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A Light in the Darkness, Light of Loian
Merrilyn's life is quiet and predictable. An apprentice to the royal healer, she spends her days helping in the village or up to mischief with her best friend who happens to be the handsome younger son of the king. But when a mysterious archer shows up in the forest and shoots their escort, Merrilyn's life is forever changed. Caught in a battle between two forgotten gods, she must embrace her destiny and fight the very powers of darkness before it's too late.
215 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 5, 2012
41 people are currently reading
253 people want to read
About the author
Heather Sutherlin
13 books89 followersHeather Sutherlin lives in Arkansas with her husband and three children. She loves all things creative and enjoys the worlds she dreams up, longing to live the adventure alongside her characters. When she’s not at her writing desk, she is busy exploring and learning with her children or cooking big, elaborate meals in the kitchen with her husband.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
July 16, 2019
The cover of the book really caught my attention. It's a gorgeous cover. Technically the MC has silvery, straight, moonlight hair when she has that cloak, but *shrugs* that's just a side note.
You ever have a book that you really wanted to love? That had so much potential yet had just enough that needed addressing that it missed the mark? That was this book for me.
The writing is beautiful and I can see the author has a gift. The world and the general plot is interesting and I devoured this.
But there was a lot of things that didn't work for me and they all built up to leave me disappointed at the end.
For starters, it was obvious from the beginning that Justan is head over heels for Merri. It was so obvious that I didn't buy Merri being oblivious for the whole book. There was some very romantic moments and gestures. Things Justan said or did that made it clear to everyone he loved her. Yet Merri walked around like, "I don't understand why Justan's saying/doing that? I'm so confused."
It got to be annoying after awhile.
There were parts I can tell were supposed to be humorous but(I hate saying this because humor is so hard to write) they fell flat, for me. Like there was a story about a goat in a dress that ran off and I kept waiting to feel some measure of humor and I didn't. The characters would laugh about something said/done and I felt awkward for not joining them.
It felt like Merri could do no wrong and Justan could do no right. But it felt forced, like Justan was written as so angry all the time that I thought maybe there'd be a twist like his anger would be a weapon the enemy used.
The plot could've been stronger. Merri HAS to go with Justan's army to find his brother and after one skirmish she's out of commission for awhile. She's sent back with one guard despite being a target, and the army follows shortly after, and then she leaves again, and the army follows. It felt rambling and pointless. Then they go all the way to the mountains for a battle and not only did I not understand why the battle had to happen there, but in the end it wasn't even the army/Merri/Justan who fought the big bad.
It's also left open as to whether the big bad is actually destroyed or just ran off. Merri and Justan don't resolve their relationship issue(they don't come out and say they like each other or realize the other likes them). Justan goes from being irritated at Aiden(the sorta, not really other love interest) to best buds overnight, that felt unbelievable.
I don't understand Aiden's role at all because he bounces between seeming romantically interested in Merri and hinting that her and Justan like each other. I can't tell if he's actually interested or not, and his actions at points suggests he is and I completely understood Justan's irritation.
Overall there was a lack of resolution in the plot. The book wasn't so large that it couldn't have been added too, and with the above things noted they also didn't find Justan's brother.
Aiden shows interest in Beatny at the end, but that wasn't built up at all and the age confuses me. Supposedly Merri's grandma was the last Alaith. But these three sisters that she stays with at the end of the book(Beatny being one) say their mother was an Alaith(who left them to go to the palace, so I doubt they were children at the time). So she must've died/vanished before the grandma. That makes these three women at least the age of Merri's mother, if not older, and Aiden(Merri's age since he's considered a possible love interest) is hinted to be growing romantically fond of Beatny??
Not that it's impossible to have a relationship with someone the age of your mother, but I had a hard time understanding how old the women were and what made Beatny so special that Aiden would overlook the age gap.
There's also a part where Beatny is healed by Merri from a mental disorder. Okay, that's cool, but Beatny responds by saying "I'm me again!" and everyone says she's been crazy for the past 10 years. So it's a mental disorder she wasn't born with? That makes me skeptical, but it didn't help that they never said what caused it. Why did a normal person suddenly go so far off the rails?
If this story had been longer(merged with book 2 perhaps) with more resolution of issues and some things polished/explained this could've been amazing. As I said, the writing was beautiful and the idea of a dark powered force and a light one meeting(with a healer of Merri's talent) it had all the key elements to be a great story.
I might read the second book in hopes that it'll be better because I really did want this one to knock it out of the park.
You ever have a book that you really wanted to love? That had so much potential yet had just enough that needed addressing that it missed the mark? That was this book for me.
