Zwischen Licht und Finsternis

by Lucy Inglis, Ilse Rothfuss (Translator)

London, heute. Mädchen verschwinden. Und seltsame Kreaturen tauchen auf den Straßen auf. Fast wäre die 16-jährige Lily von einem zweiköpfigen Hund getötet worden. Doch urplötzlich steht Regan vor ihr – gut aussehend, geheimnisvoll und faszinierend. Merkwürdig, dass er ihre seltene Blutgruppe kennt, aber noch merkwürdiger, dass es angeblich eine Verbindung zwischen Lily, Regan und den verschwundenen Mädchen geben soll. Von einer auf die andere Sekunde befindet sich Lily in einem Strudel aus Verbrechen und Verrat, Verschwörung und Leidenschaft, Licht und Finsternis. Fantastisch, romantisch, gefährlich!

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Paranormal, Romance, Urban Fantasy, Fiction, Mystery

400 pages, Hardcover

First published August 7, 2014

Reviews

[Bee · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is the worst. It has as much emotion as a Vulcan slug on Prozac.

“A must for fans of The Mortal Instruments.” Really? Because I’m pretty sure that tag line will do more harm than good. The whole time I was reading this I longed to read Cassandra Clare’s beautiful prose instead of having to read one more word of this boring, uninteresting and badly written crapfest.
So you want to compare it to The Mortal Instruments? Okay, well let’s compare it then, shall we?

First of all, where the fuck is Simon? One of the many failings of this waste of a tree is that it is in desperate need of some comic relief. Also, you need a “normal” person to kind of cut the manure and be all like “hang on hang on hang on. So you’re telling me that fairies exist and there are dragons and whatnot? Let me just take a minute and give some sort of human reaction to all of this by either running away screaming or asking if mummies / vampires / werewolves exist and if anyone can read my mind while I think of naked women.”
All we get in City of Halves (very cleverly named, by the way. It’s not like City of - something or other hasn’t been taken up by a hugely popular series or anything) is two dimensional Sam who is only there to uhm, hang on.... yeah I have no fucking clue what her purpose is as she doesn’t serve any. Also, she doesn’t show up until half way through the book as a “oh yeh, by the way, here’s my best friend who I have pretty much failed to mention for the first 150 pages of this piece of trash.”
And it’s not like Lily (the main character) has any real emotion or reaction to the fact that this fantasy world suddenly exists. She goes from nearly being mauled to death by a demon dog to stalking the guy who saved her and being all badass (in like the lamest non-badass way ever).

Secondly, ever heard of world building? So the author is meant to be a famous historian and she is probably really good at doing history things. But where is the history in this? All she does is mention some random old buildings that still exist, some other old buildings that don’t exist anymore, and some “myths.” I’m pretty sure any idiot with a computer and an internet connection can figure that shit out and write a book about it. Even Dan Brown writes better historical fiction. And he made Robert Langdon take ten pages to figure out that the “ancient script” was actually just English in mirror image.

But the lacking in the historical department is probably down to pretty much the worst descriptive writing I have read in a published novel. And I’ve read some really bad self-published garbage so you can only imagine.

For example, on one occasion Lily comments that some guy looked to be the same age as her Dad. That’s not a bad description. Plenty of authors do that. You know what plenty of authors also do? DESCRIBE THE FUCKING DAD THE FIRST TIME YOU MEET HIM!
As you can probably guess, I have no idea what this Dad person looks like. His name is Ed, he’s a lawyer. That’s it. I’ve read 300 pages of sewage how Lily is creepy close to her old man. And all I know are those two facts. So when the author starts describing men in relation to the Dad, I have no fucking idea!

Thirdly, plot-wise, I can only just shake my head in disappointment and cringe on the inside.
Cringe number 1: Lily and Regan. *high pitched girly voice* Oh my Gaaawd he’s so hot and has tattoos and all I want to do is touch him and have his babies but he probably doesn’t want me because I’m just me and he’s gorgeous him and ooooh my gawd we just kissed and now I’ve seen him nekkid and I’m going to be super uncomfortable right noooow and I’m super in love with him even though I only know him for like, 72 hours or however long this turd of a novel is.
*Grumpy man voice.* You’re the one, Lily. But obviously I can’t let that show. So I’m going to be all mysterious and give you meaningful looks while randomly touching your face and oh wait totally gonna kiss the shit out of you aaaaaaand I’m showing you my butt.

Don’t get me wrong. I like romance. Clary and Jace were intensely flexing their romance muscles for six books! It is seriously difficult to keep things interesting for such a long time. But Cassandra Clare did it.
Lucy Inglis got about a sentence worth. When Lily and Regan met. And then they started talking and things just went uncomfortable.
It’s like when you’re at a party, and the two nerdy kids start making out in the middle of the room, and everyone is trying to avoid looking but it’s really difficult because you know, they’re right there. And there are gross noises.

Cringe number 2: Let me just try and describe this without spoiling it for anyone. (Because Devil knows why you would actually want to read this garbage dump).
She ain’t dead! She ain’t dead! She ain’t dead. Oh and that other guy ain’t dead either! And neither is that other guy! Wow! You don’t say. What a super awesome twist that I didn’t see coming at all!

Cringe number 3:
Oh look there are other people is this novel. And I have no idea what any of them are or what their purpose is (see my rant on Sam) or what they look like. But jolly gosh, I’m sure they’ll be all up in arms when you ever find yourself in a bind!


In conclusion, this book is pretty much The Mortal Instruments vaguely retarded due to incest cousin, from another mother.
The similarities are a plenty: weird hidden world that only members can see: check.
Super mysterious but ultimately totally loyal male love interest: check.
Tattoos: check.
Wise old man / men: check.
Random people who come and help when the final fight happens: check.
Undead parents / relatives: check.
Red curly haired small ungirly girl who’s name ends in a –y: check check check check fucking check.

Elements where City of Halves horribly fails: romance, pacing, thrills, humour, describing the fucking characters, language, giving the main character any sort of personality, historical interestingness, everything else.

