Not Too Into 'Into the Dim'

Into the Dim

Author: Janet B Taylor

Goodreads / Amazon

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. Trapped in the twelfth century in the age of Eleanor of Aquitaine, Hope has seventy-two hours to rescue her mother and get back to their own time. Along the way, her path collides with that of a mysterious boy who could be vital to her mission . . . or the key to Hope’s undoing. 

Books with hype are the worst. Why? Because they have unnaturally high standards. And, to me at least, they are only half as interesting as people make them out to be.
This book was one of those hyped books. Of course, there are a lot of hyped books of 2016. But in the winter months, this was one of those hyped books.
So I felt disappointed because I just thought it was meh.

Likes:

• Admittedly, Bran was kinda funny...and kinda cute. His quips were quite well thought out. It was pretty obvious that he was smart. But the quick turn around betrayals just grated on my nerves. He really wasn't putting himself in a good light. But the care he had for his brother kinda explained why. Honestly, I don't think cute and funny guys like Bran fall for quirky but genius girls like Hope. At least...that's what I think.
• I felt like the author had really researched her time period. Not that I know much about 12th century England. But the characters seemed quite accurate. Not that we know exactly what Eleanor might do. I also felt like the research for all the useless facts Hope knew about other things were well-researched too. Not that I know about those things either.

Dislikes:

• I seriously doubt that homeschooled, seemingly-unathletic Hope could do all the flips and jumps she did. She was portrayed as meek and shy in the beginning but somehow gained all the confidence in the world by the end. Highly unlikely? I think so! She slashed and stabbed and jumped and rolled. Since when has Hope ever mentioned exercise? Horse back riding doesn't count here. She magically learned parkour in the few days/weeks between arriving at the manor and leaving for the past. Without Phoebe and Collum, she'd probably be dead.
• The dueling 'families' made me a little annoyed. This idea reminded me too much of Romeo and Juliet for me to like the romance. Also, these two barely knew each other. It was basically another Romeo and Juliet fated star-crossed lovers romance. And...man, do I hate that. The romance was supposed to be hot and one of those 'I feel like I know you' things, but it was barely touched upon. To me, Hope wasn't used to flirting and fell for the first flirt. One of those 'I was isolated but now I'm not' things.
• The cliffhanger ending made me cry in horror. Oh how I hate cliffhangers. I might just continue a series because of a cliffhanger. Even if I didn't feel starstruck. And this is one of those instances. I have no compelling need to continue the series...except for the epic cliffhanger. I WANT MORE.