Jessica P

Roston P. Jones reviewed a book.

“This is a great continuation of the Beautiful Creatures series. I was saddened about Ethan, though. I am hoping that the last book is all happy endings though.”

Roston P. Jones reviewed a book.

“I am reading this book now.”

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Rajiv Bhattacharya is now following Bianca. (see 2 more new follows)

ana finished reading a book.

~*~Hailey Anne~*~ rated a book.

• Rated 4 stars

Katharine G reviewed a book.

“Smuggler 5. Jevick, has been raised on stories of Olondria, a distant land where books are as common as they are rare in his home. When his father dies and Jevick takes his place on the yearly selling trip to Olondria, Jevick's life is as close to perfect as he can imagine. But just as he revels...”

“Smuggler 5. Jevick, has been raised on stories of Olondria, a distant land where books are as common as they are rare in his home. When his father dies and Jevick takes his place on the yearly selling trip to Olondria, Jevick's life is as close to perfect as he can imagine. But just as he revels in Olondria's Rabelaisian Feast of Birds, he is pulled drastically off course and becomes haunted by the ghost of an illiterate young girl. In desperation, Jevick seeks the aid of Olondrian priests and quickly becomes a pawn in the struggle between the empire's two most powerful cults. Yet even as the country shimmers on the cusp of war, he must face his ghost and learn her story before he has any chance of becoming free by setting her free: an ordeal that challenges his understanding of art and life, home and exile, and the limits of that seductive necromancy, reading.”

Katharine G rated a book.

• Rated 4 stars

Katharine G rated a book. (see 2 more books rated)

• Rated 3 stars

Arya rated a book.

• Rated 4 stars

Bill F reviewed a book.

“Different from other Crais books but I liked it.”

“Different from other Crais books but I liked it. ”

mmchamp12 rated a book.

• Rated 3 stars

Alison rated a book.

• Rated 4 stars

DOC-209 would like to own a book.

Beautiful Melancholy is now following Mr. or Ms.JUST Right: Because Mr. or Ms. RIGHT does not exist! .

Arya is now reading a book.

Megan Marie rated a book.

• Rated 5 stars

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Sarah B reviewed a book.

“I'll be honest with everyone: I only picked this book up because it had a picture of a lighthouse on the cover, and as the quote says "Everybody loves a lighthouse." Yes. I'm exactly that shallow.

Fortunately, I was not remotely disappointed. While my proverbial socks are still...”

“I'll be honest with everyone: I only picked this book up because it had a picture of a lighthouse on the cover, and as the quote says "Everybody loves a lighthouse." Yes. I'm exactly that shallow.

Fortunately, I was not remotely disappointed. While my proverbial socks are still firmly on my feet, The Light Between Oceans prompted me to finish the book over the course of two evenings and I consider the time well-spent.

The plot isn't that complicated: In an effort to find peace after fighting in the trenches, a soldier-turned-lighthouse-keeper accepts a remote posting (eventually with his wife) to start a new life. After years of miscarriages and stillbirths, they find a small boat washed ashore with a dead body and a live infant. Assuming - incorrectly - both parents are dead, and without any other witnesses to say otherwise, they say the baby is their own.

The beauty of this story is its simplicity. There aren't a lot of trappings to confuse the reader. There are no real massive twists in the plot or mysteries to solve. All Stedman has done is craft a novel that plays on two basic concepts: morality and love.

Emotions run high in this book, but never slide into the soap-operatic. Every single major decision made by almost every single character makes sense, given their motivations. I didn't know how the story was going to end and I couldn't possibly imagine how it could work itself out. (The answer is simple: Life isn't that simple, and things rarely "work themselves out" for the best for everyone.)

This isn't a fairy tale. Not everyone gets to marry the prince at the end of the story. Not everyone gets to escape heartbreak. Some mercies come too late and some not at all.

And the book is all the stronger for it.

This isn't an action-packed lighthouse and nautical adventure. There are no epic recounts of World War I battles or dramatic shipwreck rescues. There are just strong doses of powerful human emotion - and that's all the narrative needs.”

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