Review: A. Meredith Walters "Light in the Shadows."
Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/1cfe4yH
Amazon.com: http://amzn.to/HcSRqX
Goodreads: http://bit.ly/1a9UfXV
Synopsis:
How do you keep going when you feel like your life is over?
Maggie never thought she’d see Clay again. So, she attempts to put her life back together after her heart has been shattered to pieces. Moving on and moving forward, just as Clay wanted her to.
Clay never stopped thinking of Maggie. Even after ripping their lives apart and leaving her behind to get the help he so desperately needed. He is healing...slowly. But his heart still belongs to the girl who tried to save him.
When a sudden tragedy brings Maggie and Clay face to face again, nothing is the same. Yet some things never change. Can the darkness that threatened to consume them be transformed into something else and finally give them what they always wanted? And can two people who fought so hard to be together, finally find their happiness? Or will their demons and fear drive them apart for good?
The thing about love, is even when it destroys you, it has a way of mending what is broken. And in the shadows, you can still see the light.
Wow wasn't this just a complete contrast from from the first book in the series and I mean that in every sense of the word. Even before I turned the first page, I could see clear differences in the covers and even in the words used in the titles. Gone was the darkness, the negativity and the sense of despair I felt reading book # 1 and in it's place I was given a story of hope and positivity.
Clay's character turned such a corner in this book and it was because he was finally receiving the right counselling and treatment he had so desperately needed. I'm not saying his life was suddenly a bed of roses because it wasn't but he was learning to manage his illness:
A. Meredith Walters' portrayal of Clay's illness and the impact it had on others was so realistic and honest and for that I thank her. Clay would have to fight hard each day to ensure he didn't regress and some days would be harder than others. That was something he had learned to accept. It was reading through those hard days that would continue to have my stomach in knots though, where I would hope and pray that he didn't take those steps backwards after making so much progress.
Believe it or not, Clay's character also bought humour to the book. Oh yes, his inner dialogue and his one liners were cocky and sarcastic and I loved them. Put him and Maggie together and that dry sense of humour put the biggest grin on my face!!! It was brilliant. It bought a sense of calm and normalcy to what was still quite an intense read at times.
And Maggie... this girl showed me the true meaning of unconditional love and despite everything that had happened and everything she had been through, she was still willing to stand by Clay's side. Maggie knew their relationship wouldn't be easy but hey, when is love ever, but at least this time, everything was out in the open and she was making an informed choice. That took guts and bravery because most would have run a mile when faced with a similar situation.
Clay's character turned such a corner in this book and it was because he was finally receiving the right counselling and treatment he had so desperately needed. I'm not saying his life was suddenly a bed of roses because it wasn't but he was learning to manage his illness:
"The thing about shadows is that they're not all darkness.
You need to have light to have shadows. So just look for it".
A. Meredith Walters' portrayal of Clay's illness and the impact it had on others was so realistic and honest and for that I thank her. Clay would have to fight hard each day to ensure he didn't regress and some days would be harder than others. That was something he had learned to accept. It was reading through those hard days that would continue to have my stomach in knots though, where I would hope and pray that he didn't take those steps backwards after making so much progress.
Believe it or not, Clay's character also bought humour to the book. Oh yes, his inner dialogue and his one liners were cocky and sarcastic and I loved them. Put him and Maggie together and that dry sense of humour put the biggest grin on my face!!! It was brilliant. It bought a sense of calm and normalcy to what was still quite an intense read at times.
And Maggie... this girl showed me the true meaning of unconditional love and despite everything that had happened and everything she had been through, she was still willing to stand by Clay's side. Maggie knew their relationship wouldn't be easy but hey, when is love ever, but at least this time, everything was out in the open and she was making an informed choice. That took guts and bravery because most would have run a mile when faced with a similar situation.
Life with Clayton Reed would never be sunshine and roses. It would be lots of shadows with
intermittent light. And I was beginning to figure out ways to appreciate the light when I saw it.
Because the darkness was still there. It most likely would always be there.
Maggie showed so much strength in character but I also got to see a more vulnerable side to her. She had hopes, dreams and fears just like the rest of us and that's what made her so relateable. Put myself in her shoes, at that age, and honestly, I could see myself behaving the way she did and even saying some of the things she did. She was young, a little naive at times but she was in love and that makes you do crazy things!!!!
The additional characters in the book were just brilliant. Daniel and Rachel would always have Maggie's back and her parents ... I wonder if I could borrow them? lol They were just so supportive of their daughter, allowing her to make her own choices, even if their gut was telling them they were the wrong choices. And Dr Todd. Just the mention of that man's name brings a lump to my throat because he was key in helping Clay turn his life around, in giving him hope for a better future.
The writing in "Light in the Shadows" was just brilliant. It was so emotive and raw, I felt everything both Clay and Maggie went through. I'm so pleased we got chapters from Clay's POV this time because this really helped me to understand just how much Clay's illness affected his day to day life and it was a struggle, at times even brutal but he was learning to cope with it and that was such a positive step in the right direction for him.
The conclusion to Maggie and Clay's story was just perfect with the epilogue bringing me to tears:
Over six years ago I met a girl who saved me. I didn't realize at the time, mostly because her
attitude pissed me off, that she would become the most important thing in my life.
But then I got to know her and when I was drowning, she became my air.
In the cold, she became my warmth. In the dark, she became my light
If you haven't read this series, it a must. It isn't a conventional love story and at times, it's tragic but it's worth every single bit of pain I felt just to get to the end.
I rated "Light in the Shadows" 4.5 Hearts
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