Margo is a little bit bored, a little bit lonely, and a little bit disorganised. With summer stretching ahead and nothing to look forward to, the last year of high school seems ages away. Locked out of her house one afternoon, her mother already gone to work, Margo stumbles across a lovely little bed & breakfast she can’t remember ever seeing before. A room costs exactly how much she has in her account, and it’s better than taking a long train ride to her aunt’s for one night. So Margo treats herself.
What she finds inside the quaint little inn is a gorgeous guy working at reception (that’s Finn), a ghost, and a front door that won’t let her leave. Not what she was expecting, and certainly not where she wants to be. But the Inn Between Worlds has a mandatory minimum five-night stay, and she’ll have to meet with the Wizard on the Porch before going home. It’s fine though; time in the real world doesn’t move while Margo’s at the inn, and only magical beings are allowed to stay. Does that mean Margo – who has grown up in a plain house, with her plain mum, in a plain town – has magic? She’s determined to find out for sure.
The Between-Worlds B&B is a cosy fantasy in a cosy setting with cosy characters. British Indian author Amy Mae Baxter’s debut novel is a sweet and heartwarming journey into the sparkly space where magic meets the world we know. The characters are charming and irresistible, the inn invites you to explore everything it offers, and the cat is… well… interesting. Testing the boundaries between loyalty to family and following your heart’s desire, Margo and Finn are swept up on a big journey in a small space.
Discovering magical creatures, vast lands in small rooms, and the draw of learning something new about yourself, The Between-Worlds B&B is a lovely and gentle first foray into fantasy for young adult readers. Sweet romance built on uncertainty and anticipation collides with learning to trust your instincts, even when they might feel like something’s missing. Lovely, open language, a jump straight into Margo’s journey, and coming in under 280 pages, Baxter has given us a great warm-weather read for a quiet afternoon under a shady tree, suitable for all ages of YA readers.
