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A review by jce
Chasing The Light by Alexis Hall
challenging
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Will Watt's narration was wonderfully done.
Marius, the MC, is Edwin's ex. We hear a good deal about him in Waiting for the Flood, so I was interested to get to know him better. I think he's changed a good deal in the four years since he and Edwin broke up. In WFTF, it seemed like Edwin and Marius were two people who had drifted apart. I didn't get the sense that Marius was cruel or especially closed off. But the Marius we meet in Chasing the Light is practically wrapped in barbed wire. He hurts himself and the people around him, including Edwin. He is not a likeable character, but I did find him a relatable one. I know what it's like for discomfort to turn to prickliness, especially around family. I certainly don't think I'm as much of an asshole as Marius is, but I did understand many of his reactions. He's going through something that feels life shattering, and hates himself for the way he's handling it, and hates anyone who tries to offer him what he feels he doesn't deserve, what he tells himself he doesn't want. He's an interesting, infuriating character. I don't know if he's purposefully written as being neurodivergent, but there were definitely times his feelings about things reminded me of my own.
Chasing the Light is higher heat than Waiting for the Flood, as is Aftermath, the short bonus at the very end that mostly features Edwin and Adam. Chasing the Light also has a lot of those intricate details about a subject, as WFTF did with book binding and game theory, this time about living on a boat. And pierogi :) Again, I felt it gave the story a cozy aspect that I really enjoyed. Though Chasing the Light is certainly less soothing than WFTF, because Marius is who he is, I'd still classify it as comforting. I laughed a good deal during Chasing the Light and Aftermath.
I think my one slight disappointment with both novellas is that I wanted Leo and Adam, the love interests of the MCs whose POV we get, to be a bit less... perfect? I mean I love that both Edwin and Marius get these wonderful people to care for them. And I loved what we got of their characters. But I wanted them to have a few more flaws. And I actually loved that Aftermath shows us Marius is still very much Marius.
It is also worth noting that Marius has what I would classify as an eating disorder. I'm guessing this is listed in the CWs but I don't think my audio ARC had them.
I enjoyed this, and I'd recommend it, though Waiting for the Flood is still my favorite of the two.
*Audio ARC provided by NetGalley
Marius, the MC, is Edwin's ex. We hear a good deal about him in Waiting for the Flood, so I was interested to get to know him better. I think he's changed a good deal in the four years since he and Edwin broke up. In WFTF, it seemed like Edwin and Marius were two people who had drifted apart. I didn't get the sense that Marius was cruel or especially closed off. But the Marius we meet in Chasing the Light is practically wrapped in barbed wire. He hurts himself and the people around him, including Edwin. He is not a likeable character, but I did find him a relatable one. I know what it's like for discomfort to turn to prickliness, especially around family. I certainly don't think I'm as much of an asshole as Marius is, but I did understand many of his reactions. He's going through something that feels life shattering, and hates himself for the way he's handling it, and hates anyone who tries to offer him what he feels he doesn't deserve, what he tells himself he doesn't want. He's an interesting, infuriating character. I don't know if he's purposefully written as being neurodivergent, but there were definitely times his feelings about things reminded me of my own.
Chasing the Light is higher heat than Waiting for the Flood, as is Aftermath, the short bonus at the very end that mostly features Edwin and Adam. Chasing the Light also has a lot of those intricate details about a subject, as WFTF did with book binding and game theory, this time about living on a boat. And pierogi :) Again, I felt it gave the story a cozy aspect that I really enjoyed. Though Chasing the Light is certainly less soothing than WFTF, because Marius is who he is, I'd still classify it as comforting. I laughed a good deal during Chasing the Light and Aftermath.
I think my one slight disappointment with both novellas is that I wanted Leo and Adam, the love interests of the MCs whose POV we get, to be a bit less... perfect? I mean I love that both Edwin and Marius get these wonderful people to care for them. And I loved what we got of their characters. But I wanted them to have a few more flaws. And I actually loved that Aftermath shows us Marius is still very much Marius.
It is also worth noting that Marius has what I would classify as an eating disorder. I'm guessing this is listed in the CWs but I don't think my audio ARC had them.
I enjoyed this, and I'd recommend it, though Waiting for the Flood is still my favorite of the two.
*Audio ARC provided by NetGalley