The Edge of In Between is described as a magical, spooky retelling of The Secret Garden. It is that, but it’s also so much more. The story follows Lottie, a young girl whose particular brand of magic allows her to bring her paintings to life. Lottie grows up in Vivelle, a beautiful place in which those with magic live alongside those without it (the Living Gray).

After losing her parents early in the novel, Lottie becomes part of the Living Gray and leaves Vivelle to live with her estranged uncle in the In Between, the space between the land of the living and the land of the dead (the Ever After). As she mourns both her parents and her magic, Lottie finds comfort in unexpected places and must race to save her uncle’s estate and everyone in it before they enter the Ever After for good.

The visual imagery of Vivelle in the first chapters of the novel create such a rich and vibrant portrait of the city and its magic. I felt like I was there with Lottie, experiencing all of the magical sights, smells, and tastes she did. I also loved the similes throughout the book that were so specific that the images they described were vivid in my mind.

Another thing that kept me interested throughout the novel was the mystery aspect. It felt like as a reader, I was learning new information as Lottie learned it, so there was a lot to question. As someone who doesn’t read a lot of fantasy, I am also fascinated by different magic systems. The magic in this novel was especially interesting to me, and I would have liked a bit more explanation of it.

The exploration of grief in this story is beautiful and is an accessible way for middle-grade readers to explore it themselves. The Secret Garden was an important part of my childhood, and being able to read such a beautiful and unique retelling was an incredible experience.

Is the best part of The Edge of In Between that gorgeous cover? Or is it in the beautiful Secret Garden retelling about the magic of color and grief and loss?

It's a toss up, but I loved it all. Lorelei Savaryn's follow up to her wonderful Circus of Stolen Dreams will certainly capture your middle grade heart and you'll be instantly transported to Lottie's world. The worst part of this book is when it had to end. The young reader world has been blessed lately with books that help children navigate grief and this book is another lovely entry that I'd highly recommend.

Thank you so much to Penguin Young Readers for giving me the opportunity to read this ARC through NetGalley.

Oh, my heart. MY HEART. Lorelei Savaryn is a wizard with words, and I cannot count how many times I caught myself tearing up as I read THE EDGE OF IN BETWEEN.

For starters, the prose is just SO beautiful. And the details (oh, the details!) of Vivelle were just bursting at the seams with joy, magic, and color. I was sucked in from the first page ... and I felt it keenly when Lottie fell into her grief. Because beyond being a magical adventure, this book is also one of the truest, most compassionate explorations of grief I've come across; which is saying something, considering how many MG grief books I seem to have read.

It's honest and beautiful and harrowing. It's the SECRET GARDEN retelling that is, in my very humble opinion, much better than the original. We have a locked garden, a magical moving house, a ghost boy, and a girl without color, and I shall never forget the time I spent between these pages.

I'm keeping plot details vague on purpose because it's something you have to experience first hand to properly understand. But this is a contender for my all-time favorites list, and has 100% cemented Savaryn as an auto-buy author. More of this, please!!

I immediately pre-ordered this book after reading. It’s a wonderful retelling of The Secret Garden, filled with ghosts, mystery, and a magic that transcends the pages.

As someone who has read TSG, it felt almost like visiting an old friend. And Savaryn manages to create the magic I always knew Francis Hodgson Burnett’s Garden held. (Along with PLENTY of delightful Easter Eggs.)

From whimsy, to grief, to friendship and finding magic once lost, The Edge of In Between brings with it a warm that finds its way inside the heart, melting any of the cold-grey that’s crept in.

“Love is always looking, searching to find a soul who’s working through their sorrows, or their struggles, or whatever it is that holds them back. It’s not too different from the garden, really. And when it finds you, it helps to mend the holes in your heart. And when a person’s holes are mended, then love can fill them up, straight to the top so there’s nothing else.”

