The Girl Between Light and Dark

Engkantasia #2

by Kristyn M. Levis

Everything is a struggle for Karina after she took over her mother’s role as the next heir in Engkantasia—she faces lukewarm reception from the royal guild who doubts her capability to rule the kingdom well, she yearns for the family she left in the human world, and she has to beat the daughter of one of the council leaders who challenged her for the throne.

Feeling lost, she wanders around the kingdom and stumbles upon the mysterious Untraveled Forest, where she soon finds herself in the midst of a secret plot to take over the two worlds. Now she must find a way to save Engkantasia and the human world from the clutches of the Dark Clans.

Genres: Young Adult

316 pages, Paperback

Published May 10, 2018

About the author

Dr Kristyn Maslog-Levis is an academic, communications officer and author with previous journalism experience.

She finished her masters degree in communication at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore under the ASEAN scholarship.

Kristyn completed her Doctor of Philosophy candidature with University of Technology Sydney for Creative Writing under the Australian Research Training Program, focusing on cultural diversity in middle-grade literature in Australia.

Reviews

[Sophie Bell-Knight · Rating 5 out of 5]

Compared to the first book, this book is so much better. I loved how Lewis understood that her characters needed more development and I completely agree that the characters took their own course without asking Lewis permission during the story. The story line was unexpected, interesting and kept me on my toes. The beginnings the book threw me off but it was a pleasant surprise. I highly recommend reading the first book beforehand for the purpose of understanding the original characters but overall the book was enjoyable.

[Sarah Mina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read a few pages of this book on NBS and I fell in love! I wonder if I could go straight to this without reading the first one? I know it's silly but I wanna read The Girl Between Light and Dark already.

[Tootchie Abels]

This book is the second book of "The Girl Between Two Worlds" where the main character named Karina continues her life as an heir to the throne of Engkantasia. This book is really good and about friendship no matter who you are.

[Barbara Strickland · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just realised I hadn't posted a review and considering I read this a few years ago I am sad with myself. This is a further delving into Philippino lore and much better than the first book. More action, more tension and very suited to young people.

[John Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this was better than the first book. Lots of action, conspiracies, backstabbings, etc.

[cy · Rating 4 out of 5]

First of all, oh WOW.

Second, wow, a round of applause for this book. Usually, I feel doubtful when it comes to sequels as the 2nd book mostly ruins the 1st one. But in this case, the 2nd book did the 1st justice. The magic I felt from this book was amazing.

Third, the author’s writing here was chef’s kiss. The improvement was noticeable, and little to no awkwardness was found. The author impeccably succeeded with this book. The way the characters were given more depths, it was wonderful. Having multiple points of view for some of the characters was actually a good move. It was easier to sympathize with them, and I actually felt more attached to some of them.

Fourth, I wish there was more point of view for the other characters such as Haring Magatu, Marie, and Patrick (maybe Soraya, Daz, Alyssa, and Mark as well but I might be asking for too much at this point). But yes, I would’ve loved knowing more of their thoughts.

Lastly, actually, I do wish that more of Philippines’ culture was shown on this series. I was really excited knowing that an English fiction with Filipino mythological references exists, but the lack of representation was disheartening. Not once had they set foot on the country throughout the entire series and they just kept mentioning it on the first book, then it was almost forgotten on the 2nd one. It would’ve been better if the book ended with Karina and Jason in the Philippines instead of Paris.

But overall, I loved this book. I almost cried when I finished this. I’ll forever miss the characters and the magic.

ps. My heart hurts for Jason’s mother (and Jason himself). Her story was so tragic…