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Shattered World #1
Splintered Mind: Shattered World, Book 1
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.
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.
Audible Audio
First published October 5, 2024
About the author
W.R. Gingell
47 books1,119 followersW.R. Gingell is an Australian 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.
She lives in a refurbished 1970s Bedford Bus in the south of Tasmania, where she spends her time reading, drinking a truly ridiculous amount of tea, and raising spinach, strawberries, and one small, fluffy dog. Like Peter Pan, W.R. never really grew up, and despite the inconveniences of chronically ill life, is still occasionally to be found climbing trees.
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She lives in a refurbished 1970s Bedford Bus in the south of Tasmania, where she spends her time reading, drinking a truly ridiculous amount of tea, and raising spinach, strawberries, and one small, fluffy dog. Like Peter Pan, W.R. never really grew up, and despite the inconveniences of chronically ill life, is still occasionally to be found climbing trees.
You can sign up to the The WR(ite) Newsletter by following the link!
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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 85 reviews
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July 16, 2024only 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!
expect nightmares, madmen, purple plaid pants and SO MANY TENTACLES in Melbourne Between!
Read
July 23, 2024I 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.
September 6, 2024
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!
I look forward to reading the rest of the series!
August 9, 2024
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--
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--
April 18, 2026
see the problem is that every new gingell series i read just makes me yearn for petyeong 😂 no but really this was very fun and a very different dynamic to any of the behind + between adventures before, and I liked that about it! can't wait to see what chaos will come next.
*content warnings for violence and some intense imagery
*content warnings for violence and some intense imagery
October 1, 2025
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)
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)
February 9, 2025
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!
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!
August 20, 2024
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.
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.
November 10, 2025
“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. 🦑
August 5, 2024
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...
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...
March 30, 2025
This was very disorienting
What even was that ending?!
Yet I want more
What even was that ending?!
Yet I want more
October 21, 2024
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.
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.
July 20, 2026
I absolutely loved this book! It's another delightfully weird and wonderful read from author W.R. Gingell. It was so great being back in the world of Between and Behind with new characters and a new setting.
In the beginning of the story, Viv was clueless about the paranormal aspects of the world around her, so it was really interesting seeing her discover it. Jasper and Luca were very interesting and mysterious characters for very different reasons. I was eager to learn more about them.
This was exactly the kind of book I needed at the time. I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys twisty urban fantasy. It might be helpful to have read some of Gingell's other Between and Behind books, but it does stand alone. There's no language or spice, but there is quite a bit of violence. It ends on a bit of a cliffhanger, so I'm diving right into the next book!
In the beginning of the story, Viv was clueless about the paranormal aspects of the world around her, so it was really interesting seeing her discover it. Jasper and Luca were very interesting and mysterious characters for very different reasons. I was eager to learn more about them.
This was exactly the kind of book I needed at the time. I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys twisty urban fantasy. It might be helpful to have read some of Gingell's other Between and Behind books, but it does stand alone. There's no language or spice, but there is quite a bit of violence. It ends on a bit of a cliffhanger, so I'm diving right into the next book!
September 12, 2024
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!
January 8, 2025
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. 🤷🏻♀️
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. 🤷🏻♀️
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 11, 2025
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 :) .
I’m interested in reading the next book as soon as I get another deal Kindle Unlimited :) .
March 20, 2026
Gingell presents a liminal zone between modern life and the otherworldly, creating an urban fantasy thriller that conjures the unsettling contrast between the once-human and never-human.
When Viv attempts to protect a child from an escaped dog, she doesn’t expect it to end in a job offer from Jasper Renner, scion of the wealthy Renner dynasty. In need of a better paying job, she tentatively accepts; however, instead of the days spent fielding calls and managing appointments she expects, her first task is assisting Jasper in interviewing a murderer confined to the basement of a supposedly abandoned asylum about people who have allegedly been replaced with copies.
