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All That's Left in the World #2
The Only Light Left Burning
THEY FOUND EACH OTHER. NOW THEY MUST RESCUE WHAT THEY LEFT BEHIND. The highly-anticipated sequel to the queer genre-bending dystopian romance All That's Left in the World.
Against the backdrop of a ravaged world, Andrew and Jamie have settled in a new community, more in love than ever. Finally they've reached safety and have each taken on roles and responsibilities in this new life. But it's soon clear they want different
Jamie is ready to move on and take to the road, just the two of them.
Andrew wants to remain in the safety of numbers.
With a storm brewing up the coast they have no choice to head back into the wilderness where old enemies roam and they don't know who to trust. Can they find their way back to safety and each other?
Against the backdrop of a ravaged world, Andrew and Jamie have settled in a new community, more in love than ever. Finally they've reached safety and have each taken on roles and responsibilities in this new life. But it's soon clear they want different
Jamie is ready to move on and take to the road, just the two of them.
Andrew wants to remain in the safety of numbers.
With a storm brewing up the coast they have no choice to head back into the wilderness where old enemies roam and they don't know who to trust. Can they find their way back to safety and each other?
399 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 28, 2024
656 people are currently reading
12805 people want to read
About the author
Erik J. Brown
4 books2,146 followersErik J. Brown is the internationally-bestselling author of All That's Left in the World and the sequel The Only Light Left Burning.
His books have received starred reviews from Kirkus, The Bulletin of the Center of Children's Books, and ALA Booklist.
His second novel, Lose You to Find Me, became a USA Today Bestseller.
Erik is also the co-host of the YA Book Podcast YA-OK where he and Alyssa Ljub of Netflix's The Circle talk with new and established YA authors about writing, publishing, and all things YA!
He lives in Philadelphia with his family.
You can find him on Instagram @ErikJB and TikTok @ErikJBrown
His books have received starred reviews from Kirkus, The Bulletin of the Center of Children's Books, and ALA Booklist.
His second novel, Lose You to Find Me, became a USA Today Bestseller.
Erik is also the co-host of the YA Book Podcast YA-OK where he and Alyssa Ljub of Netflix's The Circle talk with new and established YA authors about writing, publishing, and all things YA!
He lives in Philadelphia with his family.
You can find him on Instagram @ErikJB and TikTok @ErikJBrown
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November 15, 2023dear erik,
can andrew and jamie survive? that’s all i ask for.
sincerely,
a fragile reader
can andrew and jamie survive? that’s all i ask for.
sincerely,
a fragile reader
March 13, 2025
When you were mine, you were kinda sorta my best friend (When You Were Mine – Prince).
Let me just say that I’m probably a minority in the minority when it comes to this book, and I'm totally cool with that. If most people like this, then I truly, genuinely think that’s awesome. I just wish I could be among the people who loved this, but I'm afraid I'm going to have to sit this one out. It sucks because… I’m probably going to be mean to this book. Well maybe, it depends on how much of my haterade I end up editing out. Anyway, what the hell happened here!? Because I certainly don’t remember the first book being anything close to the meandering, tedious, and repetitive mess that this one was. I know a lot of people were disappointed in the Ari & Dante sequel and the third Simon Snow book, but I implore those folks to try giving The Only Light Left Burning a read and they might just walk away with a new appreciation for them. I did not like this. And not only did it fail to hold a candle to the first one, but it also retroactively made me like it less. That's not good! Okay, so what was the problem? Well, for one, the cover is lying. because Andrew and Jamie are hardly ever alone in this book and so much of the space on the pages are crowded with side-characters that aren't really unique or interesting. But my usual nitpicks aside, my opinion is that I just don’t think this was a story that needed a sequel. I didn't hate the idea of one, it’s not like I didn’t want to see more of the characters I loved from the first book (though after reading this, I’m pretty sure I don’t like them anymore), but I’m generally of the mind that post-apocalyptic fiction is actually pretty limited in what it can say. Like, as a message. No matter the medium or how different the story, it always, always boils down to that incessant “woah-can-you-believe-humans-are-the-real-monsters?"- thing and this book didn't even try to do something new. Wow, what a groundbreaking thought. The Walking Dead, The Last of Us, The Road, 28 Days Later, they’re all fine in their own right, but come on, they’re all saying the same thing! We get it, humans suck ass. That’s actually what made the first book stand out to me, because while it shows some awful things, it still had an optimistic vibe that made the story unique in its own right. Because while The Only Light Left Burning (this one) tries for a grittier and more realistic feel to it, I think that it’s often held back by its own billing as a YA book. Without fail, whenever things get a little too real, the story will then take a sharp turn and immediately yank it back into safer waters. Want a darker story? Great. Then make it darker! Don't constantly flip-flop just to try to appeal to everyone. The only thing that leads to is a half-baked story with no strong sense of identity. Even the way this book handled the ends of its chapters was annoying to me. It’d constantly be something dumb like “Oh no, we walked right into a trap! Dun dun dunnn!!” and I’m sorry but… none of this was a surprise. At what point are the characters just being stupid by constantly trusting things will go well despite the fact that they’re traveling with children and are literally being hunted by a hate group! Besides, I feel like if you use the same twist twice in a story, then it’s not really a twist anymore, it’s just a thing that keeps happening.
I have another question… why exactly did the author decide to center this book around the relationship troubles between Jamie and Andrew? First chapter and they’re already fighting? That’ll certainly get the readers hooked on a feeling! Really though, six pages in and I was just about ready to come out as byesexual. But I figured hey, I loved the first one so I should love this one, right? Um… no, wrong. Now, I know this literally happens in every sequel to a romance story and this book is trying the “sunny days, everybody loves them, can you stand the rain?” -trope (you know, that classic trope), but much like how I’m finding the post apocalypse genre more and more tired rather than groundbreaking, there’s really nothing new to explore with the characters falling apart. And while I'm sure the tension throughout the novel was supposed to be rather uncomfortable and oppressive, I’m not so sure it was actually handled in an interesting way. Like, if you can’t do a couple fighting better than Before Midnight then don’t even bother. Jamie and Andrew never even had a huge blowout argument to end all arguments! Just little feelings of resentment and bitterness in each character’s narration. I know that’s more realistic, but this is still a story and there are certain common story tropes that are probably best followed. Especially if there’s not going to be any satisfying payoff to all their fighting anyway and they just end up happily-ever-after by the final page. Ugh, I even hated the reason why they were fighting in the first place. I think it was something about a boat? I can’t really remember, it’s not like they brought it up every damn page! The argument was so vague and small stakes that I actually forgot multiple times which character was on which side. Facetiousness aside, give me a little credit, I am aware that the actual central conflict is the fact that Jamie has lingering paranoia issues and just wants to run away to a cabin far away while Andrew wants to find a new family (Or maybe it was the other way around? Ugh, I hope I'm right!), but that doesn’t make it any less eye-roll worthy to keep rehashing the same argument while they’re literally on the run from a homophobic hate group. Priorities, please. PRIORITIES! Also, if the main conflict of a story is a simple argument between the characters that slowly grows more and more corrosive, then it’s incredibly important that you don’t prove either character right through the events of the story. They should be on equal footing, narratively speaking. I shouldn’t be able to this easily point at a character and say “well, he’s obviously right because of this and this and this!” I literally had a list on a piece of paper comparing how many times a certain character was in the right! It’s wild because Jamie was so, so justified in his paranoia, because every time the group found safety, it'd blow up in their faces. Sorry, but Andrew really just came across as a complete dumbass who kept endangering everybody else. Look, if you have a selfless, trusting character like Andrew in a post-apocalyptic story, then you absolutely have to reward them by making them correct through their choices within the story! Because otherwise... yeah, they just end up looking like a complete dumbass who keeps endangering everybody else.
