This book is very interesting! The maladaptive day dreaming is a very interesting look into the mind of the author. The MC is flawed and relatable with a fresh take on fantasy and reality!

Such an interesting twist and interpretation. I have several readers who will enjoy this and I cannot wait to recommend it!

Thank you so much to NetGalley for giving me the chance to read this adventurous and inventive story early. Reminiscent of other transmigration novels (novels where the reader, or writer in this case, winds up in the story) I’ve read, I really enjoyed this new take. Zoe is an incredibly relatable protagonist, within whom many of us can find parts of ourselves, and it was great to see her interact with her own character and realizing that she created something real. I really enjoyed seeing how the story progressed and, while it was a little predictable at times, it never lost its sense of adventure and fun.

This book was fine; it's a pretty quick read. As other reviewers have said, the plot and characters are there, but the writing could use some work. The opening in particular was abrupt and didn't quite make sense. I loved the ideas in the book, but I think other writers have done the "books are alive" trope better. The cover also does the book a disservice, as it is probably the least reflective piece of plot they could have used.

I'd like to thank netgalley and the publisher for the eARC I received.

Although the author has a very interesting imagination and the storyline is unique, this just wasn’t to my taste.

I wish to make it clear however that I can see why others would really enjoy this book, however for me it was just one of those times where you just cannot get into the story so definitely a me problem and not an author/writing style/plot/character problem.

For me, I find it really hard to invest in stories that feature vampires unless I am blown away by the plot. There is only one vampire novel this year that I have rated 5 stars. So in the interest of fairness I am going to rate this novel down the middle - 3. As I do not wish for my strong personal preferences to negatively affect this author as I truly believe that there is much about this story that others would enjoy.

2.5 Stars
This was a good story and had all parts necessary to create a story. It was also a quick read. Now, to me it read more like a New Adult book and not an adult (if that makes sense.) The writing felt a little younger than what I was expecting for an adult oriented, but it was still good. Other than that I enjoyed the story and the idea behind it.

A fantastic concept written by an obvious novice with great potential.

The Inner Temple follows the life of Soe, a barber in London whose therapist thinks she has maladaptive daydreams. Zoe, however, just thinks she's easily distracted thinking about the book she's been writing in her free time, loosely based on the caves she visited as a child. Yet, in Zoe's version, that's where a kingdom of vampires dwell, all of whom are ready to escape back into the human world. Just a story, Zoe thinks. Yet, when Zoe starts to notice some odd occurrences, even odder because of how they resemble her writing, Zoe is left to wonder if her stories are actually remaining on the page. If this is the case, there is no denying that no one is safe anymore.

Before I say anything about The Inner Temple, I need to give serious props to the author. For someone who I don't believe studied writing to come out with a debut book this good is impressive and truly something to be proud of. Zoe as a character is likeable: a lover of animals, a girl with a kind heart and shy exterior, overall someone who wants to do the right thing. She's certainly active, and she's driving the story, and even has a character arc and important realization at the end. There was a plot to follow, there was a climax, and all of the basic elements you need to build a story. I don't want to gloss over any of these details. Yet, the writing itself could definitely benefit from some polishing.

To be perfectly blunt, The Inner Temple had far too many adjectives, over explained character actions and reactions, and told instead of showed most of the characters' emotional states. In other words, this makes for some solid middle-grade writing, and I would actually love to see this author try her hand at that genre because I think her style naturally fits it. For an adult novel, however, it reads like an extremely inexperienced writer. Usually, once you hit adult fiction, even YA fiction, you do a lot less telling of character emotion states and leave it up to reader interpretation. Same with character motives, (i.e. I don't need you to explain to me you picked up the dog to comfort her, I know that you're comforting her when you pick her up). Consequently, despite all of the positives I listed above, the read felt a little clunky all throughout.

Ultimately, we have good characters, a linear plot, and some rudimentary writing mistakes that I don't hold against the author at all. Instead, I want to complement how smoothly she moved between Zoe and Ivy, which isn't something that could be accomplished without some skill. I just think her style is better suited for a younger audience, or she needs to learn to cut the excess information from her writing.

I received a free copy of this book, and this is my honest review.