Between the Lines: A Realmwalker Novel

by Zachary Steele

Some secrets aren’t buried in the past—they’re written between the lines.

In the quaint town of Havenwood, where mystery meets history, seventeen-year-old Ethan Morris is about to discover that his new home sits at the crossroads of infinite realities. As summer unfolds, the veil between worlds grows thin, and Havenwood’s secrets begin to unravel.

Ethan, a reluctant newcomer with a hidden ability to traverse realities, finds himself caught between two worlds – the ordinary life of a teenager and the extraordinary role of a Realmwalker. With the help of Jamie, a talented musician whose melodies can bridge dimensions, Ethan must learn to harness his newfound powers and uncover the truth about his family’s enigmatic past.

But as Ethan delves deeper into Havenwood’s mysteries, he realizes the stakes are higher than he ever imagined. The fate of not just one world, but countless realities hangs in the balance. With shadowy forces closing in and the barriers between dimensions weakening, Ethan and Jamie must race against time to prevent a catastrophic collision of worlds.

Will their bond be strong enough to overcome the chaos of the multiverse, or will they be lost forever between the lines of reality?

If you loved the mind-bending adventures of Stranger Things combined with the small-town charm of Gilmore Girls, then Between the Lines is your next must-read. This captivating young adult fantasy marks the debut of indie author Zachary Steele, promising a fresh voice in the world of multiversal fiction that will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very last page.

Ready to embark on a journey across realities? Step into Ethan’s world of music, magic, and multiversal mystery today!

Genres: Fantasy

263 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 19, 2024

About the author

Zachary Steele is a storyteller with a passion for weaving tales that blend the extraordinary with the deeply personal. From the magical streets of modern-day cities to the neon-lit futures of tomorrow, Zachary’s novels explore love, identity, and the complexities of the human condition, often through the lens of speculative fiction. With a flair for creating immersive worlds and unforgettable characters, Zachary’s stories invite readers to escape the ordinary and dive into the heart of the unknown.

Zachary’s work spans genres, including supernatural mystery, science fiction, and contemporary romance, always with an emphasis on emotional depth and character-driven narratives. Whether it’s an android learning to feel, a witch trying to find their place in the modern world, or a young man discovering long-buried family secrets, Zachary’s books captivate readers with their unique blend of adventure, intrigue, and heartfelt emotion.

When Zachary isn’t writing, you can find him exploring new ideas, working on his latest novel, or connecting with readers who share his love of all things speculative and romantic.

Reviews

[KA Vickers · Rating 4 out of 5]

This started off really well, there's a new boy and his mum moving to a new town but we find out very quickly that his grandparents disappeared without a trace many years ago and it's still a mystery. He has moments where reality seems to change and he doesn't know what's happening. none of this is a spoiler as it's right at the start of the book. We follow him as he settles in, makes friends, meets a cute boy and finds out his teacher is like him. A Realmwalker.

This was a fun read, I actually enjoyed it quite a lot and was interested to see where it would all go. The part that got me was, unfortunately, near the end. It was going really well and then there were a couple of chapters which I feel could have been a bit more interesting from the perspective of the two boys. It makes sense why it was done this way and it was good but I would have preferred that.

The ending leaves it open for sequels or potentially as a stand alone. Would I read another book in the series? Probably, yeah. I'd be happy to see where the characters go from here.

[The Introverted Dodo Bird · Rating 2 out of 5]

\Between The Lines By Zachary Steele is a genre-bending sci-fi mystery set in a picturesque town where nothing is as it seems, danger lurks behind every corner and secrets unravel around Ethan Morris, a seventeen-year-old Realmwalker who can travel between dimensions.

Multiversal mystery. Interdimensional travel. LGBTQIA+ small town romance. All very much my cup of tea. The concept was intriguing, but overall, I found the world-building a little too jejune for my tastes. I never absolutely need clever and unique world-building to enjoy a story. I'm entirely satisfied when super compelling characters take precedence, but it's an either/or situation, and unfortunately, I was disheartened by the fact that I thought the characters were one-dimensional. I simply lost count of the amount of times the protagonist stated that he "couldn't shake the feeling something significant had just occurred," or that he "knew nothing would be normal again," thus, making writing the clunky. The dialogue felt stilted in parts, so it had the unfortunate tendency to pull me out of the narrative.
I struggled to fully invest in the romance. The relationship between Ethan and Jamie blossomed so quickly, without much chemistry or build-up, which was disappointing.

