katie
Written on Oct 5, 2019
Five years ago, Evelyn and Philippa Hapwell cowered from air strikes in a London bomb shelter. But that night took a turn when the sisters were transported to another realm called the Woodlands. In a forest kingdom populated by creatures out of myth and legend, they found temporary refuge.
When Ev and Phil finally returned to London, nothing had changed at all—nothing, except themselves.
Now, Evelyn spends her days sneaking into the woods outside her boarding school, wishing for the Woodlands. Overcome with longing, she is desperate to return no matter what it takes.
Philippa, on the other hand, is determined to find a place in this world. She shields herself behind a flawless exterior and countless friends, and moves to America to escape the memory of what was.
But when Evelyn goes missing, Philippa must confront the depth of her sister’s despair and the painful truths they’ve been running from. As the weeks unfold, Philippa wonders if Ev truly did find a way home, or if the weight of their worlds pulled her under.
Content Warnings
The Light Between Worlds portrays characters dealing with depression, self-harm, post-traumatic stress disorder, suicidal ideation, illness and disordered eating, and the loss of a loved one. It refers to possible suicide, contains scenes of violence and war, and brief mentions may be unsettling to readers with emetophobia.
- ISBN10 0062696874
- ISBN13 9780062696878
- Publish Date 23 October 2018
- Publish Status Active
- Publish Country US
- Publisher HarperCollins Publishers
- Imprint Collins
- Format Hardcover
- Pages 368
- Language English
Reviews
Kat @ Novels & Waffles
Written on Jul 26, 2019
WHAT I LIKED:
-A poignantly written narrative full of pure, raw emotion.
-Weymouth really knows how to make her characters feel real. What's more, she knows how to make her readers care about them. Philippa and Evie were both flawed and broken, and yet they were still immensely likeable. You couldn't help but root for them and want them to find happiness.
-I love the whole concept of this story! I've often wondered how Chosen Ones cope when the adventure ends. When they have to return to their own mundane lives and magic-less worlds. Weymouth executes this idea in a deftly realistic and hauntingly beautiful way.
-This is not merely a story about the Chosen Ones trope or about visiting a Narnia-eque world, it is about finding your place. It is about the hope and the healing that comes after you've broken your soul into more pieces than can be put back together. The depression rep in this book is real and it doesn't shy away form the dark parts of mental illness.
WHAT I LIKED...LESS:
-This is a heavy book that tackles heavy topics. Through Philippa and Evie's bittersweet story, Weymouth strives to capture the full spectrum of emotions that accompanies depression. Full of intense emotions, this novel is a trigger minefield for anybody who might have once or is currently dealing with depression or thoughts of suicide. However, I think the author approaches this topic respectfully and does not use it as a hasty plot point.
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Witty and Sarcastic Bookclub
Written on Mar 4, 2019
After the halfway point, Phillipa takes over the narrative and it’s obvious that she, too, has her own struggles and ghosts to tackle. The way she handles them is incredibly different, but also leaves its mark on who she is. The author uses well-known works of art during Phillipa’s story line to the same excellent effect as the poetry.
I was surprised that there were scenes from the Hapwell children’s time in The Woodlands. I assumed that wouldn’t be touched on other than to say it happened. It added to the narrative, though.
The symbolism throughout is impossible to ignore, though it’s woven in subtly and seamlessly. It makes perfect sense and adds to the feel of the book.I found myself identifying with aspects of both Evelyn and Phillipa. I suspected the outcome, but it was still a journey I’m glad I went on.
One thing I was blown away by was the author’s ability to make the ending feel like a beginning. Not in an “I need a sequel” or “this book has no ending” sort of way, but in that it felt like you could catch up with the characters ten years from now and there would be a natural progression in their personalities because they were so realistic.
Warning” there is some mention of both self-harm and possible suicide. It’s done in such a way that I was able to handle it, despite those being incredibly difficult subjects for me to read about.
This book was a melancholy beauty, and is worth picking up.
full review: http://wittyandsarcasticbookclub.home.blog/2019/03/05/the-light-between-worlds-by-laura-e-weymouth/
Stephanie
Written on Nov 1, 2018
shannonmiz
Written on Sep 18, 2018
This book... well it wasn't my favorite. It did get a wee bit better as it went along, at least? Idk, I am grasping at straws here, because I wanted so desperately to like it. And tons of people did, from what I can tell on Goodreads! So as always, opinions vary!