I think this is the part where I admit the embarrassing fact that I actually kind of forgot which character was which. Jamie who? Andrew whomst!? What were their personality traits again? I mean, it has been a while since I’ve read the first one, okay!? I figured I’d be able to use the power of context clues and play catch up for a while and everything would be good to go in no time! And yeah, while I did eventually figure everything out (which character was in the cabin and which character shot the homophobic guy from the last book) right as rain, by this point I was already like, 70% done with the book. That's a long ass time for the ball to get rolling! It didn’t help that what made it finally click for me on how to distinguish the two main characters (their respective narrative voices were very similar) was how angry I was at Andrew’s decision making. Oh, I guess I'm talking about Andrew again. It’s probably not a good sign that I started associating him as the “the annoying one” by the halfway point. He’s one of those guys who would rather maintain the moral high ground and take up fence sitting rather than working on being a supportive boyfriend. If this were a normal YA then sure, but these characters are all fighting for their lives so... get real dude. All I know is that if I were in a post-apocalyptic world and my partner wanted to go on a revenge mission against an evil homophobic piece of shit (who is also hunting them), I’d be along for the ride. I mean, maybe I wouldn’t be happy about it, but I’d sure as hell be there! In fact, I even have a problem with the way the whole book even tried to paint this thing as a “revenge” mission in the first place! They’ve been hunted by this faction for the whole book and they even put up (slight spoilers) wanted posters for Jamie, that's how badly they wanted to kill him, so I’d hardly count this as a silly revenge tale. It’s about safety!! If I were Andrew, I wouldn’t be out here trying to moral grandstand when it’s obvious that they’re all in very real danger. The world is better without these people anyway, and I’m not afraid to say it plainly, even if the book didn't want to. I remember in the Telltale’s The Walking Dead (a game where your choices determine the ending of the game), I made sure to kill off any character that even slightly gave off the wrong vibes. I wasn’t trusting anybody. A guy so much as coughs funny and you know damn well he’d be walking the plank. I just think it's odd how Andrew's used as a narrative tool to espouse some kind of moral, but then it's neither adhered to by Jamie or brought up again. You might as well go all out on the cynicism if you're not even going to stick to your own message, right? It might not be a better story, but it'd certainly be more entertaining if there were a character like Micah in Dutch van der Linde’s ear screaming “He's lyiii~iing!” at every opportunity. Seriously though, I’m not actually saying that Andrew and Jamie needed to be monsters for this book to be better, but maybe them not trusting every group that they came across would be nice. If this is the only light left burning, then just go ahead and snuff it out already. Alright, I didn’t like this and I feel bad about it because I loved the first one. But what I said earlier still stands; I really do hope that I’m the outlier and that most people love this. Because the thing is, I do think that this author’s efforts to have a diverse cast in a post-apocalyptic story is something to be admired and despite everything, I at least don’t regret reading All That’s Left in the World (the first one).
Let me just say that I’m probably a minority in the minority when it comes to this book, and I'm totally cool with that. If most people like this, then I truly, genuinely think that’s awesome. I just wish I could be among the people who loved this, but I'm afraid I'm going to have to sit this one out. It sucks because… I’m probably going to be mean to this book. Well maybe, it depends on how much of my haterade I end up editing out. Anyway, what the hell happened here!? Because I certainly don’t remember the first book being anything close to the meandering, tedious, and repetitive mess that this one was. I know a lot of people were disappointed in the Ari & Dante sequel and the third Simon Snow book, but I implore those folks to try giving The Only Light Left Burning a read and they might just walk away with a new appreciation for them. I did not like this. And not only did it fail to hold a candle to the first one, but it also retroactively made me like it less. That's not good! Okay, so what was the problem? Well, for one, the cover is lying. because Andrew and Jamie are hardly ever alone in this book and so much of the space on the pages are crowded with side-characters that aren't really unique or interesting. But my usual nitpicks aside, my opinion is that I just don’t think this was a story that needed a sequel. I didn't hate the idea of one, it’s not like I didn’t want to see more of the characters I loved from the first book (though after reading this, I’m pretty sure I don’t like them anymore), but I’m generally of the mind that post-apocalyptic fiction is actually pretty limited in what it can say. Like, as a message. No matter the medium or how different the story, it always, always boils down to that incessant “woah-can-you-believe-humans-are-the-real-monsters?"- thing and this book didn't even try to do something new. Wow, what a groundbreaking thought. The Walking Dead, The Last of Us, The Road, 28 Days Later, they’re all fine in their own right, but come on, they’re all saying the same thing! We get it, humans suck ass. That’s actually what made the first book stand out to me, because while it shows some awful things, it still had an optimistic vibe that made the story unique in its own right. Because while The Only Light Left Burning (this one) tries for a grittier and more realistic feel to it, I think that it’s often held back by its own billing as a YA book. Without fail, whenever things get a little too real, the story will then take a sharp turn and immediately yank it back into safer waters. Want a darker story? Great. Then make it darker! Don't constantly flip-flop just to try to appeal to everyone. The only thing that leads to is a half-baked story with no strong sense of identity. Even the way this book handled the ends of its chapters was annoying to me. It’d constantly be something dumb like “Oh no, we walked right into a trap! Dun dun dunnn!!” and I’m sorry but… none of this was a surprise. At what point are the characters just being stupid by constantly trusting things will go well despite the fact that they’re traveling with children and are literally being hunted by a hate group! Besides, I feel like if you use the same twist twice in a story, then it’s not really a twist anymore, it’s just a thing that keeps happening.
I have another question… why exactly did the author decide to center this book around the relationship troubles between Jamie and Andrew? First chapter and they’re already fighting? That’ll certainly get the readers hooked on a feeling! Really though, six pages in and I was just about ready to come out as byesexual. But I figured hey, I loved the first one so I should love this one, right? Um… no, wrong. Now, I know this literally happens in every sequel to a romance story and this book is trying the “sunny days, everybody loves them, can you stand the rain?” -trope (you know, that classic trope), but much like how I’m finding the post apocalypse genre more and more tired rather than groundbreaking, there’s really nothing new to explore with the characters falling apart. And while I'm sure the tension throughout the novel was supposed to be rather uncomfortable and oppressive, I’m not so sure it was actually handled in an interesting way. Like, if you can’t do a couple fighting better than Before Midnight then don’t even bother. Jamie and Andrew never even had a huge blowout argument to end all arguments! Just little feelings of resentment and bitterness in each character’s narration. I know that’s more realistic, but this is still a story and there are certain common story tropes that are probably best followed. Especially if there’s not going to be any satisfying payoff to all their fighting anyway and they just end up happily-ever-after by the final page. Ugh, I even hated the reason why they were fighting in the first place. I think it was something about a boat? I can’t really remember, it’s not like they brought it up every damn page! The argument was so vague and small stakes that I actually forgot multiple times which character was on which side. Facetiousness aside, give me a little credit, I am aware that the actual central conflict is the fact that Jamie has lingering paranoia issues and just wants to run away to a cabin far away while Andrew wants to find a new family (Or maybe it was the other way around? Ugh, I hope I'm right!), but that doesn’t make it any less eye-roll worthy to keep rehashing the same argument while they’re literally on the run from a homophobic hate group. Priorities, please. PRIORITIES! Also, if the main conflict of a story is a simple argument between the characters that slowly grows more and more corrosive, then it’s incredibly important that you don’t prove either character right through the events of the story. They should be on equal footing, narratively speaking. I shouldn’t be able to this easily point at a character and say “well, he’s obviously right because of this and this and this!” I literally had a list on a piece of paper comparing how many times a certain character was in the right! It’s wild because Jamie was so, so justified in his paranoia, because every time the group found safety, it'd blow up in their faces. Sorry, but Andrew really just came across as a complete dumbass who kept endangering everybody else. Look, if you have a selfless, trusting character like Andrew in a post-apocalyptic story, then you absolutely have to reward them by making them correct through their choices within the story! Because otherwise... yeah, they just end up looking like a complete dumbass who keeps endangering everybody else.
I think this is the part where I admit the embarrassing fact that I actually kind of forgot which character was which. Jamie who? Andrew whomst!? What were their personality traits again? I mean, it has been a while since I’ve read the first one, okay!? I figured I’d be able to use the power of context clues and play catch up for a while and everything would be good to go in no time! And yeah, while I did eventually figure everything out (which character was in the cabin and which character shot the homophobic guy from the last book) right as rain, by this point I was already like, 70% done with the book. That's a long ass time for the ball to get rolling! It didn’t help that what made it finally click for me on how to distinguish the two main characters (their respective narrative voices were very similar) was how angry I was at Andrew’s decision making. Oh, I guess I'm talking about Andrew again. It’s probably not a good sign that I started associating him as the “the annoying one” by the halfway point. He’s one of those guys who would rather maintain the moral high ground and take up fence sitting rather than working on being a supportive boyfriend. If this were a normal YA then sure, but these characters are all fighting for their lives so... get real dude. All I know is that if I were in a post-apocalyptic world and my partner wanted to go on a revenge mission against an evil homophobic piece of shit (who is also hunting them), I’d be along for the ride. I mean, maybe I wouldn’t be happy about it, but I’d sure as hell be there! In fact, I even have a problem with the way the whole book even tried to paint this thing as a “revenge” mission in the first place! They’ve been hunted by this faction for the whole book and they even put up (slight spoilers) wanted posters for Jamie, that's how badly they wanted to kill him, so I’d hardly count this as a silly revenge tale. It’s about safety!! If I were Andrew, I wouldn’t be out here trying to moral grandstand when it’s obvious that they’re all in very real danger. The world is better without these people anyway, and I’m not afraid to say it plainly, even if the book didn't want to. I remember in the Telltale’s The Walking Dead (a game where your choices determine the ending of the game), I made sure to kill off any character that even slightly gave off the wrong vibes. I wasn’t trusting anybody. A guy so much as coughs funny and you know damn well he’d be walking the plank. I just think it's odd how Andrew's used as a narrative tool to espouse some kind of moral, but then it's neither adhered to by Jamie or brought up again. You might as well go all out on the cynicism if you're not even going to stick to your own message, right? It might not be a better story, but it'd certainly be more entertaining if there were a character like Micah in Dutch van der Linde’s ear screaming “He's lyiii~iing!” at every opportunity. Seriously though, I’m not actually saying that Andrew and Jamie needed to be monsters for this book to be better, but maybe them not trusting every group that they came across would be nice. If this is the only light left burning, then just go ahead and snuff it out already. Alright, I didn’t like this and I feel bad about it because I loved the first one. But what I said earlier still stands; I really do hope that I’m the outlier and that most people love this. Because the thing is, I do think that this author’s efforts to have a diverse cast in a post-apocalyptic story is something to be admired and despite everything, I at least don’t regret reading All That’s Left in the World (the first one).
