The Light Between Worlds - by Laura E Weymouth (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

What happens when you return to the real world after being in a fantastical one like Narnia? This YA debut by Laura E. Weymouth is perfect for fans of Melissa Albert's The Hazel Wood and Lev Grossman's The Magicians.

Six years ago, sisters Evelyn and Philippa Hapwell were swept away to a strange and beautiful kingdom called the Woodlands, where they lived for years. But ever since they returned to their lives in post-WWII England, they have struggled to adjust.

Ev desperately wants to return to the Woodlands, and Philippa just wants to move on. When Ev goes missing, Philippa must confront the depth of her sister's despair and the painful truths they've been running from. As the weeks unfold, Philippa wonders if Ev truly did find a way home, or if the weight of their worlds pulled her under.

Walking the line between where fantasy and reality meet, this lyrical and magical novel is, above all else, an exploration of loss and healing, and what it means to find where you belong.

From the Back Cover

Six years ago, Evelyn and Philippa Hapwell cowered from air strikes in a London bomb shelter. But that night took a turn when the sisters were swept away to a strange and beautiful kingdom called the Woodlands, where they lived for years in a forest straight out of myth and legend.

When they finally returned to London, no time had passed and nothing had changed--nothing, except themselves.

Now Evelyn is desperate to return to the Woodlands no matter what it takes, while Philippa just wants to move on.

But when Ev goes missing, Philippa must confront the depth of her sister's despair. As the weeks unfold, Philippa wonders if Ev truly did find a way home . . . or if the weight of their worlds finally pulled her under.

Review Quotes

"Even as Evelyn and Philippa navigate their exile from another world, Laura Weymouth reveals to us the real magic--born of sisterhood, nature, love and resilience--that resides in our own. THE LIGHT BETWEEN WORLDS is transfixing and unforgettable." - Sara Holland, New York Times bestselling author of Everless

"More than just an entertaining read...[The Light Between Worlds is] filled with great characters, a timely theme, a perfectly captured setting, and a willingness to not only ask but dwell with the most enduring question in fantasy literature, 'what happens when our heroes and heroines return home?' I can think of no better fantasy book to share with a young adult." - The NarniaFans Book Reviews

"More than just an entertaining read. I can think of no better fantasy book to share with a young adult." - The NarniaFans Book Reviews

"Emotional and poignant... a powerful, magical debut for all YA fantasy shelves. Hand this to anyone who ever wondered what may have happened to the Pevensie children after Narnia." - School Library Journal (starred review)

"Anyone who knows that feeling of being in love with a fantasy world as a child can understand the longing that Evelyn feels for the Woodlands.... I am so compelled by this story and by these sisters who have lived in another world and must find contentment in our own." - NPR

"The perfect story for anyone who's ever searched for magic in the everyday, THE LIGHT BETWEEN WORLDS will break your heart and then make it whole again. Laura Weymouth wields words like she's casting spells, and the result is utterly enchanting." - Sarah Glenn Marsh, author of the Reign of the Fallen series

"Haunting and beautiful, The Light Between Worlds is a love story to siblings, to the belief in magic, to discovering where you belong." - Lori M Lee, author of the Gates of Thread and Stone series

"The Light Between Worlds is a lyrical exploration of one's true place - in the people we love, in ourselves, or in woodland realms beyond our ken - and the lengths we take to chase it." - Destenie Fafard, Celler Door Books (Riverside, CA)

"The Narnia archetype of children finding passage to an adjacent world is given a powerful new perspective in The Light Between Worlds... Exceptional!" - Kenny Brechner, Devaney, Doak & Garrett Booksellers (Farmington, ME)

"In this love letter to portal fantasies and Narnia, Weymouth infuses her characters with a rich panoply of emotions set against wartime England. A shining thread of hope and healing mitigates the book's heartbreak and underlying trauma, suggesting a bright future for all involved." - Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"Weymouth offers a picture of severe depression beautified by her own luminous prose...she evokes a sense of empathy for Evelyn, and offers absolution and redemption for Philippa, who has to believe that her sister is in a better place." - Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

A luminous story, told with transcendent beauty and grace, THE LIGHT BETWEEN WORLDS is a haunting, unforgettable ode to hope, love, and loss. This is a book for all of us who grew up heartsick for the magical places to which we surely belonged, if only we could find them. I will never be the same after reading it. - Margaret Rogerson, New York Times bestselling author of An Enchantment of Ravens

"With such lush, lyrical prose, this book grips your heart and doesn't let go until the last, stunning sentence." - Amy Ewing, New York Times bestselling author of The Jewel

"An achingly lovely take on finding your own world. I loved this beautiful book!" - Melissa Albert, New York Times bestselling author of The Hazel Wood

"Finally, an "after Narnia" book that balances hope and loss, longing and belonging. It's about coming back to the real world, but it's magical." - - Erin Bow, author of The Scorpion Rules

"A mystical novel about three siblings finding, then losing, then finding their ways home again." - Kirkus Reviews