Splintered Mind

Shattered World #1

by W.R. Gingell

Viv just wants work—any work. Well, not quite any work. But she’s desperate enough to accept a job offer as personal assistant to Jasper Renner—the rich and mysterious owner of the Renner Tea House—even though odd things happen whenever he’s around.

She expects to deal with rich, entitled Melbournians and a full business schedule. Instead, Viv finds herself following Jasper into a strange new world where a murderous madman has been incarcerated in a secret floor at the old Kew Asylum that may or may not exist in the human world as she knows it.

Reality is just as worryingly soft at the old tea house itself, which hides a few too many not-quite-human secrets. In one of the downstairs rooms, there’s a little girl who has been a little girl for a suspiciously long time; in the uppermost floor, there are a few windows that show a view that doesn’t exist in Melbourne. And then there are the giant cephalopod tentacles that appear from nowhere and disappear again, seemingly at will…

Now Viv isn’t sure if she’s going mad, or if the world itself has gone mad and the lunatic in Kew Asylum is the only sane person she knows.

This Australian Urban Fantasy is heavy on gothica, dark cosy/cozy, and crikeycore. There are a lot of murders, a lot more u's than you might expect, and some waking nightmares that may affect those with parasomnia.

Genres: Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Mystery, Paranormal, Paranormal Urban Fantasy, Fiction, Fae

292 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 5, 2024

About the author

W.R. Gingell is a Tasmanian author of urban fantasy, fairy-tale retellings, and madcap science fiction who doesn’t seem to be able to write a book without a body suddenly turning up. She solemnly swears that all such bodies are strictly fictional in nature.

W.R. spends her time reading, drinking a truly ridiculous amount of tea, and slouching in front of the fire to write. Like Peter Pan, she never really grew up, and is still occasionally to be found climbing trees.

GOODREADS FRIEND POLICY: I don't tend to friend anyone unless they're a personal friend or someone from my close author circle. I have a limited social battery which needs constant care. If you want to keep up with my reading/writing, you can absolutely follow me here or on pretty much any social media site.

Reviews

[W.R. Gingell]

only two weeks until kickstarter peeps get this book with the extra bits at the end! then everyone else only needs to wait until October 5th to get their hot little hands on it!

expect nightmares, madmen, purple plaid pants and SO MANY TENTACLES in Melbourne Between!

[Suzannah Rowntree]

I just finished reading this in beta, and had a blast with it! The Melbourne-Gothic vibes are perfection and precisely right for this beautiful city, I'm already in love with the new cast of characters, and the themes about creation and personhood are fascinating and resonant. My brain is still in beta-reading mode so I can't say much more at this point, but you're all going to love it.

[Grace T · Rating 5 out of 5]

days since i last yelped at the end of a new read: 0

WENDEE WHAT THE ACTUAL FLIP HOW IS THAT WHERE IT ENDS

WHAT THE ACTUAL STORMS WOMAN

if i don't get the next kickstarter now i will riot. actually make that if i don't get it yesterday. if the shipping from down under weren't so outrageous i would happily shell out for the fancy paperback next time but alas i shall have to stick to amazon all that to say I NEED MOAR

mostly because i am fully obsessed with whatever this dynamic is between Viv and Luca. it's so messy and sharp and tense and absorbing like he's a lightfingered murderer with childhood trauma and absolutely horrific nightmares and she's stubborn and caring and his minder and has an enviable sense of fashion and a less enviable physical condition and troubled parental relationship and the nature of whatever is forming between them is a quantum soup nebula of steel and magic and question marks and did i mention i am obsessed?! I need them to get about ten volumes of slowburn Molly/Vasily-style development because this CANnot be rushed we and they must simmer in it like a delicious baba yaga soup except all those ten volumes must come out in the next hour and i will read them by the weekend and then die because there is no more.

oh and there are also questions to be answered such as: *pause while my mind short-circuits because it can't pick which question to list first* as;ldkfjsaldkfj;laskdj just. all of them. a lot around the mysterious yet lovable and engaging Tea Room staff. and Jasper himself (still haven't fully decided to trust him yet tbh). and Seffy. and what the flip is up with Viv. *mind short-circuits again because THAT ENDING AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA--

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I always love coming back to Gingell's Worlds Between and Behind! This has a slightly different vibe than the others, at least if you're coming to this series having not read the the City Between and the Worlds Behind. Viv is decidedly, determinedly normal, and she is much more reluctant to embrace the new, mad world she's been pulled into than certain previous protagonists. I did like her, though; she's caring and practical and Doing Her Best. Luca and Jasper are interesting characters as well; I'm not entirely sure what to make of either of them (though I think that's purposeful).