June 9, 2024
D*mn Erik, how did you dare to let me cry at 14% already? And then that scene with Andrew! I cringed and got nauseous because of the pain he must have felt. And Jamie only showed his hardened outer shell, living with so much anger and frustration. I really wanted my favorite cinnamon roll back.
I loved the mingling of teen-related themes with all the action in the scary and heartbreaking apocalypse world, themes like learning to trust others and build upon one another, not talking about insecurities, doubting about proceeding sexually, etc. I constantly sat on the edge of my seat and wanted Andrew and Jamie to stay together and alive so badly, so I rooted, and I gasped, and goosebumps crawled over my body when Henri … and my hands were shaking while reading this sequel. And the Kid, OMG, the Kid. That seven-year-old is my favorite side character in this series.
Erik, your storytelling is sublime, and I need far more of your writing! Of course, I rated this beautiful sequel five stars! And can we please get a treequel (does this word even exist)? We both know that Albie should be the main character in that one!
I can’t thank Hachette Australia enough for this fantastic ARC! It was one of my most anticipated, maybe even most anticipated, 2024 reads, and it was all I could have hoped for!
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I loved the mingling of teen-related themes with all the action in the scary and heartbreaking apocalypse world, themes like learning to trust others and build upon one another, not talking about insecurities, doubting about proceeding sexually, etc. I constantly sat on the edge of my seat and wanted Andrew and Jamie to stay together and alive so badly, so I rooted, and I gasped, and goosebumps crawled over my body when Henri … and my hands were shaking while reading this sequel. And the Kid, OMG, the Kid. That seven-year-old is my favorite side character in this series.
Erik, your storytelling is sublime, and I need far more of your writing! Of course, I rated this beautiful sequel five stars! And can we please get a treequel (does this word even exist)? We both know that Albie should be the main character in that one!
I can’t thank Hachette Australia enough for this fantastic ARC! It was one of my most anticipated, maybe even most anticipated, 2024 reads, and it was all I could have hoped for!
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May 28, 2024
Please, the title. It sounds like something tragic is going to happen, and I'm not ready for it
February 11, 2025
~3.25 stars~
Honestly, I was a bit angry with the whole "this isn't the person I fell in love with, he has changed" situation. The whole "I almost lost myself" thing only added to that. It's the freaking apocalypse, it's the end of the world - if you want to survive you gotta be at least a little bit selfish and you have to make tough decisions sometimes. Jamie just wanted to protect his people, why are we supposed to be shaming him for it? I feel like the author tried too hard to send a message that we need to stay "nice" even in the apocalypse. Please, just take a look at what's happening in the world right now. Even when there is no apocalypse people are super shitty and the end of the world would only bring out the worst in humans. There is no way you could survive by only being kind and selfless. You would have to prioritize yourself and people you love at least at some point. I'm not saying being the asshole is the right way, no. But framing it as if Jamie was close to becoming almost a "monster"? He just had self-preservation and willingness to do anything to protect his people, what's so wrong about it? If it's me or them then I want it to be me, easy.
Also the whole "I forgive you" part. Nope. You don't owe people your forgiveness, especially if they hurt you, even on their deathbed. You're allowed to not feel sorry for them. Like, Jamie can forgive some bad guy but Andrew would have to THINK about forgiving Jamie for being willing to kill said bad guy? Yeah, no. This is madness.
I also didn't like how our main pairing was constantly having issues and it was quite annoying how they could have resolved it so quickly if they only talked... And they barely even talked in the end. I hate relationship drama.
Now let's talk about writing. The characters fell a bit flat in this book, they weren't as well-developed and lovable as in the first one. They lacked personality and their voices lacked uniqueness. It just wasn't as good as in the ATLITW.
I liked the pacing and the length of the chapters though. And Jamie and Andrew’s dynamics with supporting characters was nice too. It also read quite easily and definitely wasn't a completely unenjoyable story overall, even if flawed.
It was decent but the first book was so much better.
Honestly, I was a bit angry with the whole "this isn't the person I fell in love with, he has changed" situation. The whole "I almost lost myself" thing only added to that. It's the freaking apocalypse, it's the end of the world - if you want to survive you gotta be at least a little bit selfish and you have to make tough decisions sometimes. Jamie just wanted to protect his people, why are we supposed to be shaming him for it? I feel like the author tried too hard to send a message that we need to stay "nice" even in the apocalypse. Please, just take a look at what's happening in the world right now. Even when there is no apocalypse people are super shitty and the end of the world would only bring out the worst in humans. There is no way you could survive by only being kind and selfless. You would have to prioritize yourself and people you love at least at some point. I'm not saying being the asshole is the right way, no. But framing it as if Jamie was close to becoming almost a "monster"? He just had self-preservation and willingness to do anything to protect his people, what's so wrong about it? If it's me or them then I want it to be me, easy.
Also the whole "I forgive you" part. Nope. You don't owe people your forgiveness, especially if they hurt you, even on their deathbed. You're allowed to not feel sorry for them. Like, Jamie can forgive some bad guy but Andrew would have to THINK about forgiving Jamie for being willing to kill said bad guy? Yeah, no. This is madness.
I also didn't like how our main pairing was constantly having issues and it was quite annoying how they could have resolved it so quickly if they only talked... And they barely even talked in the end. I hate relationship drama.
Now let's talk about writing. The characters fell a bit flat in this book, they weren't as well-developed and lovable as in the first one. They lacked personality and their voices lacked uniqueness. It just wasn't as good as in the ATLITW.
I liked the pacing and the length of the chapters though. And Jamie and Andrew’s dynamics with supporting characters was nice too. It also read quite easily and definitely wasn't a completely unenjoyable story overall, even if flawed.
It was decent but the first book was so much better.
June 6, 2024
Did I stay up until 3:40 am to finish this book? Yes, yes I did. And I loved it. Not as much as the first one, but what a great sequel, friends. And I absolutely hate sequels, they almost always manage to ruin the story or the characters.
But this was good. I do think it was incredibly rushed in the last quarter, though. Some things deserved more attention, like confronting the Fort Caroline settlement, for instance. That part was a bit diasspointing for me; given what a huge role it played in Andrew and Jamie's lives, I think it deserved to be handled more carefully. It was very underwhelming to say the least.
But Andrew and Jamie's relationship was so beautifully explored. All their fears and insecurities coming to life and testing their feelings. These boys went trough hell and back. But hey, they'll always find their way to each other, right?!
I love that we got to meet new characters, although at some point I thought we could have done with fewer of them. :)) Too many names to remember. My favourite character in this book was by far The Kid. And that epilogue makes me want a third book SO BAD. I desperately want to know his story, past present and future.
But this was good. I do think it was incredibly rushed in the last quarter, though. Some things deserved more attention, like confronting the Fort Caroline settlement, for instance. That part was a bit diasspointing for me; given what a huge role it played in Andrew and Jamie's lives, I think it deserved to be handled more carefully. It was very underwhelming to say the least.
But Andrew and Jamie's relationship was so beautifully explored. All their fears and insecurities coming to life and testing their feelings. These boys went trough hell and back. But hey, they'll always find their way to each other, right?!
I love that we got to meet new characters, although at some point I thought we could have done with fewer of them. :)) Too many names to remember. My favourite character in this book was by far The Kid. And that epilogue makes me want a third book SO BAD. I desperately want to know his story, past present and future.
June 3, 2024
I am sad to report that this book will not change my mind about being iffy when a standalone book is turned into a duology/trilogy.
This had none of the energy from the 1st book. The plot was bland and every conflict felt contrived and the result of a lack of communication between the characters. While I thought the dynamic connecting the secondary characters interesting, the heart of the story was always Jamie and Andrew but they spent most of this book locked in an uninteresting string of miscommunication issues that culminated in a flat resolution at the end.
I will say that the pacing and chapter lengths were excellent and did a lot of heavy lifting to stop this from becoming a slog to get through.