The writing is beautiful and I can see the author has a gift. The world and the general plot is interesting and I devoured this.
But there was a lot of things that didn't work for me and they all built up to leave me disappointed at the end.
For starters, it was obvious from the beginning that Justan is head over heels for Merri. It was so obvious that I didn't buy Merri being oblivious for the whole book. There was some very romantic moments and gestures. Things Justan said or did that made it clear to everyone he loved her. Yet Merri walked around like, "I don't understand why Justan's saying/doing that? I'm so confused."
It got to be annoying after awhile.
There were parts I can tell were supposed to be humorous but(I hate saying this because humor is so hard to write) they fell flat, for me. Like there was a story about a goat in a dress that ran off and I kept waiting to feel some measure of humor and I didn't. The characters would laugh about something said/done and I felt awkward for not joining them.
It felt like Merri could do no wrong and Justan could do no right. But it felt forced, like Justan was written as so angry all the time that I thought maybe there'd be a twist like his anger would be a weapon the enemy used.
The plot could've been stronger. Merri HAS to go with Justan's army to find his brother and after one skirmish she's out of commission for awhile. She's sent back with one guard despite being a target, and the army follows shortly after, and then she leaves again, and the army follows. It felt rambling and pointless. Then they go all the way to the mountains for a battle and not only did I not understand why the battle had to happen there, but in the end it wasn't even the army/Merri/Justan who fought the big bad.
It's also left open as to whether the big bad is actually destroyed or just ran off. Merri and Justan don't resolve their relationship issue(they don't come out and say they like each other or realize the other likes them). Justan goes from being irritated at Aiden(the sorta, not really other love interest) to best buds overnight, that felt unbelievable.
I don't understand Aiden's role at all because he bounces between seeming romantically interested in Merri and hinting that her and Justan like each other. I can't tell if he's actually interested or not, and his actions at points suggests he is and I completely understood Justan's irritation.
Overall there was a lack of resolution in the plot. The book wasn't so large that it couldn't have been added too, and with the above things noted they also didn't find Justan's brother.
Aiden shows interest in Beatny at the end, but that wasn't built up at all and the age confuses me. Supposedly Merri's grandma was the last Alaith. But these three sisters that she stays with at the end of the book(Beatny being one) say their mother was an Alaith(who left them to go to the palace, so I doubt they were children at the time). So she must've died/vanished before the grandma. That makes these three women at least the age of Merri's mother, if not older, and Aiden(Merri's age since he's considered a possible love interest) is hinted to be growing romantically fond of Beatny??
Not that it's impossible to have a relationship with someone the age of your mother, but I had a hard time understanding how old the women were and what made Beatny so special that Aiden would overlook the age gap.
There's also a part where Beatny is healed by Merri from a mental disorder. Okay, that's cool, but Beatny responds by saying "I'm me again!" and everyone says she's been crazy for the past 10 years. So it's a mental disorder she wasn't born with? That makes me skeptical, but it didn't help that they never said what caused it. Why did a normal person suddenly go so far off the rails?
If this story had been longer(merged with book 2 perhaps) with more resolution of issues and some things polished/explained this could've been amazing. As I said, the writing was beautiful and the idea of a dark powered force and a light one meeting(with a healer of Merri's talent) it had all the key elements to be a great story.
I might read the second book in hopes that it'll be better because I really did want this one to knock it out of the park.
March 12, 2013
This book drew me in from the first chapter. I absolutely loved it and had to just go get the second in the series! Can't wait to read more about Merri and Justan :)
March 28, 2017
Because I know someone who knows the author, I decided to read A LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS. It is certainly not in the category of books I typically read, but I did enjoy it. It could be classified as Christian Fiction, but only in an allegorical sense. It would also classify as fantasy fiction, with ghostly figures, princes and kings, and mystical powers.
The story chronicles the development of Merrilyn from an orphaned girl into a powerful healer who has powers she did not know she had. One of the King's sons has disappeared and his other son, Prince Justan, is charged with finding out what happened. Justan and Merrilyn grew up together and have a growing love interest. There is danger and intrigue as they battle the forces of darkness who are attempting to destroy Merrilyn because of her newfound abilities.
The reason I gave it a good rating was because the story was well written, enchanting, and engaging. The story moves along fairly rapidly but with enough detail that one is drawn into the imagery and begins to feel that we know the characters. As a 53 year old man, I would think that I'm not the core audience for a book such as this. But I suppose anyone can enjoy a good story. I think this would be a great story for a preteen through adult to read. It is free of profanity and graphic (or any) sexual content, which I appreciated.