I look forward to reading the rest of the series!

[Sarah Seele · Rating 4 out of 5]

reread oct 2025
read it again and it’s so flippin’ good. enjoyed it just as much, understood a few things a bit better (love books like that). this one is gingell at her best, and i am SO READY for the rest of this series

original review
heck yes i want a w. r. gingell aussie urban fantasy with disturbing murderers and hilarious banter and, this time, a fully adult protagonist who knows what she’s doing and doesn’t let herself be taken advantage of (much).

(i read this because i’m putting off reading the athelas series ((because i’m TERRIFIED)) but also i would have read it anyway because it’s w. r. gingell and she literally never misses)

[Claire · Rating 5 out of 5]

HELLO and WELCOME to my favorite genre of book: one that contains a weird little guy.

SPLINTERED MINDS is a perfect new doorway into the worlds Between and Behind. Viv is a grown woman on the hunt for a new job when a chance meeting with a stranger nets her a job, a new place to live, and a live-in murderer. Minding Luca is her main objective, which is hard when the unhinged subject keeps rambling on about fae and magic and what people aren’t truly people. Viv has to figure out the new world she has stumbled into as well as solve a mystery in this new series. Also, tentacles.

I enjoyed Viv as a character so much, and Luca is my favorite type of a weirdo. I am excited for where this series will take Viv and the Tea House inhabitants!

[Christina Baehr · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ll attempt a more thoughtful review at some point but just wanted to say that everything that WR Gingell does best is fully on display and firing on all cylinders in this book.

Also, if you are wanting to get into this very Aussie storyworld that ricochets between fierce found-family and bloody murder, the first City Between ebook (BETWEEN JOBS), which connects to the characters in this one, is free right now.

[Amelie · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Are you human?”

Tentacles, disappearances, and Luca’s gaze send tingles down your spine in this wild addition to the onion-like layers of reality in W.R. Gingell’s Between and Behind.

Sundry thoughts:

• Chronic pain rep! (Sciatica and migraines)
• Viv is hardworking, sensible, plucky, cautiously optimistic, and softly resolute, growing in the good kind of stubbornness and boldness all the time. Perpetually startled but adjusting quickly, she’s an incredibly good sport despite all the wacky things she encounters. (Also yay for a competent adult protagonist!) She’s quite relatable in many ways, actually, and a wonderful heroine.
• Jasper is a mysterious and quirky boss, and I’m very interested to pick up on more pieces of his true nature as the series progresses.
• Luca is…extremely unsettling. And sympathetic. And sometimes shockingly adorable. So I feel similarly about him as I do about Jasper: I’ll be watching closely for every one of his puzzle pieces.
• Tall girl, short guy rep!
• Melbourne: another delightfully Australian urban setting.
• I’d be looking askance at the lunch lady as well.
• SooAh appears!
• Luca loves his golden syrup in porridge.
• Thematic elements: how to navigate your world when everything splinters into a new reality around you, what makes personhood, what distinguishes a good form from an evil form (especially if the creature is trying its best), and how far you should go to help someone who takes advantage of you whether intentionally or not

This first installment in the Shattered World Series sets up everything wonderfully, with a satisfying sort of episodic feel but with myriad mysteries lingering for the further books. I’m certainly planning to find out what’s coming.

🦑 heads-up for sadism, violence, and gore (rather more disturbing than City Between in some ways, at least to me). Magic. Luca makes a rude gesture. Viv references an acronym for the s-word. A married woman flirts with a man. 🦑

[Gordon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another marvellous outing into the Worlds Between, this time starting a series in Melbourne with some genuinely new characters who are not just more of the author's previously successful "types". And as with the Korean series there are some deeper themes lurking on the periphery of vision (with the pink tentacles) waiting no doubt to grab us at a vulnerable moment later in the series. Indeed the denoument of this first book involves a moral quandary with a strong pedigree - but that's as much as I'll say without spoilers.

This book could be enjoyed without reading the previous series. But they are really good so I'd suggest you just get on with it!

There is no overt romance let alone steam. Some gore and nightmarish scenes that might discourage a sensitive reader.

