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Gives Light #6
Overlooked
"Don't tell me you didn't miss me!"
Rafael's devilish sister Mary has returned to the Nettlebush Indian Reservation after a year of absence and a failed stint in a rock band. But the reason behind Mary's triumphant homecoming is anything less than sororal: Mary has her sights set on Paul Looks Over, the man responsible for her father's death. Nothing--and nobody--will stop Mary from staking a Blood Law of her own, a decision that will force Rafael to choose between his love for Skylar and his very own family.
Rafael's devilish sister Mary has returned to the Nettlebush Indian Reservation after a year of absence and a failed stint in a rock band. But the reason behind Mary's triumphant homecoming is anything less than sororal: Mary has her sights set on Paul Looks Over, the man responsible for her father's death. Nothing--and nobody--will stop Mary from staking a Blood Law of her own, a decision that will force Rafael to choose between his love for Skylar and his very own family.
332 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 11, 2014
8 people are currently reading
381 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
January 15, 2015
The Gives Light series is one of my favorite series’ ever. I’ve said it in almost every review for these books and my love for this series and the characters continues to grow. And the fact I’m still getting more books makes me so happy, because my love will continue to grow for this series with each new book released.
I love Rafael. I loved him when Skylar talked about him in the first book and I loved him even more when we got his first book, Lending Light. He’s such an amazing character. He has issues and he struggles with life and with the past. He blames himself for a lot of things and he never seems to give himself a break.
In this book, Overlooked, we get to see more of his relationships. Mainly, the relationship with his sister, Mary. The relationship is complicated. It was strained after they found out their father was a murderer and was even further strained when Mary left the reservation. But they’ve always had a bond. A bond that hasn’t been broken with time or distance. It’s a bond I loved exploring.
Mary comes back and things are still difficult between them. And it’s made worse when Rafael finds out what Mary’s planning to do. It hurts him because what she wants to do could hurt the person he cares about more than anyone else, the person who loves him and helps him to love himself every single day.
Skylar.
The relationship these two boys have is special. I’m pretty sure I will forever love the way these two boys are together. It’s hard not to love a couple who love each other so much and who continue to grow with each other. They’re soul-mates. Meant to be. They complement each. And I always feel the emotion and love between them. I can’t picture them not loving each other, and that’s amazing!
There are also a lot of secondary characters who make the series what it is. Gabriel, Rosa, Annie, Aubrey, Zeke, Paul, Catherine. All of them add something to these boys lives. And they add to my enjoyment of the story.
Honestly, I’m so glad I found this series when I did. It’s such an amazing journey to take and I’m always excited to see where it will go next. I am so excited for the next book and cannot wait to get more Skylar and Rafael.
Highly recommended series! Honestly, if you want something YA, you can’t go wrong here.
My review can also be found on Greedy Bug Book reviews!
I love Rafael. I loved him when Skylar talked about him in the first book and I loved him even more when we got his first book, Lending Light. He’s such an amazing character. He has issues and he struggles with life and with the past. He blames himself for a lot of things and he never seems to give himself a break.
In this book, Overlooked, we get to see more of his relationships. Mainly, the relationship with his sister, Mary. The relationship is complicated. It was strained after they found out their father was a murderer and was even further strained when Mary left the reservation. But they’ve always had a bond. A bond that hasn’t been broken with time or distance. It’s a bond I loved exploring.
Mary comes back and things are still difficult between them. And it’s made worse when Rafael finds out what Mary’s planning to do. It hurts him because what she wants to do could hurt the person he cares about more than anyone else, the person who loves him and helps him to love himself every single day.
Skylar.
The relationship these two boys have is special. I’m pretty sure I will forever love the way these two boys are together. It’s hard not to love a couple who love each other so much and who continue to grow with each other. They’re soul-mates. Meant to be. They complement each. And I always feel the emotion and love between them. I can’t picture them not loving each other, and that’s amazing!
