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dmackreads's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
This is one of those books where everything comes full circle, comes together, and just makes sense. Other than being written in 3rd person, I absolutely loved it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Transphobia, and Pregnancy
jenbsbooks's review
dark
tense
3.75
This starts right off into the action/abuse. 3rd person/past tense. The first several chapters are from Vega's POV. A little way in, we also get the POV of Eve, and from Donna (two timelines, this one is in the past). There are several "reveals" along the way, most were pretty obvious to me early on SPOILER I almost don't think it's a spoiler to say that Donna is Renee, Vega's mother. That wasn't hard to pick up on although it took a while for it to be confirmed for sure ... but why else are we getting her story? I'm trying to remember how obvious is was about Eve's transition ... much was said about her NDE, that she was "different" ... I can't recall exactly where/when it came out that she was trans ... about halfway? From there, it really wasn't a leap that Eve was the Ethan from Donna's chapters, and I figured out that Eve/Ethan fathered Donna's child, it was a little frustrating that Eve didn't figure it out sooner, that she thought Vega might be Beth, Donna's little sister. Seems like that would have been a 5+ year difference in Vega's age. Kinda wanted to slap Tera (I thought it was Tara from the audio) for not just nudging people into knowledge sooner ... and she never told what happened to Donna's father but I guess she wouldn't really want everyone to know she killed him. The mine seemed a little too easy for body disposal ...)
This book is included in KindleUnlimited, with audio and text. The narrator is Kay Eluvian, who has an interesting voice, but being a trans woman herself, matched Eve, and did the male voices very well ... although Heff's accent was a little TOO strong at points, I had a hard time understanding what he was saying some of the time. I think I would have preferred more distinction in the narration with the different POVs ... even though the chapters had headings indicating the POV (although the chapters aren't marked in the Table of Contents, which I would prefer, as that would make it easier if I wanted to go back and check something, knowing it was in Donna's or Eve's chapters) with the basic 3rd person POV (and me constantly stopping and starting, jumping back in) I'd struggle to remember whose eyes we were seeing the story from until I could tell from the story itself.
There were some "visions" and dreams, and these confused me a little - I had to revert back to the kindle copy after listening to make sure I'd understood everything (and I pretty much had).
This book is included in KindleUnlimited, with audio and text. The narrator is Kay Eluvian, who has an interesting voice, but being a trans woman herself, matched Eve, and did the male voices very well ... although Heff's accent was a little TOO strong at points, I had a hard time understanding what he was saying some of the time. I think I would have preferred more distinction in the narration with the different POVs ... even though the chapters had headings indicating the POV (although the chapters aren't marked in the Table of Contents, which I would prefer, as that would make it easier if I wanted to go back and check something, knowing it was in Donna's or Eve's chapters) with the basic 3rd person POV (and me constantly stopping and starting, jumping back in) I'd struggle to remember whose eyes we were seeing the story from until I could tell from the story itself.
There were some "visions" and dreams, and these confused me a little - I had to revert back to the kindle copy after listening to make sure I'd understood everything (and I pretty much had).
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Incest, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, and Transphobia
sizzlesteaks's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Deadnaming, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Homophobia, Incest, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Transphobia, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Animal cruelty
bookmarkedbybecky's review against another edition
dark
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
What I really enjoyed:
✨Generational Trauma - heavy topics without being heavy-handed.
✨Small Town Vibe - portrayed beautifully as the community pulls together to help Vega! Everyone is “family” in Crystal, OH.
✨Supporting Characters: Eve, Heff, Carl, Betty, and even Tera, all showing different ways of love and support. These characters are the light amongst the darkest of situations, secrets, and trauma.
Overall, A Light In The Forest is a great character-driven novel that blends drama and mystery. The story contains a few topics that could be triggering, so please review before reading.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Domestic abuse, Incest, Sexual violence, and Transphobia
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