Between

The Chronicles of Between, Book 1

By: L. L. Starling

Narrated by: Steve West, Emily Ellet

A bewitchingly cozy, fiendishly funny cautionary tale about the perils of gatecrashing fairytale kingdoms—particularly ones with drunken unicorns, bored dragons, and sorcerers in tight leather pants.

Sasha Pierce hasn’t had a single dream since she was a child...until she accepts a substitute teaching position in the charmingly witchy village of Old Middleton. Her first dream in twenty-five years ought to be enchanting, but her wonder quickly turns to shock when she realizes that it’s not a dream at all, but an entirely different sort of magic.

Catapulted through an ancient portal into the fairytale kingdom of Between, Sasha’s astonishment is swiftly upgraded to panic when she accidentally performs a supposedly impossible feat and is declared the True Queen of Between...and betrothed to its infuriatingly handsome sorcerer king.

Lorn, Shadow King of Between, is desperate to break free from Between’s clutches. Magically tethered to the ramshackle kingdom, he wages a daily battle to save his disreputable subjects from rampaging magical creatures, sinkholes, and catastrophes of the distressingly lethal variety. To avoid an early grave, he needs an escape plan, not a wife...until he learns that this magicless mortal holds the key to his freedom.

Unwilling to leave her world to accept the crown—or the husband—Sasha must race against the clock to disentangle herself from this fairytale. But her empty throne leaves a dangerous rift between their worlds. As dark forces descend upon Old Middleton, the two must make a choice: work together or unleash fairytale chaos upon their realms.

Between is the spellbinding first novel in The Chronicles of Between fantasy series. Filled with feisty, fairytale-savvy heroines, swoon-worthy sorcerers, slow burn romance, morose minotaurs, and bawdy witches, it’s a laugh-out-loud fairy tale romp.

©2023 L. L. Starling (P)2023 Podium Audio

Fabulous Story, Narrator Change a Bit Irritating

This is a fabulous new take on a fantasy story! The only thing that thew me off a bit was the fact that it has a different narrator in Part 2. I had a mental image of what all the characters looked like during Part 1, and it took a few chapters into Part 2 to get used to all new voices. I mean both narrators were wonderful, it just would flow better to either have one narrator cover the whole series OR better yet, use both to voice each main character so that their voices don't change. For audiobooks, the sound of a character's voice is an important part of shaping a listener's imagination. To have all the voices abruptly change half way through stunts the overall experience a bit. Still can't wait for the sequel in the fall, but am hopeful more attention will be paid to how the narrator(s) are handled. Again, having both voices for the lead characters would be ideal!

Best. Find. In years.

I never leave reviews but I actually found this book again after marking it as finished just so I can rate it. It's a fantastic book. I am hoping the author brings outs the Audible version when she publishes the second one in Fall. Yes, I stalked her across the web to find out when the next one comes out. Fall 2023.

Please, please, please give us an audio version as well! I need this in my life.

Epic in it’s amazingness.

So good, princess bride worth banter, wonderful narrators,its the kind of book that leaves you wanting to live in a world that is falling apart full of terribly awful lovable creatures. I laughed so often at this book my husband would often look at me like I was crazed. Suffice it to say maybe I am, but I really love this book.

A cross between Harry Potter and Percy Jackson!

Love love love this book. I have listened way too many times! If you love fairy tales but feel a little too old for a princess story this is for you. Fierce and sarcastic main characters, lovable sidekicks and drunk unicorns. Cannot wait for book two to come out!

Love love loved this book.

Funny witty dialogue, likable characters. Perfect male narrator. Totally has a “towel just out of the dryer” voice. The dual pov was entertaining. But NOT happy that there was no HEA yet. Please please don’t torture us and take a long time to publish the next one!!