The only plus of City of Halves: it has dragons. Which would be superduper fun if the dragons actually did something awesome. Or looked awesome. Or said something awesome. But I wouldn’t have a fucking clue what these dragons do, other than sit on top of buildings. Oh and to be fair, they did rip the shit out of a van but that scene was as thrilling as crossing the road when the pedestrian light is green, on a Sunday morning.


Now excuse while I kick the shit out of this novel and then set it on fire. That’ll probably entertain me more than the actual contents.

[Pamela (Here to Read Books and Chew Gum) · Rating 1 out of 5]

There is only one thing I felt after finishing City of Halves... Why? Why did anything in this book happen? Some of the ideas were cool, and in the hands of a much more talented writer, this book would honestly have had some potential - but nothing in this novel went anywhere, or meant anything. Also, what is with teen fiction these days and irresponsible parenting (the parents *in* the stories, not parents who let their children read them)?

Meet Lily, a generic, pretty blonde who is totally pretty, but totally doesn't think she's pretty, but who her friends and family constantly tell she's pretty, but she's totally so modest that she will never admit that she's pretty. Lily falls for the hunky broody guy with all the tattoos who is apparently handsome, but all I know about him is that he has tattoos and an 'angular' face. Lily also has a Dad. He is claimed to be a human rights lawyer (although he only seems to cover white-collar crime) who uses his daughter's 'hacking' skills to violate people's human rights. His name is Ed. That's all I know about him.

These humans live in an alternate future where healthcare is no longer free and struggling 'human rights' lawyers can afford to live in Temple and go out for dinner every night. Lily tells us that her Dad isn't wealthy, so to live the way they do (new phones and laptops for Christmas?) this alterna-London must be very different from the one I lived in! Set primarily within the boundaries of the London Wall, it turns out that every myth and legend you've ever heard about is real. Literally, every single one. It's like Lucy Inglis took a crowbar to the top of her novel, prised it open, and just shovelled that shit in there. She introduces so many characters who are only in the book for a page that I didn't know who was who anymore! There was just too much information with too little actually happening.

The main antagonists of the plot, a shadowy group known as 'The Agency' make almost no sense. Lily and her hunky BF Regan, of course, have to thwart their completely illegal, immoral, and inhumane plot to...cure cancer? I wish I were kidding. The bad guys in City of Halves are trying to cure cancer. But, somehow all of this has to do with a prophecy in which Lily will be the one drive back the Chaos. The prophecy and the Chaos War become the driving force of the last quarter of the novel but have literally nothing to do with the plot. Literally. Nothing. I've thought about it long and hard, and managed to make a connection to two pages at the end of a chapter involving a stone, but that was all. Also, given that the prophecy didn't come true in any sense of the word, Lily saved nothing (ok, I guess she *did* move a stone), and SPOILER ALERT hunky BF doesn't die, the Prophecy part of the novel served no function.

I was going to write more and have a good old rant, but I thought to myself once again...why? Why waste even one more precious second of my life on this garbage? If anyone reads this review, please do yourself a favour, never, never, ever read City of Halves.

[Kristen]

I can't do it. I tried.

DNF

[Farah Mendlesohn · Rating 1 out of 5]

Abandoned.
-protagonist white girl with super rare blood group associated with the Indian sub continent
-“half breed” super natural creature
-West Indian Rastafarian obeah street cleaner who talks in cod dialect (can you *be* obeah and Rastafari? I honestly don’t know)
-Punjabi man “he had a pockmarked face with a large hooked nose” “his accent was a sing-song lilt” (p. 81)
-and by the way Ms Inglis a “traditional tunic and trousers”
is called a salwar kameez and if you can trust people to cope with made up names for supernatural creatures you can trust them with the correct name for an outfit seen and on sale in London for the past fifty years.

[Lucy Saint-smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is somewhat like City of Bones (Cassandra Clare) meets Neverwhere (Neil Gaiman). It was an enjoyable urban fantasy romp, written by someone who clearly knows London very well - I wasn't surprised to find out that she is an historian of the city. The main character, Lily, is clever, independent and likeable, if conforming to the trope of being tiny, thin and easily lift-able! The hero, Regan, is a less irritating version of Jace from the Mortal Instruments, and I was delighted to discover there was no tedious love triangle.
I have lived in London for most of my life, and at one point was an archaeologist studying it, and I loved the way this book invoked places that I know and things I have researched. It has the little details that only someone who loves the city and its history would think to put in. I loved the grotty and ancient looking shops that have secrets in them, because I can think of several very dated looking shops that haven't changed in 20 years and I have often imagined just such a thing about them.
I have to say, that although I gave this book five stars because I enjoyed it so much, it is quite flawed. It has the feel of something that was once much larger, and has been heavily pruned. It felt rushed. There are too many characters, and you don't get to spend enough time with each of them. Each character is a brilliant idea, even in a few cases being quite original, but having so many of them made it feel like you were jumping from place to place and making each character only a sketch, rather than a fully rounded person. I would have liked to have gotten to know the ghostly book shop owners a lot better, for example.
I felt the exposition at the beginning could have been a lot subtler, and the ending could have been a bit clearer - it may have been because I was reading it really fast, but I was left feeling uncertain about which characters were still alive, which was perhaps deliberate, but a bit annoying.
Overall I enjoyed this book immensely, despite its flaws. What I would really like to see is the author come back to this book and expand it into a trilogy, because I feel there was easily enough space for that in the plot, and that would have given time to explore the different characters and the events and obstacles in the book, which were perhaps surmounted a little too easily. That being rather unlikely to happen, I would settle for a sequel.

[Charlie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was fun and I enjoyed it but it wasn't anything special.

[Kirsti · Rating 1 out of 5]

Eh. Bad books somehow don't make me angry, instead they just make me sleepy and over it. This book has a tagline comparing it to the Mortal Instruments saga. Now I've only read the first two or three (the fact that I can't remember where I put them down is the reason I've never completed the set) and I can't see any comparison to them whatsoever. I hate when advertising companies choose to do this, it gives you unrealistic expectations. But anyway, apart from this one thing, I'll tell you why I didn't like this book.

My first thoughts were that this book lacked emotion. The story is we did this, then that happened. Then something else happened. Then another thing happened. There is so little connection to any of it, that it was like watching an action movie on mute. You could see explosions and deaths happening, but you didn't even know their name, so why care?