I would reread the 1st book without hesitation, but I can't say the same for this one. I can’t bring myself to give this 2 stars, but it is a weak 3 stars for me.
This had none of the energy from the 1st book. The plot was bland and every conflict felt contrived and the result of a lack of communication between the characters. While I thought the dynamic connecting the secondary characters interesting, the heart of the story was always Jamie and Andrew but they spent most of this book locked in an uninteresting string of miscommunication issues that culminated in a flat resolution at the end.
I will say that the pacing and chapter lengths were excellent and did a lot of heavy lifting to stop this from becoming a slog to get through.
I would reread the 1st book without hesitation, but I can't say the same for this one. I can’t bring myself to give this 2 stars, but it is a weak 3 stars for me.
March 20, 2024
As a sucker for post-apocalyptic stories and a fan of All That's Left In The World - as soon as this sequel was announced, it was immediate an anticipated read. And boy, did it follow through! Let me tell you, this sequel ATE, and I loved it even more than the first.
I think having our two main guys Jamison and Andrew already established fast tracks the beginning and we're continuing the plot right on from the ending of the first (I think with a little time jump).
I honestly couldn't remember too much, but there's sufficient bread crumbs told throughout that makes you go, "a-ha! That's right, that's what happened!"
Initially, I was concerned with the influx of characters that we're introduced to, but I think the amount of characters works in it's advantage because it's just so fun seeing how some of the characters play off each other, and the different dynamics. You really grow to enjoy their company!
A quarter of the way through was when I had to check my progress, because I felt like I was already half way through... and this is only because so much happens so quickly! I was astonished but delighted, which mean that even though the pacing was fast, I was eating it up.
I felt and experienced what it was like to in those situations with the characters, and it really felt like a nod to post-apocalyptic stories like The Walking Dead (minus the walking dead) and The Road.
Big big kudos to Erik J. Brown for bringing us back into this story - it was told so well, and I was constantly intrigued, at the edge of my seat, uncomfortable, and had my heart do some overtime with those feelings that they were feeling.
Dare I say that I want a third book? It wraps up perfectly though. But I still want a third book. Ha!
I think having our two main guys Jamison and Andrew already established fast tracks the beginning and we're continuing the plot right on from the ending of the first (I think with a little time jump).
I honestly couldn't remember too much, but there's sufficient bread crumbs told throughout that makes you go, "a-ha! That's right, that's what happened!"
Initially, I was concerned with the influx of characters that we're introduced to, but I think the amount of characters works in it's advantage because it's just so fun seeing how some of the characters play off each other, and the different dynamics. You really grow to enjoy their company!
A quarter of the way through was when I had to check my progress, because I felt like I was already half way through... and this is only because so much happens so quickly! I was astonished but delighted, which mean that even though the pacing was fast, I was eating it up.
I felt and experienced what it was like to in those situations with the characters, and it really felt like a nod to post-apocalyptic stories like The Walking Dead (minus the walking dead) and The Road.
Big big kudos to Erik J. Brown for bringing us back into this story - it was told so well, and I was constantly intrigued, at the edge of my seat, uncomfortable, and had my heart do some overtime with those feelings that they were feeling.
Dare I say that I want a third book? It wraps up perfectly though. But I still want a third book. Ha!
August 3, 2024
not a single book (i’m lying) has made me violently outburst incoherent screams as much as this one has i will never be the same
June 3, 2024
That's a no from me. I know when I really enjoy a book, like the first one, I reread it again and again. This one is a once only for me, I was really disappointed with it. I don't think I can even keep it.
I didn't like Andrew and Jamie as characters in this book and it felt contrived that the author chose to bring unhappiness between the two to progress the story. Relationship drama and non communication just dragged the story line down and made it unenjoyable.
Jamie's big decision seemed way off character, I couldn't believe that one.
The practically non existent physical relationship between the two of them was strange. I understand the author may have wanted to keep it family friendly but really? They were 17. Things could have easily happened in Florida without going into too much detail and make it more believable.
I also found the final chapter (before the epilogue) empty. Not even an 'I missed you', so does that mean they didn't? Jamie was straight into admitting he was wrong which was needed but it's the end of a two book series and it felt unemotional for two people who have been apart for some time and gone through what they have. To me THIS should have been the tear jerking moment in the whole book. Do you still want me? Do we still love each other? Can we live without each other? There should have been much more trepidation and uncertainty as it would have increased the stakes more. If they couldn't answer those questions straight away they should have been given more time to show a relationship status, mending and moving forward. It wrapped up way too quickly after having put us through so much drama. Not a great way to conclude the series.
I didn't like Andrew and Jamie as characters in this book and it felt contrived that the author chose to bring unhappiness between the two to progress the story. Relationship drama and non communication just dragged the story line down and made it unenjoyable.
Jamie's big decision seemed way off character, I couldn't believe that one.
The practically non existent physical relationship between the two of them was strange. I understand the author may have wanted to keep it family friendly but really? They were 17. Things could have easily happened in Florida without going into too much detail and make it more believable.
I also found the final chapter (before the epilogue) empty. Not even an 'I missed you', so does that mean they didn't? Jamie was straight into admitting he was wrong which was needed but it's the end of a two book series and it felt unemotional for two people who have been apart for some time and gone through what they have. To me THIS should have been the tear jerking moment in the whole book. Do you still want me? Do we still love each other? Can we live without each other? There should have been much more trepidation and uncertainty as it would have increased the stakes more. If they couldn't answer those questions straight away they should have been given more time to show a relationship status, mending and moving forward. It wrapped up way too quickly after having put us through so much drama. Not a great way to conclude the series.
July 24, 2025
I feel like i have very mixed views on the things that happen in this book but overall Im okay with this. It didnt wow me quite like the first one did but it atleast exists as a way to tie together all the lose ends i did want answered at the end of the first one. I love all the expanded side characters and there were some really heartwrenching moments that i could appreciate. What i didnt appreciate was andrew and jamie fighting the entire book. I dont think there was a single sweet scene between them that was overshadowed by fighting immediately after. Lowkey think they shouldve broke up and got back together maybe, or maybe just stay broke up idk. Jamie pissed me off so much during this, his character was fucking shreaded in this one. And i said it once and ill say it again. As a floridian why THE FUCK would you wanna be in florida during the apocalypse. This book literally proved my point immediately between the hurricane and andrew getting attacked by a fucking ALLIGATOR. That pissed me off so much. Alligators are not that big of a threat and it just left andrew weak and babied the entire rest of the book. I have many thoughts but the good ultimately outweigh the bad so 3
June 4, 2024
All That's Left in the World is one of my favourite YA books, so naturally I couldn't wait to read the sequel!
It wasn't what I was expecting: in All That's Left in the World, Andrew and Jamie find each other while trying to survive, and in a world where it's every man for himself, they let each other in.
In The Only Light Left Burning, we see how two people who still obviously love each other can have very different perspectives about what being there for each other means. Andrew wants peace, a sense of community, to stay away from the madness, to hide from the monster rather than become the monster by punching back. Jamie doesn't trust new acquaintances, because he's so afraid they re going to turn against them, and when he's right, he believes that fighting back is the only way to protect Andrew (and the other people he ends up letting in).
This brings them in a constant state of conflict, without a clear right or wrong view (Erik J. Brown picks a side but I disagree here, I think it's more of a "both sides are right" situation), which frankly frustrated me a bit, because the boys' chemistry is amazing and we didn't get to see much of it.
The new characters give a more "found family" flavour to the story, there are scenes that remind us in a brutal way that a post-apocalyptic world isn't a fun adventure, and of course it's still Andrew and Jamie, even when they don't communicate as well.
The Only Light Left Burning has a different feel than its bestseller predecessor: more adult, more conflict, darker and sadder. It doesn't manage to reach the same level of "all-time favourite" for me, but it is still a great book!
Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins for the ARC!
It wasn't what I was expecting: in All That's Left in the World, Andrew and Jamie find each other while trying to survive, and in a world where it's every man for himself, they let each other in.
In The Only Light Left Burning, we see how two people who still obviously love each other can have very different perspectives about what being there for each other means. Andrew wants peace, a sense of community, to stay away from the madness, to hide from the monster rather than become the monster by punching back. Jamie doesn't trust new acquaintances, because he's so afraid they re going to turn against them, and when he's right, he believes that fighting back is the only way to protect Andrew (and the other people he ends up letting in).
This brings them in a constant state of conflict, without a clear right or wrong view (Erik J. Brown picks a side but I disagree here, I think it's more of a "both sides are right" situation), which frankly frustrated me a bit, because the boys' chemistry is amazing and we didn't get to see much of it.
The new characters give a more "found family" flavour to the story, there are scenes that remind us in a brutal way that a post-apocalyptic world isn't a fun adventure, and of course it's still Andrew and Jamie, even when they don't communicate as well.
