‘The Space Between Worlds’ is a book that is begging to be adapted for the screen. If Netflix have any sense they’re already knocking on Micaiah Johnson’s door, wallet in hand and contract ready. This is a very modern feeling sci fi adventure with a determined, engaging heroine; an intriguing title; and a great concept. Unfortunately, it’s also really boring.
Let’s start with the concept, because I really did like that. It’s the future, and a brilliant scientist and businessman has proven that there are parallel universes. What’s more, he has devised a way for people from Earth Zero (as its called in the book) to travel to the four hundred or so alternate Earths that are most similar to the one he inhabits. The twist is that you can’t travel to a universe where you exist. What that means is that the people who can move between worlds are from groups with a high mortality rate. Typically, the poor, the under-privileged and ethnic minorities. The protagonist, Cara, is one such person. A young black woman who has died of various causes in 372 of the known alternate universes. Cara is employed to travel to other Earths to gather data about specific events there. The theory being that the knowledge will allow her employers to better predict events on their own Earth and profit from that information.
So, a clever concept which is set up well in the first 20 pages or so of the book. After that, apart from one decent twist, I found the plot completely failed to engage me. Cara is an interesting character, and her strength and ruthlessness have a hardboiled appeal, but the challenges she faces are mostly about trying to figure out if an alternate version of an abusive ex is a nice guy or not. It all feels like a waste of such an interesting idea and I quickly lost interest.
So Netflix, please buy the rights, use the concept and hire some writers who can build a more interesting plot around it.

I wanted to absolutely love this book, and I didn't at all. It started out really strong, and I was really enjoying the first few chapters and then it just started to fall apart for me. I didn't particularly enjoy the writing style - I found it a bit OTT in places and a bit overwrought, and by the halfway point I was sick of the main character and her endless drivel. The relationship between Dell and Cara didn't seem believable and the bad guy just wasn't that bad. The ideas were good, so I gave a star for that, but I was really having to push myself to read this towards the end. Not for me.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

I loved this book. The central premise of being able to travel to worlds where you have died is such an intriguing concept and I loved how Johnson played with it to allow us to see the consequences of actions and choices on the characters. The idea that people who were likely to die were the most valuable traversers also introduces a welcome element of diversity into science fiction which has an acknowledged problem in this area, as well as a nuanced discussion of privilege. Cara was a complex and engaging character and I was glued to her story throughout. I'll definitely look out for Johnson's next work.

Fast-paced, compelling, fascinating, and complex are just a handful of words I'd use to describe this book. I loved the world building, and despite sometimes losing my way a little, loved the traversing and doppelganger elements. Micaiah's writing is fantastic and I'll definitely keep my eyes open for more from her in the future.

If you're looking for a queer sci-fi with elements of travelling the multiverse and doppelgangers, this one is for you.

The writing was so good, so much so that I did struggle to put this book down.

I loved Cara. Her character is strong-willed, curious and mysterious. I love how she broke the golden rule of time travel: never meet your other self.

The plot was exciting, action-packed and it was full of mystery. There was a bit of information overload at the start of the book which was necessary, but it also gave it a slow start.

This book is definitely worth a read if you love sci-fi..

I had high expectations going in (lots of hype!) and was slightly disappointed in a way, but still a great read!

I feel like this book was the perfect book to read after Seven Devils. It has a similar anger, a similar feel of a small power against an insurmountable obstacle. It also shares the feel of Mad Max: Fury Road, set on an Earth after capitalism has destroyed the environment, sapped the planet of its resources, and split society between the wealthy who live in sheltered cities, and the poor who live in sun-bleached deserts ruled by bloodthirsty and capricious warlords.

I’ve always loved the idea of multiverses, of the way things could have gone differently and how that could impact the direction of life in any number of ways. The premise here is that each Earth from the central one – Earth Zero – is incrementally more different. Each changed at a different point or in a different way, but all are fundamentally the same. The same environmental issues, the same power balances, the same people. But whether the people lived or died, their relationships, their life paths – those are almost entirely dictated by luck, and chance.

