Book Review: Under The Light; Laura Whitcomb.

I remember reading the first book in his duology and adoring it, but wondering what on Earth a sequel could possibly offer. The story had felt like it had reached a natural conclusion. I needn't have worried, as this was a wonderful second installment to the series!

SOURCE: Gift
TYPE: Paperback

TITLE: Under The Light
AUTHOR: Laura Whitcomb
SERIES: Light (#2)
PUBLISHER: HMH Books For Young Readers
PAGES: 256
GENRE: Young Adult, Romance, Ghost Story

RATING: 4/5 Stars

Blurb:

Helen needed a body to be with her beloved. Jenny had to escape from hers before her spirit was broken. It was wicked, borrowing it, but love drives even the gentlest soul to desperate acts. And Helen, who has returned to help Jenny, finds herself trapped, haunting the girl she wished to save. Jenny and Billy's love story begins out-of-body and continues into the tumultuous realm of the living, where they are torn apart just as they begin to remember falling in love.

What I Liked:

• Laura Whitcomb's writing is beyond beautiful. The lyrical, gentle tone is soothing to read and I just absolutely adore it! I wish more people read this series because I know so many people who would fall for and appreciate Whitcomb's writing as much as I did! It was my favourite thing about the first book in this series, 'A Certain Slant Of Light', and I think it was my favourite aspect of this book too. Whitcomb knows how to spark the imagination and at the same time her words are very deep, particularly concerning the afterlife.
• I didn't think that the story could really go a whole lot further but I found that in the case of Jenny and Billy, I was completely wrong! Whitcomb of course had to address the issue of their memory gaps and what impact the actions of Helen and James would have on their lives. I loved watching them try to solve the mystery, and in the process, their complex relationship develop into a sweet little romance. Some of the unanswered questions from Book One are addressed too which is lovely and I loved the idea of them, now having reclaimed back their bodies, claiming back their lives too and particularly Jenny becoming a strong, resourceful young woman.

What I Disliked:

• Despite the fact that I loved this book, I felt like Helen's inclusion was a little unnecessary. As much as I loved her in Book One, I felt like her story had really ended and there was no need for her to come back in this one to make sure things were okay. Especially as she didn't really have a huge impact on the story so to speak. Most of her parts involved a large number of flashbacks too, which took up a lot of story space that could have been used to progress the plot. I understand Whitcomb's desire to have Jenny and Helen interact but in the end, I think it took away from the story rather than adding to it.

Overall Conclusion:

I am very relieved to have enjoyed this book and despite my reservations about the need for a sequel, I'm so glad that Whitcomb decided to write one! It was a sensitive, hauntingly beautiful read and shone a whole new light on the lives of Billy and Jenny as well as developing them into something more than just lost souls. Helen's inclusion was a little disappointing as she didn't really contribute to the story, preferring instead to reflect on past events. While not necessary, I suppose she did manage to shine another interesting light on the afterlife and some of her interactions with Jenny were chilling and sad. Nevertheless, I would have preferred more book space dedicated to Billy and Jenny, and their surrounding family members.

Book Review: A Certain Slant Of Light; Laura Whitcomb

So as well as finally getting my review for 'The Fault In Our Stars' up, I finished 'A Certain Slant Of Light' within a few hours of doing that! This is good because I feel like I've been a bit quiet on the book front, so here I am bouncing back! I'll be entering this book into a couple of challenges. Firstly, 'Light' is one of the 2014 'Key Words' so that's another entry for that challenge! Also, the book had 282 pages so counts as a 'Quick Fix' entry. Buttons for those can be found at the bottom of the page!

SOURCE: Bought
TYPE: Paperback

TITLE: A Certain Slant Of Light
AUTHOR: Laura Whitcomb
SERIES: Light (#1)
PUBLISHER: HMH Books For Young Readers
PAGES: 282
GENRE: Young Adult, Paranormal Romance, Ghost Story

RATING: 4.5/5 Stars

Blurb:
In the class of the high school English teacher she has been haunting, Helen feels them: For the first time in 130 years, human eyes are looking at her. They belong to a boy, a boy who has not seemed remarkable until now. And Helen - terrified, but intrigued, is drawn to him. The fact that he is in a body and she is not presents this unlikely couple with their first challenge. But as the lovers struggle to find a way to be together, they begin to discover the secrets of their former lives and of the young people they come to possess.



What I Liked:

• This was a really original concept! I have read a fair few Paranormal Romance books in my time and first off, barely any of them include ghosts. This one had two! I liked the rules that Whitcomb came up with that ghosts had to stick to, I liked the methods of bending those rules that Whitcomb came up with too. While reading, I was hit by the feeling that I have never read anything like this before, and it was very refreshing to realise that.
• James and Helen. Such a good couple, I was rooting for them the whole way through! I have seen complaints that they fell in love too quickly from other reviewers, and this worried me because I'm normally very fussy about the pace of a romance. I thought Whitcomb did a good job though! What needs to be taken into consideration here is that Helen is lonely. Up until this point she's had 130 years of being around, but invisible to all humans. Whitcomb really sold that loneliness to me, and on James' part too, because despite having found a vacated body to live in and the fact that he can interact with humans, he is still the only one in his situation. He is still an outsider. Would they have fallen so head over heels so quickly in normal circumstances? Probably not. But these were not normal circumstances.
• There are some great quotes and lovely writing in this book! Whitcomb is extraordinarily gifted and has a talent in making a reader understand exactly how a character is feeling about a situation. I loved the language and writing style, and found myself hooked on every word. It felt like a modern-day story written by a historical character, which was precisely what it was! 

What I Disliked:

• The reason I think that I ended up knocking off half a star was because although I enjoyed it, it did feel a little predictable a times. This ultimately meant that I never truly felt like the book had many twists and turns that threatened the characters I cared about, because I had already guessed it would happen and figured out to an extent how they might overcome the problem. It didn't hugely infringe on my enjoyment of the story, it all just felt a little too safe.
• This isn't really dislike, more confusion. There is a sequel to this book, and while I look forward to getting my hands on it because I really enjoyed this one, I'm not sure it's entirely necessary. This book just ended too well! Loose ends were tied, I felt like character's stories were finished. Is there really any need to continue the story at all? I've had a little look into the vague plot-line for the second book, and it is told more from the POV of the two bodies, Billy and Jenny, that were left behind. Okay, I suppose I can understand that but is there any need to bring back Helen and potentially James too? Perhaps Whitcomb did not originally plan a sequel and so that's why the perfect (almost ridiculously happy) ending but I am still a bit mixed on this one. I guess I should reserve judgement for when I've read it!

Overall Conclusion:

I really did enjoy this book rather a lot! Full marks for originality and writing skill, Whitcomb's prose was lovely to read! Also she really writes romance very well, this couple is one of my favourites that I've read in a while and I rooted for them from the moment they met! There was a certain inevitability about the book in terms of plot-line. Perhaps I just made a few lucky guesses, but I wish that there had been a few unexpected twists thrown in there. I would really recommend this one though, it's very different from a lot of Paranormal Romances I have read previously and if that's something you enjoy, you'll want to give this one a try.