I'd happily recommend it to a youngster who was looking for a good story and also to any adult who just enjoys a good story. This is the first in a series.
The story chronicles the development of Merrilyn from an orphaned girl into a powerful healer who has powers she did not know she had. One of the King's sons has disappeared and his other son, Prince Justan, is charged with finding out what happened. Justan and Merrilyn grew up together and have a growing love interest. There is danger and intrigue as they battle the forces of darkness who are attempting to destroy Merrilyn because of her newfound abilities.
The reason I gave it a good rating was because the story was well written, enchanting, and engaging. The story moves along fairly rapidly but with enough detail that one is drawn into the imagery and begins to feel that we know the characters. As a 53 year old man, I would think that I'm not the core audience for a book such as this. But I suppose anyone can enjoy a good story. I think this would be a great story for a preteen through adult to read. It is free of profanity and graphic (or any) sexual content, which I appreciated.
I'd happily recommend it to a youngster who was looking for a good story and also to any adult who just enjoys a good story. This is the first in a series.
November 3, 2012
An action packed medieval tale of what a light can do in the darkness.
Merrilyn's life changes forever when she mysteriously heals the royal escort after an unexpected ambush.
Merrilyn struggles to follow the voice called Loian that guides her, her devotion to Loian puts a strain on her relationship her best friend Justan, the crown prince.
Can Merrilyn help lead her country into a new age?
Ms. Sutherlin wonderfully balances her allegory so that it is not too much, yet not in the least lacking, a tricky feat to accomplish. A Light in the Darkness well written in a style that is easy to follow and I found myself slowly drawn into it as I read. This book really had a spell-casting quality to it, with great descriptions and feel to it.
The characters were likable and I liked watching Merrilyn's and Justan's relationship change throughout the course of the book. I guess the only thing was that I wasn't quite as connected to the characters as I would have liked to have been.
There was plenty of action, with many hold-your-breath scenes, and others that riveted me to the page.
I just want to note that, that this book has wizards that are evil and that Merrilyn is given some supernatural powers from Loian. I personally didn't have a problem with any of it, but I know that there are some of you who would appreciate a heads up.
Overall a promising debut from Ms. Sutherlin, and the cool thing about this book is that this is only the beginning! A very enjoyable Christian Medieval Allegory :)
I received this ebook from the author in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!
Merrilyn's life changes forever when she mysteriously heals the royal escort after an unexpected ambush.
Merrilyn struggles to follow the voice called Loian that guides her, her devotion to Loian puts a strain on her relationship her best friend Justan, the crown prince.
Can Merrilyn help lead her country into a new age?
Ms. Sutherlin wonderfully balances her allegory so that it is not too much, yet not in the least lacking, a tricky feat to accomplish. A Light in the Darkness well written in a style that is easy to follow and I found myself slowly drawn into it as I read. This book really had a spell-casting quality to it, with great descriptions and feel to it.
The characters were likable and I liked watching Merrilyn's and Justan's relationship change throughout the course of the book. I guess the only thing was that I wasn't quite as connected to the characters as I would have liked to have been.
There was plenty of action, with many hold-your-breath scenes, and others that riveted me to the page.
I just want to note that, that this book has wizards that are evil and that Merrilyn is given some supernatural powers from Loian. I personally didn't have a problem with any of it, but I know that there are some of you who would appreciate a heads up.
Overall a promising debut from Ms. Sutherlin, and the cool thing about this book is that this is only the beginning! A very enjoyable Christian Medieval Allegory :)
I received this ebook from the author in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!
February 17, 2013
This is a well written fantasy with memorable characters. Merrilyn's faith in a forgotten god, Loian, and her strict adherance to her professional principles place a strain on her friendship with Prince Justan. Had she not been the Alaith, Merrilyn's romantic relationship with Justan could have developed more quickly. Instead, following her professional call and her faith, Merrilyn finds a new friend--and a love triangle.
This is a fantasy set in a capably-created world where magic is a real threat to the health and security of the people of Justan's kingdom. Merrilyn shares a nearly forgotten faith in a god who guides her personally, and an interesting part of the writing of this novel is how to share something as intimate as one's faith in a way that others will find meaningful and helpful. That is a difficult theme, and Sutherlin handles it well.
I enjoyed this story and its delicate portrayal of shared belief and the community of women who support Merrilyn's work and encourage her faith.
