Between Two Thorns by Emma Newman
Between Two Thorns is the first book in Emma Newman’s SPLIT WORLDS series set in Bath, England where some humans live in a secret world called Aquae Sulis (aka “the Nether”) that’s parallel to Mundanis, the “Mundane” world we know. The people who live in the Nether keep themselves hidden from us and shun modern dress, manners and technology. Their society is just like early 19th century English society except that they are influenced by their fae House Lords and are also under the authority of the Arbiters who police their use of magic.
The story follows several characters including Max, an Arbiter who is trying to solve a murder that happened in Mundanis; Sam, a witness to the murder who has been charmed so he won’t remember it; Catherine, a young woman who has escaped into Mundanis and doesn’t want to go back to the Nether; and Will, a young man of the Nether who is back from his world tour and ready to be married off.
To come quickly to the point, I had to force myself to finish Between Two Thorns. There are several reasons that I never connected with this book. From the very first page it seems a little too reminiscent of several other books set in England — Harry Potter, Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell, Neverwhere — but it never comes out comparing favorably to these better works. There is nothing particularly original or exciting in the ideas, language, or imagery. The prose works to get the points across, but without interesting turns of phrase, clever metaphors, or bits of humor.
The world-building has potential, but I never got a real feel for the separate worlds (there are actually three) which are supposed to be reflections of each other. It felt more like a split of time periods rather than worlds since the Nether world is essentially 19th century Bath (think Regency Romance) with a bit of magic thrown in. Why has this world shunned the progression and technology of the Mundane world? Why is electricity “vulgar”? What is the relationship between the fae, the Great Houses, the Arbiters, the sorcerers, and the Master of Ceremonies? I never felt like I was really in this world and I didn’t fully understand it.
Most of the characters in Between Two Thorns are hard to like. Max, the Arbiter, has been separated from his soul and is emotionless, making him a rather dull fellow. He has a gargoyle sidekick which contains his soul. This was the most interesting idea in the story, and it had plenty of potential for excitement or at least humor, but Newman missed that opportunity. Cathy, who most readers would probably consider the main character, is hard to sympathize with. She makes references to Geek culture, so I know we’re supposed to like her, and she has a compelling situation — she wants to stay in Mundanis and be a modern woman, but her family wants her back in the Nether where they can marry her off. We’re supposed to be outraged by this, but it’s hard to care since Cathy is always sullen and unpleasant and, I thought, just as shallow as her vain little sister who is perfectly happy to accept her role in Nether society.
However, my main problem with Between Two Thorns was simply that I was bored with the story. It took me a long time to get through this book because I kept finding other things to do, such as playing games on my iPad or seeking out conversations with real people. I just didn’t care about Newman’s characters or her story. I had to force myself to finish it. If the plot had been exciting, I probably could have forgiven all the other issues. (I can see, though, how some readers may feel completely differently about this book than I did, especially if they enjoy Regency-style novels and love the idea of that old-fashioned society living in parallel to our modern one.)
Brilliance Audio sent me a copy of Between Two Thorns. It’s read by the author herself. Emma Newman has a beautiful voice. She doesn’t perform the story by using different voices to distinguish the characters, but she’s a good reader.
Between Two Thorns doesn’t come to a satisfactory close — it’s clearly the first part of the story. At the very end, it finally started to get more interesting… right before it stops. I also received a copy of the sequel, Any Other Name, and already had it loaded onto my phone before I realized I didn’t like Between Two Thorns, so I think I’ll give book two a try. I have some hope that the characters will improve and that things will come together for the SPLIT WORLDS. We’ll see.
Update: Since writing this review, I have finished the second book. It’s definitely an improvement over the first book, nearly in every way. Still, I’m not sure I care enough to read book three. If the publisher sends it to me, I probably will.
I’m sensing a “rose” theme. I wonder what the name of the third one will be.
I thought that, too, but the third is titled “All is Fair.”