I think the lack of emotional connection was purely from the bland writing. Lily could have been anyone, she simply had no personality except for a link with technology. She tells Regan he should have more friends, and yet seems to have no connection with anyone else herself. It was hard to grow to care about her struggle against the prophecy when she was so one dimensional.

The romance. Bleh. Typical no reason but the special snowflake character attracts in male attention despite not being particularly good looking or talented (according to herself) while all her 'classmates' since they aren't friends goggle in awe. He plays the brooding boyfriend accordingly, and of course there is the typical dad reaction of oh no tattooed 19 year old stay away from my innocent daughter! Why, she's never shown any interest in boys before! Lame. I wanted something new and fresh, not recycled rubbish that was never a good formula in the first place.

Yeah, suffice to say I didn't enjoy it. I read so much YA that the bad ones stand out even more. If this could be called YA, at points it seemed so childish, especially the romance, that I long to strip it of that title. Not going to recommend it, unless you like the generic YA types.

[Gracie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this book, at the beginning I did expect it to be a lot like the mortal instruments series. However when you start reading it gets very interesting, I like how well the story is written. I could really picture the scenes and characters. The story really interested me and I finished it really quickly.

I only hope that we will get another book, I really want to read more about Regan and Lily's story.

[Lenas Welt der Bücher · Rating 4 out of 5]

Meine Meinung:
Ich habe schon lange mit dem Buch geliebäugelt, durch die ganzen positiven Stimmen. Deswegen habe ich mich sehr gefreut, als es bei mir angekommen ist und habe es sofort verschlungen.
Das Buch startet eher etwas holprig. Ich musste mich erst einmal zu Recht finden und mich an die Charaktere gewöhnen.
Die Protagonistin Lily ist ein Computernerd und sie hilft ihrem Vater bei Ermittlungen, denn dieser ist Rechtsanwalt. Ich fand es klasse, dass ein Mädchen ein Computernerd ist und nicht klassischerweise ein Junge. Ich musste mit Lily aber erst warm werden. Erst hatte ich die Vermutung, dass die Charaktere sehr flach sind aber nach und nach hat man mehr über sie erfahren und konnte mit ihnen mitfühlen.
Regan der aus dem nichts auftaucht konnte ich überhaupt nicht einschätzen. Er hat sich sehr geheimnisvoll verhalten und ich wusste nie ob er gut oder böse ist.
Die Geschichte ist sehr rasant. Man wird in das Geschehen geworfen und bekommt kein Zeit zum Luft holen. Es passiert super viel und es gibt Wendungen mit denen ich niemals gerechnet hätte.
Der Schreibstil der Autorin hat mir gut gefallen. Ich brauchte erst ein paar Seiten um reinzukommen, aber dann hat er mir wirklich gut gefallen. Er lässt sich flüssig lesne und zieht den Leser in seinen Bann.
Das Ende des Buches ist offen gehalten, sodass es gut noch einen Teil geben kann. Allerdings kann die Geschichte auch genauso gut abgeschlossen sein. Ich bin gespannt, ob noch was kommt, wenn ja werde ich es auf jeden Fall lesen!

Fazit:
„Zwischen Licht und Finsternis“ ist eine sehr actionreiche und spannende Geschichte. Die Charaktere sind anders als andere, haben mir aber wirklich gut gefallen. Die Idee hinter dem Buch hat mir richtig gut gefallen. Eine klare Leseempfehlung von mir.

[Zoe (Zthecapybara) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Honestly one of the best books I have read in a while. I really loved the characters and managed to follow the story line well considering that it is a fantasy book.

[Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Apparently, 3 words that this story can be summarized by are:
Thrilling
Romance
Urban-fantasy

And:
A must read for fans of the Mortal Instruments.

Okay, so:
1. Beautiful cover - must point that out
2. Decent sized read
3. 4 out of 5 star rating
4. Interesting characters

May I just say - this story was not too shabby. Sure, I wanted to roll my eyes and shout out some words of sarcasm to the fellow characters, but I think it was good enough - well, for my standards.

I have to say I did feel a little disappointed from the shortness of the story and its hint of predictability, but it was satisfying enough.

Great main character with the type of personality a fellow gal like me would want the female sex to be represented by in literature today. Check.

Admirable guy love interest who I do not hate for being over dramatic, stupid, or plain cheesy. Check.

One could say that this novel is basically a cheap ripoff of the classic Mortal Instruments, by Cassandra Clare, but there were a few original bits added to change it up a bit. You could also say that this novel is a chunked down version of the Mortal Instruments into 300 or so pages. Even it's title is pretty Mortal Instruments-like.

But - and this may unappeal to the haters - though noted as "a must read for Mortal Instruments fans," 'City of Halves' cannot be compared directly to the characters or the setting of the Mortal Instruments. If thought about as a separate novel, one could see this story as quite a read. It can be agreed by die-hard Mortal Instruments fans that this book cannot live up to its best-selling greatness, but it shouldn't deter any reader from reading it. It's a somewhat pleasant standalone book.

Overall, this was an enticing read that never quite bored me as I had originally expected - and that's a good sign of a great book.

4/5 stars.

[Gemma Humphrey · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wasn't really sure what to make of this.

It started out a bit strange in that, Lily (our young female Prot) meets this mysterious guy - who then, without any preamble, jumps straight into who he is, what he does, and all the 'secret' goings on in London. I would have liked him to remain a little more mysterious for a bit longer - given Lily time to discover things on her own.

But anyway, it picked up after that, and I started to get a bit more involved in the world created - which is clearly born of lots of research of London and its history, which I enjoyed.

But then the ending came - and I was left disappointed again.

The finale of the book, is that Lily restores London to its original balance - which actually follows an idea similar to one of my favourite books (Elantris by Brandon Sanderson) and should have been spectacular. instead, its crammed into the final pages almost as an afterthought.

This book should have been brilliant - My favourite city, a spectacular plot idea, fantasy creatures based in history, and a hot love interest - but I'm sorry to say that it left me cold.

Its a shame really, as it's been published too early. The characters are all there, the setting too - a few more drafts to pull the driving plot into play and it really would have been great.

