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Fleur de Lys
Major. Captain. Lieutenant. Private. An unethically mixed friendship and a rocky one, formed under duress, kept very discreet, adhered to because - Because none of them seriously thought they would live long enough for it to be a problem.
Status: Complete
Word count: approx. 69,579
Status: Complete
Word count: approx. 69,579
209 pages, online fiction
First published January 1, 2010
2 people are currently reading
176 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
April 17, 2022
This review is going to be long because I spent 3 days struggling with this not-very-long book and I have a lot of thoughts. On the surface, this book had so much potential and I wanted to love it so badly that I actually re-read several chapters multiple times, hoping my issues with it would fade. Unfortunately, there were a lot of problems that ended up overshadowing the big positives.
First, the positives. The author's research into life at the Front during WW1 was incredible and the historical details in the war-time flashbacks were fantastic. It's gritty, harsh and the author didn't shy away from depicting the horrors that the soldiers had to live through. It reminded me a lot of 'All Quiet On The Western Front'. The attention to authenticity also helped make the present timeline more meaningful when Dev had flashbacks or made references to the war. If the author hadn't spent time educating the readers on things like what a firestep was in a trench, then the later scene where Dev wakes up at home, groping for the firestep and his rifle because he thinks it's time to fight wouldn't have been as emotionally devastating.
Another positive was how the author handled Dev's severe PTSD. When Alick came to live with Dev at his estate to help him, Dev didn't instantly recover. They did have sex, but it was used as a distraction rather than an effective tool to help Dev heal. Dev's progress was devastatingly slow and painful, which made it feel very real. He would have good days and bad days as he and the people around him struggled to figure out what would trigger him and what he needed to get better. In particular, I loved how a specific traumatic event that Dev had experienced during the war wasn't revealed all at once. Readers are left just as confused and terrified as Alick was when Dev spends hours coughing or choking as if he's suffocating and once it's revealed what the cause of those reactions is, it leaves you with an emotional gut punch.
I also loved how the characters around Dev reacted to his PTSD. Despite living with his parents, Dev barely spends any time with them and the situation is heartbreaking because you could emphasize with each of them. His parents are grieving the loss of Dev's older brother (who died during the war) and the Dev who came back from the war is a broken shell with barely any resemblance to the teenage boy who had gone to war. His parents are overcome with grief at what they and Dev had lost and they feel helpless that they can't help him. In addition, Dev feels ashamed when he's around them, knowing that he's causing them stress and wishing he could be the boy he'd been before, but knowing he can't. That's why having Alick around is so helpful for him. Unlike everybody else around Dev, Alick hadn't known Dev before the war so the Dev he'd come to know during the war is the only Dev he knows. In addition, their shared experiences means Alick can relate to what Dev is going through. When Dev has waking-dreams/flashbacks that leave him unable to tell where and when he is, Alick can easily tell what's going on in Dev's head and he can play along, which helps calm Dev down. In contrast, everybody else can only stand by, helpless and confused at Dev's outbursts and unintentionally inappropriate behavior.
I especially liked that two of the people who were able to help Dev were Winton (the butler) and Mrs Grey (his former nanny). They had known Dev through his entire childhood and unlike his parents, they push aside their grief and focus on trying to help Dev. They know they can't be the source of support that Alick is for Dev, but they bend over backwards to help in any way they can. Despite a butler having huge responsibilities on such a massive estate, Winton takes the time to personally bring Dev food, clothes and things from his childhood that he thinks Dev would enjoy. Some of these things cause Dev distress, but some of them (such as the books and the piano) are very helpful. Mrs Grey's presence causes Dev the same feelings of guilt and stress as his parents' do, so she keeps her distance (despite how heartbreaking that is for her) but she also finds ways to help, such as teaching Alick how to sneak eggs and other things into milk during the days when Dev won't eat anything.
Now onto the negatives. Unfortunately, this book was in desperate need of thorough editing. Not only were there typos, spelling mistakes, incorrect words, incorrectly formatted dialog, missing scene breaks and loads of awkward sentences, but the constant (and incorrect) use of colons was a distraction. I'm not one to nitpick grammatical issues, but the combination of constant colons and awkwardly structured sentences forced me to re-read a lot of sentences because I couldn't figure out what was going on. To add to the confusion, there was constant head hopping with POV. During the war flashbacks, there were 6 POV characters and the POV would change randomly throughout scenes and sometimes from paragraph to paragraph with no indication of whose POV we were in. Making it worse was the inclusion of way too many named side characters, most of whom didn't matter. I had to re-read Chapters 2-4 (all war-time flashbacks) multiple times because I couldn't keep track of what was happening. The head hopping was more bearable in the present timeline when the POV only switched between Alick and Dev, but it was still annoying.
