Reviews

The Light of the Fireflies by Paul Pen

Only show reviews with written explanations

espukicheri's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

0.25

No character has a brain or makes any sense in here. It's all pure actions that dont follow any path or logic.

Content Warnings

linds_bryan's review against another edition

Go to review page

4.0

Dysfunctional Thriller

Wow. Not sure exactly where to start on this one. It was dysfunctional and disturbing and even uncomfortable at times. This is a read that will stick with me for a long time. Some of it was slow and I really wanted to know more about the characters but I flew through the last half of the book. I just couldn't put it down and had to find out what was going to happen. I enjoyed the twists and turns even though I didn't agree with the choices that were made by the family. I didn't like the end as much as I should've but would recommend this to anyone who enjoys a dysfunctional family thriller.

angelic712's review against another edition

Go to review page

3.0

Maybe kinda a spoiler but I’m saying it anyway. It was a really good book, but I am fucking pissed about what they did to their daughter.

mstipress's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

This is something very different! It was dark, intriguing, and light some times. Maybe it was the way he wrote it. I loved how he put words together and no character had a name.

This entire book was one setting. I swear I was on a thrill ride following the family's every move. Pen did a great job keeping me on my toes. I had no clue, I was just grasping at straws trying to figure it out.

I had to ask myself several times after the "it" was revealed .. could I have done this. I mean the bond between Mom and children is strong? But how strong? I love how he made me question myself.

Really, how far would you go for your child? I feel like this book had a great plot, memorable characters, and a psychologically thrilling background.

I will read another one from him.

wrentheblurry's review against another edition

Go to review page

3.0

The main premise for this title echoes the one for [b: Room|7937843|Room|Emma Donoghue|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1344265419s/7937843.jpg|9585076], namely that family members must live underground in a basement and pretend it's a normal thing. Instead of a mother and her son, it's parents and their three kids plus a grandma. A couple of other characters come into play later, but mostly story revolves around the youngest son's point of view and how he sees the family dynamic.

Things creep along a bit the first half of the book; mostly we learn about the characters and how dysfunctional the family is. At the 50% mark, we finally begin to discover why the family lives in the basement. Things get pretty whacked at this point, but the pace is sped up, and my interest increased in a desire to find out what was going to happen.

The ending was not to my liking, and I rolled my eyes and curled my lips more than once. Had the momentum continued, it would have been 3.5 stars.