Gingell’s setting is a modern-day Melbourne with a supernatural presence that most people are unaware of. However, rather than the variations of mythical creatures that form the supernatural community in many urban fantasy novels, Gingell’s non-humans are the product of another realm or the intersection of it with this one; thus, for example, while someone might be described as vampiric because they can drain energy or using glamour to appear impeccable, the world is not presented as distinct species such as vampires and fae. As those who are aware of the non-human assume Viv is pretending confusion for her own schemes, wish to manipulate her, openly change their stories, or otherwise don’t provide clear and comprehensive explanations, the reader is presented with a world more mysterious than the common “werewolves are pack, vampires are loners, demons are misunderstood” setting.
Exactly how the supernatural lives secretly among ordinary human society is also hinted at but not fully explained. In contrast to the common approaches of either non-humans all hiding even from the authorities or there being an arrangement with a secret government agency to ensure secrecy, Gingell presents the reader with the fragments Viv comes across, presenting an image of Renner having access to the rich and powerful of Australia but not seeming to be part of government himself, of at least one other organisation that might or might not be government-sanctioned also actively involved in non-human matters, and of individuals potentially having specific personal reasons for not revealing their true nature publicly. As Viv’s gleanings are mostly inferred from interactions that she doesn’t fully understand and that might not be honest to begin with, this both adds to the sense of the mysterious and creates a clear implication that there are reasons why the supernatural remains secret without risking an individual reader losing immersion because they spot a seeming issue in the specific methods.
The plot is woven of two main threads: first, the investigation of a series of reports by various people that an acquaintance or neighbour has been replaced with a copy without anyone else noticing; second, Viv’s more personal efforts to work out how to function in this newly revealed world as Renner’s employee and at all if she neither knows anything about the it nor has specialist experience as a mundane investigator.
The investigation is an engaging supernatural detective thriller, with both the questioning and the danger made more tense by Viv’s lack of complete information on the world and her colleagues specific motivations, and her uncertainty whether she was recruited, as implied, to provide an utterly human perspective or whether there is some deeper reason why she specifically was chosen.
Viv is a sympathetic protagonist, motivated by a mixture of wanting to stop bad things if they are happening and a need for a reasonable income that makes her feel like a decent person without veering into being a saintly martyr. Gingell skilfully presents her assumption of the mundane in fine grain rather than a binary, avoiding the traps of her implausibly either accepting the supernatural without question or willfully refusing to accept the clearest evidence of its existence in favour of an internal struggle between the intellectual acceptance that weirdness exists and the instinctive reactions created by a lifetime of everything supposedly having a scientific explanation.
The supporting cast are engaging, each displaying strong hints of unique drives beneath the surface and each presenting their mysteriousness in a different way, making them seem like individuals whose full self is currently hidden from Viv rather than simply members of the set of non-humans. The one major supporting character who is entirely mundane, Viv’s dad, also displays a division between what he presents as wanting or doing and what he seeks but conceals his motivations less well from Viv, both strengthening the sense that the situation isn’t deceitful invaders vs honest humans and demonstrating that Viv’s confusion is from the strangeness of the situation and not a lack of emotional insight.
Overall, I enjoyed this novel greatly. I recommend it to readers seeking urban fantasy that focuses on the weirdness of encountering the Other rather than how creatures from folklore might live in modern cities.
When Viv attempts to protect a child from an escaped dog, she doesn’t expect it to end in a job offer from Jasper Renner, scion of the wealthy Renner dynasty. In need of a better paying job, she tentatively accepts; however, instead of the days spent fielding calls and managing appointments she expects, her first task is assisting Jasper in interviewing a murderer confined to the basement of a supposedly abandoned asylum about people who have allegedly been replaced with copies.
