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hello_sweetie11's review against another edition
3.0
This was confusing as a novel, but as a short story worked well. I liked the religious Vs climate change issues young people may feel they‰ЫЄre fighting against in their lives. Hard for me to explain in a review, but there were many beautiful passages that really resonated with me.
apelletier's review
adventurous
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
aqtbenz's review
Just so much going on and could not get into the writing, for the first time ever with this author. Sad.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Death
slimikin's review
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
medium-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? Yes
3.0
hannah_monson's review
5.0
When I heard Jodi Lynn speak on a webinar, I thought that maybe she was me in the future. We don’t particularly look alike, but everything she said resonated with me and my personality. Then, she introduced her book, and I became convinced. As someone who is (very slowly) working on a book about a woman without faith who joins a convent, I was immediately intrigued by the premise of a devout catholic who witnesses an accident and loses her faith but nevertheless works in a convent.
I knew from the premise that I would like this book, but I loved it. I don’t think it will hit everyone in the same way— if you haven’t suffered tragedy or questioned your faith, Cassie may be hard to understand or relate to. Fortunately (or perhaps unfortunately), I related to her more deeply than just about any character I’ve read.
Although I’m no longer a teen, I loved this YA novel, showing that books about teens aren’t exclusively for teens. It explores faith in a really compelling way without being saccharine or sanctimonious.
I knew from the premise that I would like this book, but I loved it. I don’t think it will hit everyone in the same way— if you haven’t suffered tragedy or questioned your faith, Cassie may be hard to understand or relate to. Fortunately (or perhaps unfortunately), I related to her more deeply than just about any character I’ve read.
Although I’m no longer a teen, I loved this YA novel, showing that books about teens aren’t exclusively for teens. It explores faith in a really compelling way without being saccharine or sanctimonious.
smorrison4's review
challenging
emotional
medium-paced
3.5
This was an interesting and strange novel. We start the book at the end and then switch to the beginning of the story where Cassie and Elias meet. The town that Cassie lives in is very easily swayed by the opinions of one priest, which is frustrating but not unbelievable. Elias is great and the nun was funny and sassy but I found myself skimming over paragraphs and then having to go back and re-read them. Overall, the story was interesting and I would read more books from Jodi Anderson in the future.
ofpensandswords's review
emotional
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Each Night Was Illuminated follows Cassie, a girl who simultaneously has lost faith in religion and wants to be a nun, as she spends a summer reconnecting with Elias, a boy she had met a decade earlier. Set in a religious small town in New Jersey, the book grapples with questions of religion, climate change, and coping with trauma.
This book is truly like nothing I had ever read before. While definitely YA, it grapples with ideas in such a way as can only be evocative of the adult literary fiction genre.
Cassie is such a compelling protagonist. Her mom had left a few years earlier, which, in combination with trauma from having witnessed a deadly train accident with Elias as a child, has left her clinging to whatever elements of safety and predictability she can. She finds comfort in working with nuns despite having lost faith in Christianity. She has insomnia, not having been able to sleep more than a couple hours a night in ages, and is fiercely protective of her little brother, Gabe. She's so complex and has so much to say, and I just really enjoyed being able to see the world through her eyes over the course of the story.
Elias is a little more of a mystery. This is definitely not a traditional YA romance, but there are still some elements of romance in it. The romance is a relatively insignificant part of the story; it's lovely, but other aspects of Cassie and Elias' friendship and character development that are much more important. Elias is a chaotic force to Cassie's careful and controlled approach to life; he draws her out of the shell that she's been living in for years, and through their friendship over the course of the summer, she begins to heal. He has his own traumas, bringing Cassie with him to search relentlessly for the ghosts of the people they had seen die years earlier, and truly just provided such a good foil to Cassie throughout the narrative.
The small town setting is depicted with such skill that it truly does draw the reader into the community that surrounds Cassie. The town is very much influenced by Father James, a Catholic priest who spreads intolerance and lies about climate change. Very few of them take him seriously, but they still allow him to guide their opinions in harmful ways. It was definitely an interesting commentary on our current political culture.
I wish Cassie's family had been fleshed out a little more. While her older sister, the town sweetheart and a devout Catholic, is very present, Cassie's younger brother and father are less so, and I would have liked to see more of their characters.
It really is rare to read a YA book with this sort of depth. It's a ghost story and a commentary on climate change and a meditation on religion and a metaphor for our current political climate and a story about childhood acquaintances reconnecting and being the only people to truly see the other for who they are. It's lovely and complex and extremely skillfully written, and I would recommend it to anybody who is looking for a character-driven YA story. I'm giving Each Night Was Illuminated an enthusiastic 5/5 stars.
Thanks so much to HarperCollins Children's Books for the ARC of this book!
This book is truly like nothing I had ever read before. While definitely YA, it grapples with ideas in such a way as can only be evocative of the adult literary fiction genre.
Cassie is such a compelling protagonist. Her mom had left a few years earlier, which, in combination with trauma from having witnessed a deadly train accident with Elias as a child, has left her clinging to whatever elements of safety and predictability she can. She finds comfort in working with nuns despite having lost faith in Christianity. She has insomnia, not having been able to sleep more than a couple hours a night in ages, and is fiercely protective of her little brother, Gabe. She's so complex and has so much to say, and I just really enjoyed being able to see the world through her eyes over the course of the story.
Elias is a little more of a mystery. This is definitely not a traditional YA romance, but there are still some elements of romance in it. The romance is a relatively insignificant part of the story; it's lovely, but other aspects of Cassie and Elias' friendship and character development that are much more important. Elias is a chaotic force to Cassie's careful and controlled approach to life; he draws her out of the shell that she's been living in for years, and through their friendship over the course of the summer, she begins to heal. He has his own traumas, bringing Cassie with him to search relentlessly for the ghosts of the people they had seen die years earlier, and truly just provided such a good foil to Cassie throughout the narrative.
The small town setting is depicted with such skill that it truly does draw the reader into the community that surrounds Cassie. The town is very much influenced by Father James, a Catholic priest who spreads intolerance and lies about climate change. Very few of them take him seriously, but they still allow him to guide their opinions in harmful ways. It was definitely an interesting commentary on our current political culture.
I wish Cassie's family had been fleshed out a little more. While her older sister, the town sweetheart and a devout Catholic, is very present, Cassie's younger brother and father are less so, and I would have liked to see more of their characters.
It really is rare to read a YA book with this sort of depth. It's a ghost story and a commentary on climate change and a meditation on religion and a metaphor for our current political climate and a story about childhood acquaintances reconnecting and being the only people to truly see the other for who they are. It's lovely and complex and extremely skillfully written, and I would recommend it to anybody who is looking for a character-driven YA story. I'm giving Each Night Was Illuminated an enthusiastic 5/5 stars.
Thanks so much to HarperCollins Children's Books for the ARC of this book!
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