Review: Captivating Story By An Amazingly Talented Author
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 11 2, 2013
Where There Is Love There Is No DarknessOh my goodness... I loved this book. It captivated me while it slowly revealed itself, the words doing a magical dance; weaving and threading meaning, themes and emotions together to create a beautiful story of hope, love and acceptance.I think I am in love with Marni Mann - I am certainly in love with her storytelling ability. Her writing style is one I don't find often but when I do find it, I am like a giddy lovestruck teenager. I can't get enough and I race to the end, ignoring nearly everything else in my life while I devour the story, the words. Let me say that again - THE WORDS. I am a word person - I just love them. And when an author can bring the right words together to paint a story for you to visualise, to sense, to FEEL, like Marni can - I am in heaven. I adored her choice and use of words in this book. Some authors rely heavily on phrases like "I felt..." to get the story across. Others, like Marni, convey what the character is feeling by describing it in their own unique style, by showing you and letting you feel and sense it for yourself.Now, this is the second book in this series (and I am fairly sure from the ending that it will be the last). You DO need to read the first book before this one.I wasn't sure how Marni was going to pull this second book off in a way that I would enjoy, but I should have had more trust in her. Because she did it perfectly, and even better than I could have ever imagined. I was hoping that the mansion and the fall out from that would not feature heavily in this book because that, to me, would just be too dark a book. I was so pleased with where she chose to take this book instead. And I was happy with the way she tied up all the loose ends with regards to the mansion - I got the answers I needed."Would I ever feel good enough as I was, without any mask at all?"This story was about Charlie's journey to find herself under the layers she had built to protect herself from the harshness of the life she had lived. Removing the mask from the mansion was just the first step. Now she had to get to a place of self acceptance and love. She also had to find a way to work Cameron into her life, into her heart.Her mother and Cee kept popping up, messing with her confidence and ability to move forward. I thought Marni's use of her mother throughout the book was extremely clever, revealing the point at which Charlie was finally starting to believe in herself.I also loved the art in this book. Marni must be an artist herself because the way she blended the art with the story was perfect."We were two broken souls who had found each other in a world of shadows. We were held together by a connection of secrets, dark and fearful and reluctant to leave. They recoiled whenever light reached them. Their depth was seductive and overwhelming, an endless ocean of black that threatened to cover the brilliance we kept reaching for with each other. But it wasn't the only color on our palette. Maybe it was time to explore a different hue."Cameron was a great character. It's been awhile since I read the first book but I don't recall that we got to know him that well in that story. We do in this one and he is the perfect character to be with Charlie, to help her find the love she has been missing in her life. He has also had a tough life, so together they lift each other into the light."Yes...I want to be happy," I answered.He tipped his head. "Then be happy. You know how to get there; you just have to let go of the fear of being there."I can't recommend this series enough to you. For me, it was the perfect blend of darkness, love, friendship, searching for the light and a journey to self love and acceptance. All wrapped up in those beautiful words and descriptions that Marni is so good at writing.