There are also a lot of secondary characters who make the series what it is. Gabriel, Rosa, Annie, Aubrey, Zeke, Paul, Catherine. All of them add something to these boys lives. And they add to my enjoyment of the story.
Honestly, I’m so glad I found this series when I did. It’s such an amazing journey to take and I’m always excited to see where it will go next. I am so excited for the next book and cannot wait to get more Skylar and Rafael.
Highly recommended series! Honestly, if you want something YA, you can’t go wrong here.
My review can also be found on Greedy Bug Book reviews!
November 26, 2014
I decided to review books 5 & 6 together 1) because I read them back-to-back and 2) I have a very similar reaction to both of them.
To start, these 2 books are from Rafael's point-of-view and are an accompaniment to book 1 ("Gives Light") and some of book 2 ("Looks Over"). These cannot be read as stand-alones and really should be read, in my opinion, after you've read the whole series (but at least until after you've read 1 & 2)
To start: I love this series!!!
That being said, I had a really tough time with these books in that I'm not sure how I felt about them as a whole.
I love Rose Christo's ability to tell a lovely story down to the very last detail. And Skylar St. Claire is quite possibly one of my favorite characters of all time. I ADORE this boy so much, my heart overflows. Seeing Skylar through Rafael's POV is quite simply one of the most stunning and amazing examples of love. This boy LOVES Sky...he loves him with EVERYTHING in him. And it's described in the most beautiful and simplistic ways. Pure. It just IS that way, plain and simple...Raf loves Sky and the world makes sense. It was marvelous and touching to read.
And finally getting into Rafael's head...his self-loathing, his overwhelming lonliness before Sky came into his life, his transformation bit by bit as Skylar's love healed him...I cry just thinking of it. Yes, it's VERY innocent. And yes, these are teenaged boys we're talking about. But, I loved the basic goodness in all of it...and I thought the chastity of it did not take away from the credibilty. But rather, it added to the emotion and to the environment that was the Nettlebrush reserve.
The full cast of characters is present again...more of Uncle Gabriel in these books, which I appreciated. I so very much respect that man. And getting to read Rafael's take on the people around him was hilarious...while laced with a tiny bit of sadness. Rose Christo really knows how to touch your emotions without trying to manipulate them.
ALL THAT BEING SAID...some parts of these books were just WAY too purple and WAY too descriptive and WAY over the top with scenes and nature and mystical visions...I couldn't get through it. I actually skimmed huge chunks of both of these books! I put my brain in FFW mode until I got to actual bits of story and plot or recollection or thought...but truthfullly barely even skimmed the rest.
So, I'm torn. The good parts? ALL THE STARS. The rest? Skim generously.
In a nutshell, if you're a fan of the series, you can't NOT read these books. There are such amazing nuggets in them if you're patient enought to find them. A MUST read (and also a MUST skim).
June 13, 2023
One of my most favorite series ever! I could go on for days about how much I loved this series and all the reasons why ... but I won't. 😅 I will be purchasing this series in physical form for multiple future re-reads and it will have an honored place on my bookshelves.
Thank you, Rose Christo! ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Thank you, Rose Christo! ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
July 14, 2019
I can’t believe this increase journey is over (there is technically a seventh book, but it doesn’t look like we’ll be getting that anytime soon). I also really enjoyed getting to see a closer glimpse of Rafael and Mary’s relationship.
April 24, 2015
I just finished it. I can't stop crying. I want to contact Rose Christo and tell her that I love her. Thanking her wouldn't be enough. This is why I love to read. If anyone ask me why, I'm gonna show them this series.
August 7, 2017
This book was use as brilliant as the rest. Some parts had me in tears I will admit but it was so worth a read. I've never read about a character with such a vivid imagination like Rafael and that alone will make me always remember him.