I will say that even though I lived in suburban Melbourne as a kid and have been back a few times, it's been a long time and I struggled to visualise the locations and the feel of the city. The description of locations in the book is evocative rather than detailed. I remember riding the trams, and I remember watching the AFL grand final in a bar in South Bank not far from out heroes' fictional HQ, but that must have been 25 years ago if it's a day...

[Jannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was very disorienting
What even was that ending?!
Yet I want more

[Elisabeth Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh ho ho, I enjoyed this immensely.

Splintered Mind will probably make the most sense if you’re already familiar with W. R. Gingell’s other urban fantasy books (the City Between series, primarily), but I think this book could still be enjoyed as an intro to her stabby Australian fantasies. (But really, PLEASE read the City Between books.)

All Viv needs is a job—preferably not a job as the handler of a murderous lunatic, but you take what you can get in this economy. Missing people turn into not-quite-right people, and investigating that isn’t the most preferred job either, but what can you do?

Highly recommend for fans of urban fantasy, stabby boys, and tentacles.

[Katherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this. Great characters and some really interesting philosophical questions, plus some side forays into things like chronic pain, which doesn't necessarily SOUND like fun ingredients for a novel, but it is. Looking forward very much to finding out more about Luca, Seffy, Viv in the next books!

[Tiffany Michele · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a crazy ride… I looooved the chronic illness rep in this book!! (Chronic pain)
I’m interested in reading the next book as soon as I get another deal Kindle Unlimited :) .

[Shayla Morgansen · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really fun new world just alongside ours! While I get the impression this book reads better if you're familiar with the author's other work, I kept wanting to dive back into Viv's story and loved everything about it. There are tentacles in the Tea House and her co-worker is a psychopath, but Viv isn't going to give up on a well-paying job. Treading the pavement of a lively and vividly detailed Melbourne, she's begrudgingly swept into a paranormal mystery she has no interest in perceiving as anything but normal, thanks very much. She was a great character to follow into this world, and I especially loved her interactions with Luca. I'm looking forward to the sequels!

[Kristen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good read. The kind of paranormal fiction I really enjoy.

I listened to this as an audio book and the Australian setting was a different one for me.

The characters were good, especially poor Viv who was the quintessential "fish out of water" or maybe "deer in headlights" is a better description. She rises to the challenge though and steps into the crazy world she finds herself in pretty well, going along with everything it throws at her.

The cliffhanger ending was a bummer, but I would definitely read more of this series.

The world-building and the characters both drew me in.

[Tess · Rating 5 out of 5]

my head is spinning and theories are running through my head(that ending??) but I am PUMPED to be back in this world.

[Adella Quick · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good one to read around Halloween... Nightmares, spiders, zombie-like encounters and much more, all in a universe we readers of Gingell know and love. And somehow it's still atmospheric and fun.
That ending... I turned the page and I was like WHAT?!
I don't know if this was just bonus content from the Kickstarter but I loved the short story from Luca's POV. I'm really curious to learn more about him and his mysterious past and abilities.

[Noelani · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars because I have no idea what I read. There is a main plot of people being replaced with fake people or not quite the same people. There is a subplot of Viv finding her place in a new shop. But the end was confusing. I’m lost.

What worked for me: 1) The writer’s voice was engaging and the story went along at a quick pace. 2) The reader goes on the journey with Viv and is discovering things as she comes across them. 3) The characters were interesting.

What didn’t work for me: 1) The reader is discovering the world with the main character, but the main character is mostly clueless so the reader discovers hardly anything and ends the novel confused. 2) New names and creatures and corporations/organizations pop up and aren’t explained in ANY way. 3) The world building was in drips and drops. It’s wasn’t fluid so it left me scrambling to figure out what was going on and wondering if I missed something that would make it make sense. 4) It ended on a semi cliff hangar (hanger? geez, I’m tired 😴)

Not sure if I want to read the next one. It’s a confusing book and I wonder if I’m just going to be as lost in the next one. Another reviewer said this book’s world was based on a previous series so I might read that or just pass on this series altogether. 🤷🏻‍♀️

[Maria · Rating 3 out of 5]

So, I love Gingell's writing... it is evocative, full of emotion and atmosphere...
But it is also reminiscent of negative space art, where the writing delicately dances around subjects, telling you what ISN'T rather than what is, telling you the outline of the scene while leaving out details. Sometimes the important details are included, sometimes they are maddeningly and deliberately excluded, depending on the author's caprice.

Yes. I just finished the book. Despite the number of questions answered within the story, we still ended with more questions than we began with, and I am bitter.

