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The Light that Remains
Not yet published
Expected 23 Jul 26“All light dies eventually”… or does it?
Eva von Lindner has escaped the grasp of the Gestapo… only to find herself stuck, useless, in the middle of nowhere as she tries to piece together her missing past. As spring begins, her relationship with Sigmund begins to flourish as he begins to reveal himself as trustworthy, and Eva pins her hopes on his promise to explain her whole missing story as soon as possible. But when tragedy strikes and the family must flee, Eva begins to wonder if she can truly depend on anyone close to her.
As the family is pulled apart by the Nazis, grief, and secrets, Sigmund wrestles more with his weak faith, wondering if he can truly depend on God to take care of what matters the most to him. In the wake of losing Adam to the Snake, he guides the family to safety in Kiel with help from his old friend, con-artist Isak Musselman. But Kiel, though far away from the Snake’s grasp, holds dangers all its own, and Sigmund soon finds that the only way to save his family might be to tear it apart–for good.
Meanwhile, Isak Musselman’s one goal in life is to protect Eva and the family. But when a familiar face unexpectedly returns to Berlin, he realizes they're all in much more danger than he could have possibly imagined.
As the family flees from one danger to the next, they continue to pursue deep questions of faith, trust, and surrender. The sequel to The Jewel of Berlin, The Light that Remains is perfect for fans of classics such as The Hiding Place, Anastasia, The Sound of Music, and Rapunzel.
Eva von Lindner has escaped the grasp of the Gestapo… only to find herself stuck, useless, in the middle of nowhere as she tries to piece together her missing past. As spring begins, her relationship with Sigmund begins to flourish as he begins to reveal himself as trustworthy, and Eva pins her hopes on his promise to explain her whole missing story as soon as possible. But when tragedy strikes and the family must flee, Eva begins to wonder if she can truly depend on anyone close to her.
As the family is pulled apart by the Nazis, grief, and secrets, Sigmund wrestles more with his weak faith, wondering if he can truly depend on God to take care of what matters the most to him. In the wake of losing Adam to the Snake, he guides the family to safety in Kiel with help from his old friend, con-artist Isak Musselman. But Kiel, though far away from the Snake’s grasp, holds dangers all its own, and Sigmund soon finds that the only way to save his family might be to tear it apart–for good.
Meanwhile, Isak Musselman’s one goal in life is to protect Eva and the family. But when a familiar face unexpectedly returns to Berlin, he realizes they're all in much more danger than he could have possibly imagined.
As the family flees from one danger to the next, they continue to pursue deep questions of faith, trust, and surrender. The sequel to The Jewel of Berlin, The Light that Remains is perfect for fans of classics such as The Hiding Place, Anastasia, The Sound of Music, and Rapunzel.
395 pages, Paperback
Expected publication July 23, 2026
About the author
L.E. Levens
2 books34 followersL.E. Levens is a young adult writing fantasy and historical fiction for the YA audience. When not busy with her writing, she works at a library, goes to a wonderful Christian college, and serves at her church on the worship team and in kids ministry. A bold believer, she seeks to build stories that not only dive deep and explore beloved tropes and big questions, but also to write ones that don’t trigger a bad conscience. She also enjoys frappuccinos and discovering new bookstores near either of her hometowns. She currently lives in West Tennessee (yes, that’s a real place) with her family, cat Simon, and some pretty amazing friends where she crafts her fine work, buys too many novels, and attends college.
Website: http://writerlevens.wixsite.com/writing
Instagram: @lelevens_author
You can also find me on Pinterest and Goodreads!
Website: http://writerlevens.wixsite.com/writing
Instagram: @lelevens_author
You can also find me on Pinterest and Goodreads!
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Review of advance copy received from Author
Y’all, I have a new favorite book. I have read so many World War II historical fiction books, but this one is definitely one of my top favorites!
Set in Nazi Germany, this is the sequel to The Jewel of Berlin, which I also greatly enjoyed. This one will make more sense if you read The Jewel of Berlin first, but I liked The Light that Remains even better! The characters you get to know and love in the first book–Eva, Sigmund, Isak, Adam, Nelly, Lidia, and others–return, and some of them become even more likable! My favorite hero from history, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, also plays a role in the story!
The book had a great mix of action, mystery, suspense, character development, and history. I loved the elements of resistance–smuggling Jews, planting bombs, daring escapes. I also thought the element of a young woman who had a head injury and is trying to remember her past and figure out what happened made for a very interesting plot!
And what I loved most was the themes and messages, specifically the theme of light. What a beautiful and perfectly fitting title: The Light that Remains. Light that stays. That doesn’t flee, that isn’t snuffed out, that isn’t overcome. Light that remains and shines in the darkness. The themes of light being greater than darkness and being a light in the midst of this world’s brokenness are some of my very favorite themes in books and come into this one again and again. There are so many beautiful quotes and rich symbolism!
There’s some light romance (including one quick kiss), and as you all probably know, I am not a romance reader, but I actually really liked it in this book. It never gets too mushy and reminds me a lot of how I did Gerrit and Marit’s relationship in my book Trains and Tulips. It is World War II, so there are mentions of concentration camps, persecution of the Jews, etc., and someone gets shot, but there is really very little violence or any other content warnings to be aware of.
Overall, I thought this was a beautiful story of light and hope, rich in historical detail and full of action and suspense.
Set in Nazi Germany, this is the sequel to The Jewel of Berlin, which I also greatly enjoyed. This one will make more sense if you read The Jewel of Berlin first, but I liked The Light that Remains even better! The characters you get to know and love in the first book–Eva, Sigmund, Isak, Adam, Nelly, Lidia, and others–return, and some of them become even more likable! My favorite hero from history, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, also plays a role in the story!
The book had a great mix of action, mystery, suspense, character development, and history. I loved the elements of resistance–smuggling Jews, planting bombs, daring escapes. I also thought the element of a young woman who had a head injury and is trying to remember her past and figure out what happened made for a very interesting plot!
And what I loved most was the themes and messages, specifically the theme of light. What a beautiful and perfectly fitting title: The Light that Remains. Light that stays. That doesn’t flee, that isn’t snuffed out, that isn’t overcome. Light that remains and shines in the darkness. The themes of light being greater than darkness and being a light in the midst of this world’s brokenness are some of my very favorite themes in books and come into this one again and again. There are so many beautiful quotes and rich symbolism!
There’s some light romance (including one quick kiss), and as you all probably know, I am not a romance reader, but I actually really liked it in this book. It never gets too mushy and reminds me a lot of how I did Gerrit and Marit’s relationship in my book Trains and Tulips. It is World War II, so there are mentions of concentration camps, persecution of the Jews, etc., and someone gets shot, but there is really very little violence or any other content warnings to be aware of.
Overall, I thought this was a beautiful story of light and hope, rich in historical detail and full of action and suspense.
Displaying 1 of 1 review