[Elizabeth Beverley · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book has everything: great pace, a strong narrative, romance, adventure, danger, monsters and magical creatues. What more could you want? Definitely worth a read.

[Clare O'Beara · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is very like the London-set Stone Heart series, but with slightly older protagonists and a more modern feel due to peripheral IT issues.
The main female character is supposed to be 16 but the events more likely represent an 18 year old especially as her father doesn't stop her doing any of the strange, dangerous and inadequately explained activities which bring his daughter home in bits with torn and burnt and bloodstained clothing day after day.
There's a prophecy, sadly; this is a much-used device I am not keen on, but others may not mind.
Look out for DIY blood transfusions among the many things you shouldn't try at home.
The story is a dark fantasy verging on horror, so there isn't much that's pleasant and we see a great deal of menace and action. Once I got into the story I was keen to continue reading and I enjoyed seeing the locations I've visited, such as Museum of London.

I read this book from Raheny Library. This is an unbiased review.

[LeFaBook · Rating 4 out of 5]

Inhalt:

London, heute. Mädchen verschwinden. Und seltsame Kreaturen tauchen auf den Straßen auf. Fast wäre die 16-jährige Lily von einem zweiköpfigen Hund getötet worden. Doch urplötzlich steht Regan vor ihr – gut aussehend, geheimnisvoll und faszinierend. Merkwürdig, dass er ihre seltene Blutgruppe kennt, aber noch merkwürdiger, dass es angeblich eine Verbindung zwischen Lily, Regan und den verschwundenen Mädchen geben soll. Von einer auf die andere Sekunde befindet sich Lily in einem Strudel aus Verbrechen und Verrat, Verschwörung und Leidenschaft, Licht und Finsternis.

Meine Meinung:

"Zwischen Licht und Finsternis" hat mich alleine schon durch seinen Titel aufmerksam lauschen lassen, spätestens das Cover zog mich dann jedoch völlig in den Bann und so war es ein Schatz, den ich sobald er bei mir eintraf - keine Sekunde länger weglegen konnte...

Lucy Inglis ist die Autorin der dunklen Geschöpfe der Zeit! Nur sie vermag es den Leser mit einer Vielzhal an übernatürlichen Wesen wie z.B Trollen, Drachen und Banshees zu konfrontieren, einem dem Herzstillstand nahe zu bringen, nur um das Herz im nächsten Moment vor lauter Spannung wieder mit neuem Leben zu füllen, damit man auch bis zur letzten Seite an jeder Zeile der Geschichte hängt.. Schon nach einem ganz kurzen Einstieg wirft die Autorin sowohl den Leser, wie auch die Protagonisten einen Todeskampf mit einem zweiköpfigen Hund und nach einer Bluttransfusion mit dem geheimnisvollen Regan, fokusiert sich der Blick erstmals in einer ruhigen Minute und man wird mit dem Weltenentwurf der Autorin konfrontiert.

So ist die Welt der Menschen auch ein Zuhause für dunkle Geschöpfe, vor deren Existenz wir die Augen verschließen. Die sogenannten Eldritche, zu denen auch Regan zählt, gibt es überall und sie verkörpern die einzelnen Elemente der heutigen und vergangenen Zeit. London scheint diese Wesen stark anzuziehen und die magische Barriere – die alte Stadtmauer – hält sie plötzlich nicht mehr auf, zu viele von ihnen dringen in die Altstadt ein und verbreiten Chaos und Tod – bis sogar einer der alten Wächter der Tore, ein Drache, erwacht. Neben den mystischen Elementen, die fantastisch umgesetzt worden sind - gibt es viele Fragen die die Spannung wie einen roten Faden durch das Innere des Buches verlaufen lassen. So ist Lily nicht nur der Typ Mädchen, der die moderne Teenager-Superwoman verkörpert, sondern auch die Person im Buch durch deren Adern eine besondere Blutgruppe H fließt und die mit dem undurchsichtigen Regan verbunden scheint. Dieser ist jedoch dunkel und hinterlässt Spuren, die ihn in den Zusammenhang mit den vermissten Mädchen bringen, deren Verschwinden Lily mithilfe ihrer genialen Computerkenntnisse verfolgt... Zusammen können sie das unmögliche schaffen oder die ganze Welt ins Chaos stürzen.

Die Charaktere samt Infos werden einem nicht gleich zu Anfang auf einem Silbertablett serviert und genau dies macht sie einem mehr und mehr symphatisch. Wie im echten Leben müssen wir erst zusammen mit ihnen schwierige Situationen erleben und meistern, damit man sich später öffnen -und etwas voreinander preisgeben kann. Besonders toll fand ich auch die Perspektivwechsel, Rückblicke und geschickt eingefügten Spannungsmomente, dank derer das Buch konsequent auf einem Level blieb und an einen betrübten Fall von Langweile nicht zu denken war. An manchen Stellen hätten ein paar kleine Ecken noch einen weiteren Schliff beim Schreibstil vertragen - bzw. hatte ich das Gefühl, dass die Autorin an manchen Stellen ihre eigene Fantasie - hinter dem bereits "bekanntem" angestellt hat.

Die Liebesgeschichte steht nicht im Vordergrund und dies ist ein Punkt, bei des es wirklich auf den Geschmack ankommt - ich hätte mich gefreut noch ein bisschen mehr Gefühl zu erlesen, aber da es dennoch stimmig war und der Fokus auf dem Weltengebilde liegen sollte, bin ich -und dank dem Gänsehaut Showdown- absolut auf meine Kosten gekommen und kann das Buch wirklich wärmstens weiterempfehlen! Must Have...

