Book Review: Eyes of Light by Charissa Stastny…

Now i have been sitting on this review for a while… why? you ask… well it is most definitely NOT because it is not a good book but it is because i sort of know the author personally (or at least digitally if you will). We have been fellow-bloggers who follow each other and regularly comment on the other’s posts for more than a year now… so… i feel funny when it comes to giving critic about a friend’s work… always have and i don’t think that will ever change for me, at least not any time soon so i’m just going to go ahead with this review now (before i rethink it again).

Needless to say i was eager to read Eyes of Light because i know Charissa and i know she has worked so hard to get it together and published!

The first thing you have to know is that she makes no apologies about it having a strong religious component. There is a missionary who is deeply involved in the story and in her Author’s Notes, she does state that she wanted to show her daughters her belief in the love and power of Jesus Christ.

And of course, if you have been following my blog for a while, you will know that i share that belief and love for Jesus Christ too. However, i have felt conflicted when reading the book because it speaks of Jesus Christ from a Mormon perspective which is not the background i come from and i certainly have never explored that perspective before.

But religious notes aside, i love the story!

The story of Suvi’s very troubled life, the complication of being involved with a secret agent , her fall into despair believing herself unworthy of anything better, the turn-around she made only to be faced with the demons from her past yet again, the 2 men in her life who love her and would not give up on her, her journey to finding peace, love and acceptance in Jesus Christ… kept me reading and reading as i was taken on an exciting, sad, at times funny, scary and ultimately happy journey with Suvi.

The writing and pacing was good, although i did question for a while what was the missionary doing in the story as he didn’t meet Suvi and seemed to be leading a completely separate life till about a third of the way into the book. i also enjoyed the different perspectives of the different major characters, it gave a lot of insight into their motives and beliefs as well as their pain and struggles.

The main characters were nicely developed but a little predictable in their reactions to the events of the story. i would have liked to see more facets to the 2 men, James and Austan, who play such major roles in Suvi’s life. Maybe that would come in the sequel, Secret Keepers, which by the way, is already available for purchase.

All in all, it was a very enjoyable read and i look forward to the sequel!

Well Done Char!

Oh, do hop over to her blog. She has lots of gems to be found on there; advice about writing, funny posts about her family and her likes/dislikes, serious ones about heart issues and ones where she gives away stuff… go and enjoy!

syc