Cara is a very compelling narrator, one who is constantly struggling to find her place in the world. The knowledge that she has survived when so many other versions of her have died makes her question why she’s different. She carries the knowledge of the dead inside of her, and feels their lives even as she struggled through hers. A chance encounter on a new world reveals secrets that had been hidden on Earth Zero, and helps her to begin to define herself and make herself the person she wants to be, while facing the preconceptions she had about the world and society around her.

I loved the whole tone and and nuance of this. The theme of unforgiving heat certainly felt apt for the days I read it, where we’ve reached new all-time temperature highs in the UK. But there was this wonderful rawness to the description, and you could feel Cara’s emotions deeply in every scene. Her discomfort, her anger, her resolution were all so clear in the text. It’s a very evocative book and I really enjoyed the layers to each section of the book. The fact that at the beginning there’s a clear split between Wiley City and Ashtown, the rich and the poor – and then the religious, the gangs, the victims – is so stark and makes the book seem very clear cut, but as it continues these definitions are muddied and the lines blur. Are the gangs just violent aggressors? Is the current Emperor the worst they could possibly have? Would things have been better had the Emperor’s older, more peaceable brother lived? The book starts with these preconceptions and distinctions, but uses the premise of the alternate worlds to show us that there are facets to every person, and perhaps we might not have seen all of them in the current circumstances, but that doesn’t meant they don’t exist.

I thought the sowing of seeds for later in the story was masterfully done as well, blending important plot points seamlessly with world building so that nothing stood out as obvious on first glance, but slotted neatly into place when it was reintroduced later. It felt the same with aspects of Cara’s personality too, as she is trying to shape herself to fit a picture that isn’t quite her, and she reveals aspects of herself that she’s trying to squash down or cut away so she can fit in. Her strength comes when she accepts herself and who she is in the context of all the different versions of herself she has encountered.

There were lots of little things in it which I felt really made it. The idea of living segregated across different floors in this enclosed city based on wealth and status; the fact that different areas had different diets – the rural religious community ate mostly vegetables and fruits that could easily be grown and stacked, while Ashtown ate meets and root vegetables, and in the city fruits like apples and peaches were grown for decoration because they had the space and the artificial climate.

As I neared the end of the book, I worried it wouldn’t be resolved in time, as I couldn’t see how it would comfortably be stretched into a sequel. I needn’t have – it was deftly tied up and the ending was perfectly satisfying without being overworked. Everything was resolved, and at the end of it I felt like I’d finished something wonderful. This was another reason it was a good follow-up to Seven Devils, where the ending was just the middle of the whole story and nothing could be fully resolved! It was a relief to read something complete.

I will definitely be looking for more work from this author in future!

Briefly:

A high-concept multiverse political thriller almost, with a post-apocalyptic setting and a plot that doesn’t make itself obvious early on but that is still outstandingly compelling.
Cara is a fantastic character, and an openly bisexual black woman. Her relationships and race are woven into the story as she looks at where she comes from and where she belongs now, and it’s really quite tenderly done.
Some trigger warnings should be noted for domestic abuse, drug addiction, and some body horror. The reason you can’t visit another world if you’re still alive on it is pretty brutal.

Rating: 5/5 – This was something really special, and for all its violence, darkness and brutality, there was a warmth and hope that threaded throughout and blossomed at the end. No-one is one thing, and there is no one life for anyone. It’s inspiring.

Cara is a traverser of worlds, a traverser of the multiverse. The only downside is that in order to visit a world, their counterpart must already be dead. In all of the 382 worlds that have been unlocked, Cara is dead in all but 8. Cara is from the Ashtown, a wasteland that was hard to survive – if it wasn’t the lack of resources that killed you, it was violence. The job of being a traverser means she can live in the safety of Wiley City. When one of the 8 remaining Cara’s dies under suspicious circumstances, Cara is thrust into a world that reveal secrets that puts the entire multiverse in danger.

The Space Between Worlds was what I was hoping for and more. It was an intriguing and compelling novel about parallel universes and doppelgängers. It takes place in a sort of dystopian world with a brilliant blend of science fiction where there is a huge class divide between Wiley City and Ashtown. Wiley City takes care of its citizens, it is a place for the rich and a place for extravagance. It views the Mad Max-esque setting of Ashtown as ‘exotic’ and treats as a sort of tourist attraction, appropriating their culture but always looking down on them.