This is a fantasy set in a capably-created world where magic is a real threat to the health and security of the people of Justan's kingdom. Merrilyn shares a nearly forgotten faith in a god who guides her personally, and an interesting part of the writing of this novel is how to share something as intimate as one's faith in a way that others will find meaningful and helpful. That is a difficult theme, and Sutherlin handles it well.
I enjoyed this story and its delicate portrayal of shared belief and the community of women who support Merrilyn's work and encourage her faith.
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July 2, 2016I only got through a couple chapters of this book before I put it in the dnf pile. Lots of head hopping. Places where I could see the research hadn't been done. It just hit all the wrong buttons immediately.
March 18, 2018
This is a sweet, innocent read with a rather religious overtone. There is plenty of praying and belief, and trying to convince the non-believers in the power of their god. Admittedly, even though it’s a fantasy religion, it still felt too religious for my tastes. I did like the sweet romance between Justan and Merrilyn and I loved the moments in the very beginning of them hanging out in the forest together (even though it felt out of character for a Prince to be mucking it digging in ponds). And I was saddened when it felt like he just turned off his friendship with her for his duties. So, I was frustrated with Justan for a large portion of the book (but he does redeem himself toward the end and I still have hope for their romance). The fight with light against darkness felt stale (I mean by that, it felt boring simple black and white with no interesting layers of grey for intrigue). Merrilyn’s healer abilities felt like the author had based her on the Priest class in World of Warcraft. She had all the same healing abilities along with the smite white light and chain healing. And while their battles felt stale with them able to beat back the villain each time, I did like the people they met along the way. Adien grew a lot of personality to him, especially when they got to the border village. And the sisters and other villagers all had plenty of character.
April 22, 2018
I also have the one that has Merrilyn on the front cover I will now be reading book two and three
August 3, 2018
I love this story. It was a pretty quick read, because the story flowed well. Great characters and good battle scenes. Can’t wait to read more!
April 26, 2016
This review, my first review, is chock-full of spoilers, so if you're interested in actually reading this book without spoilers, step a good distance away.
Ugh. I really wanted to like this book. The pacing was wrong, the characters were flat, the relationships were shallow, but the premise was interesting. I mean, has anyone heard of a silver-haired heroine who heals others by praying? Probably not. Still, this book almost falls into the bottom of the barrel.
The book starts off with Merrilyn, the main character, and her friend Justan, the youngest prince of Nomar. Apparently they've been friends for years and have never had any romantic feelings. But then, after about two chapters, they spontaneously fall in love. Suddenly they have all of these hidden feelings for each other. And to top that off, they both pretty much upheave their relationship in two or three weeks. They act like complete grouches. Justan may have gotten snappy, but you know who started it? Merrilyn. She snapped at him for no good reason. And yet for the entire book Justan is portrayed as more of a jerk than her. Ooh, and then the big "love triangle" element. Apparently this random soldier guy gets hurt and Merrilyn has to heal him up. Then all of a sudden insta-love happens. Just like that, they start cooing to each other, running after each other for no particular reason. I understand that the archer guy is apparently trying to protect Merrilyn, but what's with that creepy scene in the palace garden, then?
Then there's the pacing. It was dragging me around like a limp doll for most of the book. One minute everything was progressing super quickly so I had to reread a page, the next minute, it was excruciatingly slow. The beginning was probably the worst. Everything went so quickly I felt like I had been kicked in the chest and completely winded. But, thankfully, by the end the book trots along at a decent pace.
Merrilyn, too, is also an issue. Dear Reader, if you haven't already found out, she is very, very flat. In fact, I'd classify her as a borderline Mary Sue with a severe case of Protagonist Centered Morality. Everything she does is "right", including running away like some sort of idiot towards the danger-infested mountains with Archer-loverboy, using her healing powers freely on the run, even though they would blow her cover(she's apparently running from Justan), and staying with creepy old ladies who put cheese in their hair(WHY!?!) and giver all this magical stuff because APPARENTLY they know things even though they're complete strangers, etc. And all because "Loian said so!" I can understand faith and all, but really, shouldn't Merrilyn doubt a little? She just started following him not a MONTH ago!
I shall also continue for a short amount of time on the villains. Duggan, the villain of the story, although not the main one, is probably my favorite character. He's a mysterious wizard with interesting powers and no backstory. But what really made me like him was a small scene showing the reader that he was vulnerable. Close to the beginning of the book, Duggan fails to capture Merrilyn and gang, and he's threatened by the main villain. If he fails again, he will be killed. It was a very trite scene, but at that point in the story, I hated the protagonist. And then, to top it all off, we get probably the most anticlimactic death of all time. Duggan falls and breaks his neck. Merrilyn the Brat doesn't bother to heal him, because he's "the bad guy".
