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A review by chippyreads
The Only Light Left Burning by Erik J. Brown
5.0
The Only Light Left Brubing by Erik J. Brown
Release date: 28th May
I remember seeing the cover to All That's Left in the World on one of my first visits to a local library after it received an impressive renovation. Something about the cover drew me in. Once I read that it was a dystopian YA about two young boys finding safety and love in one another I immediately grabbed it. I devoured it in a few sittings. I gave the first book 5 stars, even though the ending wasn’t as satisfying as I’d hoped. This book takes that ending, throws it in the bin and gives us the ending we thought Andrew and Jamie deserved.
I was reading The Only Light Left Burning at the same time as a few other YA dystopians. The others were very reminiscent of YA I read as a teen, hitting all the typical marks. But this one gave me the most anxiety. It stood out as a book not afraid to make young (and older) readers squirm. So, thank you? I still cringe thinking about THAT animal scene.
Andrew and Jamie's relationship is already established, so it was a shock AND refreshing to see them already struggling to communicate in the first chapter. Jamie wants to go back to the cabin, Andrew wants community. This is a big theme of the book and drives both of them to make rash and sometimes deadly decisions.
There were times when I couldn’t put the book down because I HAD to know what happened next and other times when I was scared to keep reading because I was so invested in every character.
Top tier YA queer dystopian duology. Looking forward to rereading them both in the future.
Rating: Obsessed = 5 stars.
eARC provided by Hachette AU via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
Release date: 28th May
I remember seeing the cover to All That's Left in the World on one of my first visits to a local library after it received an impressive renovation. Something about the cover drew me in. Once I read that it was a dystopian YA about two young boys finding safety and love in one another I immediately grabbed it. I devoured it in a few sittings. I gave the first book 5 stars, even though the ending wasn’t as satisfying as I’d hoped. This book takes that ending, throws it in the bin and gives us the ending we thought Andrew and Jamie deserved.
I was reading The Only Light Left Burning at the same time as a few other YA dystopians. The others were very reminiscent of YA I read as a teen, hitting all the typical marks. But this one gave me the most anxiety. It stood out as a book not afraid to make young (and older) readers squirm. So, thank you? I still cringe thinking about THAT animal scene.
Andrew and Jamie's relationship is already established, so it was a shock AND refreshing to see them already struggling to communicate in the first chapter. Jamie wants to go back to the cabin, Andrew wants community. This is a big theme of the book and drives both of them to make rash and sometimes deadly decisions.
There were times when I couldn’t put the book down because I HAD to know what happened next and other times when I was scared to keep reading because I was so invested in every character.
Top tier YA queer dystopian duology. Looking forward to rereading them both in the future.
Rating: Obsessed = 5 stars.
eARC provided by Hachette AU via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.