Perhaps that's the mark of a book well written.

[Dominique]

$1.99 Kindle sale, April 1, 2025.

[Chris · Rating 2 out of 5]

A very strange book, but I kind of enjoyed it.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ooh this series is off to a wonderful start, and I thoroughly enjoyed this book. We travel along with Viv, who has no idea what’s going on for much of the book. She thinks she understands some of it. She does understand some of it; much of it even, on some level. But there’s so much she’s missing, and she’s grounded and practical and is consequently not very open to seeing the clues for what they are. This sort of character and beginning to a fantasy setting frequently frustrates me. After all I know I’m reading a fantasy novel. I made that choice because I prefer to be outside this world and somewhere else, or to be exploring a version of this world with magic in it. Having made that choice I don’t particularly care to have the story I want to read bogged down for pages and chapters by a character’s persistent refusal to believe what’s in front of them. That didn’t bother me here…or at least not much.

Some of it was that no one was explaining the world to Viv and expecting her to buy into it. She was just experiencing things and processing what she experienced, so it was easy to stay with her. Some of it was definitely Luca and other characters as well, but mostly Luca. Luca is just delightfully and creepily different in a way that makes sense to Viv in the real, non-magical world. There are reasons and labels and she understands and accepts Luca’s oddities because she can mostly explain them to herself. And meanwhile, Luca just completely delighted me…albeit sometimes in a very creepy way that brought me hard up against the fact that I have it in me to want to cuddle someone who might want me dead. I have a cat, so it wasn’t the first time I’ve come up against this bit of self awareness, but that didn’t make it any more comfortable to acknowledge.

This book is the first in a series. I did see some reviews or comments prior to reading that made me think the ending might bother me. It is a bit of a cliffhanger, I suppose. But not the kind that make me want to tear my hair out, throw my Kindle, or give up on ever reading anything by that author again. More the kind that makes me cackle in delight and think, “I can’t believe the author did that!” And “I love it!” At about the same time. And then go happily on about my life until the next book comes out. I don’t mind the latter sort of cliffhanger. I think one component of the good kind of cliffhanger is that the primary plot of the specific book I’ve just read is wrapped up. There may be an overarching plot that is just getting started, or has been going on and hasn’t concluded. But whatever came up that was unique and specific to the book is concluded. Beyond that, it’s hard to say what makes a cliffhanger delightful for me. It may be something that catches me a bit by surprise. It may even be an awful thing, or a very dangerous for a character or characters I care about sort of thing. But if the main plot is wrapped up and I know another book is coming, this kind of ending generally makes me cackle with delight rather than howl with frustration. And that’s the kind of end this one had for me.

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75

"She wasn’t surprised. The world around them wasn’t quite right, but that was probably because nothing was quite right and never would be again, and she had seen and known that and now she couldn’t see things the same way again."

Ah it's fun to be in the world of between and behind again when reading this novel. We get introduced to our out-of-the-know heroine Viv when she runs across an enigmatic and handsome man named Jasper who inexplicably offers her just the things she needs- a job!

Down on her luck with a sickly father to take care of, Viv has no choice but to agree to this strange strangers request to become his new secretary...receptionist...human helper (?) at a unique place called the Tea House. But what exactly is his job, and can Viv survive all of the unsettling tasks Jasper is piling on her with no instruction and high stakes?

Or will this new job and world she finds herself in be more trouble than its worth- especially with a crazed co-worker/serial killer attached to her hip?

[Tony · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just finished this, the first novel in a new urban fantasy series by Australian author W.R. Gingell (I have not read any of the author’s previous books set in the same universe, although I did read and enjoy her more classic fantasy Masque). Splintered Mind has been available as a Kickstarter project, which is how I got a copy. General release is on October 5th.

It was a lot of fun, especially since the story is set in Melbourne (Australia), a city in which I have actually lived (I don’t remember quite so much in the way of monsters, mayhem, and magic, however).

I’m giving this book four stars. I really liked the main character, Viv. There are hints that the author is going to develop a romance with her in the sequels, but there’s not much of that in this volume. There are, however, several darker themes, including domestic abuse and various kinds of trauma (and the author explores the extent to which the characters are responsible for their behaviour, given their situation).

[Sadie Forsythe · Rating 5 out of 5]

I pre-ordered a copy of this book as soon as I saw Gingell had a new series coming out; it was one of my better decisions in life. I do so love her writing. Where I made a mistake in reading this one before the rest of the books were out. Because now I'm sitting here, bereft because Splintered Mind ended on a cliffie, and the next book isn't available yet.