Making things even more needlessly confusing was that the author hadn't paid attention to some essential details. The book shifts throughout several different timelines (war time, post-war but pre-present, Dev's childhood and the present) and the author always did do a good job of quickly establishing which timeline we were in, but things fell apart when the author referenced specific dates and locations because they were sometimes wrong. For example, the story starts in 1919 and then flashes back to when Alick and Dev met...which the author says happened in 1913. This doesn't make sense because the war didn't even start until 1914 and Dev/Alick reference fighting at Somme during their first conversation, which happened in 1916. Through context clues, I was able to figure out that the first war flashback happened in 1917, but this was a sloppy mistake that should have been caught. In addition, Dev's age constantly changes throughout the first part of the book. First he's 19 when the war starts, then he's 17. He's supposed to be 'barely 23' when the book starts (in the present), but he's also 23 when he meets Alick 2 years before...and then he 'just turned 21' during that same time frame. Not to mention that Dev being 23 in 1919 doesn't line up with him being 17 back in 1914. It's simple math and it annoyed me that the author didn't bother keeping track of this detail.
The same thing happens with locations. Both Dev and Alick mention being in France for most of the war, yet many of the flashback scenes take place in Ypres, which is in Belgium. But even when we're told they're in Ypres, the scene later references them being in Lys (France). Then there was the odd scene where Dev's hair color changed multiple times and the instances of Dev's estate being written as either 'Flying Abbey' or 'Fyling Abbey' and I never did manage to figure out which one was correct. When writing historical fiction that focuses on a real life event, it's so important to get details such as dates and locations right because it'll throw a reader out of the story if they're wrong. This is especially important if an author is playing around with different timelines. A book like this requires lots of concentration from a reader and having to stop to determine if a given fact is a mistake or not needlessly disrupts a reader's immersion.
Lastly: the characters. I don't know why this book's blurb makes a big deal out of four characters who are very close friends but are different ranks because that's not what this story is about. A story like that would require an equal focus on all four characters, and the main characters in this book are only Dev and Alick. In addition, there isn't a strong bond between the four. Alick and Dev openly dislike Edward, and Edward and Cam openly dislike Alick. The whole 'four musketeers' thing fell flat and I got annoyed whenever the author crammed in a pointless scene with all four of them in the same place because it didn't add anything to the story. The main point of this story was the bond between Alick and Dev and Dev's PTSD recovery post-war.
That being said, I did think Cam Lindley was a useful side character. He was very close to Dev (he features so much in the war flashbacks that I thought Cam was the love interest for a while) and is from the same upper class background as he is, which created some interesting situations when the war ended and Cam realizes that he has no idea how to help Dev, despite how close they are.
However, my biggest problem with the book was Edward Hayes. I hated this character and I don't understand what the author was trying to do with him. I never cared about Edward because he barely gets any development and his only purpose in the plot is to be a nagging annoyance. He only gets a few POV scenes but because the author really wants readers to give a damn about Edward, many conversations between Dev/Alick/Cam have them bringing up Edward even when he has nothing to do with the situation. If they're talking about doing an activity, somebody brings up what Edward's opinion of the activity would be. If they're talking about going somewhere, they muse over what Edward would think. When Cam asks Dev about hunting, they randomly mention that Edward loves hunting. It made no sense because Edward wasn't an important part of the story and I hated having him crammed down my throat constantly.
Then there was the last part of the book, which was when my annoyance with Edward grew to hatred. Throughout the war flashbacks, it's clear that Dev and Alick don't like Edward, don't respect him and often openly disobey him (despite Edward outranking both of them). Edward constantly treats Dev like a child, but in a way that felt inappropriate to me. He would lecture and berate Dev, even smacking him across the face once when he didn't like Dev's behavior. He would constantly talk down to him and lecture him about his responsibilities during the war and later, as a member of the nobility. It was annoying and I liked that Dev pushed back during the war and basically told him to mind his own business. As for Alick, he hated Edward from the start and the two of them went out of their way to avoid each other. So I was left very disappointed when the author used Edward to create a third act conflict that led to a temporary break-up between Dev and Alick. This made no sense to me because it was a such a massive characterization shift for both of them. The author kept pushing the idea that Edward's a Major and Dev and Alick are programmed to do whatever a higher ranking officer tells them, but we've seen that this isn't the case. Dev has defied and ignored Edward in the past so it makes no sense that he's suddenly a puppet in Edward's hands when he shows up out of the blue months after the war is over.