Thank you, NetGalley and Steele Design Studio, for giving me the opportunity to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Carina · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5

On paper, I should have loved this queer, YA multiverse novel, but this was unfortunately not for me. Firstly, the writing style. A simple writing style for YA is common, but it felt very clunky and repetitive. The dialogue didn't read like believable conversations and more like something someone wrote in high school. I also didn't have any attachment to the characters, nor were they distinctive in any way. Their romantic relationship also developed so fast without much interaction. Lastly, the plot also felt a bit predictable and was overall not engaging enough.

Thank you, NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Chris Lewis · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book kept me reading and I really wanted to like it. But there was something missing…basically the whole plot. The characters were interesting. The small town feel was effective. The developing relationship between Ethan and Jamie was a little too convenient but worked. You just wanted more out of the multiverse. Actually, I wanted something related to the multiverse. The book was set up to have a sequel but this one felt like the introduction where you just don’t know what’s happening. The whole book felt like exposition but I still don’t know where Ethan and Jamie go.

Thank you NetGalley for the eARC.

[MarcoPoloReads · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was able to get an ARC for Between the lines; it is a sci fi, mystery, MM, small town romance novel that had an interesting premise. I really wanted to like this more than I did but the writing was very clunky. I lost count out how many times a character would state “..couldn’t shake the feeling something was about to change..” or “…things are about to get more complicated..” this happened so frequently it got rather annoying. I have no issues with an insta love but these MC had very little chemistry and I was far more interested in the side character. The overall world/background to realm walkers is glossed over; there was no build up or suspense. I read this through completion with a genuine interest in how this would turn out, but feel there is more fine tuning to be done.

Thanks Netgalley and Steele Design Studio for this ARC and honest review.

[Mireya · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thanks to both netgalley and the publisher for the ARC copie. This has not affected my review at all, which are my own thoughts and feelings about the book. Also, any negative thing I may say in this review is not an attack to the author, whom I do not know, it is just my view. That said, onto it we go!

In "Between the lines" we follow Ethan, who has recently moved, with his mother, to Havenwood, the town where his grandparents dissappeared a few years prior. She gets a job at the local newspaper while Ethan has to adjust to a new school with new classmates and some tension with them, moreover because Ethan's hiding some weird things that have been happening to him lately. But it's not only him: strange things are happening at Havenwood. Sided with new friends, family and a mentor, Ethan's determined to resolve the town's mystery, the dissappereance of his grandparents and of his own magical abilities.

So, this book was mid. Definitely better than other things I've read lately, but ultimately mid. Albeit, entertaining, with a couple of good twist, a fun read on some parts and fast to go through. And, this last bit, I fear, is what made me not like it more.

And fast we go, because the action stars with Ethan arriving with his mother at Havenwood and it all speeds up from there. He meets Jamie not long after at his (Jamie's) work, then meets his friends who also become Ethan's new friends and some classmates that will create petty conflict. I understand that these are teenagers and the world look different than when you later grow up, but the reason for Ethan's conflict with Tyler (a classmate with whom he shares sportsteam too) seem both too obvious and shallow for me. No spoilers, but I believe the ordeall could have been treated in any other way by the narrative, because there was no indicative, just some passive-agressive comments for a situation that neither of the three could change by the time the truth is revealed. Just my opinion.

But yeah, Jamie and Ethan get together by page 40-ish and love each to the end of the world and back. Nothing wrong with that, but there was barely any chemistry there, and so the "romance" felt empty both at the start and through most of the novel until the end, where they have had more scenes and soft moments together, so it was a little more believable, but barey. Since it had started so soon, it was hard to get into the romance and feel it stood out of the page by the end of the novel.

