3.5 stars

Genuinely creepy all the way through.
We need more books like this.

Imagine the world shift just so: everything's a bit different, but only enough for you to notice that it's not quite right for reasons that elude you. Living on edge becomes a new normal.
Now imagine THAT, throughout.
In all seriousness - this book is genuinely spooky. Just the way proper horror should be.
(now that I think about it, it reminds me of Are you afraid of the dark? TV series)

I'm glad it has the ending it does - it truly is perfect. It might not sit well with some readers, but there are just too few anythings with open endings that leave you both satisfied AND guessing.

FINAL VERDICT : READ THIS FOR A GOOD PROPER SPOOK ( )

There is a particular sub-genre of books--I don't think it's named--where characters are somewhere, and the point of the book is to figure out where they are, or why they're there, etc. Maze Runner is a recent famous example, or House of Stairs, or Riverworld. This falls into that subgenre for most of its length.

Unfortunately, I knew where they were, and why, instantly, so that was discouraging. Of course a kid may not figure it out as quickly (I'm a fairly bright adult), so this is my take on reading it for me, not for giving it to a 10 year old, say. For a while I thought maybe the author intended it to be easy to figure out the twist, and there was going to be some interesting plot twists ahead, but no. The climax was the characters figuring out what I'd guessed 80% of the book ago.

The characters weren't particularly compelling, the mystery was spoiled, the plot was meandering, and ultimately, I was left cold.

(Note: 5 stars = amazing, wonderful, 4 = very good book, 3 = decent read, 2 = disappointing, 1 = awful, just awful. I'm fairly good at picking for myself so end up with a lot of 4s). ( )

The Synopsis
This story follows friends Quinn and Kara. Quinn has had a rough year, having recently lost her little sister, and has felt guilt over her disappearance ever since. Soon after her sister is abducted, Quinn learns that her best friend, Kara, will be moving with her family. Quinn’s parents suggest that she join Kara and her family as they take some of their items to their new home and spend a bit of her summer vacation there — they think that getting her away from town will aid in her not stressing so much about her sister.

On the way to their new home, they decide to find a hotel and stay the night. They come across The Inn Between, a quirky hotel with odd little people in it. Quinn is uneasy while at this place but cannot figure out why. When they awake the next morning, Quinn, Kara and Kara’s brother, Josh discover that Kara’s parents are missing. They are told they are getting the car checked out. The three hang around the hotel, finding more and more weird people throughout the day. Eventually, Josh disappears, too, leaving the girls to wonder what is true and what is false and finding themselves deeper and deeper into the mystery that is The Inn Between hotel.

The Review
I first heard of this book from my friend Sarah, who hosts the audio podcast Cultivate and Create. Sarah spoke very highly of it and I became very intrigued. When it was voted on for my novella book club a few months back, I was super excited to give it a shot.

I do not tend to read a lot of young adult books anymore. When I did my work study in the education library at my university, I did pick up some (I finally read Harry Potter during my time there) and while I am not against reading them, it is not a genre I check out regularly.

This one is fantastic. Very good set up, interesting characters and well written. I found the mystery to be very good and, imagining myself as a preteen, could see this being a rather scary story at times.

My only negatives with this book go with it being written for such a young age: not enough character development [granted, I think most books could do with more character development] and a predictable ending. Having said that, had I been in the actual age bracket this book is intended for, I do not think I would have found the ending to be predictable. ( )

This is a middle-grade creepy/scary book. It was certainly creepy.

Spoiler alert: the main character cheats on her homework, which leads to her sister being abducted (and maybe murdered?!). ( )

THE INN BETWEEN by Marina Cohen is a spooky middle school mystery set in an eerie Victorian hotel in the Nevada desert.

When Quinn and her best friend’s family stop for the night at a creepy hotel, strange things begin to happen. An unpredictable elevator, mysterious hotel guests, and disappearances are just the beginning. When Quinn and her best friend try to escape from the hotel, they realize that the hotel is much more than just an overnight destination.

Librarians will find the book popular among middle grade students who enjoy mysteries filled with twists and turns. Although scary enough to keep readers on the edge of their seats, the plot uses suspense rather than horror to keep the adventure interesting.

To learn more about the author, go to http://marinacohen.com/.

Published Roaring Brook Press, an imprint of Macmillan on March 22, 2016. ARC courtesy of the publisher. ( )