The break up was also a waste of time because there's an immediate time skip to Dev going to find Alick at his fishing village and them reuniting. But that's followed by another plot beat that I disliked: .
I'm really disappointed because this story had so much potential. Dev's PTSD and the historical details related to the war were incredibly well done but I wish the author would have gone in a different direction regarding several plotlines and characters, not to mention giving the book the editing love and attention that it deserved. Overall, this story comes the closest to meeting the standard set by Sally Malcolm's 'The Last Kiss' out of the WW1 romances I've read so far, but it still fell short.
First, the positives. The author's research into life at the Front during WW1 was incredible and the historical details in the war-time flashbacks were fantastic. It's gritty, harsh and the author didn't shy away from depicting the horrors that the soldiers had to live through. It reminded me a lot of 'All Quiet On The Western Front'. The attention to authenticity also helped make the present timeline more meaningful when Dev had flashbacks or made references to the war. If the author hadn't spent time educating the readers on things like what a firestep was in a trench, then the later scene where Dev wakes up at home, groping for the firestep and his rifle because he thinks it's time to fight wouldn't have been as emotionally devastating.
Another positive was how the author handled Dev's severe PTSD. When Alick came to live with Dev at his estate to help him, Dev didn't instantly recover. They did have sex, but it was used as a distraction rather than an effective tool to help Dev heal. Dev's progress was devastatingly slow and painful, which made it feel very real. He would have good days and bad days as he and the people around him struggled to figure out what would trigger him and what he needed to get better. In particular, I loved how a specific traumatic event that Dev had experienced during the war wasn't revealed all at once. Readers are left just as confused and terrified as Alick was when Dev spends hours coughing or choking as if he's suffocating and once it's revealed what the cause of those reactions is, it leaves you with an emotional gut punch.
I also loved how the characters around Dev reacted to his PTSD. Despite living with his parents, Dev barely spends any time with them and the situation is heartbreaking because you could emphasize with each of them. His parents are grieving the loss of Dev's older brother (who died during the war) and the Dev who came back from the war is a broken shell with barely any resemblance to the teenage boy who had gone to war. His parents are overcome with grief at what they and Dev had lost and they feel helpless that they can't help him. In addition, Dev feels ashamed when he's around them, knowing that he's causing them stress and wishing he could be the boy he'd been before, but knowing he can't. That's why having Alick around is so helpful for him. Unlike everybody else around Dev, Alick hadn't known Dev before the war so the Dev he'd come to know during the war is the only Dev he knows. In addition, their shared experiences means Alick can relate to what Dev is going through. When Dev has waking-dreams/flashbacks that leave him unable to tell where and when he is, Alick can easily tell what's going on in Dev's head and he can play along, which helps calm Dev down. In contrast, everybody else can only stand by, helpless and confused at Dev's outbursts and unintentionally inappropriate behavior.
I especially liked that two of the people who were able to help Dev were Winton (the butler) and Mrs Grey (his former nanny). They had known Dev through his entire childhood and unlike his parents, they push aside their grief and focus on trying to help Dev. They know they can't be the source of support that Alick is for Dev, but they bend over backwards to help in any way they can. Despite a butler having huge responsibilities on such a massive estate, Winton takes the time to personally bring Dev food, clothes and things from his childhood that he thinks Dev would enjoy. Some of these things cause Dev distress, but some of them (such as the books and the piano) are very helpful. Mrs Grey's presence causes Dev the same feelings of guilt and stress as his parents' do, so she keeps her distance (despite how heartbreaking that is for her) but she also finds ways to help, such as teaching Alick how to sneak eggs and other things into milk during the days when Dev won't eat anything.
Now onto the negatives. Unfortunately, this book was in desperate need of thorough editing. Not only were there typos, spelling mistakes, incorrect words, incorrectly formatted dialog, missing scene breaks and loads of awkward sentences, but the constant (and incorrect) use of colons was a distraction. I'm not one to nitpick grammatical issues, but the combination of constant colons and awkwardly structured sentences forced me to re-read a lot of sentences because I couldn't figure out what was going on. To add to the confusion, there was constant head hopping with POV. During the war flashbacks, there were 6 POV characters and the POV would change randomly throughout scenes and sometimes from paragraph to paragraph with no indication of whose POV we were in. Making it worse was the inclusion of way too many named side characters, most of whom didn't matter. I had to re-read Chapters 2-4 (all war-time flashbacks) multiple times because I couldn't keep track of what was happening. The head hopping was more bearable in the present timeline when the POV only switched between Alick and Dev, but it was still annoying.