Gingell’s setting is a modern-day Melbourne with a supernatural presence that most people are unaware of. However, rather than the variations of mythical creatures that form the supernatural community in many urban fantasy novels, Gingell’s non-humans are the product of another realm or the intersection of it with this one; thus, for example, while someone might be described as vampiric because they can drain energy or using glamour to appear impeccable, the world is not presented as distinct species such as vampires and fae. As those who are aware of the non-human assume Viv is pretending confusion for her own schemes, wish to manipulate her, openly change their stories, or otherwise don’t provide clear and comprehensive explanations, the reader is presented with a world more mysterious than the common “werewolves are pack, vampires are loners, demons are misunderstood” setting.
Exactly how the supernatural lives secretly among ordinary human society is also hinted at but not fully explained. In contrast to the common approaches of either non-humans all hiding even from the authorities or there being an arrangement with a secret government agency to ensure secrecy, Gingell presents the reader with the fragments Viv comes across, presenting an image of Renner having access to the rich and powerful of Australia but not seeming to be part of government himself, of at least one other organisation that might or might not be government-sanctioned also actively involved in non-human matters, and of individuals potentially having specific personal reasons for not revealing their true nature publicly. As Viv’s gleanings are mostly inferred from interactions that she doesn’t fully understand and that might not be honest to begin with, this both adds to the sense of the mysterious and creates a clear implication that there are reasons why the supernatural remains secret without risking an individual reader losing immersion because they spot a seeming issue in the specific methods.
The plot is woven of two main threads: first, the investigation of a series of reports by various people that an acquaintance or neighbour has been replaced with a copy without anyone else noticing; second, Viv’s more personal efforts to work out how to function in this newly revealed world as Renner’s employee and at all if she neither knows anything about the it nor has specialist experience as a mundane investigator.
The investigation is an engaging supernatural detective thriller, with both the questioning and the danger made more tense by Viv’s lack of complete information on the world and her colleagues specific motivations, and her uncertainty whether she was recruited, as implied, to provide an utterly human perspective or whether there is some deeper reason why she specifically was chosen.
Viv is a sympathetic protagonist, motivated by a mixture of wanting to stop bad things if they are happening and a need for a reasonable income that makes her feel like a decent person without veering into being a saintly martyr. Gingell skilfully presents her assumption of the mundane in fine grain rather than a binary, avoiding the traps of her implausibly either accepting the supernatural without question or willfully refusing to accept the clearest evidence of its existence in favour of an internal struggle between the intellectual acceptance that weirdness exists and the instinctive reactions created by a lifetime of everything supposedly having a scientific explanation.
The supporting cast are engaging, each displaying strong hints of unique drives beneath the surface and each presenting their mysteriousness in a different way, making them seem like individuals whose full self is currently hidden from Viv rather than simply members of the set of non-humans. The one major supporting character who is entirely mundane, Viv’s dad, also displays a division between what he presents as wanting or doing and what he seeks but conceals his motivations less well from Viv, both strengthening the sense that the situation isn’t deceitful invaders vs honest humans and demonstrating that Viv’s confusion is from the strangeness of the situation and not a lack of emotional insight.
Overall, I enjoyed this novel greatly. I recommend it to readers seeking urban fantasy that focuses on the weirdness of encountering the Other rather than how creatures from folklore might live in modern cities.
July 10, 2025
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!
August 25, 2025
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.
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.
June 1, 2026
Wow!! This first book has me hooked I thought the between series was my fav but the way this first book sets up the series may just bump this up to new fav! I love the sarcasm, the morally gray character of Luca I love him and I know I shouldn't! Viv is great too!
August 1, 2024
my head is spinning and theories are running through my head(that ending??) but I am PUMPED to be back in this world.
November 20, 2024
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.
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.
January 14, 2025
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.
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.
Want to Read
April 1, 2025$1.99 Kindle sale, April 1, 2025.
January 5, 2025
A very strange book, but I kind of enjoyed it.
May 8, 2026
What a disappointment.
The first half of the books was interesting, though confusing. With the hope that you'll find the explanations later on. Or that some world building will come soon. By the end you realise: its not gonna happen. No explanations. No wordbuilding. No answers. Except who the baddy were, which was quite obvious due to his name.