Another part that could have been better was Ethan's training. So, his abilities make him a Realmwalker, allowing him to see and travel to other dimensions, some of them good, some of them...less good. After some casualties and talks, he finds a mentor, a Realmwalker like him, that is willing to help and teach him so he doesn't end up who knows where and dies because Ethan's not able to control his magic. But it was so repetitive, all telling and very little showing, and quite vage in my opinion. The main goal was to make Ethan control his emotions so he wouldn't travel between dimensions with no control. So, the mentor made him practice breathing exercises to calm himself and such. Every lesson was the same, but instead of showing us the mentor walkin Ethan through the process, or Ethan himself trying it out and seeing if it would work for him or not, he just narrated that "mentor told him the exercise and he did it a couple times to get the hand of it". Like, sure mate, whatever you say. And it's not like we saw anything coming from this lessons, because Ethan didn't seem to get a hold of his emotions when it most mattered.
The repetitive part was also Ethan's days, and I joined it with the previous paragraph because it was: waking up, going early to school to practice breathing, then run track while his tension with Tyler grows (until things happen and it changes) and clasess. Then, maybe, some talking with his new boyfriend Jamie. And like that for various chapters until the mystery started to finally pick up.

And I'm going back to more repetition, because, God🙄, the repetition. Over. And over. And over, of Ethan feleling that things at Havenwood weren't going to be ordinary, or something was definitely happening, and he couldn't help/shke off the feeling that something big was about to happen. We get it, boy, Havenwood's a new place and you can travel to devastated places and such, but it gets boring after the 10th time and annoying after the 25th.

Overall, the characters feel quite one-dimensional and underdeveloped. I could say we get to know a bit more of Ethan 'cause he's the main character and narrator, but it would be a strectch. The same happens what the worldbuilding. Is promising, looks interesting, parallel dimensions is something I always eat up, but in this book, it wasn't delivered as good as expected, the worlbuilding a bit jumpy, not fleshed out and not daring to go the extra mile to make it believable.

Anyway, if this hadn't been an ARC, I would have probably DNF'd. But it was short, the mystery was quite intriguing and Ethan was a likeable protagonist as underdeveloped as he was. It also looked like this could have a sequel (?) or, at least, some other book within the same universe, but I'm not sure if I'll be reading it.

To sum up: could have been better, but it was entertaining, and overall better than some late readings, so a point in its favor.

[Eila · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wanted to like 'Between the Lines' by Zachary Steele. I love scifi & genre-blurring themes, and I'm always on the lookout for more LGBTQI+ representation in literature.

Unfortunately the writing doesn't seem to have benefitted from being reviewed by a really confident editor. There are tons of occasions where the author drops clunky terms like "he felt nothing would be the same again" or "something told him" or "felt things were about to get more complicated" or "feeling something important had just happened". So very 'tell, don't show'. It pulls you out of the story. Unless you're going with one of the characters having some sort of clairvoyant abilities, it just ends up awkward when it's so pervasive. There are lots of ways to create a sense of tension, unease, dread, etc without resorting to this type of phrasing.

Repetition in phrases in general is pretty rampant here; like another reviewer mentioned, you can't go more than a couple paragraphs without “couldn’t help but” and "something told him".

I think younger (middle grade) readers might enjoy this, but it comes across as 'younger' than YA based on the repetition and simplicity.

I think this book was self-published, as the 'publisher' is listed as Steele Design Studio; this could explain the lack of editing?

Many thanks to the publisher & NetGalley for allowing access to the eARC for my unbiased review.

[Owli S. · Rating 1 out of 5]

[I received a digital ARC for an honest review]

Spoiler-free summary: A teen boy and his mother move to his mother's home town, in the hopes of having 'a new start', as well as possibly(?) solve the mystery of his mother's parents disappearance.

Things I liked: the LGBTQIA+ representation

Things I did not like:
Overall, I will admit this book was not for me. I really wanted to have a good time, but I had a very hard time getting pulled into the story due to a few issues.

My main concern was with the flow of the story. All of the events that were happening to the characters happened in a very linear fashion. For example, the MC would meet a person, then become friends with that person. Then they would meet another person, there would be an issue with that person, then that issue would resolve before introducing the next 'event'.

