White Space: Book one of the Dark Passages by Ilsa J. Bick

Emma hadn't planned to go away for the holidays but after being accused of plagiarism, she needed to get away. She grabbs her friend Lily, rents a van, and heads out on the road. But a nasty snowstorm soon leaves them unable to see much of anything, a situation that's made worse with Emma has one of her blinks. 

Ever since she was a kid, Emma experiences what she calls blinks - fugue states that occur frequently and without warning. This time, she sees a girl and her family in a farmhouse arguing about monsters, dark passages, and white space. Before she knows it, Emma is slams back into the present and just moments away from hitting a snow mobile!

Eric and his brother Casey only narrowly miss getting hit by the careening van, but that doesn't mean everyone is out of the woods. The van slides through the guardrail and is just moments from going over when Rima and Tony arrive to try and help. And this isn't the worse danger the teens will face. No. This is just the beginning. 

Holy freaking head trip! White Space is crazy!

I had no idea what to expect going into this book. Other than noting it was being hailed as Memento meets Inception and that it was by Ilsa J. Bick, who I've heard excellent things about, that is. But that was enough for me. And I don't think any real description short of trying to give the whole thing away could even remotely prepare me for what was to come in the book.

This is the kind of book that's made for bookish horror fans. There's a crazy horror author, increasingly weird settings, and monsters as well as a plot so full of unexpected turns and switchbacks that it'll leave your head spinning before the end. And what an end it is! This is the first in a series so of course the end is all kinds of crazypants goodness and absolutely no resolution whatsoever. And yet, I have to say it's the kind of book I think is so insane that it works for just the right reader (me!).

White Space officially hits shelves tomorrow. If you don't like weird and trippy stories with twist after twist after twist, you probably won't like White Space. If, however, you do enjoy stories a la Memento and Inception (which only resemble Bick's latest in that they're trippy and full of twists), then you'll love White Space and I highly, highly recommend treating yourself to a copy as soon as you possibly can!

Rating: 5/5