Into the Dim

by Janet B Taylor

"Instantly engaging, constantly suspenseful, ultimately poignant and satisfying. Loved it!"--Diana Gabaldon, author of the #1 New York Times bestselling Outlander series

When fragile, sixteen-year-old Hope Walton loses her mom to an earthquake overseas, her secluded world crumbles. Agreeing to spend the summer in Scotland, Hope discovers that her mother was more than a brilliant academic, but also a member of a secret society of time travelers. And she's alive, though currently trapped in the twelfth century, during the age of Eleanor of Aquitaine. Hope has seventy-two hours to rescue her mother and get back to their own time. Passing through the Dim, Hope enters a brutal medieval world of political intrigue, danger, and violence. A place where any serious interference could alter the very course of history. And when she meets a boy whose face is impossibly familiar, she must decide between her mission and her heart--both of which could leave Hope trapped in the past forever.

• ISBN10: 0544787692
• ISBN13: 9780544787698
• Publish Date: 1 March 2016
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Clarion Books
• Format: eBook
• Pages: 448
• Language: English

Reviews

[jesstheaudiobookworm]

3.5★ Audiobook⎮ I've seen Into the Dim hailed as the YA version of Outlander and I must say the comparison makes me laugh. If you start Into the Dim expecting anything close to Outlander, you're likely to be disappointed. I'm beginning to learn that anything talented as "the YA version of..." really means "the 'watered-down' version of...".

The similarities between Into the Dim and Outlander are superficial, at best. I'm not even a diehard fan of Outlander, but I know a marketing ploy when I see one. To me, it felt as though Into the Dim was trying too hard to imitate the success of stories like Outlander and the results fell flat.

It started out promising, but quickly spiraled into predictability and unoriginality. Into the Dim reminded me a lot of April White's Immortal Descendants series, but without White's engaging writing style and imaginative plot. Both authors used historical settings as a backdrop to the action, but Taylor's writing felt rushed, which prevented me from becoming fully immersed in the setting. It seemed as if Taylor relied too heavily on the historical setting and neglected to fully develop her own world.

The story never "came off the page", so to speak. I was disappointed in how obvious the twists were and how easily I could predict the path of the plot. After that, there wasn't much appeal left and I had little motivation to finish it. Although, younger audiences may enjoy it more. Into the Dim might make an appropriate introductory novel for those that have not experienced more advanced time travel tales.

I think if it had been better paced, the different aspects of the story would have been given more time to develop. The phrase "Jack of all trades and master of none" comes to mind when thinking of Into the Dim. It was as if Taylor took elements from various time travel stories and placed them together piecemeal in order to not leave anything out. However, I wish that she would have better focused on one or two plot lines instead of trying to cover every base. The result was an whirlwind of action and not much development. In my opinion, that is not the way to start out a series. I think the pacing of a series should be more like a marathon than a sprint.

The basic ideas behind Into the Dim were intriguing and could have worked well individually. The characters were not awful and could have even been great, had they been given room to grow, but they eventually became sidelined in favor of a more plot driven story. Overall, Into the Dim lacked the depth, development, and direction needed to hold my interest. I put it down for several months and felt the same way after returning to it. I have no interest in continuing on with this series, however I would recommend it for those for whom Outlander may be too graphic.

Narration review: Amanda Ronconi's narration was enjoyable. She provided decent character distinction, particularly where accents were concerned. Her inflections were sometimes miscued and she frequently paused a beat too long, often midsentence, which tended to make the performance sound robotic. I'm not sure if this was directly attributable to the narration or production. However, it wasn't so distracting that it detracted from the overall listening experience. It's possible that if I had been more enthralled by the story, I would not have even noticed these things. ♣︎

[jeannamichel]

Why is it always "to be continued"? I need the second one now please.

When Hope’s mother is presumed dead by an earthquake that rocked the lecture hall she was to be teaching that day, her father simply believes the worst. After the funeral, Hope is invited to her aunt’s manor in the highlands of Scotland and finally, receives the answers she’s been wishing for. Her mother is, in fact, still alive but lost in time. It is up to Hope to travel through time and find her mother before it is too late and her own mother becomes part of history itself.

Into the Dim is filled with nonstop action, comprehensible time travel and not to mention, the rolling landscape of the Scottish highlands. The setting itself should persuade any reader to delve into the adventure Janet B. Taylor unravels in the book. Scotland is described so elaborately that readers can almost smell the crisp air while Hope, the protagonist, horse rides through the fields of the highlands. Taylor gives readers an authentic look at Scotland, using dialect which whisks them right in the same room as all the characters.

