of logic or sense of direction. A place comprised of rooms, some exact replicas of each other, others completely out of context.

I enjoyed the characters, the story telling and most of all, the adventure. I truly recommend this book.

Thank you for the advanced copy!

4.75 stars. I was overly impressed with this author. One of the things I love about NetGalley is finding debut authors from smaller publications, and this one knocked it out of the park. Every bit of this book was well organized and thought out. The characters were these very real people. The dialogue was genuine, back and forth banter was fun and pulled me in. The story was engaging and creative. There were enough hooks to keep me reading. I wish this book and author a ton of success and I am going to be keeping and eye out for his other works.

While in the first third of this book, I mentioned that the atmosphere reminded me of one of my favorite horror novels, SL Grey's The Mall. There's a surreal, not-right quality to that book that touched off a nerve in me that I just adored.

This book started like that, but eventually began reminding me of another book I'd previously enjoyed, Heir Apparent. Yes, a novel for young adults.

However, I don't at all mean this as an insult, as that's a damn fun book- and so is this one! While this one didn't terrify me or send tendrils of unease through me, I still very much enjoyed reading it. There's a little more humor than I usually like in my horror, but I found that it was sprinkled throughout in a way that worked. It's almost like a grown up, more gory and violent horror version of Heir Apparent.

The story and the writing are both highly engaging, as are the characters. The only one I felt was short-changed was Min Woo; something about his ending and sacrifice didn't sit well with me, but I can't quite place my finger on what. Maybe it just made me sad, I'm not sure. I just know that that part of the story was the one that nagged at my mind a bit.

Overall, I'd recommend this if you're looking for a fun and engaging read that isn't too heavy. I was surprised to see that this was the author's first novel, and look forward to seeing more from him in the future!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

ARC provided by NetGalley for an Hoenst Review
This was a wild and crazy read that’s for sure. I was shocked from the start learning the MC was a character in his early thirties. I think given the blurb my mind quickly compared this to the 80’s movie The Gate, only this time the characters descend the hole in the ground rather than fearing what would come out of it. Aside from the hole in the backyard, the film and book don’t really have much in common and I was taken for a while ride. Dangers lurk around every corner and a maze of rooms and stairwells that descend to nowhere will keep you lost for-literally-ever unless you learn the rules of the game. **Spoiler [And a game it was indeed. This part really threw me for a loop and I still wonder how the computerized world became or is real? What’s the purpose? Why and how does it choose people.? And moreover what about it is so compelling that visitors like Paul and Jay can’t let it go? Is it happening all around the world? I mean any door can open to the Between on any unsuspecting person but is there a selection happening I’m missing? Even when escaping for their very lives, something about the Between calls to them and won’t let them free. The concept is pretty horrifying but pretty awesome from the POV of a gamer who can easily admit to losing oneself in an alternate world. Only this world is very very real. There are no do overs and only those skilled will have a chance of escaping alive.
I was so intrigued by Paul’s neighbor having a guidebook for “the game.” How they survived the first time down without it remains a mystery. Though I will say I was really put off by the neighbors death especially since he was the all knowing one and only one who theoretically should have lived.
I guess I’m also left pondering a bit over what the author was trying to get across? Poor Paul’s life in the real world is kind of screwed now, his home destroyed and only thing going for them a thriving couch business. The Between continues on. I imagine him and Jay probably still have lingering obsessions with the Between especially as they obviously have to keep entering to get the couches. (hide spoiler) ] Honestly I think my only complaint was it felt like the book went on forever. The author did an amazing job creating this horrifying and intense world that literally sucks you in and doesn’t let go.

I loved this debut novel from Ryan Leslie. It was a great mix of horror, sci-fi and adventure gaming! I received this book from NetGalley for an honest review.

Paul has a strange doorway in his backyard. Along with his best friend, Jay, Paul reluctantly decides to explore what’s behind the door. And what’s behind is something of an enigma...The Between.

The author weaves the different levels of the Between effortlessly and later implements it into the description of the video game version of The Between.

Some takeaways from me:

I loved the different roles each person could play in The Between and how each role was tied to a specific artifact. Very much a gaming aspect here, but flowed easily into “reality” as well.

The character of Paul was a favorite. I loved his journey from boring accountant to adventuring seeker in The Between.

The ending was amazing.

Loved this one and will be reading more from this author!

Review for ARC copy from NetGalley.
2.5/5* rating, not because it was bad, but ultimately, it just wasn't for me. I was interested in this book because the description of it said it was horror/Sci-Fi with characters thrown into a world that was tied to a a classic 80s style text video game. I looked forward to seeing something like the classic Adventure or Zork with all the "Twisty LIttle Passages." And it started off that way. But by about the 1/4 way point, the narrative become more and more like dark fantasy mixed with Steampunk, with just some horror elements to it. And it became very dark and depressing, with several unlikable characters. And the part I was most interested in, the connection to the video game, didn't even really show up until after midway through the story. Overall, the writing wasn't bad, the story was just disappointing based on the book's description.

Where do I even start with this book? The whole premise of the MUD game which is actually a real alternate universe was delightful and exciting. It brought back some good memories of my first experiences with online multiplayer games.

The author spent a lot of time world-building, but seamlessly slipped it into the plot. I hate when authors go on and on telling about their fantasy world without it progressing the plot. I could tell the author tried very hard to avoid doing that and I really appreciated it. The entire alternate universe was a mystery that slowly unfolded as each scene happened.

The character development was good and all the characters felt like unique people. I enjoyed both Paul and Jay. It didn’t throw me out of the plot when the author switched between their POVs, which is hard to achieve. The pacing of the book was fast and kept me turning the pages.

I’m excited to see what this author comes up with next. The ending is begging for a sequel.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a free copy of this ebook in exchange for an unbiased review.

I enjoyed this even though the blurb about the novel makes it sound really convoluted to me! This is a good horror with characters that you root for and some brilliant world building - a recommended read.

This book was CREEEEEPY.

Like, turn the lights on at night creepy. Seriously. I was thinking this would be some "Alice in Wonderland" retelling, and while I think it pulls some elements from that, this is something entirely new.

Paul and Jay find a door in the ground, go in. and can't get out. They soon find monsters and creatures of the night, terrors and horrors that bring such fright. Can they escape with the lives? Or will something just keep them down there...

This was extremely creepy for me. I couldn’t stop reading even though I was scared! It was compelling and spooky!

Creeped out in a good way. This book had me turning every light in my house on. Rocking back and forth on the edge of my seat. And everytime i heard a noise i would up. This book really gave out the creepy factor and is worth the read. This book will also keep you up all night turning pages knowing your probably will regret in the morning before work.