Into the Dim by Janet B. Taylor
Release Date: March 1, 2016
Publisher: HMH Books
Format: ebook
Genres: Young Adult Fiction, SciFi, Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Romance
Ratings: 
The Basics
Hope’s mother is dead. Or at least that’s what she thought when her mom was assumed dead at a disaster scene where she was supposed to be giving a lecture. But when Hope’s aunt that she barely knows invites her to Scotland, she is told her mother is actually a time traveller and alive, just stranded in the past. Hope is needed as part of a team to go back in time to save her mother.
My Thoughts
A good way to get me to read a book is set it in Scotland. I went into this only knowing that Scotland and time travel were somehow involved. There was less Scotland than I would have liked, but despite being picky about time travel stories, I still found myself enjoying the book.
The story starts out slowly since a lot of set up is necessary. The reader gets a glimpse of Hope’s life and then learns about time travel along with her. There are some of the usual cliches. There’s the big secret of time travel Hope’s mom kept from her to protect her. She has been prepared her whole life for time traveling without knowing it (and her photographic memory helps.) She meets a mysterious boy she instantly falls for and she also doesn’t realize how beautiful she is. So smart and beautiful girl finds out family secret and meets a mysterious boy before she’s off on an adventure. A typical fantasy setup.
Thankfully the book expands a bit from there. Once the rescue mission gets going, the pace really picks up. I started to like the cast of characters more and needed to know what happened next. There are some unique aspects to how time travel works so it doesn’t feel entirely trite. The dire nature of the situation kept me engrossed in the book until I was finished.
Through all of the twists and turns, some of the character development got a little lost. Plenty of fun, witty dialogue and tough spots that reveal pieces of each character. However, this book really only provides an introduction to the time traveling crew so I didn’t feel truly attached to any characters. It was mostly the winding plot that kept me reading.
It wasn’t until the very end that things seemed to dig a little deeper. That of course is because there is going to be a second book. A lot happens in the last few chapters that leaves loose ends for a continuation. It wasn’t until everything was ending that I started to feel more for the characters. Hope and her friends started to feel more real and the romance became less hollow. Book two has the potential to be a much stronger novel.
Positives and Negatives
+ Second part of the book is fast paced, great setup for book two
– Characters felt a little shallow, took a little to become its own story
In Summary
Once the pace picks up, Into the Dim becomes a fun read that keeps you guessing. Some of the twists are predictable, while others sneak up on you. I didn’t start to feel invested in any characters until the story was ending which has me interested in reading the second book. The story didn’t blow me away and some of the aspects of the romance and time travel are typical, but I still found the story entertaining.
Note: An advanced copy of this book was provided free by the publisher for review consideration. This in no way influenced my opinion.