A review by lifeofaliterarynerd
Below Northern Lights by Ashlee Cowles

3.0

3.5 Stars
“Hiraeth is a kind of longing - a sad, almost powerful yearning, yet it’s a pain that actually feels good. Or at least true. What’s strange is it’s a longing for a place we’ve never been. Almost like we’re missing a home on another place of existence.”

This was such a quick and light read. It was heartfelt and happy and a perfect pick-me-up. Below Northern Lights follows Lucas and Gabi Santiago as they decide to trek across Scotland to find Seth after his solo self discovery journey threatens to end his military career. Along the way they meet Skye Reid, who like Lucas, is battling a past they can’t quite escape from. This was such a nice re-discovery story that is filled determination, strength and laughs.

Things I Liked
I really liked getting to know Lucas more. I liked seeing him learning to live his life post his injury. It’s also awesome that we got to see representation for latinos in Lucas and his family, and people with different levels of physical abilities in both Lucas, who is wheelchair bound and Skye, who has a prosthetic leg.

Skye was immediately likeable. She’s spunky and fearless, and even though she’s fighting a difficult past, she has the courage to face it head on. I also thought her journal entries were great. They really let us get to know her and her mindset. We get to see her journey clearly.

Things I Didn’t Like
I really wasn’t the biggest fan of the reveal that happened around two-thirds of the way through the book. I completely understand the reasoning behind it, but it just made me like quite a few character less that I did. It felt really manipulative and while the intention was honorable, I just didn't love it.

Below Northern Lights is a great story of finding yourself and rediscovering what you’re capable of. It’s a great story of resilience, perseverance, and hope. It was a lot of fun to read and it really flew by. It was really nice getting to see what was happening with these characters again.

I received a copy of the book from the author in exchange for an honest review.