Natalie ~ The Biblioholic's Reviews > Fighting Shadows

Another spectacular book from Aly Martinez!! I expected nothing less. I know that when I pick up one of her books I'm guaranteed to enjoy the heck out of it.

Holy crap did I ever love Flint. I loved him when I met him in Till's book. I loved how much he loved and respected his brothers. I loved how much he loved Eliza, even though it was obvious that he was confusing his feelings and making them into something they weren't (I've experienced that myself). I loved him when he was a miserable, brooding, rude a**hole and I loved him when he was a sappy, caring, considerate sweetheart. At the end of Fighting Silence I was concerned about what this character would have to endure to get back into "fighting" shape. And this book showed that I had every right to be concerned. I went along on the journey of Flint finding himself. And it was a hard road. He was bitter... inconsiderate... hateful... resentful... selfish... but I understood that. Then along came Ash and boy did this girl work miracles. Even when she wasn't around, she inspired this man and gave him back his will to fight. To live.

I loved Ash. She was fun! I love that she was a young girl and acted young but was in no way depicted as annoyingly young. Does that make sense? She was naive but in a way that showed how smart and caring she was. There was so much evidence of what a huge heart she had. I especially loved her interactions with Quarry (my homie). She was such a sensitive soul and her dad did a lot of damage to her spirit but I'm glad in the end, she and Flint were able to fulfill each other's needs. There was just so much to like, such as her "newsies" list and the way she highlighted Flint's book to tell her story and her feelings. She did piss me off with how she hated Eliza. I'm not ok with blaming people for something they didn't do and Eliza in no way was in the wrong.

The end of this book was bittersweet to me but I get that that's how it has to segue into the next book of the series. I'm nervous to read Quarry's book but I'm also excited because watching him grow up has been a delight. I'm grateful for Aly's remarkable word power and I think anyone who reads her work can agree.

Enjoy!