[Julia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Inhalt: London, heute. Mädchen verschwinden. Und seltsame Kreaturen tauchen auf den Straßen auf. Fast wäre die 16-jährige Lily von einem zweiköpfigen Hund getötet worden. Doch urplötzlich steht Regan vor ihr – gut aussehend, geheimnisvoll und faszinierend. Merkwürdig, dass er ihre seltene Blutgruppe kennt, aber noch merkwürdiger, dass es angeblich eine Verbindung zwischen Lily, Regan und den verschwundenen Mädchen geben soll. Von einer auf die andere Sekunde befindet sich Lily in einem Strudel aus Verbrechen und Verrat, Verschwörung und Leidenschaft, Licht und Finsternis. Fantastisch, romantisch, gefährlich! (Quelle: Verlag)
Meine Meinung: Zwischen Licht und Finsternis ist das perfekte Herbstbuch. Es spielt im regnerischen London und ist keine sanfte Liebesgeschichte. Lucy Inglis entführt uns in eine Welt, in der das Böse Tag um Tag an Macht gewinnt und immer mehr über die Stadt bestimmt. Schon das Cover verspricht ein bisschen von der düsteren Atmosphäre des Buches und in dieser Hinsicht wird man nicht enttäuscht.
Lily hat eine seltene Blutgruppe und muss daher auch sehr häufig Blut spenden, das für den Fall, dass ihr etwas passiert, gelagert wird. Lily weiß deshalb, wie gefährlich es ist, sich in riskante Situationen zu begeben und wird in einer solchen Situation nicht nur von Regan gerettet. Nein, er weiß über sie und ihre Blutgruppe Bescheid und kann sie sogar heilen! Das passiert schon ziemlich am Anfang und sofort taucht der Leser schon richtig in die Handlung ein. Dunkle Wesen bedrohen London und Regan kann befreit die Stadt Nacht um Nacht von ihnen. Mit Lilys Erscheinen verschärft sich die Lage allerdings und schon recht bald erfährt Lily, dass sie Teil einer Prophezeiung ist und dass sie gar nicht anders kann, als Regan zu helfen.
Zwischen Licht und Finsternis ist ein typischer Urban Fantasy Roman. Wir erleben das Geschehen aus Lilys Perspektive und nehmen ein völlig anderes London war, in dem es verschiedene magische Wesen gibt, die dieses Mal nicht die üblichen Verdächtigen, wie Vampire, Werwölfe und Co., sind. Die Handlung ist sehr schön gestaltet und logisch. An vielen Stellen hätte ich mir gewünscht, dass der Hintergrund ein bisschen deutlicher wird oder generell bestimmte Sachverhalte ein wenig mehr erklärt werden. Das hätte aber wahrscheinlich die Seitenanzahl für ein Jugendbuch um einiges gesprengt.
Lily und Regan sind zwei Protagonisten, die mir sofort sympathisch waren. Auch die sanfte Liebesgeschichte, die sich zwischen ihnen anbahnt, war wundervoll zu lesen. Auch die Nebencharaktere hatten sehr viel Potential und waren gut ausgearbeitet. So wünscht man sich fast von jedem, dass auch er mal eine größere Rolle in einem Buch einnimmt und man von seiner Sicht auf dieses London erfährt.
Ich bin während des Lesens ein Fan von Lucy Inglis und ihrem Stil geworden. Dennoch muss ich sagen, dass ich irgendetwas vermisst habe. Etwas Inhaltliches, das das Buch noch einmal besser macht, es unvergesslich macht und einen WOW-Effekt beinhaltet und dieses Buch zu einem 5-Füchschen-Buch gemacht hätte. Auch das Ende ist für einen Einzelband sehr offen und da ich während des Lesens der festen Überzeugung war, ich würde einen Einzelband lesen (was es wohl auch ist) und ich dann zuletzt mit ein paar Fragen überrascht werde, die auf einen zweiten Band hindeuten, war ich schon ein wenig überrascht und eigentlich auch wieder ein bisschen unzufriedener mit dem Ende.
Bewertung: Zwischen Licht und Finsternis hat eine tolle Atmosphäre, super Charaktere und eine tolle Story. In den Schreibstil von Lucy Inglis kann man sich definitiv verlieben und ich empfehle das Buch ausnahmelos jedem Fantasy Leser. Da mir ein Wow-Effekt gefehlt hat und ich mich außerdem über die neu aufgeworfenen Fragen am Ende dieses Einzelbandes aufrege, gibt es von mir 4 von 5 Füchschen.
Vielen herzlichen Dank an Chickenhouse für das *Rezensionsexemplar.
Mehr Rezensionen findet ihr auf missfoxyreads.blogspot.de!

[Stefanie Hasse hisandherbooks.de · Rating 5 out of 5]

Inhalt:
Lily ist Hackerin und unterstützt mit ihren „Recherchen“ ihren alleinerziehenden Vater bei seinem Anwaltsjob. Als sie sich eines Tages in die Überwachungskameras von London hackt, sieht sie eine verdächtige Person, die kurz darauf die Kamera zerstört. Sie geht selbst vor Ort und wird kurz darauf von einem zweiköpfigen Hund angegriffen und so gut wie getötet.

Erst die Bluttransfusion des mysteriösen Regan lässt sie überleben, nein, heilt sie sogar komplett, ohne eine Narbe zu hinterlassen. Er ist es auch, der ihr von der Dunkelheit, dem Chaos und den „bösen“ Eldritchen erzählt, die er in seinem „Security-Job“ davon abhält, die Altstadt von London zu betreten. Doch es werden immer mehr – und immer mehr Mädchen verschwinden. Lily und Regan folgen gemeinsam den Spuren, gewillt, London zu beschützen.

Meinung:
Monatelang hat mich das Cover „angestarrt“ und mir zugerufen. Als ich das Buch dann in den Händen halten konnte, musste ich einfach sofort beginnen.

Lucy Inglis zappelte nicht lange und nach einem ganz kurzen Einstieg warf sie mich in einen Todeskampf mit einem zweiköpfigen Hund und nach der Bluttransfusion von Regan wurde ich direkt mit dem Weltenentwurf der Autorin konfrontiert. Die Menschen wissen nicht, dass es überall Eldritche gibt, die die Elemente verkörpern. Und auch nicht, dass es die dunkle Seite von ihnen ist, die die Welt ins Chaos stürzen könnte. London scheint sie alle anzuziehen und die magische Barriere – die alte Stadtmauer – hält sie nicht mehr auf. Zu viele dringen in die Altstadt ein und verbreiten Chaos – bis sogar einer der alten Wächter der Tore, ein Drache, erwacht.

