Jes Young

Tabitha (Tab) Bennett unexpectedly finds out that she is an Elvish queen who has been raised in the human world for her own safety until she was old enough to take her rightful place as the ruler of the Inbetween. Not only that, but she has was promised at birth to a prince, Alex, which gives her one fiance too many since she was already engaged to her childhood sweetheart, Robbin. Tab has to learn how to navigate this world when she doesn't even know who to trust.

I thought Tab was a strong female protagonist at the beginning of the book, but when the love triangle is introduced, and she waffles between Alex and Robbin (with good reason, but still ....), she lost some of her strength. I loved her cousins and their overprotectiveness, with George being my favorite. I thought the premise was a good one and I'm interested to see what Jes Young does with the second book, which I will be reading.

In summary, this was a unique premise for a fantasy/paranormal romance story, and I look forward to continuing the story.

4/5 stars.… (meer)

I first heard about this book a little while ago on another blog (I can't remember which so I can't pass credit where credit is due -- sorry!) and so I was quite happy when I saw TAB BENNETT AND THE INBETWEEN up on NetGalley.

TAB BENNETT AND THE INBETWEEN is an enjoyable read. It has a great cold opening, where Tab experiences her sister River's death. (This isn't a spoiler -- it's the first line of the book.) I was immediately drawn into Tab's life and world, which is what I hope for when I pick up a book. And it seems like this is characteristic of Jes Young's writing since I found myself engrossed in the plot, eager to find out what would happen next, especially since I'm a sucker for stories that involve the main character learning that s/he has a fated destiny that s/he never knew about. Some of the best stories involve this particular trope and I really don't get tired of it. IN TAB BENNETT AND THE INBETWEEN, you get to see Tab go through all of the denial, confusion, and acceptance as some of her past is revealed to be lies. At times, I felt like she took to her fated destiny a bit too quickly but I generally found her reactions and responses authentic.

I also liked a lot of the world building that the author has used. In short, there's an uneasy peace between the Inbetween and the Underneath. Tab's mother was the queen of the Inbetween. While Tab was growing up in our world, the Inbetween has been weakening since it and its people gain strength from their leader. Meanwhile, the Underneath has been getting stronger since their king has been around. As a result, Tab needs to learn to master her gifts (which are different for everyone so no one knows what they are) and get accustomed to the fact that she's a royal and will be sitting on the Inbetween throne just as soon as she gets her fae-legs underneath her, if you will. The mythology isn't exceptionally original but it is well done, and there's definitely something to be said for a well executed if familiar concept. This isn't the only part of the story that feels predictable but I didn't mind since the story moves along at a nice pace and there are some lovely moments between some of the characters.

The one part where the book felt forced was with the romance. Tab's been in love with Robbin, her fiance, for ages but he breaks it off when he's forced to reveal that he's one of her guards and that their romance was contrived at the start. He does have feelings for her now but he's forced to step aside so that Alexander can step in since there's an enchantment that basically makes Tab and Alexander extremely horny for each other. I can get behind all of this but I didn't really like how quickly Tab stopped fighting the enchantment and how much she waffled between the men. It seemed like the enchantment was a convenient way to add some steamy scenes and to create a love triangle without the love part (at least at the start), since Tab and Alexander had never met. Tab's narration suggests that she's experiencing a lot of conflict but I didn't buy into this aspect of the story as much as others.

That being said, I did enjoy reading TAB BENNETT AND THE INBETWEEN and I'm looking forward to TAB BENNETT AND THE UNDERNEATH. I hope that the author has some surprises in store for her readers as we get to see a whole new side of the magical world that Tab's a part of.

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4.5 Stars!

**This review assumes some understanding of the events from the first book in the trilogy.**

With UNDERNEATH, author Jes Young brings us back to the world of Tab Bennett, the Princess of Twilight and Dawn, and it’s a much, much darker world than I expected.

In the first book, TAB BENNETT AND THE INBETWEEN, we were introduced to Tab, a 25 year old bank teller, sheltered and protected by a large family of sisters and cousins. Tab has a lot of growing up to do, especially when she discovers who she really is, where she really comes from, and who her family truly is to her. Tab makes these huge discoveries, falls in love, fights for her life, and finally accepts a destiny she never knew was hers. In UNDERNEATH, we are brought forward about a year after the events of Inbetween and Tab is coming into her new role, trying to master her powers, and ready to take her relationship with her fiancè to the next level.

"Did I have a plan? No. Did I have a weapon? Technically, but my knife was like a toothpick in comparison to his sword. I flew at him anyway."

I liked Tab in this book even more than I did in the first one. She has definitely matured. She’s learning to navigate that line between the old Tab and the new. She takes decisive action and is not afraid to command when needed. What I also appreciated is the fact that she very realistically embodies the two worlds she straddles – the light and the dark. Tab struggles with a need for revenge, a need that sets the ball rolling for the events that take place in this book. Tab wants to travel to the Underneath to confront Daniel, the Dark King, and she is hell-bent on exacting that revenge. When you are so focused on one, very emotional goal, rational thought isn’t very close behind. However, I do think that it was a bit hard to believe there wasn’t really a plan. You see, she does go to the Underneath with several trusted friends but they seemingly go without any real plan in place. I found that slightly unrealistic especially when considering good friends are risking their lives for her. But that doesn’t really matter because once they got there, I was swept into the story and didn’t look back.

"The Light Elvish magic may have moved from my mother to me when she died, technically making me the keeper of all things pure, bright, and good, but I wouldn’t exactly call myself those things."

Once in the Underneath, Tab is seduced by the dark; she recognizes the beauty that can be had in it and she gives into some of her dark desires for revenge. There are two scenes, one abbreviated, that really are spectacular in their darkness. I appreciate that Young “went there.” It showed Tab’s battle between light and dark and is realistic in that, if given the choice in a similar situation, many of us really wouldn’t turn the other cheek. And while being in the Underneath enhanced her dark feelings, the core of those feelings, that dark need for revenge, existed way before she traveled to the Underneath. I love that conflict in Tab.

"I waved my hand, silencing them. The Gift of Light and Air is great, but the ability to quiet a room full of agitated men is priceless."

I also love Tab’s voice. She’s smart and full of snark. There were lines here that made me laugh out loud. I also enjoy the fact that Tab addresses the reader from time to time. This was a device used in the first book and I think Young uses it just as effectively here. It draws the reader in and makes you feel like Tab is speaking only to you. It also makes me wonder from what point in the future she’s telling this story because there’s an element of “looking back” that works very well here.

The romance develops but a new possibility enters the picture in the form of Finnegan Blackthorn. I, on the other hand, still have hopes for Robben. So he’s lied to her, betrayed her trust, maybe was even part of a plot to harm her. We all make mistakes, no?

There is more action here than in the first book which is great. I like good action sequences in my UF. However, I felt they tended to be a bit short and lacking in detail but the emphasis was on character interaction which I appreciate.

And let’s not even talk about the ending. Young treats her characters with little sentimentality in the end. I love that in an author. It was heartbreaking, shocking, devastating. And at the same time…exciting. I want to see what Tab does next. I want to know how she can accomplish what she sets out to do. With the odds against her, can she make it happen? And if you want to know what “it” is, you have to read UNDERNEATH to figure it out.

This was a great entry in a wonderful new trilogy. I’ve officially decided I will read anything Jes Young writes.

The author provided a review copy of this book in return for an honest opinion.

This review is courtesy of www.shewolfreads.com… (meer)

UNDERNEATH ended up being quite a bit darker than TAB BENNET AND THE INBETWEEN, Tab has come along way in her new role and goes through just as much if not more then she did in book 1. The beginning of UNDERNEATH started out so positive. Tab was happy in her relationship, she had all her family behind her and the ending kinda left her allies and her future up in the air. Because Tab was so set on destroying her father King Daniel she ended up losing more than I felt she gained in the end but I can see where the author might be taking her so I'm hoping my broken heart will heal quickly. We meet a wide array of new characters and creatures and we learn more about the other half of Tab. Alright on to the romance aspects. I wasn't really loving the way Tab was acting with Finnegan throughout the book, but that is probably because I really like Alex. Alex grew on me quickly and I really enjoyed seeing him and Tab together. I was pretty over Robbin in book one so I was not surprised with anything regarding him.

I didn't love the ending, it bummed me out. Cliffhangers will always do that to you though. I'm sad after reading UNDERNEATH but also excited to see what Jes has in store for Tab and the rest of The Princess of Twilight and Dawn cast.… (meer)