The Only Light Left Burning has a different feel than its bestseller predecessor: more adult, more conflict, darker and sadder. It doesn't manage to reach the same level of "all-time favourite" for me, but it is still a great book!
Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins for the ARC!
February 22, 2024
There's something about "The Only Light Left Burning" that doesn't sit right with me. I wish the first chapter with Andrew and Jamie were switched for a slower introduction. I wish the conflict with Jamie not trusting anyone and slowing realizing he can was introduced and processed more clearer. I wish the whole conflict with Fort Caroline was handled better because, honestly, if I were Andrew, I would have broken up with Jamie right away. Jamie's whole character feels like it takes an 180 degree turn and I wish it was set up better. I completely understand where the author was coming from, we get to the point, I just wish it was more clear?
I'm not sure why I'm so upset with this sequel but it was honestly disappointing and I've been ranting to my poor friends about it for the last few days without any clear conclusions to my feelings. I'm glad too see Henri again! I'm glad for more happy queer representation! But conflict is brought up in a chapter and dies in the next one and something about the story as a whole is really unsatisfying. I retract my earlier "maybe this shouldn't have been a sequel?" comment as I was in the process of reading, I see where Erik J. Brown was going in the end, but damn this should have been a draft, begging to have one more shot before publishing.
I would reread the first book in the series. I would not reread this one.
Thank you Netgalley for the Arc.
I'm not sure why I'm so upset with this sequel but it was honestly disappointing and I've been ranting to my poor friends about it for the last few days without any clear conclusions to my feelings. I'm glad too see Henri again! I'm glad for more happy queer representation! But conflict is brought up in a chapter and dies in the next one and something about the story as a whole is really unsatisfying. I retract my earlier "maybe this shouldn't have been a sequel?" comment as I was in the process of reading, I see where Erik J. Brown was going in the end, but damn this should have been a draft, begging to have one more shot before publishing.
I would reread the first book in the series. I would not reread this one.
Thank you Netgalley for the Arc.
July 27, 2024
I put off reading this, because the first book was so good, and I was worried this wouldn't live up to my expectations. And the sequel curse strikes me again because I spent most of this book feeling depressed, frustrated and bored. It felt like the author wanted to create more conflict, and having Jamie and Andrew fight for the majority of the book just annoyed me.
There wasn't really much happening in this book. While it introduced new characters from the community they found themselves in that I did like, by the end many had died, or left. I felt Cora took a background role for most of this story, and there was too much focus on the aftermath of what happened at Fort Caroline.
A lot of this story is walking around, finding new people, ascertaining if they're good or not, and then walking some more. There's just so much walking. If this felt more character driven I might have been fine with this, but I felt we got little more than surface level for every character, even including Andrew and Jamie. The ending was worth the slog, but I'm disappointed.
There wasn't really much happening in this book. While it introduced new characters from the community they found themselves in that I did like, by the end many had died, or left. I felt Cora took a background role for most of this story, and there was too much focus on the aftermath of what happened at Fort Caroline.
A lot of this story is walking around, finding new people, ascertaining if they're good or not, and then walking some more. There's just so much walking. If this felt more character driven I might have been fine with this, but I felt we got little more than surface level for every character, even including Andrew and Jamie. The ending was worth the slog, but I'm disappointed.
February 2, 2024
I ended up reading the first book so that I could understand the backstory, and I’m glad I did. You *could* get by reading this as a stand-alone, but the first book is good, so go check that one out first.
I liked this cute duology! I don’t know if the author is planning on writing more books in this post apocalyptic world, but I really hope he does. I read that Brown saw that there wasn’t much queer representation in post apocalyptic stories, so he wrote the book he wanted to read. And the result is great! It’s important that everyone is able to read books that have relatable characters, especially in traditionally underrepresented categories.
The story of Andrew and Jamie continues, with a power-hungry megalomaniac using up insane amounts of quickly-dwindling resources to find Jamie and make him pay. Seriously, this man is crazy. Jamie even finds a Wanted poster of himself in a sporting goods store! Why do so many despots and tyrants rise up in a post apocalyptic world?! It annoys me greatly.
Would you keep running from the person who wants you dead? Jamie knows that he’ll always have to be looking over his shoulder…and that anyone he stays with is also in danger.
You can run…or you can do something about that threat. Which is worse?
My thanks to NetGalley, HarperCollins Children’s Books and Balzer & Bray for the complimentary eARC. All opinions are my own.
I liked this cute duology! I don’t know if the author is planning on writing more books in this post apocalyptic world, but I really hope he does. I read that Brown saw that there wasn’t much queer representation in post apocalyptic stories, so he wrote the book he wanted to read. And the result is great! It’s important that everyone is able to read books that have relatable characters, especially in traditionally underrepresented categories.
The story of Andrew and Jamie continues, with a power-hungry megalomaniac using up insane amounts of quickly-dwindling resources to find Jamie and make him pay. Seriously, this man is crazy. Jamie even finds a Wanted poster of himself in a sporting goods store! Why do so many despots and tyrants rise up in a post apocalyptic world?! It annoys me greatly.
Would you keep running from the person who wants you dead? Jamie knows that he’ll always have to be looking over his shoulder…and that anyone he stays with is also in danger.
You can run…or you can do something about that threat. Which is worse?
My thanks to NetGalley, HarperCollins Children’s Books and Balzer & Bray for the complimentary eARC. All opinions are my own.
June 7, 2024
4.5 only slightly lower review than I gave the original book. But I really did love this one and it as was well written.
October 9, 2024
✰ 2.5 stars ✰
“We’ve been running for so long, it hasn’t really come up where we’re running to.”
I reread its predecessor before reading The Only Light Left Burning, which was smart choice to help recall certain events; because very much of what happened to Andrew and Jamie in their past efforts to reach centers on what happened to them before.
I don't think it is a badly-written book, I really don't. The writing style and format of short stories, as well as the dual perspective aligned with the first, as well as the rising action having much to do with the characters being constantly on the move or heading towards a certain destination. I just think that it perhaps was not the right way to go about it, if you want it to still be Andrew and Jamie's story - just not quite together, or perhaps in the way that we would have liked to have it been. 😕 I did like the few but brief moments of happiness that the two of them shared; their arguments with each other were based on valid points and I felt their frustration as well as their yearning to recapture that closeness they once shared, only for them to have more obstacles and hindrances thrown in their path. 💟
“I wrap my arms around Andrew, pulling him to me. It’s strange that we were just talking about our difference of opinion—the wedge driving us apart—and now I just want to hold him and keep him close.”
When the story begins, there are already characters that have been introduced that mean something to Andrew, and by some context, Jamie, as well. So much of that development is off-screen that it becomes a little difficult to accept that they would matter in the long run. 😔 Their conflicts center on exactly where either of them hope to rebuild their home from - each having their own different idea of what and who they want to have a part in their future.
And that in turns leads to their own individual growth that they have to face - alone or together. For Andrew it comes in becoming incapacitated when he rushes to protect the very family that he has started to care for, and wonders just how far he expects them to take risks and chances because of him. 🥺 'My heart aches again for him—with fear and worry but also so much love.' I liked his protective nature, his motherly instinct and his more keen sense of not-exactly rationalizing things, but seeing just how much of what they've lost has changed and affected Jamie - that he has to make the right choices for the both of them. ❤️🩹❤️🩹
Perhaps all that did occur was for Jamie - to go from being a wanted man, to hardening his heart over the guilt of a death that he knows he would not hesitate to do again to protect those he loves and to assess whether his own judgment of humans' capability of change warrants a chance or not. It's funny - I never really felt that he was making rash decisions or being too hasty or unfair. The sad thing is that they both very much understood their feelings, but circumstances purposefully prevented them from expressing their thoughts aloud during their brief moments of intimacy. 😮💨 'Tiny moments of joy and then awfulness the rest of the time?' That's a shame; deliberate miscommunication felt wrong, especially when their ultimate reunion glossed over the points that could have enriched their relationship, rather than being a rushed ending. 🙍🏻♀️
“We’re all learning how to fight back. And maybe that’s what we need to do. I’ll always fight for Andrew; we just need to find other people who are willing to fight for us, too.”
