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emotional
mysterious
reflective
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
What a lovely book.
Days of light follows Ivy through her life by narrating specific impactful days throughout the years. Days, on which the trajectory of her life changed in some way or another.
The writing in this was deliciously atmospheric, lots of purple prose that pulled me right in. I myself felt like a family member inside the cottage or a fly on the wall in Ivy’s bedrooms. I found the characters very endearing overall as well.
I do have to admit that some of the decisions Ivy makes were not 100% understandable to mespecifically her becoming a nun as well as the book’s theme generally shifting to becoming very religion centered but surprisingly that didn’t bother me so much.
This reminded me a lot of The Safekeep a lot of the time, another novel that I enjoyed a lot.
This book is not something Id usually go for but it worked very well for me. Great writing and nice narrative concept.
4.25 Stars.
Thank you to NetGalley and Grove Atlantic for the ARC.
Days of light follows Ivy through her life by narrating specific impactful days throughout the years. Days, on which the trajectory of her life changed in some way or another.
The writing in this was deliciously atmospheric, lots of purple prose that pulled me right in. I myself felt like a family member inside the cottage or a fly on the wall in Ivy’s bedrooms. I found the characters very endearing overall as well.
I do have to admit that some of the decisions Ivy makes were not 100% understandable to me
This reminded me a lot of The Safekeep a lot of the time, another novel that I enjoyed a lot.
This book is not something Id usually go for but it worked very well for me. Great writing and nice narrative concept.
4.25 Stars.
Thank you to NetGalley and Grove Atlantic for the ARC.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, War
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship
emotional
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Thank you to NetGalley and Grove Atlantic for the eARC!
In Days of Light, we follow our main character Ivy across 6 days throughout different decades, starting in 1938 and always occurring in April. The first 2 days take place around Easter 1938, and those 2 days set the trajectory of Ivy’s path, showing how tragedy can shape you for the rest of your life.
I loved the reflections on grief and longing! I also enjoyed Ivy’s introspective ruminations on not always feeling like a person and questioning who you’re meant to be/what you should be doing in life.
This character driven novel was beautifully written; it felt quiet and, at times, claustrophobic.
This character driven novel was beautifully written; it felt quiet and, at times, claustrophobic.
While I was initially pulled in by the novel, it really loses momentum around day 3 or 4. I began to feel bored and struggling to stay connected, especially as the story went in a confusing direction. It also felt as if Ivy’s development stilted and we only got to know so much about her (despite staying with her the entire time and being in her head).
The book had so much potential and started off strong but lost me along the way, ending with a not so satisfying story. I felt the same way about The End We Start From so I’m unsure if it’s worth reading more from Hunter or if her storytelling just isn’t for me.
The book had so much potential and started off strong but lost me along the way, ending with a not so satisfying story. I felt the same way about The End We Start From so I’m unsure if it’s worth reading more from Hunter or if her storytelling just isn’t for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Sexual content, Grief, Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, War