The Things I Liked:
- •The sibling bond. The sibling story that the story was rooted in was great. They experienced a lot together, and they then had to navigate their relationships back in the "real" world. It felt really honest that they were so tight-knit, but then drifted apart after they all went through such a huge, life changing experience.
- •The time period/setting. I am an absolute sucker for a historical fiction, plus the English countryside is just fabulous! The author also did a really great job of nailing the time period and atmosphere of the setting- it felt very authentic.
- •The writing was lovely. I will absolutely try the author again, because her prose was downright lovely.
- •When the story reaches Phillipa's POV, it picks up a tad. I cared much more for Phillipa's point of view than Evelyn's. While I felt a sadness and sympathy for Evelyn, I had a much easier time connecting with Phillipa's story.
The Things I Didn't:
- •Honestly? The biggest thing was that I was just really, really bored. It's such a hard thing to explain with any sort of eloquence, I'm afraid. The story started out slowly, for sure. And that isn't even always a problem for me. I think that when the slowness combined with a character that I just couldn't find myself caring too much for (Evelyn), it lead to me having a hard time staying invested. Even by the time Phillipa came along, I was really only marginally more invested. There was just so much repetition: Evelyn is sad. Phillipa feels bad about leaving Evelyn. And over and over and over.
- •Evelyn felt annoyingly one-dimensional. Honestly, the only thing I knew about her was "misses
Narniathe Woodlands". To be honest, I have no idea why she missed it even. (I'll go into that in the next bullet point.) After her millionth time brooding about how much she hated the real world I just... didn't care anymore. Also, while I liked the character of her romantic interest, it really pissed me off that he was repeatedly described as "tethering me to the world". Look, I know she's probably experiencing some legit mental illness here, but she has family and friends who love her, but only a dude can help? Hard pass. - •The Woodlands is just... I don't get the appeal? Guys, this world seems awful. Lots of fighting and killing and messiness. I get that they'd come from WWII era London but like. Is Narnia really any better? We did get some flashbacks of the siblings' time in the Woodlands, but it really didn't convince me at all. I couldn't get a decent picture in my head of this place; it seemed a little generic-fantasy to me. And a pretty brutal place to spend your formidable years, tbh.
- •Pretty healthy dose of Parent-In-YA-Syndrome. There is finally some discussion about the parents being MIA, but if you ask me, it's too little too late. Especially because their "reasons" were crappy at best. Harmful, obviously, at worst.
Bottom Line: While I didn't love the story itself, it certainly had some positive points. And lots of people did love it, so check those out too of course!
nightingalereads
Written on Apr 10, 2018
4.25 stars. I'm going to start right off by saying that this book broke my heart, but in the best way possible. The Light Between Worlds is about three siblings who cross over into another world called the Woodlands, and then are thrust back into our world a few years later. Specifically, we follow Evelyn, the youngest, and Phillipa, her older sister. This story in many ways feels like a darker Narnia, as it explores all the thoughts and feelings I've always believed I would feel, were I one of the Pevensie children. Laura nails the weight of loss and long-term grief, and how people grapple with those feelings in different ways and in varying degrees.
While I grew attached to both sisters, I connected most with Evelyn, who takes her exile back to reality the hardest. If you're someone who hasn't experienced/witnessed long-term grief or loss, you may get irritated at how many times Evelyn relapses into depression - but her cycles of brief light and utter darkness struck deep for me. I saw myself in her character so many times. One trigger warning I feel I should mention (which I'll list at the end) is for self-harm. There are a few scenes and references to the fact that Evelyn goes through episodes where she intentionally hurts herself. None of these scenes are graphic, but I do think they could be potentially triggering if you're in a bad place. I think anyone who's suffered any kind of personal trauma will relate to the themes in this book.
The Light Between Worlds also does a beautiful job of incorporating poetry and art into the story, as they are the interests of Evelyn and Phillipa respectively. One bump I will mention is that it took me a bit of time to feel connected to the story, as the characters and the world-building felt very surface-level at first. As I continued reading, though, I became more invested, and now I'm just left with the bittersweet heartache of witnessing something both beautiful and painful.
TW: self-harm
Release Date: October 23, 2018