Into the Dim by Janet B Taylor

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.

Reviewed by Beth C. on

4 of 5 stars

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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.

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 1 February, 2016: Finished reading
  • 1 February, 2016: Reviewed