‘Wiley City is like the sun, and Ashtown a black hole; it’s impossible to hover in between without being torn apart.’


The Space Between Worlds has some really great nuanced discussions about class, abuse, identity, race, and colonisation and also about survival. Those from Ashtown are the ideal traversers because citizens from Wiley City have a life expectancy that is too high, and those from Ashtown tend to survive purely because of luck. This meant that there was an opportunity to have those discussions about class and who is typically from those lower classes – black and brown people. The social commentary was spot on.

Cara, our protagonist is fucking glorious – she’s so complex and flawed, she was such an intriguing character to follow. She’s sarcastic, angry, and torn between her connection to Ashtown and her desperation to be useful to Wiley City. She is determined, cunning, and stubborn. She’s a survivor and a liar. I just loved her and her story so much. She has such a great character arc throughout this novel that she truly is the best part of The Space Between Worlds.

‘Why have I survived? Because I am a creature more devious than all the other mes put together… I survive the desert like a coyote survives, like all tricksters do. “Luck, I guess,” I say, because the first thing a monster learns is when to lie.’


The Space Between Worlds also has some superb relationships. I absolutely adored Cara’s relationship with her step-sister Esther – it was a powerful relationship. I also enjoyed her relationship with her loving mentor Jean, who was also a father figure to her. But my favourite relationship was with Dell, her watcher – the person who watches her when she traversers and keeps her as safe as is possible. I loved their relationship and the tension was palpable.

‘Of course, humanity couldn’t just look. We had to enter. We had to touch and taste and take. But the universe said no.’


I’ve already mentioned about how I enjoyed the world and the social commentary but I also really enjoyed the science fiction aspect, and I really enjoyed the subtle addition of the spiritual too and I loved the addition of Nyame and the questions of is she real, it she not?

The Space Between Worlds is a book about survival, identity, class, and race. It has some great social commentary, a formidable protagonist, and an intense f/f romance. It is a science fiction novel that I highly recommend.

*Netgalley gave me an electronic ARC in return for an honest review*

"The darkness is worth it, because I know what waits on the other side."

Where do I begin?

This was an astounding entry from a debut author in a genre I typically avoid in YA because it is often dumbed down for the reader to swallow in a pill sized form. The Space Between Worlds was surprisingly, and thankfully, not subject to this treatment. In both science fiction and arguments of race and classism as well, it never feels like Johnson is speaking down to you. She grabs you by the shoulders and tells you things how they are.

And it was amazing.

The reason for four stars instead of five, is because I felt like the interpersonal relationships could have been a bit stronger, but the story itself was impeccable. Mad Max meets On the Comeup and Stargate: Atlantis. I rarely see stories like this come around, and I am so glad I got the opportunity to read it.

Cara is a survivor. And this is a story of survival.

This is a fantastic thrill ride. I adored this. It is utterly unique. It also has a very unique structure, it is split in four parts which each build to a crescendo, pulling you deeper into the world and the story, handing out plot twists and then a refreshing mini conclusion that keeps the pages turning.

It is filled with immense and detailed world and character building introducing us to the 380 multiverse, how we traverse, the political structure of those worlds, without feeling info-dumpy. We are carried through the multiverse having the details described as we follow out MC as she details her work and the excitement it brings, her past and why it makes her act, think feel the way she does. Cara, the MC, has a deeply flawed personality that she wears like a badge of honour. Her family relationships, her romantic mis-adventures and her love for her work are all detailed and exquisitely crafted, again just keeping the pages turning as I wanted to learn more. I loved learning about all the different worlds and what Cara’s place had been in them.

All this detailed descriptions are mixed with a plot that is not afraid to twist and turn at sharp angles, with reveals that made me gasp, changing all that came before, how relationships were built, how the world and its class system functions. It is just such an elegantly crafted plot which weaves in such timely social commentary on class, race, living with/through abuse, living with an addict, all of which the MC evaluates through her monologue with level of emotional detail and dignity that I found was easily translated for a reader that is privileged enough not to experience some of those issues. It perfectly melds the human stories into the entertainment of a sci-fi story.

