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.
A Light Between Worlds book discussion guide is available here
An Independent Booksellers’ Indies Introduce Debut Pick of Summer/Fall 2018
A Fall 2018 Junior Library Guild Selection
#2 on Indie Next’s Top 10 Kids’ Books of Fall 2018
A Times of London Best Books of 2018 Selection
Praise for
The Light Between Worlds
“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
“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
“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
“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.”
–Sarah Holland, New York Times bestselling author of Everless
“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, Cellar 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)
“A beautiful and melancholy novel about the aftermath of a magical experience…and a thought-provoking play on the potentialities of portal fantasy”
–5 stars from the Canadian Review of Materials