September 2, 2018
TW: ableism, gore (in a dream/vision sequence), attempted murder
While I appreciate that Ms. Christo commits to making Rafael's side of the story as unique from Skylar's as possible, there's just something weird here and it was endlessly distracting. It makes sense that Skylar wouldn't know everything that's going on around the reservation, like the stray antelope that's eating up the crops, or I appreciate that Rafael would focus on different things than Skylar did, so that those stories show up here and not in Sky's book (Looks Over), such as the ill-conceived drive to get donuts or staying at Rafael's grandmother's house after the winter pauwau. I was looking forward to reading Rafael's half of the story when Skylar was removed from the reservation by CPS and how they went about finding him. But it makes zero conceivable sense that Skylar knew that Mary was trying to collect a blood law on Paul this entire time and Skylar's story never once mentioned that. Ever. This is his father that Mary is trying to kill but this is the first we're hearing about it. That's just weird and makes that whole plot, which is a pretty big one in this book, feel like an afterthought, which is a shame because it ends up being a great plot and storyline for Mary.
I wasn't sure if I'd be able to like Mary or not. I was only lukewarm on her in the previous books. She's an abrasive person and doesn't filter her thoughts. In fact, she seems to go out of her way to say the worst possible thing to everyone at every opportunity she can manage. She even humiliates one of her friends when she first comes back and finds out he's a F2M trans. So knowing this book would focus on her, and knowing she was seeking revenge, had me worried going in. This is a much darker book than the previous ones, with the focus on the blood law and Mary's determination to kill Paul. Mary hates blood law, hates that it killed their father, and thinks that by killing Paul, she'll be able to convince everyone else that it's pointless too.
Rafael at least becomes convinced, though I'm not sure his plan for a change would work. His plan is to basically bring the culprit in front of everyone and tell them what he or she is doing. If everyone knows, that person will have to stop and everyone else will know to avoid him or her. It sounds more naive than anything else, but then again, I come from a culture where violence is glorified, crimes are rationalized, victims are blamed, and criminals are sometimes treated like stars. The Shoshone seem to have more common sense than that, so hopefully it'll work for them. I doubt it though. Everyone finding out is what caused Eli to flee the reservation in the first place, but it probably didn't stop him. We may never know if he was responsible for other murders after he left the rez. We have no way of knowing if he'd have stopped if he hadn't left the rez. Probably not, if he'd had no fear of retaliation or punishment. It would've made it harder for him to find victims, but that's all it would've done.
Meanwhile, we learn that Eli is even more more messed up than we previously thought. Turns out So yeah, can't say I'm sorry that guy is a rotting corpse.
I still don't really like Mary, but I did come to like things about her. As Skylar says at one point, there are no bad people, just good people making bad decisions. That's not a sentiment I necessarily agree with, but in Mary's case it's true. She's hurting. She's troubled. She feels like she comes last to everyone and she has this secret eating her up inside. She doesn't even really fully realize why she wants to kill Paul, and that it really doesn't have anything to do with him. It's during that super disturbing dream/vision sequence at the end that she comes to some important realizations and puts aside some of her anger to discover the truth. She still has a long way to go to heal, though, and so does Rafael.
There is a little mystery added here. We know from Skylar that his mom had an affair with a white man while she was married to Paul. Skylar and Paul both assumed that man was Skylar's father. But Rafael spies a blue birthmark on Skylar's back, a birthmark that is inherent to Natives. I don't know if that'll ever be followed resolved. It's another one of those things that doesn't get mentioned in Skylar's half of the story, which includes a 15-year gap during which anything could've happened. As long as she doesn't go all Christopher Rice with it, I'll be interested to see if it's followed up in the next book.
I was disappointed to find out Gabriel's reason for his issues with Rafael and Skylar's relationship. He figures because Skylar's mute, he's not able to consent to a relationship because he can't talk. ... Um, yes he can. He can talk. He can think. He can make his own decisions and he sure as hell can consent or not consent as he sees fit. Gabriel's concern is well-meant, but it's also ableist as hell and he's never called out on it.