The relationships that are built, rebuilt or explored are just fantastic, weaving there way though a high-octaine plot that is part mystery, part David vs Goliath. This is a total gush of a review as I can’t put into words how much I enjoyed this book. If you love sci-fi – go read it, if you love character rich stories – go read it. If you like books that have a power to their writing that leaves you thinking, feeling for the characters – read this book. Its just such a good read.

I loved Cara, who is a gutsy survivor with a grim past which defines her and makes her valuable, giving her a lifestyle she couldn’t have dreamt of. She travels to parallel worlds where there isn’t her equivalent, because that would kill her, so she regularly visits other Earths where there are characters she grew up with – in some of them she has a surviving family – as well as those where her murderer thrives. Having been the victim of violent, abusive behaviour and regularly gone hungry and thirsty, she is keen to stay employed by the Eldridge Corporation. However, she becomes increasingly unhappy in the direction that the company is going. It doesn’t help that the role of traversers – people like her, who travel to parallel worlds – is steadily being pared down to a handful of operatives and the rumour is that in a few months, their job will be automated.

The worldbuilding is well done. I liked the premise and while there isn’t shedloads of science, the explanations offered are all cohesive and make sense. Cara can only travel to 372 of the possible 380 worlds available – and there aren’t more available, as those that become too misaligned from Earth Zero, the original world where the found of the Eldridge company made his breakthrough, they disappear and are no longer reachable. The gulf between the haves and have-nots is far too wide between Ashtown and Wiley City. Climate refugees and the descendants of the people end up in Ashtown, scrabbling to survive. Inevitably they are black and horribly poor, so are kept out of Wiley City by ferocious security. While there is trading between the two communities, it is limited and access to clean water and decent food in Ashtown depends on who you know and how strong you are.

The dystopian world was plausible and well depicted, though not overly original – that was left to the plot, which I thoroughly enjoyed. The dynamic Johnson sets up, where Cara’s traversing uncovers some unexpected surprises that forces her to re-examine her priorities, works well. I thought Cara’s harsh past was very well handled – it could have so easily tipped into victimhood and it didn’t, though do be warned, this book does deal with violent relationship abuse, in amongst the general murder and mayhem. I also liked the hopeless longing that portrays Cara’s romantic yearnings throughout most of the book, too.

The denouement is effectively handled, with plenty of tension as the stakes continue to grow – until the climactic ending, where all the plotpoints are satisfactorily tied up. Overall, this is a really strong debut novel and Micaiah Johnson is certainly One To Watch. Recommended for fans of multiverse science fiction in a near-future era. While I obtained an arc of The Space Between Worlds from Netgalley, the opinions I have expressed are unbiased and my own.
9/10

I completely abandoned the other book I was reading the moment I picked this up, as I was engrossed pretty much from the get-go. I often love stories spanning multiple dimensions, and this was no exception - however, it was definitely not a soothing reading experience. For most of the book I was ready to only give this 4 stars, because it made me feel so uncomfortable and tense - but I found the ending to be very moving and quietly hopeful. The world building (especially considering there are so many worlds to incorporate!) is well polished - by focusing on two areas, rather than a globe-spanning epic, the reader is much more immersed in the story - the stakes are high here, but they're also intensely personal.

The premise and writing for this was done well but i thought that the overall plot could have been tighter and edited a little bit more. The characters were interesting but there were some places that could have been pushed further than they were. This wasn't bad by any means, just okay but i did enjoy it overall.

What a great debut. An excellent sci-fi, gripping and entertaining.
I loved the great world building and character development. The plot kept me hooked and I loved every moment of it.
It's highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

The Space Between Worlds is Micaiah Johnson’s original and enthralling soft science fiction debut and a novel that breaks the boundaries and rips the rule book to shreds all whilst basing the core concept of the book on inter-dimensionality. There are countless fresh, compelling and thoroughly unique ideas and components to it and plenty of exciting developments along the way.

The story is set in a time when the multiverse has been discovered and excitingly travel across it is possible despite there being limitations to it and rules that must be met in order for it to take place. Traversing through these different yet parallel Earths — 380 of which exist altogether — is Caramenta, or Cara for short, who is a sought after employee due to the fact that she is dead in all but 8 of these versions making her the ideal candidate to travel to these alternate realities to collect surveillance data, other information and physical resources to take back to her native Earth Zero. The mysterious figure behind her inter-dimensional travel is Adam Bosch, CEO of the Eldridge Institute and the one who has learned how to use the multiverse for his own ends. But is his ambition fuelled by a desire to improve life for everyone or are there evil, selfish motivations behind his entrepreneurship?

