Review: Between the Lines by Jodi Picoult and Samantha van Leer

Between the Lines

Author: Jodi Picoult and Samantha van Leer

Publication Date: June 26, 2012

Publisher: Simon Pulse Simon Schuster

Genre: Young Adult/Contemporary

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Synopsis:

Delilah is a bit of a loner who prefers spending her time in the school library with her head in a book—one book in particular. Between the Lines may be a fairy tale, but it feels real. Prince Oliver is brave, adventurous, and loving. He really speaks to Delilah.

And then one day Oliver actually speaks to her. Turns out, Oliver is more than a one-dimensional storybook prince. He’s a restless teen who feels trapped by his literary existence and hates that his entire life is predetermined. He’s sure there’s more for him out there in the real world, and Delilah might just be his key to freedom.

A romantic and charming story, this companion novel to Off the Page will make every reader believe in the fantastical power of fairy tales.

My Thoughts: This is probably closer to 3 1/2 stars for me, but we don't do half-stars here at Owl Read It, and neither does Goodreads (much to my disappointment).  I didn't feel like it deserved to be rounded down, so I rounded up.

This was an unique story with an interesting idea.  What if the characters you were reading about in a book were sentient and went about their own lives when the book was shut?  What if they were just acting out the story like actors in a play?  What if the main character, the Prince, wanted out?

I will admit, the concept of this book was awesome.  I think any reader would agree that it is an interesting idea and the thought of any of our beloved book characters not being confined to the pages that they were written in is enough to make the fanfiction world go wild.

Like I said, I liked the idea and the premise, but I found that the follow through wasn't so great.  There were definitely times where I felt I had to suspend my belief a bit too far.  I also felt that the pacing off the novel was a little off at times.  I did read it pretty fast and there were some pretty awesome illustrations throughout.

I also had a hard time connecting to the characters.  I seemed to be okay with Delilah in general, but every other character in the book I didn't really care too much about.  Even Olly, the Prince in need of rescue, didn't inspire much feeling from me.

All in all, I am glad that I did read it (it has been sitting on my shelf for a while).  If someone was looking for a light, quick read I would probably recommend it.