Into the Dim

By: Janet B. Taylor

Narrated by: Amanda Ronconi

Length: 11 hrs and 8 mins

Publisher's summary

When fragile 16-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 12th century, during the age of Eleanor of Aquitaine. Hope has 77 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.

Addictive, romantic, and rich with historical detail, Into the Dim is an Outlander for teens.

©2016 Janet B. Taylor (P)2016 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Instantly engaging, constantly suspenseful, ultimately poignant and satisfying. Loved it!" (Diana Gabaldon, author of the number-one New York Times best-selling Outlander series)

"[Narrator Amanda] Ronconi's charged energy moves the plot along as she delivers Hope's characteristic quips with an undertone that combines insecurity and confidence in her photographic memory. Ronconi's use of accents is effective in distinguishing Hope's family members, with their Scots brogues; her heart's companion, with his flatter English inflection; and Hope herself, with her American speech and enthusiasm." (AudioFile)

Fast-paced, fun, exciting!

I love a good time travel and this novel fit the bill perfectly with it's sense of adventure, romance, and, of course, historical setting. The narrator was fantastic. They really can make or break an audiobook for me, and she nailed it. I'd listen to her perform any book.

Different reader

This is the first time I've ever felt the audible book would have been someone else

Almost Historical, but too much fluff

And you can tell by the description, this story is about going back in time to rescue someone.

Strengths: Comparing the old world to our modern one!
Weaknesses: Everything else it very basic and trope-filled

I wish be could have spent more time on actual historical facts and consequences. Those moments are where the story really shines! Unfortunately, the characters are pretty flat, I honestly couldn't care too much about them. Considering how well researched the time period was, the characters feel so depthless by comparison.

Not just for young adults

Any additional comments?

I enjoyed this book. Interesting and well written. I hope there is another book to come.

Typical YA

This was fine for what it is - standard YA romance. I had hoped for more with the time travel / medieval angle, but really this obeys all the standard tropes of the YA genre and confirm why I typically avoid it. Give it a pass if you're looking for something time travelly or medievally. But if teenage romance is your thing, you'll be quite happy with this book.

Exciting!

I loved this adventure more than any book I’ve listened to up to this point! It was spell-binding and action packed, imaginative and filled with historical information! A must read!

Entertaining!

This was entertaining. I enjoy time travel stories so making the decision to pick up this book was a simple one. I was hooked by the story early on and found myself liking Hope quite a bit from the start. Things only got more interesting from there. I am only sorry that I waited so long to finally pick this book up.

As the book opens, we are with Hope at her mother’s funeral. Nobody has seen her mother since an earthquake leveled the building her mother was scheduled to speak. Her body has not been found but it is assumed that she is dead. Hope is asked to come to visit her mother’s sister whom she has never met over in Scotland and before she knows it she is on a plane. I liked Hope and thought that her ability to remember everything would come in really handy. I found the story to be rather exciting with a likable cast of characters. It was kind of fun to go back and see the world in an earlier time from Hope’s point of view. I hate to admit that I know nothing about Eleanor of Aquitaine so while I enjoyed the scenes with this historical figure, I can say how accurately she was depicted.

I have been impressed with Amanda Ronconi’s narration in the past and I thought that she did a great job with this story. She used a wide range of voices for the various characters which really helped to bring the story to life. She added just enough emotion to the reading to illustrate the characters’ feelings. I found her voice to be very pleasant and I had no trouble listening to this book for hours at a time. I do believe that her narration added to my overall enjoyment of the story.

I would recommend this book to others. I thought that this was an entertaining and exciting story that was well worth the read. I don’t think that I will read any further in the series since it is my understanding that the second book ends in a cliffhanger and the third book doesn’t seem to be coming anytime soon. If that changes, I will definitely be read to read more of Hope’s story.

I received a digital review copy of this book from Clarion Books via NetGalley and purchased a copy of the audiobook.

Fun to read!

This book is great for kids, no bad language, and a good storyline as well.

A Must Read

Breathtaking! 11 hours never flew by so quickly. I will miss these characters, who came to life with superb narration by Amanda Ronconi.
This beautiful story will be at the top of my recommended books for readers from Young Adult through Adult.