Okay, this review got long and rambling, so I'll wrap it up. I don't think this is one that I'll ever reread, since some of the themes are darker than I care to read, but I found a new appreciation for Mary and had a couple of laughs, oddly enough, along the way.
While I appreciate that Ms. Christo commits to making Rafael's side of the story as unique from Skylar's as possible, there's just something weird here and it was endlessly distracting. It makes sense that Skylar wouldn't know everything that's going on around the reservation, like the stray antelope that's eating up the crops, or I appreciate that Rafael would focus on different things than Skylar did, so that those stories show up here and not in Sky's book (Looks Over), such as the ill-conceived drive to get donuts or staying at Rafael's grandmother's house after the winter pauwau. I was looking forward to reading Rafael's half of the story when Skylar was removed from the reservation by CPS and how they went about finding him. But it makes zero conceivable sense that Skylar knew that Mary was trying to collect a blood law on Paul this entire time and Skylar's story never once mentioned that. Ever. This is his father that Mary is trying to kill but this is the first we're hearing about it. That's just weird and makes that whole plot, which is a pretty big one in this book, feel like an afterthought, which is a shame because it ends up being a great plot and storyline for Mary.
I wasn't sure if I'd be able to like Mary or not. I was only lukewarm on her in the previous books. She's an abrasive person and doesn't filter her thoughts. In fact, she seems to go out of her way to say the worst possible thing to everyone at every opportunity she can manage. She even humiliates one of her friends when she first comes back and finds out he's a F2M trans. So knowing this book would focus on her, and knowing she was seeking revenge, had me worried going in. This is a much darker book than the previous ones, with the focus on the blood law and Mary's determination to kill Paul. Mary hates blood law, hates that it killed their father, and thinks that by killing Paul, she'll be able to convince everyone else that it's pointless too.
Rafael at least becomes convinced, though I'm not sure his plan for a change would work. His plan is to basically bring the culprit in front of everyone and tell them what he or she is doing. If everyone knows, that person will have to stop and everyone else will know to avoid him or her. It sounds more naive than anything else, but then again, I come from a culture where violence is glorified, crimes are rationalized, victims are blamed, and criminals are sometimes treated like stars. The Shoshone seem to have more common sense than that, so hopefully it'll work for them. I doubt it though. Everyone finding out is what caused Eli to flee the reservation in the first place, but it probably didn't stop him. We may never know if he was responsible for other murders after he left the rez. We have no way of knowing if he'd have stopped if he hadn't left the rez. Probably not, if he'd had no fear of retaliation or punishment. It would've made it harder for him to find victims, but that's all it would've done.
Meanwhile, we learn that Eli is even more more messed up than we previously thought. Turns out So yeah, can't say I'm sorry that guy is a rotting corpse.
I still don't really like Mary, but I did come to like things about her. As Skylar says at one point, there are no bad people, just good people making bad decisions. That's not a sentiment I necessarily agree with, but in Mary's case it's true. She's hurting. She's troubled. She feels like she comes last to everyone and she has this secret eating her up inside. She doesn't even really fully realize why she wants to kill Paul, and that it really doesn't have anything to do with him. It's during that super disturbing dream/vision sequence at the end that she comes to some important realizations and puts aside some of her anger to discover the truth. She still has a long way to go to heal, though, and so does Rafael.
There is a little mystery added here. We know from Skylar that his mom had an affair with a white man while she was married to Paul. Skylar and Paul both assumed that man was Skylar's father. But Rafael spies a blue birthmark on Skylar's back, a birthmark that is inherent to Natives. I don't know if that'll ever be followed resolved. It's another one of those things that doesn't get mentioned in Skylar's half of the story, which includes a 15-year gap during which anything could've happened. As long as she doesn't go all Christopher Rice with it, I'll be interested to see if it's followed up in the next book.
