The Dying Light by Lily Rooke (they/them)

4.75 Stars

I would like to preface this review by saying that regardless of my opinions on this book, I truly believe that you should support Lily in their writing endeavors. They are a wonderful human being who very often donates the royalties they earns from their books to causes that make a different. They're not in it for the money (I'm by saying that, I am not trying to imply that writing for the sake of a paycheck is a bad thing at all) but to help others.

It's important to note the following triggers are present in The Dying Light:

- Referencing to rape

- Torture

- Sexual assault

- Death of children

- Mental Health (resulted from rape and torture)

Now, to my review!

I loved The Dying Light. Charlie was such an emotional character to follow, and I really enjoy reading about those kinds of characters. Ones that are raw and hurting and trying to figure out how to get through everything whilst trying to protect those he loves (I love them so much that I write them as well!). The only issue I had with Charlie was that his had random dramatic moments, but it was so minimal to me. His character shone through, and that kept me reading all the way to the end. The way that Lily wrote him to be so protective and caring but still torn and hurt was so sad to read (in a good way). And Vasco - the love interest - was such an adorable character. I loved how he handled Charlie's emotions whenever he got upset or angry, because most times the love interest doesn't take into account the trauma and history that the main character has. Vasco learns to work with Charlie, as opposed to against him. He was such an adorable cinnamon roll, I wish he was in more than what he is (which is still a lot, I'm just greedy). To say I'm excited for book two is a major understatement.

If you want to check it out, follow this link to learn more about the book, or follow this link and download the first chapter of The Dying Light for free!