At times, it seemed like it was written simply for Andrew and James to find their niche - their community of where they could belong. 🤝🏻 Throughout their numerous attempts to find sanctuary, they've met resistance, hatred, and taxation without representation. It is unjust and cruel behavior - but it is also very human. And it is also something the author showed as what humanity becomes in the face of peril and danger and how they use violence and intimidation in order for the ends to justify the means - simply a way for survival. Fort Caroline, even the Nomads - in a world where the SuperFlu claimed the lives of millions - each day is a test of re-establishing a glimmer of hope for civilization. 😥
What this continuation attempted to do was justify their actions then and to give the people a chance to surprise you. That once a bad guy, not always a bad guy. First impressions should not make a lasting impression. These justifications are what Andrew and James' expedition with a few other close kin is what the plot stayed true to. How their previous actions and thoughts are coming back tenfold - whether it is being on the run as a wanted man, or trying to reclaim the home that they were forced to leave due to the threat it held - and how each inclination could have the chance for change. I don't know if that really was necessary for any of those people. I would have been fine remembering them as the enemies rather than an opportunity for forgiveness and a second chance; it is in the little gestures of help and kindness that negates that first impression that they let you with. 🤷🏻♀️
I also never realized how American the setting was. Not that it is a bad thing, but it is something that stood out for me - 'post-superflu America is still more dangerous than it was before.' Plus, I don't know how I felt about having Nazi and Scientology mentioned in a post-apocalyptic setting... 😒 It felt so thrown in, like it was emphasizing a certain point of negativity... It's an odd thing to point out, but it stood out for me that I had to scratch my head and wonder if the extremity of being a Nazi the only way to showcase the difference between humans who were simply relying on their own desperation for survival to explain their actions.... 😔
“We weren’t supposed to become friends with these people, and we weren’t supposed to be a found family to a group of orphans.”
This sequel may not have felt necessary, but in a way, it did offer both Andrew and Jamie a certain amount of closure for what they had experienced and for them to better navigate their expectations of what to expect of others. And that despite their own cloud of distrust and doubt, I never doubted that they did not care for each other, even when they felt a slight hesitancy from the other - 'a weird combo of love, frustration, and sadness.' 🫂❤️🩹 The supporting cast - I know I should care for them, but only a select few really stood out, like Kid and Cara; but they were an important part of many of the choices the two decided upon.
I also finally realized that this was never a zombie book, even if it may have felt like that. It was actually a story about humanity and the resilience in overcoming the challenges they have to face when all that we have known is lost to us. Fighting for a chance of survival and being able to live freely. 🕊️ Be it forces of nature or man vs beast or even facing a gun point-blank - in order to triumph over them takes courage and hope and bravery, that Andrew and Jamie did capture in the moments of peril. 'We’re all scared; I just have to remind him we can be scared together.' 😟
“We’ve been running for so long, it hasn’t really come up where we’re running to.”
I reread its predecessor before reading The Only Light Left Burning, which was smart choice to help recall certain events; because very much of what happened to Andrew and Jamie in their past efforts to reach centers on what happened to them before.
I don't think it is a badly-written book, I really don't. The writing style and format of short stories, as well as the dual perspective aligned with the first, as well as the rising action having much to do with the characters being constantly on the move or heading towards a certain destination. I just think that it perhaps was not the right way to go about it, if you want it to still be Andrew and Jamie's story - just not quite together, or perhaps in the way that we would have liked to have it been. 😕 I did like the few but brief moments of happiness that the two of them shared; their arguments with each other were based on valid points and I felt their frustration as well as their yearning to recapture that closeness they once shared, only for them to have more obstacles and hindrances thrown in their path. 💟
“I wrap my arms around Andrew, pulling him to me. It’s strange that we were just talking about our difference of opinion—the wedge driving us apart—and now I just want to hold him and keep him close.”
When the story begins, there are already characters that have been introduced that mean something to Andrew, and by some context, Jamie, as well. So much of that development is off-screen that it becomes a little difficult to accept that they would matter in the long run. 😔 Their conflicts center on exactly where either of them hope to rebuild their home from - each having their own different idea of what and who they want to have a part in their future.
And that in turns leads to their own individual growth that they have to face - alone or together. For Andrew it comes in becoming incapacitated when he rushes to protect the very family that he has started to care for, and wonders just how far he expects them to take risks and chances because of him. 🥺 'My heart aches again for him—with fear and worry but also so much love.' I liked his protective nature, his motherly instinct and his more keen sense of not-exactly rationalizing things, but seeing just how much of what they've lost has changed and affected Jamie - that he has to make the right choices for the both of them. ❤️🩹❤️🩹
Perhaps all that did occur was for Jamie - to go from being a wanted man, to hardening his heart over the guilt of a death that he knows he would not hesitate to do again to protect those he loves and to assess whether his own judgment of humans' capability of change warrants a chance or not. It's funny - I never really felt that he was making rash decisions or being too hasty or unfair. The sad thing is that they both very much understood their feelings, but circumstances purposefully prevented them from expressing their thoughts aloud during their brief moments of intimacy. 😮💨 'Tiny moments of joy and then awfulness the rest of the time?' That's a shame; deliberate miscommunication felt wrong, especially when their ultimate reunion glossed over the points that could have enriched their relationship, rather than being a rushed ending. 🙍🏻♀️
“We’re all learning how to fight back. And maybe that’s what we need to do. I’ll always fight for Andrew; we just need to find other people who are willing to fight for us, too.”
At times, it seemed like it was written simply for Andrew and James to find their niche - their community of where they could belong. 🤝🏻 Throughout their numerous attempts to find sanctuary, they've met resistance, hatred, and taxation without representation. It is unjust and cruel behavior - but it is also very human. And it is also something the author showed as what humanity becomes in the face of peril and danger and how they use violence and intimidation in order for the ends to justify the means - simply a way for survival. Fort Caroline, even the Nomads - in a world where the SuperFlu claimed the lives of millions - each day is a test of re-establishing a glimmer of hope for civilization. 😥
What this continuation attempted to do was justify their actions then and to give the people a chance to surprise you. That once a bad guy, not always a bad guy. First impressions should not make a lasting impression. These justifications are what Andrew and James' expedition with a few other close kin is what the plot stayed true to. How their previous actions and thoughts are coming back tenfold - whether it is being on the run as a wanted man, or trying to reclaim the home that they were forced to leave due to the threat it held - and how each inclination could have the chance for change. I don't know if that really was necessary for any of those people. I would have been fine remembering them as the enemies rather than an opportunity for forgiveness and a second chance; it is in the little gestures of help and kindness that negates that first impression that they let you with. 🤷🏻♀️
I also never realized how American the setting was. Not that it is a bad thing, but it is something that stood out for me - 'post-superflu America is still more dangerous than it was before.' Plus, I don't know how I felt about having Nazi and Scientology mentioned in a post-apocalyptic setting... 😒 It felt so thrown in, like it was emphasizing a certain point of negativity... It's an odd thing to point out, but it stood out for me that I had to scratch my head and wonder if the extremity of being a Nazi the only way to showcase the difference between humans who were simply relying on their own desperation for survival to explain their actions.... 😔
“We weren’t supposed to become friends with these people, and we weren’t supposed to be a found family to a group of orphans.”
This sequel may not have felt necessary, but in a way, it did offer both Andrew and Jamie a certain amount of closure for what they had experienced and for them to better navigate their expectations of what to expect of others. And that despite their own cloud of distrust and doubt, I never doubted that they did not care for each other, even when they felt a slight hesitancy from the other - 'a weird combo of love, frustration, and sadness.' 🫂❤️🩹 The supporting cast - I know I should care for them, but only a select few really stood out, like Kid and Cara; but they were an important part of many of the choices the two decided upon.
I also finally realized that this was never a zombie book, even if it may have felt like that. It was actually a story about humanity and the resilience in overcoming the challenges they have to face when all that we have known is lost to us. Fighting for a chance of survival and being able to live freely. 🕊️ Be it forces of nature or man vs beast or even facing a gun point-blank - in order to triumph over them takes courage and hope and bravery, that Andrew and Jamie did capture in the moments of peril. 'We’re all scared; I just have to remind him we can be scared together.' 😟
May 29, 2024
2.5 ⭐
This is not what I expected or wanted out of a sequel. The first book was so good, I've listened to it multiple times and loved it. This just didn't do it for me. Authors need to STOP it with keeping characters apart for almost an entire book. I would have much preferred the characters grow and learn how to survive their new world together. Keeping them apart for so long just pissed me off. The plot was not all that interesting, and neither were the new characters. This book could have been just Jamie and Andrew and that probably would have been better.
If there is a third book coming I look forward to it, because this was not satisfying in any way.
This is not what I expected or wanted out of a sequel. The first book was so good, I've listened to it multiple times and loved it. This just didn't do it for me. Authors need to STOP it with keeping characters apart for almost an entire book. I would have much preferred the characters grow and learn how to survive their new world together. Keeping them apart for so long just pissed me off. The plot was not all that interesting, and neither were the new characters. This book could have been just Jamie and Andrew and that probably would have been better.
If there is a third book coming I look forward to it, because this was not satisfying in any way.
Want to read
January 11, 2024SECOND BOOK
February 5, 2024
I am obsessed with Erik J. Brown's brain. Obsessed.
I've been refreshing Edelweiss nearly daily to get this ARC when it dropped, and when I tell you I read this in about six hours, I am not exaggerating.
The hits for Jamie and Andrew start coming right out of the gate and literally do not stop coming. Filled with the same intensity and heart-pounding action (remember the lions? It gets WORSE somehow) as All That's Left in the World, The Only Light Left Burning looks deeper at the relationships needed to survive the end of the world.
