Name: Between the Moons (Book 1 of the Dream Realm Chronicles)
ISBN: 9781737560302

P. L. Porter

Between the Moons (Book 1 of the Dream Realm Chronicles)

Rating 3.5 stars

This was a fun read! Great for younger readers and those that love Coraline, Alice in Wonderland, and maybe even The Neverending Story. This story is more along the lines of a darker story with fairytale elements. Sylvie has learned that nothing is what it seems, during her summer vacation she learns the truth about her family, which takes her on a rollercoaster ride filled with magic and mystery. The relationship she has with the other characters is truly wholesome!

I loved that the Dream Realm was filled with curiosities and different characters! It definitely gave me that feel of Wonderland in a sense. The pacing of the story was pretty steady. I wish there would have been more origin stories, I love learning about the different characters and their pasts. This would be awesome to read in the second book! I am a sucker for the side characters, they totally help build the story.

Huge thanks to the author for sending me a copy! All opinions are my own. 

Candice 

This book was a quick YA read. It was fun and dark and funny and enjoyable. If you love Alice in wonderland, you’ll love this. It’s whimsical with the Dream Realm and all the different characters that are dreamed up there. I would love to know more about the Dream realm and all the creatures there. I love wonderland and have always wanted to go so the Dream Realm would be amazing to visit. Even if a little dark.

Jourdan Gandy

I thought this was a fun, easy read! It felt very traditionally YA and would be perfect for younger readers who love fantasy but can also handle a little bit of darkness in their stories. 

I agree with what other reviewers have said about the Dream Realm giving Wonderland vibes. I think that’s a great comparison! The world was so unique and filled with all kinds of interesting and strange characters, much like Wonderland. 

I did think there were a few too many POVs, which ultimately kept me from connecting with Sylvie on a deep level…I couldn’t quite get past a superficial appreciation of her because when I’d start to connect, we’d be thrown into a new POV. 

Thanks to the author for gifting me a copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own. 

Chiara Vitale Zelaia

BETWEEN THE MOONS is a YA fantasy that I find perfectly suited for readers on the younger side of the YA spectrum or readers who enjoy that kind of story. It’s an easy read, but one that will definitely transport you into a fun adventure. The story unfolds a bit like a storybook tale—like Alice in Wonderland, but with an awesome family dynamic and more mystery. It moves between the human world and the Dream Realm—literally, the place where dreams are created. I especially loved getting to unravel more and more of the Dream Realm’s secrets and meeting its inhabitants. True to its name, the Dream Realm is filled with whimsical characters and fantastical creatures. We have monsters, gnomes, mermaids, talking animals. I absolutely loved how magical everything felt there.

The reason I say the book reads like a younger YA is that the characters, however enjoyable, weren’t extremely complex. There was little room for gray morality, but rather each one was well-defined within the role of hero or villain (at least for now). This didn’t make the reading experience less pleasurable, however. The characters were fun, and I loved the family bonds—especially those between the protagonist, Sylvie, and her grandparents—and the found family dynamic with the friends she makes in the Dream Realm.

My one complaint—and ultimately the reason why I’m not giving the book a full 4 stars—is that I would have preferred to have less POV characters. I would have liked to find out some of the information on the Dream Realm and some character backstories through Sylvie’s perspective or through dialogues, but overall I really enjoyed escaping to the Dream Realm with Sylvie and her friends! There’s still so many mysteries to unravel, and I’m especially curious to see how the very last plot twist will unfold in the sequel!

Between the Moons (Book 1 of the Dream Realm Chronicles)

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