I was disappointed to find out Gabriel's reason for his issues with Rafael and Skylar's relationship. He figures because Skylar's mute, he's not able to consent to a relationship because he can't talk. ... Um, yes he can. He can talk. He can think. He can make his own decisions and he sure as hell can consent or not consent as he sees fit. Gabriel's concern is well-meant, but it's also ableist as hell and he's never called out on it.
Okay, this review got long and rambling, so I'll wrap it up. I don't think this is one that I'll ever reread, since some of the themes are darker than I care to read, but I found a new appreciation for Mary and had a couple of laughs, oddly enough, along the way.
August 27, 2019
I so love these novels. Emotional and such a "love" story. If you decide to purchase, read in order although the timeline for each novel is different and flits back and forth through history.
So good.
So good.
March 21, 2015
I love this series so much and I love Rafael so much. Could not be happier that we're getting more of his POV in the series!
December 22, 2015
oh Lord this book was/'is amazing. I enjoyed every sentence and I am sad that this is the end of it... hmmm maybe not, Idk better look into it. Anyways yeah great book
January 29, 2017
I feel like I can't write any review that will do this book justice, so I'll just try to put some of my feelings toward this book down in words.
I have never been let down by any of the books in this series, and this one is no exception.
When I read this book I thought that it had to be the best one yet, but it's really hard to say that for sure since I love them all so much.
A book just doesn't get any better than this - it's constantly interesting and there's always something going on that makes the book hard to put down.
I love all of the characters, and that's a really rare thing for me to say. I also feel like all of the characters are complex and interesting, not to mention the relations between the characters, which I love reading about.
I can't describe how much I like this series; I just never get tired of it. The only downside is now that I've read these books, I feel like no other books can really compare to them.
(btw I'm sorry if my English isn't that good, I'm trying my best)
I have never been let down by any of the books in this series, and this one is no exception.
When I read this book I thought that it had to be the best one yet, but it's really hard to say that for sure since I love them all so much.
A book just doesn't get any better than this - it's constantly interesting and there's always something going on that makes the book hard to put down.
I love all of the characters, and that's a really rare thing for me to say. I also feel like all of the characters are complex and interesting, not to mention the relations between the characters, which I love reading about.
I can't describe how much I like this series; I just never get tired of it. The only downside is now that I've read these books, I feel like no other books can really compare to them.
(btw I'm sorry if my English isn't that good, I'm trying my best)
July 14, 2015
Lending Light and Overlooked, were supposed to Rafael's POV during what happened in the Gives Light series. But, these. These were almost like new stories unfurling, right on top of the old. And it feels infantile now, that to have thought that Rafael and Mary were not conflicted over Skylar's dad and the fulfillment of blood law over their father. Rafael's world, his thoughts, his anguish, his love. Naked and unmasked and intense.
There were a few instances when the Skylar's and Rafael's timelines did not match up. That was a sometimes major detraction, but can be overlooked, if you're willing.
And you will, just for the sheer beauty of Sky and Rafael and love and Nettlebush and community :)
There were a few instances when the Skylar's and Rafael's timelines did not match up. That was a sometimes major detraction, but can be overlooked, if you're willing.
And you will, just for the sheer beauty of Sky and Rafael and love and Nettlebush and community :)
June 4, 2016
I enjoyed revisiting these characters but this was a little heavy on the mystic visions and philosophy, even for a series that has been mostly plotless meanderings. I loved getting inside Rafael's head in Lending Light, but I'm not sure it's necessary to redo the whole series through his eyes.
March 7, 2015
I love how even tho is coincides with looks over is a different story in a sense that Rafael and Skylar see things in a different point of view throughout the story. I love the acceptance Rafael is feeling from Annie and the group. rose Christio has written another lush story full of magic imagination and vast colour. looking forward to the next book.
October 26, 2016
Actually finished the book a while ago. The entire Gives Light series is wonderful!
August 1, 2018
Excellent book. I really do love the fantasy element in the last two books, they would make for wonderful anime.