I loved that even though they were "safe" and experiencing a complete civilizational collapse, Jamie and Andrew still had their normal teenage relationship issues: not talking about emotions, being unsure about how to progress their physical relationship, and raising several orphaned kiddos in the camp. You know, normal teenage things.
Seriously, TOLLB is another wonderful look at how we depend on one another, how learning to let someone in and love them even though the risk of hurting or losing them has the potential to be devastating, and how important a community can be. With faces new and old coming in, it was so nice (and sometimes not too nice) to grow attached to them and see their journeys play out. I only cried TWICE this go-round, but it was more than enough.
It's a heart-pounding, gut-wrenching, keep-you-guessing tale that perfectly wraps up Jamie and Andrew's story. 10/10.
I've been refreshing Edelweiss nearly daily to get this ARC when it dropped, and when I tell you I read this in about six hours, I am not exaggerating.
The hits for Jamie and Andrew start coming right out of the gate and literally do not stop coming. Filled with the same intensity and heart-pounding action (remember the lions? It gets WORSE somehow) as All That's Left in the World, The Only Light Left Burning looks deeper at the relationships needed to survive the end of the world.
I loved that even though they were "safe" and experiencing a complete civilizational collapse, Jamie and Andrew still had their normal teenage relationship issues: not talking about emotions, being unsure about how to progress their physical relationship, and raising several orphaned kiddos in the camp. You know, normal teenage things.
Seriously, TOLLB is another wonderful look at how we depend on one another, how learning to let someone in and love them even though the risk of hurting or losing them has the potential to be devastating, and how important a community can be. With faces new and old coming in, it was so nice (and sometimes not too nice) to grow attached to them and see their journeys play out. I only cried TWICE this go-round, but it was more than enough.
It's a heart-pounding, gut-wrenching, keep-you-guessing tale that perfectly wraps up Jamie and Andrew's story. 10/10.
March 12, 2025
"It's okay, you are allowed to be scared,"
It was a great continuation of the last book. Starting a few weeks later than where they left of. But now having to make the journey all the way back again.
It was great to see these characters grow even more than they did. Learing how to trust and how to live with each other and everyone that was still around.
The addition of the new characters was also a very good thing. I absolutely loved The Kid and Andrew and Jamie's relationship with him. And Amy and Rocky Horror were fun characters as well. It was just a bit sad almost no one of the group stayed.
Also, they did fight a lot in this book. Which kinda makes sense, but still, I was sad to see so much of their time was not together. I also don't like aged up epilouges, but that's just me.
It was a great continuation of the last book. Starting a few weeks later than where they left of. But now having to make the journey all the way back again.
It was great to see these characters grow even more than they did. Learing how to trust and how to live with each other and everyone that was still around.
The addition of the new characters was also a very good thing. I absolutely loved The Kid and Andrew and Jamie's relationship with him. And Amy and Rocky Horror were fun characters as well. It was just a bit sad almost no one of the group stayed.
Also, they did fight a lot in this book. Which kinda makes sense, but still, I was sad to see so much of their time was not together. I also don't like aged up epilouges, but that's just me.
October 4, 2024
SHUT UP
This is the best thing that has ever happened to me
This is the best thing that has ever happened to me
October 21, 2024
I'm not sure what i was expecting but the ending was not it
September 6, 2024
3.5⭐️
This was an action-packed and comforting read. I even found it a little moving (Henry and Amy❤️)
I liked being back in the hostile dystopian setting of "All That's Left in the World", however, this second book did not make me as invested or intrigued as the first book did.
The first book will always have a dear place in my heart, and this was a decent sequel, but not much else – at least in my opinion. Still very enjoyable though!
❤️
This was an action-packed and comforting read. I even found it a little moving (Henry and Amy❤️)
I liked being back in the hostile dystopian setting of "All That's Left in the World", however, this second book did not make me as invested or intrigued as the first book did.
The first book will always have a dear place in my heart, and this was a decent sequel, but not much else – at least in my opinion. Still very enjoyable though!
❤️
June 26, 2024
2024: first read
actual rating: 4.75 stars
this was such a thrilling, bittersweet ride that i cannot recommend enough! we pick up months after the end of All That’s Left in the World, but we waste no time getting into the thick of it, trying to navigate old relationships in new settings, as well as new relationships in old settings. i am both sad and glad that we did not really get much down-time, that we did not truly pretend things were okay and did not need a lot of work, and that actions from book 1 did in fact still have consequences. All That's Left in the World was no walk in the park, but No Light Left Burning had a much somber tone to it, while still maintaining a hopeful, and at times cheerful vibe that i'm sure was not easy to write, but Erik J. Brown did a wonderful job at it!
jamie did in fact break my heart several times throughout these 400 or so pages. He was so lost, and scared, and closed-off, trying his damned hardest to hold on without dragging down. while i of course do not condone some of his bigger choices, i do understand them and could even somewhat relate to his reasoning at times (#depressiongang what's up :P).
i wanted to give andrew SO many hugs in this book, like it's not even funny :((. his character development has been an absolute joy to witness, and he has SO much love to give, that every time he cried, my heart cried with him. i don't want to spoil anything, but that quote above, that he thought, made me ache for so many people. this plot line was both a nod to unseen disabilities all over the world, but also a great metaphor for hidden pain of any kind. probably one of my favorite subplots in the entire book.
huge shoutout to all the side characters as well! they all burrowed their way into corners of my heart, so sneakily and effortlessly, that i didn't even realize until i was forced to... special mentions to rocky horror, for whom i was rooting so hard it was almost visceral, and the kid, who is beautiful beyond words.
while a teeny bit rushed,almost imperceptibly so, really i loved the ending. i am a huge fan of going full circle in life, especially when you can compare the before and after. i do wish we could have seen a bit more of andrew and jamie being fluffy and languidly in love, but i like the route erik took as well. it's between them, after all.
so yeah, overall, i loved this quite a bit more than the first one, but with all the found family in here, i’m not surprised. the writing did flow just as nicely, but i needed more time to process and settle myself while reading. lastly, while i felt a pang when i saw in the acknowledgements that jamie and andrew's story has ended, i am more than satisfied with what these two books gave them and us, and hopeful that we will revisit some of the other characters in possible future books💜
actual rating: 4.75 stars
It's OK to be scared. We can all be scared, but staying together is what makes us strong.
this was such a thrilling, bittersweet ride that i cannot recommend enough! we pick up months after the end of All That’s Left in the World, but we waste no time getting into the thick of it, trying to navigate old relationships in new settings, as well as new relationships in old settings. i am both sad and glad that we did not really get much down-time, that we did not truly pretend things were okay and did not need a lot of work, and that actions from book 1 did in fact still have consequences. All That's Left in the World was no walk in the park, but No Light Left Burning had a much somber tone to it, while still maintaining a hopeful, and at times cheerful vibe that i'm sure was not easy to write, but Erik J. Brown did a wonderful job at it!
I'm not forgiving him for everything. Just for me.
jamie did in fact break my heart several times throughout these 400 or so pages. He was so lost, and scared, and closed-off, trying his damned hardest to hold on without dragging down. while i of course do not condone some of his bigger choices, i do understand them and could even somewhat relate to his reasoning at times (#depressiongang what's up :P).
That's why I'm trying to joke. Trying to be funny and make sure the people I love don't get annoyed that I'm cranky because I'm in endless, agonizing pain.
i wanted to give andrew SO many hugs in this book, like it's not even funny :((. his character development has been an absolute joy to witness, and he has SO much love to give, that every time he cried, my heart cried with him. i don't want to spoil anything, but that quote above, that he thought, made me ache for so many people. this plot line was both a nod to unseen disabilities all over the world, but also a great metaphor for hidden pain of any kind. probably one of my favorite subplots in the entire book.
huge shoutout to all the side characters as well! they all burrowed their way into corners of my heart, so sneakily and effortlessly, that i didn't even realize until i was forced to... special mentions to rocky horror, for whom i was rooting so hard it was almost visceral, and the kid, who is beautiful beyond words.
while a teeny bit rushed,
I just hope the universe does the same for me and Jamie one day.
Infinity rounded down to ten.
so yeah, overall, i loved this quite a bit more than the first one, but with all the found family in here, i’m not surprised. the writing did flow just as nicely, but i needed more time to process and settle myself while reading. lastly, while i felt a pang when i saw in the acknowledgements that jamie and andrew's story has ended, i am more than satisfied with what these two books gave them and us, and hopeful that we will revisit some of the other characters in possible future books💜
June 5, 2024
3.5 rounded down
when I heard that there was a sequel to one of my favourite reads of 2023, I was excited but also very worried since All that’s left in the world seemed more of a standalone kind of book. and reading the synopsis and seeing the jamie and andrew both want different things alarm bells were already going off in my head.
if it ain’t broke don’t fix it
the story started off well enough. after living in their new home, the Keys, for a while, Jamie and Andrew discuss what’s next for them. Andrew wants to stay in the keys and Jamie wants to go back to the cabin. but after a hurricane sweeps in and destroys their resources and homes, the Keys realise they need outside help.
cue old foes from Fort Caroline, and Jamie and Andrew are forced to abandon their home and go back into the wilderness.
