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A review by javalenciaph
This Raging Light by Estelle Laure
5.0
Read the full review on Bookaholics Not-So-Anonymous.
Note: This ARC was provided by HMH Books for Young Readers in exchange for an honest review.
This Raging Light is a coming-of-age debut novel from author Estelle Laure and is about an incoming senior named Lucille Bennett who suddenly finds herself the caregiver of her young sister, nine-year-old Wren, when both her parents check out from their family and the life they've led for nearly two decades together. Since she's nine months away from becoming an adult, Lucille can't really afford to ask for help from the adults around her, fearful that both she and Wren will be taken into foster care. Life as she knew it ended with her father losing his group on his sanity for a brief period and not being ready to return to their family and her mother walking out on them soon after. Lucille's story is one that may be considered angsty but then it's difficult to blame her for acting out at times because, let's not forget: she's seventeen.
There's a bit of a love story that goes on between Lucille and her best friend's twin brother, Digby Jones, but the focus is mostly on Lucille's struggles and having no other choice but to seemingly grow up overnight. The thing is, that growing up process, wherein she has to be the mature near-adult, is a continuous one and her frustrations are perfectly understandable. It's easy for us to say that if she were really responsible, she should have asked for help from an adult or an authority figure, but then this was about family and the choices she had before her were not simple ones because they all carried risks. The romance with Digby was at times sweet and at times suspect, because Digby being in a long-term relationship with someone else was indeed a big deal, but I think it was handled as realistically as possible.
I liked Lucille and felt that she was a seventeen-year-old who made the choices that she felt were best at the time because these were the ones that worked for her. There were a couple of unexpected things that happened in the story, but they helped in giving this debut novel a different creative flavor. I'm sure some readers felt the ending was one that left the story unfinished, but I'd prefer to see it as hopeful. It also felt more of a transition than an ending, because that's how Lucille's life was at that point--one that was in constant transition, and one that she chose to look at with more positiveness than she thought possible. She learned a great deal and she evolved, learning that she's capable of taking on more than she expected and that help, even when not asked for, is freely given by those who care. 4.5 stars for This Raging Light. ♥
Note: This ARC was provided by HMH Books for Young Readers in exchange for an honest review.
This Raging Light is a coming-of-age debut novel from author Estelle Laure and is about an incoming senior named Lucille Bennett who suddenly finds herself the caregiver of her young sister, nine-year-old Wren, when both her parents check out from their family and the life they've led for nearly two decades together. Since she's nine months away from becoming an adult, Lucille can't really afford to ask for help from the adults around her, fearful that both she and Wren will be taken into foster care. Life as she knew it ended with her father losing his group on his sanity for a brief period and not being ready to return to their family and her mother walking out on them soon after. Lucille's story is one that may be considered angsty but then it's difficult to blame her for acting out at times because, let's not forget: she's seventeen.
There's a bit of a love story that goes on between Lucille and her best friend's twin brother, Digby Jones, but the focus is mostly on Lucille's struggles and having no other choice but to seemingly grow up overnight. The thing is, that growing up process, wherein she has to be the mature near-adult, is a continuous one and her frustrations are perfectly understandable. It's easy for us to say that if she were really responsible, she should have asked for help from an adult or an authority figure, but then this was about family and the choices she had before her were not simple ones because they all carried risks. The romance with Digby was at times sweet and at times suspect, because Digby being in a long-term relationship with someone else was indeed a big deal, but I think it was handled as realistically as possible.
I liked Lucille and felt that she was a seventeen-year-old who made the choices that she felt were best at the time because these were the ones that worked for her. There were a couple of unexpected things that happened in the story, but they helped in giving this debut novel a different creative flavor. I'm sure some readers felt the ending was one that left the story unfinished, but I'd prefer to see it as hopeful. It also felt more of a transition than an ending, because that's how Lucille's life was at that point--one that was in constant transition, and one that she chose to look at with more positiveness than she thought possible. She learned a great deal and she evolved, learning that she's capable of taking on more than she expected and that help, even when not asked for, is freely given by those who care. 4.5 stars for This Raging Light. ♥