February 22, 2022
This series is everything to me. I love Rafael and Skylar so much, they are so precious. I love Paul, Catherine, Mary, Gabriel, Rosa, Annie, Aubrey, Zeke... I need more books. Rose Christo, thank you for this wonderful series, I hope you're ok and write another Gives Light book someday.
December 31, 2014
I've been waiting and waiting and finally when it was published I missed it :/
I couldn't make myself read it, I had this book for 2-3 weeks and I just didn't want to start. I mean, I wanted to read this, BADLY, and in the same time I was scared. I was afraid I wouldn't like it. And well, maybe, my fear can be justified now.
I like the story. And that's the problem. I LOVE the whole series, with my whole heart and I only like Overlooked. I can't help it. It's not as good as previous book :(
It's still good through. There were many absolutely AMAZING moments and I love Rafael! I am not sure if I've ever said how much I like the way he thinks and see world. He's different than everyone and his point of view is always different from what I expected.
During the whole story I felt like I was on a roller coaster - it was breathtakingly sad one minute and amusing the other one. Mary is so not what I thought, in a good way. As much as she annoyed me on the beginning, she turned out to be just lonely, misunderstood and hurt by her parents young girl/woman. She's good deep inside, just like Rafael, just like all the people.
I was a little bit bored on the beginning, but I guess it's extremely difficult to make the story interesting when readers already know everything, right? The main plot is pretty good, but the end is messed up, I didn't really like the whole "eating Rafael"... Other that this 15 maybe 20%? I really enjoyed it, and I have to admit I still crave for more so it's good Rose Christo plans to give us more :)
The thing I absolutely, unconditionally love about this series (as a whole) is the point of view, how MC see the world, how I see it through their eyes and try to understand their motives. I love how everything is somehow connected to history and tradition. It's simply great.
I couldn't make myself read it, I had this book for 2-3 weeks and I just didn't want to start. I mean, I wanted to read this, BADLY, and in the same time I was scared. I was afraid I wouldn't like it. And well, maybe, my fear can be justified now.
I like the story. And that's the problem. I LOVE the whole series, with my whole heart and I only like Overlooked. I can't help it. It's not as good as previous book :(
It's still good through. There were many absolutely AMAZING moments and I love Rafael! I am not sure if I've ever said how much I like the way he thinks and see world. He's different than everyone and his point of view is always different from what I expected.
During the whole story I felt like I was on a roller coaster - it was breathtakingly sad one minute and amusing the other one. Mary is so not what I thought, in a good way. As much as she annoyed me on the beginning, she turned out to be just lonely, misunderstood and hurt by her parents young girl/woman. She's good deep inside, just like Rafael, just like all the people.
I was a little bit bored on the beginning, but I guess it's extremely difficult to make the story interesting when readers already know everything, right? The main plot is pretty good, but the end is messed up, I didn't really like the whole "eating Rafael"... Other that this 15 maybe 20%? I really enjoyed it, and I have to admit I still crave for more so it's good Rose Christo plans to give us more :)
The thing I absolutely, unconditionally love about this series (as a whole) is the point of view, how MC see the world, how I see it through their eyes and try to understand their motives. I love how everything is somehow connected to history and tradition. It's simply great.
July 4, 2016
I really loved it. Rafael is such an interesting pov character, and I loved seeing the world through his eyes. The honesty, the emotion, and the bluntness of this story mix beautifully with his fantastical imagination.
FOR the whole series so far: I loved it so much I promptly made my sister read it, and she loved it so much she is making her friends read it. Thank you so much for writing this Rose Christo. (I have enjoyed a few other of this author's books as well and would highly recommend them).
FOR the whole series so far: I loved it so much I promptly made my sister read it, and she loved it so much she is making her friends read it. Thank you so much for writing this Rose Christo. (I have enjoyed a few other of this author's books as well and would highly recommend them).
March 29, 2015
It started off as another 5 star read, but then all the introspection about Rafael's love for Sky got to be too much. I loved it, but not pages and pages and pages of it.