This is a compulsive, entertaining and absorbing read with plenty of unexpected surprises and a cast of fascinating characters; it's also a dark exploration of the consequences that come with inter-dimensional travel and addresses pertinent topics such as climate change and the environment/ecology, poverty, modernity, trauma, class, gun violence, crime, hunger for power, greed and ambition. It'll appeal to those who aren't usually interested in science fiction as it is light on complexity and the dystopian landscape and concepts are gripping and well-executed. It's a rollercoaster ride of intrigue and emotion from the very start with a narrative full of twists, commentary on prevalent real-world issues and some superb LGBTQ+ representation. What more could you want ask for!? Many thanks to Hodder & Stoughton for an ARC.

This is a very accomplished debut novel from Micaiah Johnson. It was a pleasure to discover a new Science Fiction voice that I will follow for years to come. It was difficult to believe this was a debut novel, the writing is assured and the plot perfectly paced. The concept, setting and strong characterisation grab the readers attention from the first page and never let go.
I don’t want to say too much to spoil the plot. I enjoyed knowing little about this novel and discovering a highly original multiverse story with a brilliant cast of characters.
This is certainly a novel that I will want to enjoy again and again. I’ve already be ordered a special limited edition signed hardback copy. Just wish it was the US cover.
Thanks to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for the early copy.

Fascinating and gripping, The Space Between Worlds has a great premise; set in a world where multiverse travel is only possible for a few, those poor souls whose lives are precarious and easily lost to poverty, sickness or crime. Outsider Cara is one such traveller, with the unique accolade of being dead in 374 alternate worlds, allowing her access to collect their off-world data. Only 8 of her doppelgängers remain alive, that means 8 worlds are off limits, until one of her alternate selves is reported dead and Cara has a new destination.

Thrown into an all too recognisable underhand, grimy and violent version of home, Cara discovers she has been lied too and the threat she encounters wears a familiar face. Of course her home world is at the centre of a morally dubious plot & Cara must decide where her loyalties lie.

A multi-layered, gritty romp, dealing with elitism, power, family & abuse, with a f/f attraction for good measure. This is very much a non-stop, character driven story. Overflowing with strong visuals and ideas, sometimes to its detriment and the readers’ confusion. But nevertheless a wild and gritty dystopian rollercoaster ride.

I didn't know anything about this book before I started it, other than it was about the multiverse. The novel uses the multiverse to showcase how class, poverty and wealth are entrenched. The main character Cara is afforded opportunity solely because of how unlucky the other versions of her have been, and this opportunity gives Cara a better class of life that she would otherwise have had. The novel is brilliant at exploring this tension, and the guilt of a lucky unlucky person and the fragility of her new status (how she must remain useful to keep it, and how it is at the mercy of the entrenched middle class society). All of the central characters (and the other versions we see of them) including Nik Nik, Adam, Dell and Esther are well-crafted, and their subtle differences also add to the richness of the story. I'll be recommending The Space Between Worlds to everyone.

This book was such a breath of fresh air. I loved it. To say this is a debut novel is unbelievable. Johnson writes with such conviction and beauty that I want to read everything else she has ever written because I love her style. Cara is an outsider from the lower rungs of society who can travel between worlds (MULTIVERSES people!) because her doppelgangers that exist in the other worlds are all dead.

"Of the 380 Earths with which we can resonate, I’m dead in 372" (I literally shivered).

So their loss is her gain it seems! This story is a cross-dimensional sci-fi phenomenon that explores identity and the sense of belonging. Johnson has written a really awesome protagonist. She is flawed and complex giving her a solid reality that some main characters don't have in other novels. The secondary characters were just as good too, a well rounded group of individuals that grow and develop believably as the story moves forward. Ester was my fave.

