A review by mezzythedragon
Shine by Candy Gourlay

4.0

The mystery element was rather predictable, and it started off a bit slow for my liking, but I did enjoy reading Gourlay's second novel. There are Filipino elements like the names Banawa and Yaya (not to mention Yaya's personality which can border on stereotypical, but oh well), but not once did Gourlay beat the audience over the head with ethnic identity. I have probably said this in other reviews, but I like how an author doesn't feel he/she has to justify the character's existence simply because he/she is of another race or ethnicity. In this story, on the other hand, Gourlay focuses more on Rosa's condition, the Calm, which has rendered her mute. I don't often get stories about people who have different physical abilities, so that was good.