The MFC is patently unintelligent and non-intuitive. She stumbles through life as a pain-ridden doormat. First for her family at their company, then for her father and lastly for 2 new men in her life.
The only time she tried to complain (once!) she was IMMEDIATELY bought and paid for. What a slap in women all over's face. She was bought.
I did loved the chronic pain sideline story, but we were NEVER told what happened. Just that it was an accident at work.
Now. About the 2 men or MMCs.
(If the spoiler tags do not work... warning, spoilers ahead.)
My guess is she's going to end up with one of these 2 and I have no interest to read more about such female stupidity. They're not even attractive or cool or good people. They are both loathsome creatures.
The other female characters seemed no better at all. The MFC is so starved for attention, she sees the less vile acts from awful people as "sweet" and think that means they like her.
Its been quite a while since I read about such a complete doormat. With zero self preservation skills. No self awareness. No intuition or ability to connect the glaringly obvious dots.
Only reason I finished the book was because I loved the emotive and descriptive writing and wanted to find the answers about what each of them are, what will happen to the surviving victims and see how the MFC eventually stand up for herself. It didn't happen. No answers were given.
I will not continue the series.
The first half of the books was interesting, though confusing. With the hope that you'll find the explanations later on. Or that some world building will come soon. By the end you realise: its not gonna happen. No explanations. No wordbuilding. No answers. Except who the baddy were, which was quite obvious due to his name.
The MFC is patently unintelligent and non-intuitive. She stumbles through life as a pain-ridden doormat. First for her family at their company, then for her father and lastly for 2 new men in her life.
The only time she tried to complain (once!) she was IMMEDIATELY bought and paid for. What a slap in women all over's face. She was bought.
I did loved the chronic pain sideline story, but we were NEVER told what happened. Just that it was an accident at work.
Now. About the 2 men or MMCs.
(If the spoiler tags do not work... warning, spoilers ahead.)
My guess is she's going to end up with one of these 2 and I have no interest to read more about such female stupidity. They're not even attractive or cool or good people. They are both loathsome creatures.
The other female characters seemed no better at all. The MFC is so starved for attention, she sees the less vile acts from awful people as "sweet" and think that means they like her.
Its been quite a while since I read about such a complete doormat. With zero self preservation skills. No self awareness. No intuition or ability to connect the glaringly obvious dots.
Only reason I finished the book was because I loved the emotive and descriptive writing and wanted to find the answers about what each of them are, what will happen to the surviving victims and see how the MFC eventually stand up for herself. It didn't happen. No answers were given.
I will not continue the series.
September 15, 2024
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.
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.
May 26, 2026
I really really really hate books that are deliberately confusing.
It’s a cheap writing tactic and I know this author can do great plots without that bullshit.
It’s a singular FMC POV and she has no idea what the fuck is going on. Therefore we have no idea what the fuck is going on. Maybe I’m supposed to be sitting on the edge of my seat happily waiting for a big reveal?
Yes, I’ve read the preceding series.
I’d tolerate it if there was plot support. A good reason for her to be a) uniquely qualified for this job and b) kept completely in the dark. Neither of these things seems to be true. No rational being would expect someone to function usefully in a state of complete ignorance. Along this line: this male character is an ass that I have no interest in. I’ve checked the reviews and this seems to last for more than half the book. I have no desire to be annoyed for that long.
My next big problem is the fact that this author apparently has a habit of trying to redeem serial killers as if they’re stray dogs that just need a gentle hand and some understanding. This is very near the top of my list of least favorite tropes and lands in my zero tolerance zone.
I like dark romances and will tolerate all sorts of stuff in that genre because there is no attempt of redemption. There’s no attempt to normalize evil behavior. Things are labeled Fucked Up and left at that. Chaos ensues. It’s the redemption thing that gets me.
Also, this book isn’t a dark romance.
Athelas (previous series) was an excellent villain but his redemption arc ruined 10 incredibly good books for me.