Making things even more needlessly confusing was that the author hadn't paid attention to some essential details. The book shifts throughout several different timelines (war time, post-war but pre-present, Dev's childhood and the present) and the author always did do a good job of quickly establishing which timeline we were in, but things fell apart when the author referenced specific dates and locations because they were sometimes wrong. For example, the story starts in 1919 and then flashes back to when Alick and Dev met...which the author says happened in 1913. This doesn't make sense because the war didn't even start until 1914 and Dev/Alick reference fighting at Somme during their first conversation, which happened in 1916. Through context clues, I was able to figure out that the first war flashback happened in 1917, but this was a sloppy mistake that should have been caught. In addition, Dev's age constantly changes throughout the first part of the book. First he's 19 when the war starts, then he's 17. He's supposed to be 'barely 23' when the book starts (in the present), but he's also 23 when he meets Alick 2 years before...and then he 'just turned 21' during that same time frame. Not to mention that Dev being 23 in 1919 doesn't line up with him being 17 back in 1914. It's simple math and it annoyed me that the author didn't bother keeping track of this detail.
The same thing happens with locations. Both Dev and Alick mention being in France for most of the war, yet many of the flashback scenes take place in Ypres, which is in Belgium. But even when we're told they're in Ypres, the scene later references them being in Lys (France). Then there was the odd scene where Dev's hair color changed multiple times and the instances of Dev's estate being written as either 'Flying Abbey' or 'Fyling Abbey' and I never did manage to figure out which one was correct. When writing historical fiction that focuses on a real life event, it's so important to get details such as dates and locations right because it'll throw a reader out of the story if they're wrong. This is especially important if an author is playing around with different timelines. A book like this requires lots of concentration from a reader and having to stop to determine if a given fact is a mistake or not needlessly disrupts a reader's immersion.
Lastly: the characters. I don't know why this book's blurb makes a big deal out of four characters who are very close friends but are different ranks because that's not what this story is about. A story like that would require an equal focus on all four characters, and the main characters in this book are only Dev and Alick. In addition, there isn't a strong bond between the four. Alick and Dev openly dislike Edward, and Edward and Cam openly dislike Alick. The whole 'four musketeers' thing fell flat and I got annoyed whenever the author crammed in a pointless scene with all four of them in the same place because it didn't add anything to the story. The main point of this story was the bond between Alick and Dev and Dev's PTSD recovery post-war.
That being said, I did think Cam Lindley was a useful side character. He was very close to Dev (he features so much in the war flashbacks that I thought Cam was the love interest for a while) and is from the same upper class background as he is, which created some interesting situations when the war ended and Cam realizes that he has no idea how to help Dev, despite how close they are.
However, my biggest problem with the book was Edward Hayes. I hated this character and I don't understand what the author was trying to do with him. I never cared about Edward because he barely gets any development and his only purpose in the plot is to be a nagging annoyance. He only gets a few POV scenes but because the author really wants readers to give a damn about Edward, many conversations between Dev/Alick/Cam have them bringing up Edward even when he has nothing to do with the situation. If they're talking about doing an activity, somebody brings up what Edward's opinion of the activity would be. If they're talking about going somewhere, they muse over what Edward would think. When Cam asks Dev about hunting, they randomly mention that Edward loves hunting. It made no sense because Edward wasn't an important part of the story and I hated having him crammed down my throat constantly.
Then there was the last part of the book, which was when my annoyance with Edward grew to hatred. Throughout the war flashbacks, it's clear that Dev and Alick don't like Edward, don't respect him and often openly disobey him (despite Edward outranking both of them). Edward constantly treats Dev like a child, but in a way that felt inappropriate to me. He would lecture and berate Dev, even smacking him across the face once when he didn't like Dev's behavior. He would constantly talk down to him and lecture him about his responsibilities during the war and later, as a member of the nobility. It was annoying and I liked that Dev pushed back during the war and basically told him to mind his own business. As for Alick, he hated Edward from the start and the two of them went out of their way to avoid each other. So I was left very disappointed when the author used Edward to create a third act conflict that led to a temporary break-up between Dev and Alick. This made no sense to me because it was a such a massive characterization shift for both of them. The author kept pushing the idea that Edward's a Major and Dev and Alick are programmed to do whatever a higher ranking officer tells them, but we've seen that this isn't the case. Dev has defied and ignored Edward in the past so it makes no sense that he's suddenly a puppet in Edward's hands when he shows up out of the blue months after the war is over.
The break up was also a waste of time because there's an immediate time skip to Dev going to find Alick at his fishing village and them reuniting. But that's followed by another plot beat that I disliked: .