3.5, rounded up because I love Rafael and Sky and all the other characters and I love the author's words even if the story didn't always work for me.
3.5, rounded up because I love Rafael and Sky and all the other characters and I love the author's words even if the story didn't always work for me.
February 27, 2022
This series is so beautiful, I love everything about it. I don't wanna it to end. I want this series last forever. I need more books, I need more Rafael and Skyalr in my life. Plase Rose Christo, come back to this amazing series.
November 10, 2022
Rafael Gives Light I love you. This was beautiful. Honestly heartbroken that this is probably the last book in the series (the next one is listed as indefinite hiatus so who knows if it’ll ever be released). Rose Christo’s writing is lovely. Skylar St. Clair is for sure one of my favourite characters ever written. There’s really no reason to not love him - he’s so sweet and he loves everyone regardless. Their love for each other is beautiful but the love Rafael has for Sky cannot be topped. I wish that everyone could be loved the way he loves Sky. Also it was really sweet to see Rafael and Mary’s relationship. Mary seemed like an unlikable character in earlier books but she really redeemed herself here. They both deserved better as children.
July 24, 2016
2.5/5
Unfortunately, this is my least favorite book in this series. I'm not entirely sure this is the last book because there are still two more books that could be written from Rafael's POV, but for now I'm guessing it is.
I enjoyed the series overall. Each book was sweet and soothing and thought-provoking. I loved learning about Shoshone people and their rich culture. I loved the fleshed out characters that constantly made me smile.
This book, however, just didn't click with me. I'm not sure if it was because I couldn't focus much on it since I couldn't match the events in this book to the events in Looks Over. I'm not sure if that was intended, but it bugged me. This book also made me dislike Mary. It was heavily focused on her and Rafael. I loved their relationship in the first four books, but here I didn't like it much. Mary made me so uncomfortable, and so did Rafael at times. I really wanted to understand them and see where they were coming from, but I couldn't.
I also felt like Skylar wasn't present as much, and I realized just how much I missed him when he wasn't. I love Rafael, I do, but Skylar is the main reason why I loved this series so much. His narration was just more straight forward and less flowery. I liked the way he expressed himself a bit more than Rafael.
Anyway, still an excellent series I hope to revisit someday.
Unfortunately, this is my least favorite book in this series. I'm not entirely sure this is the last book because there are still two more books that could be written from Rafael's POV, but for now I'm guessing it is.
I enjoyed the series overall. Each book was sweet and soothing and thought-provoking. I loved learning about Shoshone people and their rich culture. I loved the fleshed out characters that constantly made me smile.
This book, however, just didn't click with me. I'm not sure if it was because I couldn't focus much on it since I couldn't match the events in this book to the events in Looks Over. I'm not sure if that was intended, but it bugged me. This book also made me dislike Mary. It was heavily focused on her and Rafael. I loved their relationship in the first four books, but here I didn't like it much. Mary made me so uncomfortable, and so did Rafael at times. I really wanted to understand them and see where they were coming from, but I couldn't.
I also felt like Skylar wasn't present as much, and I realized just how much I missed him when he wasn't. I love Rafael, I do, but Skylar is the main reason why I loved this series so much. His narration was just more straight forward and less flowery. I liked the way he expressed himself a bit more than Rafael.
Anyway, still an excellent series I hope to revisit someday.
July 20, 2016
This second of Rafael's books is very much about relationships. Not so much his relationship to Skylar, which is comparatively warm and simple and settled, but his relationships to everyone else. Most notably his sister Mary, who returns to the reserve. Mary was a daddy's girl, and when it turned out her daddy had been murdering local women, her world shattered even worse than Rafael's. She left Nettlebush as soon as she was able, broken and empty, looking for something to fill the void and ease the guilt of loving and missing a man who killed for pleasure.