Dann sind da immer noch die vermissten Mädchen… Könnte es sein, dass Lilys Leben schon sehr fest mit dem von Regan verknüpft ist, ohne dass sie es je wusste? Was hat ihre Mutter damit zu tun und die seltsame Blutgruppe H?
All diese Fragen machten es mir unmöglich, aus den Seiten aufzutauchen. Der flüssige Schreibstil von Lucy Inglis machte es mir leicht, über die Seiten zu fliegen und mit jeder erdenklichen Art von übernatürlichen Wesen konfrontiert zu werden: Banshees, Drachen, Trolle, .... Sie alle haben ihren Platz in „Zwischen Licht und Finsternis“.

Die Autorin legt über die gesamte Zeit ein hohes Tempo vor und hielt sich nicht mit Belanglosigkeiten auf. Ein Umstand, den ich persönlich sehr zu schätzen weiß. Ein Erzähler schildert die Geschichte meist aus Lilys Perspektive, es folgen später jedoch auch kurze Einblicke in den Handlungsstrang von Regan. Die Lage spitzt sich immer weiter zu, als Prophezeiungen und der Chaos-Krieg ins Spiel kommen und eine Geheimorganisation der Regierung mehr ins Licht gerückt wird. Es wird immer schwieriger, Gut und Böse zu trennen. Lucy Inglis hat aufgezeigt, dass man durch beste Beweggründe einen falschen Weg einschlagen kann.

Gen Showdown zog das Tempo dann immer weiter an und ein Spannungsmoment jagte den nächsten, bis die Autorin das Buch zufriedenstellend beendet. Es bliebe jedoch durchaus die Möglichkeit, das Abenteuer zwischen Licht und Finsternis fortzusetzen.

Urteil:
Rasant, actionreich und teils blutig. „Zwischen Licht und Finsternis“ war für mich eine gelungene Zusammenfassung allerhand fantastischer und mythologischer Wesen, gepaart mit dem Aspekt des digitalen Fingerabdrucks und der Frage nach dem Wert des Lebens. 5 Bücher für Lily und Regan.


©hisandherbooks.de

[Letanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Die 16-jährige Lily lebt gemeinsam mit ihrem Vater in London. Lilys Mutter ist schon viele Jahre tot, Lily hat sie nie persönlich kennengelernt. Ihr Vater arbeitet als Rechtsanwalt und manchmal recherchiert Lily für ihn im Internet, denn sie ist ein wirklicher Nerd und hat sich schon in so einige Systeme gehackt. Auf der Suche nach einem Papierfälscher gerät Lily in große Gefahr, denn plötzlich taucht ein Hund mit zwei Köpfen auf, der sie angreift. Ihr zur Hilf eilt der geheimnisvolle Regan und Lily muss feststellen, dass es in London so viel mehr gibt als das was sie bisher davon kennt. Regan offenbart ihre eine völlig neue Welt und Lily gerät plötzlich in einen Krieg zwischen Licht und Finsternis.

Das Buch ist mir natürlich erst einmal durch das unglaublich tolle Cover aufgefallen. Die junge Frau auf dem Cover passt auch sehr gut zur Beschreibung von Lily, was mir ebenfalls sehr gut gefallen hat. Erzählt wird hier die Geschichte der 16-jährigen Lily, deren Leben von Heute auf Morgen völlig auf den Kopf gestellt wird. Denn durch ihr besonders Blut mit der Blutgruppe H gerät sie mitten in einen Machtkampf der Regierung und den magischen Wesen von London. Das Buch hat mich von der 1. Seite an fasziniert. Der Schreibstil ist unheimlich spannend und Lily ein sehr sympathischer Charakter. Diese Mischung aus Nerd und selbstbewusstem Mädchen hat mir sehr gut gefallen, endlich mal ein Charaktere, der nicht ständig rot und wird oder total unsicher ist. Auch Regan ist ein toller Charakter. Er kommt sehr verwegen rüber und zwischen ihm und Lily besteht eine gewissen Anziehungskraft. Die Liebesgeschichte zwischen den beiden fand ich toll, die Autorin hat diese sehr glaubwürdig erzählt.

Die Autorin entführt uns hier in eine sehr interessante Welt, in der die Grenzen zwischen gut und böse verwischen und man auf die verschiedensten Wesen trifft. Obwohl das Buch wohl ein Einteiler ist, lässt die Autorin sich eine Hintertür offen und einige Fragen bleiben unbeantwortet. Ich würde mir sehr wünschen, wenn es hier eine Fortsetzung geben würde.

Von mir gibt es eine klare Leseempfehlung mit voller Punktzahl für ein weiteres Monatshighlight.

[Kendra Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book despite a few issues with plot points and inconsistencies with how names were used. The flow was perfect between downtimes and action, and the characters intriguing, even if, ultimately, the main girl was a bit flat and predictable. She was still cool. I liked the use of different London landmarks and some elements of mythology woven into the story in a new way. Plenty of things were still kind of unclear by the end, but maybe that's how it was supposed to be? At several points I wanted to shout at the characters: just tell him/her! Thus, the vague points were kind of annoying.

A big point that annoyed me is that the father was put up as a caring parent who was close with his daughter, however Lily had so much sway over him that she could basically do what she wanted and not get in trouble, even when she showed up at home with bruises, got kidnapped, and stayed out until super late. Or never came home. If I had done anything remotely like that when I was 16/17 I would have been in so much trouble and my mom would have forced the answer out of me one way or another. Granted, her mother is M.I.A. and so the father is alone and fathers aren't mothers. But still, I felt like, with their connection, he would have been somehow better at talking with Lily. And that the things she did would have actual repercussions instead of Dad just saying "don't do that again".

But it was a very fun modern mythology story and an enjoyable read.

[Andreea · Rating 3 out of 5]

Maybe 2.75 stars? - It was entertaining my brain while it was focusing on other things.