Next, was the characterization. The reader is expected to start caring about the characters very early on, without letting us get to know the characters first. This would not be so bad if that character-building came eventually, but by the end I was still left completely disconnected from all of the characters.

Finally, overall the book just doesn't feel finished. The stakes are unclear, and the book feels like a long lead up to an end that is quickly swept through and over before you know it. The concept is promising, but it needs to be reworked a few more times.

[Nico · Rating 2 out of 5]

thanks to netgalley for the arc -

If I never read some form of "He had a feeling..." "He couldn't help feeling..." "Couldn't shake the feeling that something was going to happen..." again for the rest of my life I will die a happy man.

Unfortunately, this was not the book for me. It was all there on paper to be something I could enjoy, but the sum of its parts just was not an enjoyable experience. The world building wasn't strong enough, the narration and writing felt a little too clunky, and barely any time was spent on developing the characters before they started kissing and falling in love.

The bones of a good story are there and the concept is interesting, it just didn't work for me. It's just my opinion though, and I always say that everyone should form their own before writing something off completely.

[ChristineReads · Rating 3 out of 5]

Between the Lines has a very intriguing premise and the story is interesting. I loved the idea of multiple dimensions and a realmwalker main character.

I feel like this book had all the right components to be a book I would love, but for me those pieces didn't quite come together. Some of the book felt repetitive to me in ways that didn't advance the story in ways I would have liked. I do think this book has an audience out there, but maybe it wasn't quite me.

I did enjoy the main character and seeing things from his perspective as well as his mom, I felt like that piece was unique and added dimension to the story. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC of this book.

2.75/5 rounded up to 3 stars

[Faith C · Rating 1 out of 5]

I pretty much never rate books 1 star, but this was a special case.

I’m like 99% sure the author used AI to help him write this book. And I don’t really care what people do, like if you wanna use AI to write books, then it’s not my place to stop you, but personally I can’t support that and for that reason I don’t think I’ll be picking up another book by this author.

Also, I only read this one because I was given an ARC of it on NetGalley. If I’d known going into it what it was going to be like, I wouldn’t have requested to read it.

It’s kind of a shame, because I think with more effort it could’ve been a cool story. But instead it just feels like an entire novel written by ChatGPT. And kind of poorly, at that.

[Alex Drzewiecki · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for sending me an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I unfortunately had a real tough time with the pacing and narration of this book. Each scene felt like an incomplete puzzle, pieces missing. The writing swapped from point to point with almost no fluid transition. It felt like everything I read needed MORE. This left the reading process feeling really clunky.

[Andrew Peters]

A gay teenager must come to terms with his supernatural abilities while finding his place in a New England small town. Briskly paced and light on YA angst, Zachary Steele’s starter novel in a planned fantasy series is breezy and largely enjoyable.

Read the rest of my review at Out in Print.

[Tanya · Rating 5 out of 5]

His life is going to change when he moves to a new house and his life will never be the same again. He is the guardian who needs to keep everyone safe on both sides of the realm. A brilliant tale of courage and determination to make sure everything ends well in the end
I received an advance copy from hidden gems and really loved where I was taken in this great tale

[Mik Wasiak · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like story and blended writing style a fun read

[Dharini · Rating 3 out of 5]

Between the Lines is the story of teenaged Ethan and his mother, who move back to her hometown, hoping to learn more about his missing grandparents. It’s also a story about the friendships Ethan makes in the mysterious town of Havenwood, and his growing romance with Jamie, a young and talented musician. It’s finally the story of Ethan learning that he is a Realmwalker, capable of seeing and sliding into alternate realities and time periods.

The story was very engaging, with a good mix of plot and character-driven arcs. I felt that the strong connections between Ethan, Jamie, and their friends were created fluidly, even in such a short book. I empathized with all the characters, and am excited to see where the next books take them.

I think there is work to be done to make the narrative tighter - more active and always moving forward. I would have also loved to see more character depth from the start of the story.

Received an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley!