The Sacred Space Between

Overall Rating: 3.5/5

There is so much potential here for two young souls bonded together by religious trauma, joined together by a common quest to find answers....

As someone who has also escaped religious trauma that is much like what our characters must find their path through.... who has questioned faith and religion for years before I settled for something that has brought me comfort and a sense of security like no other religion... this hit hard in a way that I did not expect when I first started the novel.

Everything from the way that the Church seems to hound over absolutely everything, to the glorification of the Church's saints... to the way that the Church almost seems like it wants absolute control over everything... to rule as the sole power....

The plot was beautifully unique and stands out for sure in terms of other romantic fantasies that are currently out there.

Unfortunately, this still fell flat for me. The tension of the conflicts with the Church, the intense (and rather emotional) theme of religious trauma and the battles that come with it.... the passion of art, and self-preservation were all beautifully done. But as a whole, this novel still seems to be more patchwork than a fully solidified and completed idea. The magic system does not seem to be completely developed as much as I feel like it should... it is actually quite difficult to wrap your head around it... even as you near the end of the novel.

Another problem I had is the flashbacks. The timing of many of these just seemed out of place and threw me for loops... and had me pausing to be able to properly think of how things had gone before the flashback. The plot is overall slow at some points... driven forward by whatever actions our characters carry out... and the romance feels a little too much like "guy falls for girl" way too quickly.

While I personally may have struggled for some parts of the story, Kalie overall has created a beautifully lush world and a story that can linger for a while after you have finished it...