Kat's Reviews > Gives Light

Only a few weeks ago, Susan got dragged into a kinky BDSM-y buddy read with us. Little did I know that Susan may not be a fan of BDSM, she surely has a neat little sadistic streak. According to her, revenge apparently is a dish best served in the form of sexless YA.

Vengeance at its finest!

Not only don’t I like YA anymore, I’m shallow. I want my gay sex cake and eat it too. But I suppose that one who forces kinky books upon others must gracefully accept the consequences... So looking at those burly toddlers on the cover of Gives Light, I took a deep breath and dove in, fully expecting another melodrama fueled childish angst-fest.

...and was blown away instead.

When you lose your vision, your ears will pick up on more sounds, your nose will distinguish more scents. When you take away sex as a means and a climax, will you cling to the simplest of touches? In the expert hands of this author, yes. A kiss no longer is a rushed foray into something more, but an earth-shattering experience. A meaningful look becomes more penetrating than a..well.

In a pace that’s more soothing than anything, you’ll get invited into a Native American reservation along with the endearing and admirable main character, the 16 year old Skylar. What follows is a heart-warming, slowly unfolding coming of age story, in which past and present clash and love conquers all.

I’ll admit it! The unhurried pacing and sharp focus on little, gentle gestures made my cynical heart swell. It didn’t take much; a discarded jacket, a soundless laugh or charcoal drawings. Until a scene involving a bedroom and a photo occurred and I simply couldn’t feel any more feels than I felt in that one breath-catching moment. For me, the essence of love is captured beautifully in this book, in all its facets and depth. This is how I feel love too and I applaud Christo for making its power palpable.

My only niggles would be that the story slowly petered out in the final pages, whereas I had expected a final assault on my senses that, I’m sure, would’ve sent me straight to cloud nine. And I personally would’ve made these boys 2 years younger. Their behavior and acts (or more accurately, their lack thereof) felt a bit too innocently sweet and at odds with their given age. All in all, I will say (not even grumpily anymore!) that Gives Light is very beautiful indeed and highly recommended. I wish schools would include this one on their reading lists.

You can check out our group review plus enter the giveaway to WIN all 4 books in the series (Posted 16/03/2014):