A review by enchantingreads_rosyreviews
Light Heart by Jessica Santi

adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Ya know when you finish a book & instantly start picturing where the story is gonna go in book 2? Well, Jessica said, “nah... whatever you’re thinking, you’re wrong.” She took this world & completely flipped it on its head, taking this story in a completely new & exciting direction. Not only was the world expanded, but we dove deeper into existing relationships (hello, fated mate & soul-bonding dynamics!). We dealt with the consequences of Veiled Skies’ final moments in an authentic way, which were some of my favorite scenes because of the raw emotional vulnerability.

She felt unsure how to move throughout the world in the wake of loss. She felt terrified both at the prospect of never feeling fully alive again and at losing the companion of grief... Most of all, she felt unknown. Even to herself. Her body and her mind and her soul felt incompatible. Who she was today felt like a completely different person to who she had been. She settled on what felt the most true. “I feel lost.”

But I also loved the intimate scenes between our main couple. The support of one another, protectiveness, communication (or difficulty to do so until they learn how their dynamic best functions), the realistic spice, & the exploration of their new relationship felt like such a reward while reading. This slow burn has definitely paid off!

“You have become someone I can’t imagine living without. I crave your presence and your words and I love the way you treat others. I love a lot about you actually. I love your tenacity and will. I love your dedication. I love your spirit.” ... She hadn’t meant to say that. She couldn’t love him. She cared for him but she didn’t love him. Love was sacred and delicate and everyone she had ever loved had been taken from her or hurt because of her or betrayed her and shattered her world into a million pieces... Cruelty and death and broken hearts lay in shards at the foot of her love. Oh gods, he would be taken from her too. Darkness swept in, hard and fast. She could take it back. She couldn’t let her love hurt anyone else...
“Deming.” Her name snapped her attention back. “Breathe... We should all be so lucky to love and be loved. Love emboldens and ties and strengthens and yes, sometimes, love hurts but we cannot deprive ourselves of what makes us who we are. You love so much... It is a gift, to have that much love to give, not a curse.”

Action-packed storytelling, emotional trauma, relationship expansion, more understanding of the antagonist’s motives, etc. made this a fantastic read & I love the journey Jessica is taking us on!

“I never said you were perfect, princess. Only that I admire your strength. Even the fiercest river bends and flows and crashes into banks from time to time... It matters not whose blood you share. What matters is the contents of your heart. The desires of your soul. Do you know what I see when I look at you? Fire and snow and flowers. Ferocity and softness. Beauty both bold and gentle. There are multitudes within you that should be celebrated, not suppressed. You are magic, Deming. The only shame in this is that you don’t see it.”

If you haven't read book 1, then stop, go back & do that. Now, for those of you who HAVE read Veiled Skies, buckle up because this book is so different in a wonderful way!

She wasn’t sure if she could handle more scars. More evidence of indiscretions leading to death. More physical portrayals of guilt.

Where book 1 took place in a castle, this one takes place with our characters constantly on the run & making camp in the wilderness on their trek across. Our FMC went from a mostly-gown wardrobe to a mostly-pants & fighting leathers attire. She went from reluctant princess to an outcasted rebel coming into her own power.

Everyone loved her too much, put her on too high a pedestal. She didn’t understand it. She was just a girl. Perhaps, though, she could learn to accept the love others so freely gave her even if she didn’t understand why. Perhaps she could let go of the doubt that tinged every corner of her mind, that whispered still she wasn’t good enough for the people in her life. One could be healing and still be worthy of love.

Where book 1 had dark moments, trauma & grief for our characters, book 2 has... ok, well, not EVERYTHING has changed.😆

That was the duality of life, she supposed. There was always war, always sadness, always pain. And in the same breath, there was always hope, always joy, always beauty. Everywhere, all at once, there was both life and death.

Seriously though, if you loved the atmospheric, romantic-style of writing, that hasn't gone away. In fact, Jessica showcases her talent by weaving her style through various battles & action-packed scenes our cast goes through. There's a lot more magic & creature exploration, but she does a stellar job of making sure the reader never gets lost in the fantastical nature of her world. This is such an unexpected storyline, but such a wonderful & entertaining sequel!

She thought, perhaps, that this was what being loved was supposed to feel like while healing from trauma. Not the absolution of guilt and perceived sin and profound sadness, but the embracing of it as a part of you. Everyone was gifted scars through their lifetime, but in the same way that a brass statue became more beautiful as it aged because of its tarnished surface, not in spite of it, scars did not make someone less worthy of love. It made them more.
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