To be completely fair, I did not read enough of this book to determine the specifics of this serial killer’s pathology. They aren’t all created equal. Athelas destroyed my trust in this author for this particular issue though, and I really really hate getting into a good story and having it ruined like that. I also really dislike being angry. So I’m out with this and probably won’t try this author again.
I’m an emotional reader and my reviews do not reflect the technical quality of books. This story is full of things that make me unhappy, but that doesn’t make it an objectively bad book. This is a talented author. My dislike for that one particular trope is strong enough to push me far away, especially since it happened twice in a row. I wouldn’t necessarily discourage anyone else from reading it though.
It’s a cheap writing tactic and I know this author can do great plots without that bullshit.
It’s a singular FMC POV and she has no idea what the fuck is going on. Therefore we have no idea what the fuck is going on. Maybe I’m supposed to be sitting on the edge of my seat happily waiting for a big reveal?
Yes, I’ve read the preceding series.
I’d tolerate it if there was plot support. A good reason for her to be a) uniquely qualified for this job and b) kept completely in the dark. Neither of these things seems to be true. No rational being would expect someone to function usefully in a state of complete ignorance. Along this line: this male character is an ass that I have no interest in. I’ve checked the reviews and this seems to last for more than half the book. I have no desire to be annoyed for that long.
My next big problem is the fact that this author apparently has a habit of trying to redeem serial killers as if they’re stray dogs that just need a gentle hand and some understanding. This is very near the top of my list of least favorite tropes and lands in my zero tolerance zone.
I like dark romances and will tolerate all sorts of stuff in that genre because there is no attempt of redemption. There’s no attempt to normalize evil behavior. Things are labeled Fucked Up and left at that. Chaos ensues. It’s the redemption thing that gets me.
Also, this book isn’t a dark romance.
Athelas (previous series) was an excellent villain but his redemption arc ruined 10 incredibly good books for me.
To be completely fair, I did not read enough of this book to determine the specifics of this serial killer’s pathology. They aren’t all created equal. Athelas destroyed my trust in this author for this particular issue though, and I really really hate getting into a good story and having it ruined like that. I also really dislike being angry. So I’m out with this and probably won’t try this author again.
I’m an emotional reader and my reviews do not reflect the technical quality of books. This story is full of things that make me unhappy, but that doesn’t make it an objectively bad book. This is a talented author. My dislike for that one particular trope is strong enough to push me far away, especially since it happened twice in a row. I wouldn’t necessarily discourage anyone else from reading it though.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 20, 2026
Viv is just looking for a job, almost any job. Her back and sciatica are painful 24/7 and she is tired. While trudging around offering her resume she runs into Jasper Renner, the rich and enigmatic owner of the Renner Tea House. He unexpectedly offers her a position as his personal assistant. Oddities often occur around him, but she accepts after an in depth internet search. Viv expects her duties to be managing and meeting privileged and pretentious Melbournians at the Tea House. Instead, she ends up following Jasper into a gentrified Willsmere Estate Retirement Home, that is somehow, simultaneously also a madhouse, the Kew Asylum for madmen. She meets Luca, a homicidal maniac that has been held captive and handcuffed on a hidden floor. A floor that hypothetically may not exist in the human world. Reality is just as illusional at the ancient old tea house itself. It hides many mystifying almost inhuman secrets. There is a small Asian girl, SooAh, who's been little for a very very long time. The wallpapers seem to swirl and change as she walks by, and there are windows that display views that do not exist in Melbourne. In addition, giant grappling tentacles emerge and vanish freely throughout the house. Jasper has her interviewing wealthy & important human victims whose friends have reported them as "different". Viv starts wondering if she is losing her mind, or if its the world around her. Is Luca the lunatic from Kew Asylum, who is now living on the sixth floor, the most stable soul she knows? This Australian Urban Fantasy by W.R. Gingell is, in the words of the author, "heavy on gothica, dark cosy/cozy, and crikeycore". 5 Amazing Stars!!
June 20, 2025
3.75
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?
"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?
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