The easy-to-understand time travel is another plus in the ever growing list of why Into the Dim should be your next read. Any book that quotes Doctor Who in the first hundred pages is going to be a fine book, indeed. Taylor weaves a magnificent time travel tale that actually makes sense. Readers will get lost in the adventure, rather than questioning over the science of time travel and how it all works.

Into the Dim would not have been complete without its nonstop action, where readers will be having trouble finding a place for their bookmark. One scene will engulf the next in a flowing circle until the book’s end with “to be continued.”

I do warn those who wish to read only complete series before beginning. There will be a second. And as I have just finished naught a moment ago, I am already having trouble waiting for Into the Dim’s sequel. This debut was a fantastic start to a time travel adventure series.

All the characters were simply unforgettable. Each one—including Phoebe, Bran and Collum—will have readers hearts bursting by the end.

It is a story that tugs at your heartstrings. Into the Dim is both a mystery and adventure with a marvelous protagonist to guide the way. Hope is brave, yet flawed, which makes her incredibly relatable and a role model. Janet B. Taylor created a lovely debut that both Outlander and Doctor Who fans will absolutely adore.

[kimbacaffeinate]

I was excited about this YA Outlander. Read till 40 %, very young YA, disappointed with time travel, may be more enjoyable for younger spectrum of YA.

[shannonmiz]

You can find the full review and all the fancy and/or randomness that accompanies it at It Starts at Midnight
When I started this book, I will confess, I was bored. Hope was irritating me, and I just felt like things were dragging. I seriously contemplated not finishing. But, when the real action of the story began, everything changed! Hope started to become not only a character I cared about, but one that I liked. The time travel itself was brilliant, and it was very clear that there was a lot of research done.

I haven't read anything else set in the twelfth century, ever. I really didn't even know much about it, honestly, except that it was probably pretty awful. So the setting was incredibly unique for me, but so was the actual time travel. I often feel like time travel parameters are similar in a lot of books, but not so in this one. At the same time, it wasn't confusing either.

And there were twists! I did not see most of them coming, either. That really kept me eagerly reading along, looking forward to the next bit of information that Hope was going to get. I also really enjoyed the romance. Don't want to say too much, other than I shipped it, and fear not, there isn't a triangle. :)

Bottom Line: Although this book and I had a rocky start, I ended up really enjoying and being completely invested in both the plot and the characters. I eagerly await the sequel!

*Copy provided by publisher for review

[Beth C.]

16-year-old Hope has just lost her mother when she is summoned to the family home in Scotland for the summer to stay with her aunt. While there, she stumbles upon a secret room within the home, as well as a boy with mismatched eyes while out riding. Little does she know that, before she knows what is happening, her life will be intertwined with both in ways she never could have imagined.

"Into the Dim" is a debut novel by Janet Taylor, and while debuts can be sketchy, this one is quite well written. Several blurbs about the book I have read compare it to "Outlander", and I suppose there is some truth there. Scotland, romance, time travel...it's there, but there are some distinct differences between the two books.

What Janet does right is her characterization. Particularly in a first novel, some authors can get so caught up in creating the story that the characters seem...hollow. Not here. Taylor makes her characters seem all-too-human, with the flaws and strengths. The main character, Hope, is not a strong female lead - but she's learning how to be one. She has her issues, but she works on getting around them. There is growth in the novel, but not in such a way that it seems unrealistic.

Another excellent part of the novel is the history. Never dry and boring, but woven throughout the story in such a way that it shines and isn't an obvious "history lesson". Even those characters from the past have received the same characterization treatment as the others, including the famed "Nonius stone". I was curious, so I looked it up - and there is an interesting story behind it. Since it's tightly woven into this novel, that was a fun surprise.

Overall, an excellent first novel, and one to which I look forward to the sequel.

[Sam@WLABB]

Rating: 4.5 stars

Wow! That was great!

Oooooh! So many thing for me to love.

1. Time travel: I adore how we can get a great story and a healthy dose of history all at the same time.
This book takes us back to 12th century England and Eleanor of Aquitaine. I enjoyed learning more about this woman and loved that Taylor picked such a strong woman to incorporate into this story.

2. Romance: There is a bunch of romance in this book, but I especially love that one that involves our MC, Hope. I can say no more, because I throughly enjoyed having the whole story unfold for me, and I want everyone else to have that too.

3. The "Family": After meeting Hope's Scottish clan, I wanted to become a Viator. They embraced Hope and she finally had a place. They gave her confidence, that she could accomplish the mission, and gave her support, when she had to face her fears.

4. Mystery: There is a more to this story then we get in book 1. There is some sort of conspiracy brewing, which involves the Timeslippers and the Viators, and I cannot wait to find out more.

5. The Science: I am a science geek and loved all the Tesla talk.

Great story, great characters, and a solid beginning to a new series I can't wait to read more of.