I could not put down this story, I was so desperate to turn each page and get to the end only to feel a real sense of loss once I'd finished. This story is very original, playing with the realms of cross dimensional travel and the lore that exists for humans to do so and explaining why they do in the first place, rather than it just being 'because we can'. With the subject matter it's definitely a novel that leaves you thinking and scratching your noggin to get your head around the concept of multiverses, but we've all seen 'Avengers' or 'Into the Spideyverse' so we get the main concept, right? This story seeped into my very soul and found me wanting, I am desperate for more.
4.5 Stars
There will be a full review posted on my blog site https://twwbookclub.co.uk/home within the coming weeks.

“Thinking this way is dangerous. Murder has a cycle just like water. In the same way water becomes a cloud, then becomes water again, when blood calls for vengeance the blood from that vengeance calls too. If you plan to give death, it will always return to you.”

The Space Between Worlds explores a world where multiverse travel is possible. There is one catch- you can only travel to a world in which you are dead.
Enter Cara. Of the 382 realities that have been unlocked, Cara is dead in all but eight.
Cara is a traverser; her job is to collect data from other worlds. When one of her remaining doppelgangers is killed, Cara uncovers a plot that could endanger not only her own world, but the entire multiverse.

A fresh and compelling debut novel, I was pulled straight in to the story of Cara’s many lives. I really enjoyed the story and the concept of multiple worlds allowed for some interesting plot twists.

The setting was richly explored and vivid, from the rough, lawless desert town of Ashtown (reminiscent of Mad Max Fury Road) to the excessive wealth and splendour of Wiley City. Johnson uses the contrast of these neighbouring cities to explore themes of classism and privilege.

Cara was a fascinating protagonist: ambitious, multi-layered and torn between many worlds. The cast of supporting characters were also fascinating, from family to allies to antagonists- we see many different versions of some characters and it is interesting to see their different roles in the story and Cara’s life (lives?). I loved the diversity of the characters. The MC is black and bisexual. There are also multiple PoC and enby characters.

Overall, The Space Between Worlds is a page-turning sci-fi with a ferocious and likeable protagonist and a few slick and satisfying surprises. I highly recommend this well written, emotional and unique debut. I will definitely be on the lookout for the author’s next work.

Content warnings: abusive relationship, violence, past trauma

*Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for providing an arc in exchange for a honest review. As always, all opinions are my own.

I didn’t know what I was getting myself into and I’m glad I didn’t. The Space Between Worlds is a gripping slow burn sapphic Sci-Fi novel. I read through this in about two days straight and I couldn’t put it down once the book had got going. If you like the idea of multiple universes, sapphic longing and twists you don’t see coming? This book is the perfect novel for you.

In Short: Sci-Fi + Slow Burn Sapphic Romance + The Multi-Verse + Mind-Bending Story = The Space Between Worlds

What an incredible world. I have to admit at first I was not only confused but so overwhelmed with everything going on that it took a good 50 to 60 pages for me to wrap my head around the beginning if i’m honest. It felt like there was so much going on and so much that the author wanted to get out that they spent the first few chapters splurging out this wealth of information and characters that didn’t make sense until later on in the book. I think that’s the only problem I had with this book, it knew where it wanted to go but it didn’t know how to explain everything clearly. Though this is a complicated story about multi-verse travelling so it could also be that as well!

The Space Between Worlds is clearly a character driven world. But the problem is the way the characters are introduced, You’ll get a whole paragraph about a character you’re sure you’ve never met before and then 2 pages later you’re introduced to them for the first time. It just feels like a really clunky way to introduce some of the characters? But that’s all it is, a confusing introduction to some of the core cast. But once you’ve met the core cast and you get a feel for who they are and why they’re like that everything settles into place.

Though once you get through that first wealth of information everything settles down and begins to make sense. You start to care for these characters, You start to look forward to when Cara sees Dell or Jean and you wonder where the story will go next. The Space Between Worlds revolves around the same core cast of characters but with their personality and situation changing based on which Earth Cara travels to.

One of the main laws in this book is, if you already exist in a world you can’t travel there. But, what if you could? What would happen if you cope with the pressure from the universe and miraculously survive all the trauma dealt to your body only to meet yourself from another world. How do you think that would go down? That’s one of the questions this book answers in such an excellent way.

All in all, If you’re into sci-fi and sapphic romance READ THIS BOOK NOW!! It’s a fast paced character driven story that has so much action and story that will keep you hooked right until the end!