Reviews

Last Light by Claire Kent

midnightpoison13's review against another edition

3.0

3.5 stars - As a fan of post-apocalyptic dystopian fiction, this book was a must-read for me. It features one of my favorite tropes—an age gap romance. However, I must caution that if you're seeking a heavy emphasis on the post-apocalyptic setting, you may be disappointed. The focus is primarily on the relationship between the main characters, with a considerable amount of explicit content. Despite this, I found myself thoroughly engrossed in the story from the very beginning and ultimately enjoyed the reading experience.

jayme_is_all_booked's review against another edition

adventurous challenging reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

4.0

Original Read Date: 05/13/24 - 05/15/24
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Steam: 🔥🔥🔥
Tropes: post apocalyptic, forced proximity, age gap
POV:  first person, single pov

Plot: good
Ending: decent

Synopsis: Four years after an asteroid hit the world and after her last family member dies, Layne sets out on a journey to Fort Knox in hopes of being taken in as a refugee. Along the way she runs into Travis, a guy she knows from her home town..

My opinion:

Pros: I like the concept and how the end of the world was described. You could imagine the fear of coming into contact with a drove. You could imagine how desperate you would be to find safety. All of that was done really well. Layne was young, 21 by the end of the book, but that inexperience wasn't a big hindrance for her. Travis was caring and thoughtful; the perfect companion in an end of the world road trip.

Cons:  Even though Layne's youth wasn't a factor in most of the book, the times it is it becomes a problem. The lack of communication and giving up because of that was ridiculous. Travis's whole personality is lack of communication, but he still seems to think she knows how he feels. Also, at times the dialogue felt immature, but not in a way that made sense for the scene or characters. 

linzk's review against another edition

adventurous hopeful mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

dana_yamaguchi's review against another edition

2.0

“Please don’t say that. Please don’t ask it. Unless you really mean it. I mean really mean it.
’Cause I’m gonna take you serious. I’m gonna want more than just a good time with you.
I’m gonna… never let go.”
-Travis Farrell, from Last Light by Claire Kent

ctrlaltcara's review against another edition

adventurous dark hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

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

2.5

phoenyxashes19's review against another edition

It's moving too fast.

I barely get used to them interacting and she already thinks about his underwear and he glances at her body multiple times. Not taking in consideration that 2 weeks prior his 5 year old died and 2 days prior her grandma died. Come one, I would grieve more for a dog than these to had for their loved ones.

jnalmon's review against another edition

emotional hopeful tense medium-paced

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

4.25

I had started reading the series that spun off from this book before coming back to read it. I've found that I really like Kent's take on how to write a good dystopian future romance, and I think some of it is that she focuses closely on the people affected and their very small world. While you do learn more about what happened to the world, it's a much smaller, more human focus which makes it easier to feel for the characters. I was interested to see the origins of some of the people from the later books, which makes me more excited to continue the spin off series.

guardyourhonor's review against another edition

adventurous emotional reflective tense medium-paced

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

4.0

I liked this so much more than I expected to. I didn't like the other Kent book I read, but was craving a post-apoc romance and this is frequently recommended. Kent creates the world with fairly broad strokes but it remains immersive. She nailed the vibes. The romance had a lot of emotional depth for me, though (or maybe because) it's fairly quiet. Really good.

mnwakeford's review against another edition

5.0

Post-apocalyptic romance that's a notch above the usual

Post-apocalyptic romance with many of the usual tropes. What lifted this one above the ordinary was the quality of the writing and the gradual build up of the relationship between Travis and Layne, two characters who would have been unlikely to get together in normal times. I absolutely loved Travis. He was protective, taciturn and oh so manly. The number of times the author mentioned his Travis smell made me want to get an inhale of his musk! I will definitely check out other stories by this author.

heidi_grey's review against another edition

emotional tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75