Review: Into the Night Reviews ... The Destiny of Violet and Luke
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 01 23, 2014
I think out of all of the Jessica Sorensen books I've read Luke and Violet are my favourite pair.  The two of them have worked so hard building walls to shield themselves from their experiences as children that they don't get close ... to anyone.  That's why it is so surprising that without even trying to they manage to get behind each other's walls.  And watching them struggle with what that means for them as individuals and potentially them together is fascinating.Violet is such a complex character - to me she was really screaming to be loved but given her childhood experiences she didn't believe she deserved it.  It's so heartbreaking to read stories about children that don't have the experience of a good family home and to acknowledge just how difficult that makes life for them.  What makes it even worse is that Violet's childhood was taken from her, it wasn't that her parents weren't able to give her what she needed, it was the choices of others that cost her a loving home.  Violet exists, she has protected herself from ever getting close and she thinks she is managing just fine, until Luke manages to get under her skin.Luke's childhood was devastating.  We got a glimpse of it in The Redemption of Callie and Kayden, but the depth of 'torture' (and there really is no other way to describe it) that his mother put him through is horrendous.  Clearly she was dealing with her own demons, but a boy should not have had to endure what Luke did.  His strategies for coping are so self destructive it is almost surprising that he has survived as long as he has.  When Violet catches his attention, he is forced to question those strategies and he begins to wonder whether he can let someone in.I am a big fan of Sorensen having read a number of her books.  I have even more of them on my TBR and will definitely work my way through her entire catalogue.  I love her angsty writing style, and the 'dark' elements that come through in her story. Perhaps that's because I am blessed enough not to have to deal with those elements in my own life?  I'd also like to think it's because no matter how bleak the lives of her characters may be, she creates a hope that they can have more ... more of what they truly deserve, more happiness, more love.While The Destiny of Violet and Luke finished at a point I was not anticipating it was actually quite fitting for the story.  And while I don't normally like endings that don't bring some sense of closure to the story I've just read I was completely comfortable with this one.  Of course I jumped straight to Sorensen's website to try and find out the name of the next book and breathed a sigh of relief to see 'Luke and Violet 2' listed on the 'Upcoming Projects' page.Visit the Into the Night Reviews blog or Facebook page for book reviews, new release updates, giveaways and more!!