Now Mary's back, and Rafael has to navigate his feelings for her, amid her brash, sometimes angry, sometimes dangerous, actions. Add to the mix revelations about Rafael's uncle Gabriel, Gabriel's girlfriend Rosa, Skylar's father, the friends Rafael is coming to know as the magic of Skylar brings them together, and all the other characters. And then the outside world, hunting for a twisted kind of justice, intrudes on the relative calm of the reserve.
I liked this book better then the one before it, although a few of the revelations were so important they felt like they should have been present in book 2 in Skylar's POV. Still, another interesting mix of emotions, relationships, history, injustice and a paranormal twist or two.
Now Mary's back, and Rafael has to navigate his feelings for her, amid her brash, sometimes angry, sometimes dangerous, actions. Add to the mix revelations about Rafael's uncle Gabriel, Gabriel's girlfriend Rosa, Skylar's father, the friends Rafael is coming to know as the magic of Skylar brings them together, and all the other characters. And then the outside world, hunting for a twisted kind of justice, intrudes on the relative calm of the reserve.
I liked this book better then the one before it, although a few of the revelations were so important they felt like they should have been present in book 2 in Skylar's POV. Still, another interesting mix of emotions, relationships, history, injustice and a paranormal twist or two.
January 19, 2015
This was another chance to see things from different perspectives and it certainly made me stop and think a few times.
I don't think I'll ever really like Mary, but I can at least now understand her a little.
Rafael caused me a few moments of upset, but in the end he seemed to be the wisest of them all.
I admit the last two books have been harder to read thanks to the way Rafael tells the story, but at the same time they make for very interesting reading.
The hardest part of all is that these books are not total fiction. There is an element of truth spun into them that shock and sadden me.
These stories could do with being read by a much wider audience, they belong in schools everywhere.
I don't think I'll ever really like Mary, but I can at least now understand her a little.
Rafael caused me a few moments of upset, but in the end he seemed to be the wisest of them all.
I admit the last two books have been harder to read thanks to the way Rafael tells the story, but at the same time they make for very interesting reading.
The hardest part of all is that these books are not total fiction. There is an element of truth spun into them that shock and sadden me.
These stories could do with being read by a much wider audience, they belong in schools everywhere.
May 1, 2016
We've so much to Learn and Rethink
The history of the Shoshone and other tribes are dealt with further in this book. Their legends, and history with the Europeans who came, are integral to the current condition of these people.
Ms. Christo has done a beautiful job with difficult subjects that needs to be addressed by the federal and state governments.
The characters in her stories are strong with frailties we all suffer with. The overwhelming thread, the love Raphael and Sky share for each other, is pure and true.
The history of the Shoshone and other tribes are dealt with further in this book. Their legends, and history with the Europeans who came, are integral to the current condition of these people.
Ms. Christo has done a beautiful job with difficult subjects that needs to be addressed by the federal and state governments.
The characters in her stories are strong with frailties we all suffer with. The overwhelming thread, the love Raphael and Sky share for each other, is pure and true.
August 2, 2017
What's left to say
The first four books I. This series are from Skylar's POV. The last two are from Rafael's POV. I felt like this book moves slowly. I also felt like there was an alternative version of the timeline being introduced. Either I had no idea how much Raf's family was struggling or it was just off the mark. Still some great moments In the book. 3.50 for the extra credit.
The first four books I. This series are from Skylar's POV. The last two are from Rafael's POV. I felt like this book moves slowly. I also felt like there was an alternative version of the timeline being introduced. Either I had no idea how much Raf's family was struggling or it was just off the mark. Still some great moments In the book. 3.50 for the extra credit.
March 29, 2017
Finally all caught up on the Gives Light series. Of course I'll have to read the 7th book when it comes out.
This one had a few creepy vibes, but ultimately I loved reading Raphael's POV and watching scenes that happened in the first and second books in Skylar's POV retold from Raphael's perspective.
This one had a few creepy vibes, but ultimately I loved reading Raphael's POV and watching scenes that happened in the first and second books in Skylar's POV retold from Raphael's perspective.
May 8, 2017
4.5 stars
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