I will point out that this book feels very much like the first book in reverse. the first book had Jamie and Andrew go from the cabin all the way to Florida on a mission to let Henri’s daughter know she was still alive. this book is the reverse. Florida to the cabin while getting Amy back to Henri along the way.
but unlike the first book where the side plots were exciting and filled with mystery, the ones in this book were uninspired and felt like retreading over old territory. it was as if the author couldn’t come up with any new plot lines so decided to rehash old villains and characters but this time without the soul of the first. it didn’t help that the author would make a reference to the first book every 2 seconds—making it harder to believe he wasn’t simply riding off of that one
the characters were fine. the Kid and Rocky Horror were probably the only standouts in amongst the new characters. the og characters were also fine but somehow only Andrew had the same liveliness of the first. Jamie, while I understand his change in personality, felt half baked. As if all his personality was sucked from him. Cara too felt really dull. she was one of my favourites from the first but most of the time I forgot she was there in this book. It was nice seeing Henri again though.
I touched on the plot a bit before but the worst part for me were the contrivances and unresolved conflicts. what are the odds that in the whole of america, Jamie and Andrew keep bumping into old enemies? Then Jamie’s whole revenge arc was just really dumb and frankly I didn’t care for it.
the part that killed me though was the ending. it was so rushed and cold. one of the main conflicts in Jamie and Andrew’s relationship centred around their love for each other and the question of ‘are we still in love?’ but that conflict is never resolved and we never get closure on it.
I so wanted this to be a five star read too but I think i’ll just reread the first one if I wanna see Jamie and Andrew again
when I heard that there was a sequel to one of my favourite reads of 2023, I was excited but also very worried since All that’s left in the world seemed more of a standalone kind of book. and reading the synopsis and seeing the jamie and andrew both want different things alarm bells were already going off in my head.
if it ain’t broke don’t fix it
the story started off well enough. after living in their new home, the Keys, for a while, Jamie and Andrew discuss what’s next for them. Andrew wants to stay in the keys and Jamie wants to go back to the cabin. but after a hurricane sweeps in and destroys their resources and homes, the Keys realise they need outside help.
cue old foes from Fort Caroline, and Jamie and Andrew are forced to abandon their home and go back into the wilderness.
I will point out that this book feels very much like the first book in reverse. the first book had Jamie and Andrew go from the cabin all the way to Florida on a mission to let Henri’s daughter know she was still alive. this book is the reverse. Florida to the cabin while getting Amy back to Henri along the way.
but unlike the first book where the side plots were exciting and filled with mystery, the ones in this book were uninspired and felt like retreading over old territory. it was as if the author couldn’t come up with any new plot lines so decided to rehash old villains and characters but this time without the soul of the first. it didn’t help that the author would make a reference to the first book every 2 seconds—making it harder to believe he wasn’t simply riding off of that one
the characters were fine. the Kid and Rocky Horror were probably the only standouts in amongst the new characters. the og characters were also fine but somehow only Andrew had the same liveliness of the first. Jamie, while I understand his change in personality, felt half baked. As if all his personality was sucked from him. Cara too felt really dull. she was one of my favourites from the first but most of the time I forgot she was there in this book. It was nice seeing Henri again though.
I touched on the plot a bit before but the worst part for me were the contrivances and unresolved conflicts. what are the odds that in the whole of america, Jamie and Andrew keep bumping into old enemies? Then Jamie’s whole revenge arc was just really dumb and frankly I didn’t care for it.
the part that killed me though was the ending. it was so rushed and cold. one of the main conflicts in Jamie and Andrew’s relationship centred around their love for each other and the question of ‘are we still in love?’ but that conflict is never resolved and we never get closure on it.
I so wanted this to be a five star read too but I think i’ll just reread the first one if I wanna see Jamie and Andrew again
June 23, 2024
This book is hands down one of my favourite reads of 2024 so far.
I thoroughly enjoyed reconnecting with Jamison and Andrew in this long-awaited sequel. Their continuing adventures were as thrilling as I'd hoped.
However, the unexpected star of the story was the adorable ‘Kid’ Albie and his charming blue hippo, Bobo. Every time Albie appeared, he melted my heart and brought a smile to my face. I would love to see a whole book dedicated to Albie and Bobo.
This book retains the comforting familiarity of the first while introducing thrilling new adventures and plot twists. I loved every single chapter. It's a solid 5-star read for me, with an extra star for Bobo! ✨
I thoroughly enjoyed reconnecting with Jamison and Andrew in this long-awaited sequel. Their continuing adventures were as thrilling as I'd hoped.
However, the unexpected star of the story was the adorable ‘Kid’ Albie and his charming blue hippo, Bobo. Every time Albie appeared, he melted my heart and brought a smile to my face. I would love to see a whole book dedicated to Albie and Bobo.
This book retains the comforting familiarity of the first while introducing thrilling new adventures and plot twists. I loved every single chapter. It's a solid 5-star read for me, with an extra star for Bobo! ✨
September 6, 2023
Eric please don’t do this do us if one of them died istg I won’t recover
March 7, 2025
God, that was stressful
September 18, 2024
The first book had bad things happen, it’s a post-apoc setting after all, but it was still a pretty nice and hopeful story. This one was bad thing after bad thing after bad thing with very little good in between. Which is fine. Sometimes life is like that. Sometimes stories are like that. And it was ultimately hopeful. Just make sure you’re in the right headspace for it. (I want to give a specific warning for child death.)
It was still a good story though! With unique and mostly lovable characters, old and new. I felt for them, dealing with the struggles of the world, personal struggles, and some relationship speedbumps.
I did get frustrated though with the insistence that Jamie was just on a revenge mission. Even Jamie himself started thinking that’s what it was. But it wasn’t. Jamie was rightfully worried and wanted to take down a bad person who was using the lawless new world to hold power over and harm and kill others. Jamie was trying to protect people, to make the world safer. Andrew did seem to realize this eventually, but it was baffling to me that either of them ever thought otherwise.
There was a bit of disability rep. One character gets injured, and it touches on chronic pain and his worries about the future. It’s not something that just disappears.
I thought the first book was a standalone, so I let all the details drain from my memory and didn’t remember much, but that didn’t stop my enjoyment of this book. This one seemed even more like an ending, but clearly I could be wrong.
Both narrators of the audiobook, Barrett Leddy and Andrew Gibson,were great. They sounded natural and I was never confused about who was talking. They also suited their characters well. Andrew had a more optimistic, bubbly personality, Jamie had a more serious, concerned personality, and the voice acting, the way they spoke, reflected that.
Overall, despite the heaviness, I enjoyed this story and these characters.
*Rating: 4 Stars // Read Date: 2024 // Format: Audiobook*
Recommended For:
Fans of Book 1 in Erik J. Brown's All That's Left in the World series. Anyone who likes YA, LGBT+ rep, slow building romance, and serious but hopeful post-apocalypse books.
Original Review @ Metaphors and Moonlight
It was still a good story though! With unique and mostly lovable characters, old and new. I felt for them, dealing with the struggles of the world, personal struggles, and some relationship speedbumps.
I did get frustrated though with the insistence that Jamie was just on a revenge mission. Even Jamie himself started thinking that’s what it was. But it wasn’t. Jamie was rightfully worried and wanted to take down a bad person who was using the lawless new world to hold power over and harm and kill others. Jamie was trying to protect people, to make the world safer. Andrew did seem to realize this eventually, but it was baffling to me that either of them ever thought otherwise.
There was a bit of disability rep. One character gets injured, and it touches on chronic pain and his worries about the future. It’s not something that just disappears.
I thought the first book was a standalone, so I let all the details drain from my memory and didn’t remember much, but that didn’t stop my enjoyment of this book. This one seemed even more like an ending, but clearly I could be wrong.
Both narrators of the audiobook, Barrett Leddy and Andrew Gibson,were great. They sounded natural and I was never confused about who was talking. They also suited their characters well. Andrew had a more optimistic, bubbly personality, Jamie had a more serious, concerned personality, and the voice acting, the way they spoke, reflected that.
Overall, despite the heaviness, I enjoyed this story and these characters.
*Rating: 4 Stars // Read Date: 2024 // Format: Audiobook*
Recommended For:
Fans of Book 1 in Erik J. Brown's All That's Left in the World series. Anyone who likes YA, LGBT+ rep, slow building romance, and serious but hopeful post-apocalypse books.
Original Review @ Metaphors and Moonlight
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