So, in summary, the real reason I'm giving this book two stars is because I disliked the main characters. Since this seems to be Ms. Sutherlin's first book, and an indie book at that, I would have given her a bit more grace, but I just became aware of this. I hope that in the future, she will improve her writing substantially.
Ugh. I really wanted to like this book. The pacing was wrong, the characters were flat, the relationships were shallow, but the premise was interesting. I mean, has anyone heard of a silver-haired heroine who heals others by praying? Probably not. Still, this book almost falls into the bottom of the barrel.
The book starts off with Merrilyn, the main character, and her friend Justan, the youngest prince of Nomar. Apparently they've been friends for years and have never had any romantic feelings. But then, after about two chapters, they spontaneously fall in love. Suddenly they have all of these hidden feelings for each other. And to top that off, they both pretty much upheave their relationship in two or three weeks. They act like complete grouches. Justan may have gotten snappy, but you know who started it? Merrilyn. She snapped at him for no good reason. And yet for the entire book Justan is portrayed as more of a jerk than her. Ooh, and then the big "love triangle" element. Apparently this random soldier guy gets hurt and Merrilyn has to heal him up. Then all of a sudden insta-love happens. Just like that, they start cooing to each other, running after each other for no particular reason. I understand that the archer guy is apparently trying to protect Merrilyn, but what's with that creepy scene in the palace garden, then?
Then there's the pacing. It was dragging me around like a limp doll for most of the book. One minute everything was progressing super quickly so I had to reread a page, the next minute, it was excruciatingly slow. The beginning was probably the worst. Everything went so quickly I felt like I had been kicked in the chest and completely winded. But, thankfully, by the end the book trots along at a decent pace.
Merrilyn, too, is also an issue. Dear Reader, if you haven't already found out, she is very, very flat. In fact, I'd classify her as a borderline Mary Sue with a severe case of Protagonist Centered Morality. Everything she does is "right", including running away like some sort of idiot towards the danger-infested mountains with Archer-loverboy, using her healing powers freely on the run, even though they would blow her cover(she's apparently running from Justan), and staying with creepy old ladies who put cheese in their hair(WHY!?!) and giver all this magical stuff because APPARENTLY they know things even though they're complete strangers, etc. And all because "Loian said so!" I can understand faith and all, but really, shouldn't Merrilyn doubt a little? She just started following him not a MONTH ago!
I shall also continue for a short amount of time on the villains. Duggan, the villain of the story, although not the main one, is probably my favorite character. He's a mysterious wizard with interesting powers and no backstory. But what really made me like him was a small scene showing the reader that he was vulnerable. Close to the beginning of the book, Duggan fails to capture Merrilyn and gang, and he's threatened by the main villain. If he fails again, he will be killed. It was a very trite scene, but at that point in the story, I hated the protagonist. And then, to top it all off, we get probably the most anticlimactic death of all time. Duggan falls and breaks his neck. Merrilyn the Brat doesn't bother to heal him, because he's "the bad guy".
So, in summary, the real reason I'm giving this book two stars is because I disliked the main characters. Since this seems to be Ms. Sutherlin's first book, and an indie book at that, I would have given her a bit more grace, but I just became aware of this. I hope that in the future, she will improve her writing substantially.
May 29, 2013
I thoroughly enjoyed A Light in the Darkness. From the first chapter, I was drawn into this fantasy world and trying to figure out the mystery. The entire story was a fun adventure, with some mysteries revealed. I can't wait to continue the adventure in book #2 and discover more about Merrilyn's world.
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December 10, 2015Intensely intriguing story
From the first few paragraphs, I was totally hooked on this wonderful adventure! The characters are wonderfully realistic and the story just keeps pulling you along, from one chapter to the next. I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in an adventure!
From the first few paragraphs, I was totally hooked on this wonderful adventure! The characters are wonderfully realistic and the story just keeps pulling you along, from one chapter to the next. I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in an adventure!
April 1, 2016
Great story
This was a great story. I thoroughly enjoyed detail, though I did feel like the characters were a little shallow. I did get sucked into the story and couldn't put it down.
This was a great story. I thoroughly enjoyed detail, though I did feel like the characters were a little shallow. I did get sucked into the story and couldn't put it down.
September 14, 2012
Loved this book!!! I became completely engrossed with the characters and found myself smiling with and rooting for them! I look forward to the next book!
April 3, 2016
An enjoyable read. Can't wait to read the next one!
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September 5, 2017Read Lamplighter with same title. could not find
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews