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bookmarvel's review against another edition
4.0
This book was so much more than I thought it would be. So much more happened, it’s such a wild time but it’s so good. I thought it was just gonna be about the Vazquezes trying to heal from how Luz hurt them, but it was more than that.
I really liked seeing how everybody just wanted to form connections with other people, even if consciously they tried to push people away. That’s a really important thing, like everyone needs good, stable, healthy interpersonal relationships in their life.
This review is a mess but it’s ok.
I really liked seeing how everybody just wanted to form connections with other people, even if consciously they tried to push people away. That’s a really important thing, like everyone needs good, stable, healthy interpersonal relationships in their life.
This review is a mess but it’s ok.
cojack's review against another edition
3.0
In short, book is way too long and takes far too long to get to the meat of the story. This seems to be a hallmark of Thomas's writing: excruciatingly slow build then a lot of out-of-nowhere action at the end. Good stuff about kids viewing the beautiful chaos of humanity through the lens of an alien visitor, but she really didn't need 400 pages to tell this story.
Read my full review on Common Sense Media: https://www.commonsensemedia.org/book-reviews/when-light-left-us
Read my full review on Common Sense Media: https://www.commonsensemedia.org/book-reviews/when-light-left-us
scrollsofdragons's review
4.0
It took me a bit to get into, it was weird but soon set into an easy rhythm that had made sense and I enjoyed it then.
misterintensity's review against another edition
4.0
Three years after their father left them, the Vasquez siblings find an alien parasite which stayed with them for a summer. Once the parasite left, one of the senses of each sibling was profoundly affected. Underneath the science fiction premise of When Light Left Us is an emotional story about family and the ways people in the same family both know each other and are strangers to each other at the same time. Told in alternating chapters from the point of view of each sibling and their mother, Thomas does an excellent job getting into the feelings of loss each Vasquez family member experiences. This is also the rare YA novel where a parent is one of the point of view characters and not just a periphery character. While readers immediately know that an entity the kids called Luz possessed the siblings, they don't know the full story of what actually happened until well into the novel. When Light Leaves Us is at its core an emotional novel with a Sci-Fi premise that will likely appeal more to realistic fiction readers than to science fiction readers despite its premise. The book spends more time on the Vasquez family and the people around them than on space aliens and that's what makes this book work.
jennywithaz's review against another edition
YALSA #BFYA2019 nominee. Read review here: http://www.yalsa.ala.org/thehub/2018/05/11/bfya2019-nominees-round-may-11-edition/
sc104906's review against another edition
2.0
I received this as an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
The Vasquez siblings had a traumatic summer, leaving Hank unable to feel his hands, Ana refuses to close her eyes, and the youngest Milo who refuses to hear things. This family was invaded by the alien Luz, who took control of the best parts of them to experience what it was like to be a human. Now that Luz is gone, the siblings are having trouble coping. In addition to the alien invasion, their father has abandoned the family and their mother works all of the time, making it impossible for her to relate. Is there anyway for this family to live without Luz? The family receives a lead that might allow them to find Luz and bring this entity back to the family.
This book was weird. I found that I didn't like any of the characters. Also, the afflictions they suffered because of Luz were grotesque. I felt that the cover was extremely misleading. I expected a fluffy realistic fiction book, but got a hardcore sci-fi book. While the novel attempted inclusivity by creating LGBTQ characters and having an autistic main character, all of the characters and plot needed to be better developed so that it would be easier to relate to them.
The Vasquez siblings had a traumatic summer, leaving Hank unable to feel his hands, Ana refuses to close her eyes, and the youngest Milo who refuses to hear things. This family was invaded by the alien Luz, who took control of the best parts of them to experience what it was like to be a human. Now that Luz is gone, the siblings are having trouble coping. In addition to the alien invasion, their father has abandoned the family and their mother works all of the time, making it impossible for her to relate. Is there anyway for this family to live without Luz? The family receives a lead that might allow them to find Luz and bring this entity back to the family.
This book was weird. I found that I didn't like any of the characters. Also, the afflictions they suffered because of Luz were grotesque. I felt that the cover was extremely misleading. I expected a fluffy realistic fiction book, but got a hardcore sci-fi book. While the novel attempted inclusivity by creating LGBTQ characters and having an autistic main character, all of the characters and plot needed to be better developed so that it would be easier to relate to them.
selahbeth's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Car accident, Cursing, Bullying, and Self harm
alle_kat97's review
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
librarypatronus's review
4.0
This was slow to catch me, I spent more than the first half kind of like "what is happening here, even?" which I think was partly due to the changing POvs AND that the narrative hopped around in time and wasn't linear, both of which tend to make my following more difficult, but together, whew. The POVs were very distinct, at least, and the characters interesting. That said, towards the end it got AMAZING and I couldn't put it down.
This was the story of three siblings who had had a rough summer, first their father left, then an "alien" possessed them (utilizing Hank's hands, Ana's eyes and Milo's ears) and then he abandoned them too! The narrative skips between the present, recent past, and when the were possessed (and a little when their father was still home). The kids are all damaged from their time as host's, both physically and mentally, as the alien was abusive and frightening, but also made them feel good and loved after their father had left them.
This was the story of three siblings who had had a rough summer, first their father left, then an "alien" possessed them (utilizing Hank's hands, Ana's eyes and Milo's ears) and then he abandoned them too! The narrative skips between the present, recent past, and when the were possessed (and a little when their father was still home). The kids are all damaged from their time as host's, both physically and mentally, as the alien was abusive and frightening, but also made them feel good and loved after their father had left them.
jaykosumi's review against another edition
2.0
Maybe I’m not the most fit to write a review considering I did not finish this book. Maybe it does gradually get better after the first 100 pages, but since I struggled to even get to 100, I doubt I’d magically start getting engrossed in the story after that.
I’m the type of reader who needs to be invested in at least one character’s fate to enjoy a book. This one is very character-driven, but I felt myself getting bored and not really caring about anyone in particular. Writing from multiple character’s point of view is difficult because as an author, you have to a) make your characters have distinct voices so that it’s easy to tell who’s who when reading, and b) make sure the readers care enough about each character so that they won’t lose interest in one and want to skip to another’s. Honestly, I wasn’t particularly interested in any of the three siblings, and their personalities weren’t very defined either so their voices got blurred when reading.
Also the writing is not the best either. I felt like at times, the author was trying to make certain sentences sound profound or quotable, but it just looked like she was trying too hard to sound deep but not really delivering. The beginning of the story was too fast-paced and confusing as well.
I do like the premise, though. The book has a very unique and original concept and had potential to be great, but I’m afraid it didn’t really live up to it. I agree with other reviews that if I could sum up this book in one word it would be “weird”. Again, maybe it does eventually get better, but like I said, if I didn’t get any strong positive feelings after the first 100 pages, I doubt I’d suddenly change my mind for the remainder of the book.
I’m the type of reader who needs to be invested in at least one character’s fate to enjoy a book. This one is very character-driven, but I felt myself getting bored and not really caring about anyone in particular. Writing from multiple character’s point of view is difficult because as an author, you have to a) make your characters have distinct voices so that it’s easy to tell who’s who when reading, and b) make sure the readers care enough about each character so that they won’t lose interest in one and want to skip to another’s. Honestly, I wasn’t particularly interested in any of the three siblings, and their personalities weren’t very defined either so their voices got blurred when reading.
Also the writing is not the best either. I felt like at times, the author was trying to make certain sentences sound profound or quotable, but it just looked like she was trying too hard to sound deep but not really delivering. The beginning of the story was too fast-paced and confusing as well.
I do like the premise, though. The book has a very unique and original concept and had potential to be great, but I’m afraid it didn’t really live up to it. I agree with other reviews that if I could sum up this book in one word it would be “weird”. Again, maybe it does eventually get better, but like I said, if I didn’t get any strong positive feelings after the first 100 pages, I doubt I’d suddenly change my mind for the remainder of the book.