Oh, this beautiful book is going to have a forever place in my heart. Full of magic yet so incredibly human. Life might be painful and you might have to heal again and again, but the magic of living is worth every bit.

This book is why I love reading middle grade fantasy. The world building is superb and so lush that the setting pulsed with life as a main character. The characters--from Lottie, the POV character, to her found family and friends--felt like my own family and friends, so real they popped from the pages. The use of color imagery and the magical system gave me hope for healing in times of great loss; the message that everyone has the power to find his or her own healing in the right time for each person is so comforting to me. I had a difficult time putting down this novel and couldn't wait to dive back in. The writing style felt as if I was listening to and watching a movie with the use of so many sensory details--from sights, sounds, physical sensations, tastes, and smells--that I was immersed inside this world completely. Bravo to the author for adding so much heart to this unforgettable novel.

I absolutely loved the prose of this story! The writing and the detail of grief was impeccable, I cried at chapter three! The story is an interesting retelling of secret garden and it brings color magic into in a fantastic way. Anyone who is looking for a retelling that is a bit creepy and woven with the complexity of dealing with grief will love this story!

Dear Reader,

I hope you enjoy Lottie's story, and that you find a tale both comfortingly familiar and delightfully new inside these pages. THE EDGE OF IN BETWEEN is my reimagining the much-beloved The Secret Garden, and I put my whole heart into weaving a story that explores what it means to learn to live and love and hope again after experiencing earth-shattering sorrow, and how the magic inside us is worth the fight to keep, even when all seems nearly lost.

As I write at the end of the acknowledgements: To all who have loved and lost, I hope that this story has helped grow the garden in you.

The Edge of In Between is a lushly imagined, spooky, magical retelling of one of my favorite all-time children's classics, The Secret Garden. The main character, Lottie, lives in Vivelle-- a land populated both by those whose magic glows brightly in their chests (in a whole rainbow of colors) and those who have lost touch with their magic and turned colorless (the Living Gray).

After Lottie tragically loses both parents at the beginning of the story, she suddenly turns into one of the Living Gray. A reclusive uncle sends for Lottie and she moves to the creepy estate of Forsaken in the In Between, the realm between Vivelle and the Ever After. The In Between is populated with ghosts who haven't yet decided to move to the Ever After, so it's the perfect place for Lottie's uncle, who's obsessed with finding the spirit of his wife. Lottie is lured to stay in Forsaken with the hope of finding her parents, even as ghosts. She spends her days looking out over the barren wasteland of the In Between, scanning the ghosts' faces, until one day, a cardinal lures her away and she discovers a hidden, frozen garden.

Along with Clement (her sorrowful cousin, who lost his mom and is largely ignored by his dad --Lottie's uncle), Lottie begins visiting the garden daily. As the children discover/rediscover their magic, they begin to revive the garden and in the process start to un-gray. However, as you might imagine, none of this is as simple as it first appears and something quite sinister works to prevent the children's healing and tries to keep them trapped in Forsaken forever!

While you don't need to have read the original to enjoy this book, it did add a fun, additional layer for me, as I saw how each character and element were transformed into this immersive, new-yet-familiar world. I especially loved the meaning of the cardinal, whose significance in the story ended up being much more than just a bright splash of color in a colorless landscape. I also relished the garden descriptions of lovely and fanciful flowers and creatures seen only in this world, such as Tickles, friendly little, fuzzy, bee-like insects, and Dragon Flowers that actually roared and breathed fire!

This beautifully written novel worked on multiple levels for me-- the kid in me loved the fantasy world the author created, while the adult me could appreciate the deeper levels of meaning about love, loss and moving on after experiencing grief. I'll be left thinking for quite some time about the stunning main metaphor -- pondering how we can live brave lives full of color and creativity no matter what challenges life sends our way.

A beautifully told story! Lottie’s tale was so heartfelt, and although it centered on such sorrowful loss, Savaryn infused it with so much hope too! Full of imagination and goodness! <3