I have always appreciated a practical heroine, and if there is one thing to be said for Viv, it is that she is eminently level-headed and pragmatic. Having said that, I very much appreciated that Gingell didn't drag out Viv's awakening to Behind and Between by making her so grounded in reality that she wasn't able to bend. From a reader's perspective, it is painful to read a main character's denials well past the point that the plot needs to progress. I see this a lot (usually accompanied by some TST antics). So, props to Gingell for walking the knife's edge on this one.

For those who have read Gingell's other Behind/Between books, I'm reasonably sure I caught a few easter eggs, which was fun. I liked the male leads and the realism of Viv's contested relationship with her father. I cannot wait for the rest of the series.

[Kirsten · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't know how I feel about this book. No, scratch that. I do know how I feel. I feel lost. This is my first book by this author. The descriptive sounded right at my alley. But the problem is I don't understand what I just read. I don't mind being along with the main character on a journey of discovery. But at some point, the author has to give more clues so that the main character is learning in real time, but also discerning in real time. At least allow the reader to have some clue, even if you don't give them to the main character, because I felt completely and totally lost this entire book. I was looking for the clues to piece things together and quite honestly, despite the fact that it ends on a cliffhanger I don't care enough to read the next book because nothing was ever resolved for me in this book. It was just an endless journey of nothing and I was left more confused at the ending that I was at the beginning when I was trying to discover what was going on in this world.
I would've rated this lower, however the author has beautiful writing and that was my saving grace to this entire book.

[Neus Pous Flor · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have enjoyed this new foray in the Behind world. The main character (Viv) has real life problems, like being worried about paying rent, her family or health issues. She feels very relatable. While you as a reader have more information than her (I recommend reading the In Between series before this one), you can see how, from the very first chapter, she rationalises all her interactions with Behindkind and justifies them, until she can't anymore and has a very logical breakdown.
Very nice murder mystery setting, well paced and with many interesting characters, some of them already introduced from the previous series.
I would like to mention that it also deals with topics of personhood and living with a health problem and disability, which was a plus for me.
The book does end on a bit of a cliffhanger, though. I'm more excited now to know what happens next, but I know that's not everybody's cup of tea!

[Marina E Michaels · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent, well-told, well-written story

I've read tens of thousands of books. I'm a fast reader and started reading when I was 4.

I used to read every word of every book I started, regardless of whether the book was any good. I felt obligated to finish what I've started.

Imagine how liberating it was when I finally realized I owed it to no one to waste time finishing a bad book.

After that, if I started a badly written or mediocre book, but was curious to know how it ended, I would skip to the end.

It's rare to find a book I enjoy so much that I read every word with pleasure. I re-read old favorites, like Tolkien's Lord of the Rings or most of Pratchett's Discworld books, word for word, but such good books are increasingly hard to find.

Splintered Mind is one of those rare unicorn books that are worth the time to read completely. I look forward to reading more in this series and by this author.

[Megan · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun, but very, very confusing adventure -- and that's already being familiar with the Worlds Behind and Between --which is more than Viv can say, at least on the surface. Unlike the Behind series, there doesn't seem to be much in the description or other marketing materials (at least at point of sale) to even tell the reader it's in the same universe as previous series. I didn't know when I bought it, and wasn't sure until a few chapters in. I can't imagine going in as a completely new reader.

I'm pretty tolerant to being thrown into the deep end and figuring out what's going on, but there's honestly too little that makes complete sense and too many obvious mysteries without nearly enough clues to make guesses at them swirling around. I'm still going to continue on with the series because I've liked the other books, but man I hope the question-to-answer ration gets smoothed down to something reasonable.

[Roslyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first book I've read in a while that I couldn't put down, that was almost wholly unpredictable, with wonderful and solid world-building that I had to figure out as I went, with characters that were vivid and complex, and a plot that felt wholly original. (The closest to this feeling was when I read Katherine Rundell's Impossible Creaturesi>, which I haven't reviewed yet, but which was just as immersive.)

As the cherry on top, it's set in my own city of Melbourne, with a very Australian feel to it. The writing is flowing, rich and immersive. I just had to find and read the next book in the series straight away. I had only read one previous book by this author, Masque, which I'd loved also, but now I need to not only keep reading this series, but catch up on other books she's written.