Another book that has been collecting dust on my bookshelf for a few years and I decided to pick it up (mainly because I was stressed with other projects and didn't want to read a book I really anticipated).
Now, many readers have said that this books is very similar to City of Bones by Cassandra Clare. I've read City of Bones maaaaany years ago, so I kind of forgot most of what happened in that book (I still have to read the last book in the series). I do understand where they're coming from: the hot guy with tattoos saving the girl, who is special, and they live in a world with magical creatures and so on.
It was an okay-ish book. Even though it's something I've seen before I enjoyed seeing the relationship between Lily and her dad, the way how Lily knows her way with hacking and computers and Regan is a nice guy (not too extreme or annoying).
The things which were a bit too cliche was the prophecy part and I couldn't connect with the situation with Lily's mother at all.
The ending lets the possibility of a next book, as Lily and Regan go on another dangerous adventure, but you can consider that an end and just imagine what happens next. Meaning I wasn't annoyed with the ending, it isn't really a cliff-hanger, you can get over it.

[Izzahnaz · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars

I like it! Such an enjoyable read and well-written although I felt the beginning was a bit of a rush. I like how the writer doesn't only focus on the love story and clearly she knows every inch of London very well (which makes me like it even more because I've been dying to go to London). For someone who has a good imagination, I'd recommend this one. It stated 'a must for the fans of the mortal instruments' is probably because the storyline is a bit like the mortal instruments series. But it's not a sequel or anything related to the mortal instruments. So I guess some may have misunderstood about it.

[Boo · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book so much.

[Hattie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm rather disappointed. About 3 years ago I started to read this book, but accidentally returned it to the library before I finished and forgot about it. Then about a year ago the plot suddenly returned to me and I remembered thinking how cool it was and suddenly had this urge to finish it. Only problem? I did't know what it was called, who'd written it. And.. I'd moved country and had no way to access my library history. So imagine my delight when yesterday, I stumbled across it in my current library!! I started to read it... only it was nothing like I'd remembered. And thus comes my disappointment.

It's badly written. Inglis tried to write a stimulating plot with engaging characters and interesting ideas but falls quite short. Firstly there are an overwhelming set of coincidences. Obviously of course, books are built on coincidences and events that fall together perfectly and we readers are expected to suspend our practical brains. However, there were just too many in this book for me not to get annoyed. The 'random' characters mentioned by Lily as she peoplewatches all come to have huge roles to play later on, the fact that she's a genius hacker right when everything in this fantasy world suddenly needs a coder to save London, that noone seems to even be remotely interested in the fact her mother literally disappeared from hospital. Oh and the fact that London just happens to be a place where there's too many Eldritche. Which, when Lily asks why (because other cities only have one or two) Regan says "that it's something of a mystery. No one knows." and goes on to say that a couple of centuries ago there might have been an event that caused this. Like, comeon.. that's just lazy writing. It all seems a little too contrived. If this was the only thing, I might be able to still finish the book, but I was also disappointed in the lack of originality.

Regan seems to have stepped right out of a list of teenage girl fantasies with his dark black hair, pale skin, long brooding code, quirky lack of knowledge at how the world works and manners from the 1800s. Lily was fun - I haven't read too many books where the female is a capable coder and geek for computers but the fact that she's an incredibly analytical, scientific person who instantly accepts that there's an entire world of fantasy beings living under her nose is hard to believe - it simply doesn't fit with her character. Also, that Regan allows this random to accompanying him on his dangerous missions against the Chaos - which he always seems to be able to defeat instantly without the use of weapons. It's like Inglis wants to write a fantasy warfare book without the war bit.

The world itself isn't well built up either, there's so much promise in a security guard who goes around stopping bad fairies and spirits from hurting the human race, but that's it. We're told that there's a balance in the world. BUT WHY?
Literal conversation: "explain to me about the Eldritche"//"You know how there's this idea bout balance in the universe?"//"Like buddhists??// "A little, well it's there in our world too. There are different types of Eldritche, three main ones: earth, water and air. However there are some types who embody darkness, we call them Chaos." Then the subject is kinda dropped.
We are still left in the dark about what the Eldritche are and where the Chaos come from. Regan's a glorified gatekeeper-- of what? Do they come from alternative universes? DO they always exist? Why can't they go out of the city's boundary? Why does no human notice them? (Apparently because we aren't looking hard enough. But Lily sees the two headed dog) Why do some humans see them? Like Felix. Apparently it's been his family? Why? (Also why did Inglis feel the need to overemphasise his accent in her writing? It just made me feel uncomfortable and like I'm offending someone by read especially because that's not how West Indians sound.

Things are also referred to when we never read them happening. When Regan explains that he's a half blood (something we don't realise till later means he's halfhuman. I always assumed he was mix species because he says that's frowned upon) he gestures to his neck and says that it's a symbol of this. What is? His neck? I reread the bit about his tattoos but no, they don't cover his neck. (Speaking of tattoos.. only the birds are explained. Why is the rest of him tattooed?) Also... that brings up another question (why is this the family job? Do they have special abilities? Special powers??) There are other cases where this happens too but I can't think of specifics at the moment. Pretty much, Ingris has her characters constantly talk about somethig they've supposedly said before, or done - but it never happened in the first place.

Then the romance... Lily's crush on him basically is hinted at only because she kinda mentions he's cute - or rather wants the reader to infer that through her constant description of his eyebrows and his eyelashes and that bloody Henley shirt that gets more page time than the fairies. And then that she gets mad when other girls ogle him. Regan never seems to reciprocate her feelings until suddenly they're kissing and half way through the plot, conveniatnly go back to his place to recoup. Start an awkwardly begun kissing fest. And oh whoops. "The key turned in the lock outside the bedroom door." Now I feel awkward. They don't actually seem to like each other. The romance seems to be included as Inglis ticks of the list what's necessary for a YA.

Also... I'm pretty sure other than that first couple of pages three years ago, I've read this before. Mysterious guy who saves a girl just as she gets attacked by a dog, not too mention the fact he's 'hot' and brooding, sarcastic and covered in tattoos. Also, there's an entire side to this city that humans don't notice because they don't believe. Also, he's a gatekeeper that saves humanity without them realising. Oh look, she only lives with one parent and the other one is miraculously the bad guy who's obsessed with blood and wants to make the perfect race. Did we mention that she has this special power that allows her to save everyone. ----Oh wait. I'm sorry. That's the MI by Cassandra Claire. My mistake.....

