REVIEW: This Raging Light by Estelle Laure + Giveaway Below (CLOSED)
We received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This in no way affected our opinion of the book, or the content of our review.
Sarah’s Thoughts.
If you are looking for a great cry that’s not focused around romance ,this is your book. A true emotional string puller that’s sure to relate to one part of your life at some point.
100% you cannot get through this book without it reminding you of some emotional chapter in your life. Even the slightest mention, sure to pull on all the feels.
Wren made this story, hands down. Showing you true broken, shattered innocence. She took you out of your ‘adult thinking’ of the situation and made you think of the real effect of not just her situation, but all hard life moments…. Her ‘Your momma jokes’…I wanted to cry at every one.
This Raging Light also gives you hope. Hope that there are still compassionate people in the world. Hope that you can conquer everything. Hope that people can and will get better. Hope that even the best can come from the worst. A true story of personal strength.
Gab’s Thoughts.
It’s no secret that I have jumped off the Young Adult bandwagon recently. This book came to me in the mail without my knowledge that it was being sent to me. I was instantly brought in by the beautiful cover. I flipped it over to read the synopsis of it, and I was instantly intrigued.
Lucille has drawn the short end of the stick when it comes to life. Both her parents have left her and her little sister, Wren, for different reasons. Lucille has to figure out how to survive on their own without anyone finding out about their situation. This story line hit home a little bit for me. I’m privileged in the fact I grew up in a pretty normal family and home. I never had to worry about if I was going to be fed, where my parents were, or if they were going to come home. I have been working in education for the past seven years, and each year, I’m always amazed to hear about what some of these kids, that come into our schools day-in and day-out, have to go through. I could never imagine going through these circumstances as a kid. When you’re a kid, you shouldn’t have to worry about adult problems, however, that’s not the case for a lot of kids these days. I LOVED that about this book. It talked about these problems.
It was interesting to see how Lucille and Wren handled their situation. I think I would have been like Wren and made jokes in order to cope. Lucille showed strength in what she had to do in order to keep her home together. She reminded me of my dad in that since. He does what he has to do in every situation whether he likes it or not.
I do wish there was less of a love story in this book. I felt like the major story line was paused for a while to concentrate on Lucille and her love interest, Digby. I cared so much more about what Lucille was going through at her home and how she was going to handle it rather than if she was going to end up with Digby. I kind of wished all the Digby parts were replaced by having more insight on Wren. I would love to know about what was going inside of her head.
At the end of the day, this book was a good read. A lot of people can relate to the girls’ situation. This may sound like a downer of a book (it did break my heart), but there is an emphasis on hope and goodwill in this story. You will definitely not take things for granted after reading this.
Synopsis.
Can the best thing happen at the worst time?
Her dad went crazy. Her mom left town. She has bills to pay and a little sister to look after. Now is not the time for level-headed seventeen-year-old Lucille to fall in love. But love—messy, inconvenient love—is what she’s about to experience when she falls for Digby Jones, her best friend’s brother. With blazing longing that builds to a fever pitch, Estelle Laure’s soulful debut will keep readers hooked and hoping until the very last page.
We received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This in no way affected our opinion of the book, or the content of our review.
About the Author
Estelle Laure is a Vonnegut worshiper who believes in love, magic, and the power of facing hard truths. She has a BA in Theatre Arts and an MFA from Vermont College of Fine Arts in Writing for Children and Young Adults, and she lives in Taos, New Mexico, with her two children. This Raging Light, her debut novel, will be translated widely around the world.
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