The Blue Between Review

The Blue Between by Patricia Little.

What they say: Sixteen-year-old Heather Lucas is the freak girl who got hit by lightning, and she has a scar on her palm to prove it. Since then, everything has gotten weird. Her mother left them, which makes no sense. Her Dad thinks she's a liar, because she won't explain why she keeps running away. The thing is, she can't explain it. She just disappears and then reappears miles away, with the scar on her palm tingling.

In between, she drifts in a sparkling blue void outside of time and space, where indistinct forms of people float by, lost in the blue. Is she going crazy? Odd things are even happening at school. Why would the new boy, Alex, be interested in her? He shows her a paper he's written about a place called Alanar. The make-believe city from Mom's old bedtime stories? What does he know about her mother? Heather is determined to find out, especially after she sees the scar on his palm, identical to her own.

• ISBN: 1484066456 - ISBN13: 9781484066454.

goodreads * Amazon * Amazon UK

I received a copy in exchange for an honest review.

What I say: The Blue Between follows 16-year-old Heather as she struggles to adjust to life after surviving being struck by lightening. In the 5 months since the incident Heather and her little brother Jimmy have been abandoned by their Mum and Heather is suffering from memory loss and has been labelled a problem child.

Heather has stopped playing football (soccer) and has withdrawn from her friends. Alongside her memory loss or blackouts, Heather is upset about her Mum leaving and the strange scar left by the lightening. Her Dad sends her to see a shrink about her disappearances, I'll leave you to discover what happens next...

For some reason the hot new boy at school, Alex, seems to be fascinated by her and remarkably for Heather not at all interested in the school's popular crowd.

I really enjoyed the fantasy elements and world building Patricia Little introduces to the story. I’ve always had a strange fascination with lightening and I kinda hope it really is linked to the blue and Alanar.

The thing I liked about Heather was how ordinary she was. She wasn't bratty or overly dramatic and seemed to take events in her stride. Alex and the Alanarian's were interesting because they were a funny mixture of really clever and really behind the times. Jade annoyed me from the start and I'm not entirely sure of her motivations. Jimmy was one of my favourite characters and I loved the relationship between the siblings; Heather and Jimmy were so sweet together.

I got the impression The Blue Between was the first instalment in a series, if this is the case I'd be happy to read the next book.

3 - 3.5 Stars in my Sky!