Seriously, this book could have been good. But it was seriously let down by the writing and creation of the world that I lost interested and couldn't be bothered to read it properly so just skipped pages. I never do that. Especially if it's a fantasy. I love folklore and will often read these books no matter how cheesey or childish they are. Also... that final paragraph. Badly written, over descriptive and trying way to hard to be that last wrap up of plot.

Wouldn't recommend to anyone over 15, I loved the start of it when I was 14, but then I didn't care too much about believability and read anything that came across my path. Also, Regan was delightfully snarky sometimes. And there are certain, hilarious scenes that make you occassionally smile. But yeah... I felt no connection to this book. Don't reel remotely interested or attached to the characters. They could all have stayed dead for all I cared. I was in it for Lily's dad and the two book curator wraiths. Now they were cool. (badum-cchhh)

[Josephine Draper · Rating 2 out of 5]

It started so well, a fast paced action/romance/fantasy. Our plucky heroine meets a dashing stranger, much danger/trails of breadcrumb following ensues. The action is relentless for the first 3/4 of the book, racing between solving a mystery, danger, learning about a fantasy world with some inventive characters, and the romance between the two leads. So far so good.

However, both Lily and Regan, our two protagonists, are unfortunately cardboard cut-out characters - Regan, the brooding, mysterious semi human, Lily, the frail yet determined (and gorgeous) human who Regan can't resist, with her own importance to the Eldritch (magical) world.

It's all so much like many other young adult fantasies that I found myself feeling I'd read it all before, but despite this it's not unenjoyable, at least at the start. Unfortunately, the plot is overly convoluted and cliched towards the end. The big showdown seems contrived and the end of the book is too convenient and tidied up too quickly, and lost my interest. However, if you don't mind the cliches and just want a bit of escapism and to enjoy imagining being a hero(ine)- this will probably suit you.

[Mietze's · Rating 3 out of 5]

Das Buch hatte eine schön gruselig-düstere Atmosphäre bei der das Setting London absolut super gepasst hat. Lily war eine unterhaltsame Protagonistin mit genau der richtigen Mischung aus naiv und tough ohne das sie zu unglaubwürdig gewesen wäre. Regan mochte ich auch, er war oberflächlich so ein Hauch Bad-Boy aber immer sehr darauf bedacht Lily zu beschützen und seine Aufgabe zu erledigen. Die Love-Story war natürlich ein wenig Klischee und wie immer sehr schnell zur Stelle, aber das hat mich gar nicht so gestört. Ich mochte das Szenario mit den dunklen Mächte, der Verschwörung und der Geschichte mit dem Blut, auch die verschiedenen magischen Kreaturen.
Das Buch hat mich gut unterhalten und war endlich mal ein guter Einzelband. Nichts was im Regal bleibt bei den Super-Highlights, aber ich kann es durchaus empfehlen.

[Bee · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars.

The book wasn't bad, I liked it, but it wasn't great either. I didn't feel wowed, or amazed. Just okay.

[Alicia Huxtable · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting book. Definitely along the lines of The Mortal Instruments but different enough to be in its own league. Regan was my fav by far

[Courtney Mccarthy · Rating 1 out of 5]

So bad

[Lena · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has A Lot of fantasy stuff going on. Like, A LOT. I don't really know what any of it was, or what the hell was going on, but I definitely enjoyed it. That romance? 10/10. I usually hate series but I highkey need a sequel of this so that we can get more Regan and Lily scenes.

[Zaide · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was pleasantly surprised by this! I hadn't really heard of it before and with a cover that says it is “ a must for fans of The Mortal Instruments ” I wasn't really expecting too much. Don't get me wrong, I am a huge fan of The Mortal Instruments series, but if this book was on par with those then I'm sure I would've heard of it before, so I didn't have a great deal of confidence in the comparison.

Maybe the fact that I wasn't expecting too much is part of the reason I ended up enjoying this as much as I did. I can see where the similarities with the MI series come from. Both stories follow a girl who discovers another world running alongside hers that is filled with supernatural creatures, and both are somehow destined to save it. Now, I'm generally not a fan of the chosen one trope, however it wasn't too bad in this book. And Lily wasn't completely useless for a change. She also seemed to know her limits, which is a refreshing change in a genre of literature where flimsy untrained girls tend to go running off like Rambo trying to save people. Another bonus was that Lily didn't have one of those insufferable self-sacrificing natures. She wasn't considering sacrificing her own life to save everyone else all the time.

As a standalone, the story progresses very quickly from the first chapter and while some have complained that this meant it wasn't fleshed out enough, I found that it actually added a lot to the authenticity of the storyline. I felt like we discovered things along with Lily, and like her we didn't have weeks to absorb the information and react to it. She had to think on her feet and adjust to this new life as she went. It gave the book a very fast paced feel and there were no dull filler bits.

Reagan was a great character. Strong, handsome (hellloooo Tattoos!) and smart. Though he did try and protect Lily he didn't overpower her or boss her around. He accepted her help and worked with her (yay for supportive love interests!). Their romance felt very real and they had great chemistry. Despite the relatively short length of the book, it didn't feel like they rushed into a relationship and thank god that Lily acknowledges that they're too young and haven't known each other enough for marriage when the subject is mentioned (seems like teenage girls in these books are all too willing to get hitched to near strangers these days!).

I had a couple of small gripes with the book but nothing major. I wasn't overly keen on the introduction of Ellis, and it kind of felt like maybe a slight love triangle began to emerge at the end? Or maybe it was just an act on Lily’s part to trick Ellis, if it was then the writing didn't really make this clear.
The ending was a little so-so for me. I liked it and I didn't. It tied up all the loose ends and offered a certain sense of closure, but then it also kind of opened it up for a new storyline – almost as if there was going to be a sequel – so it still felt a little incomplete in a way.
There were a few other minor things that niggled with me. Lily mentions that she's currently attending school, yet there doesn't seem to be any explanation as to why she's not actually due in school for most of the book. Maybe it’s during the school holidays or something. The other thing was her best friend Sam. She's hardly mentioned for most of the book and then makes a few brief appearances. I didn't really see the point of including her in the story and didn't really buy into their friendship at all.

The back of the cover sums this book up in three words: Thrilling, Romantic & Urban-Fantasy. I pretty much agree with this. It was a fun, fast-paced read and I enjoyed it a lot.