I'm really disappointed because this story had so much potential. Dev's PTSD and the historical details related to the war were incredibly well done but I wish the author would have gone in a different direction regarding several plotlines and characters, not to mention giving the book the editing love and attention that it deserved. Overall, this story comes the closest to meeting the standard set by Sally Malcolm's 'The Last Kiss' out of the WW1 romances I've read so far, but it still fell short.
February 19, 2013
Heartbreaking and raw.
The emotions and events of four men as they carry on through WWI are devastating and simultaneously treated so casually as they attempt to maintain sanity. I feel numb and horrified. Those that experience war never truly leave it behind and those that haven't born witness can't understand. Of course I wish this was longer, but this is selfishness not necessity for closure.
The emotions and events of four men as they carry on through WWI are devastating and simultaneously treated so casually as they attempt to maintain sanity. I feel numb and horrified. Those that experience war never truly leave it behind and those that haven't born witness can't understand. Of course I wish this was longer, but this is selfishness not necessity for closure.
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April 24, 20262026 Re-Read:
Dear god why did I think reading two WWI/ptsd stories back-to-back was a good idea?????! The hurt-comfort here is so good (I think that's what I remembered the most from this one, which is what led to this dumb decision!), but it also does a good job capturing the horrors of the trenches, and all the secondary characters are really excellent. The editing is a bit of a hot mess with inconsistencies and head-hopping that also kind of unintentionally adds to the chaos the story is trying to capture.
I don't know what to rate this, though. It's messy enough that I feel like I'd normally cap it at 3 stars, but the emotional truths it captures are absolutely devastating and impressive. And I liked where the ending went. These were both historical romances with a huge class difference at the heart of them, and they took very different paths to the HEA. The other (The Last Kiss) was pure luck to find a soft place to land, but this one felt like a real option anyone could take if you were brave enough to let go of the safety net that was actually strangling you.
I think I'll go with 3.5, and also DON'T READ THIS AGAIN, FUTURE SELF!!! The hurt outweighs the comfort, despite what your memory of the ending tells you.
On to the fluff.
Original 2021 rating: 4 stars
Dear god why did I think reading two WWI/ptsd stories back-to-back was a good idea?????! The hurt-comfort here is so good (I think that's what I remembered the most from this one, which is what led to this dumb decision!), but it also does a good job capturing the horrors of the trenches, and all the secondary characters are really excellent. The editing is a bit of a hot mess with inconsistencies and head-hopping that also kind of unintentionally adds to the chaos the story is trying to capture.
I don't know what to rate this, though. It's messy enough that I feel like I'd normally cap it at 3 stars, but the emotional truths it captures are absolutely devastating and impressive. And I liked where the ending went. These were both historical romances with a huge class difference at the heart of them, and they took very different paths to the HEA. The other (The Last Kiss) was pure luck to find a soft place to land, but this one felt like a real option anyone could take if you were brave enough to let go of the safety net that was actually strangling you.
I think I'll go with 3.5, and also DON'T READ THIS AGAIN, FUTURE SELF!!! The hurt outweighs the comfort, despite what your memory of the ending tells you.
On to the fluff.
Original 2021 rating: 4 stars
June 7, 2015
I think I fell in love with Fleur de Lys the moment I saw the quote before the first chapter. It's written in an atypical, memorable style. Events of the past and present are told alternately, but not once is it even remotely confusing. In fact, the two seem to enhance each other's impact. A sense of deep melancholy seems to cling to the words, which is only too appropriate considering the setting of the story.
The characters are unique and intriguing. It is easy to get invested in their rocky lives. The romance is quite covert but no less touching for it. It's beautiful and really quite bittersweet. Dev is fascinating and something of a wreck. His magnetic personality is set off by his mental instability. He manages to be an equally charming and exasperating character. Alick, on the other hand, is aloof and a bit of an enigma. His interactions with Dev are my favorite parts of the story even though it's a struggle to grasp his mindset. He is gruff and gritty but extremely compelling. Cameron and Edward both bring different elements to the story, not all of them pleasant.
I read most of this story in a state of bone-deep sadness, which I assume is the intended effect. Even the happy parts seem tinged with sorrow. And that effect is precisely why I love this so much.
The characters are unique and intriguing. It is easy to get invested in their rocky lives. The romance is quite covert but no less touching for it. It's beautiful and really quite bittersweet. Dev is fascinating and something of a wreck. His magnetic personality is set off by his mental instability. He manages to be an equally charming and exasperating character. Alick, on the other hand, is aloof and a bit of an enigma. His interactions with Dev are my favorite parts of the story even though it's a struggle to grasp his mindset. He is gruff and gritty but extremely compelling. Cameron and Edward both bring different elements to the story, not all of them pleasant.
I read most of this story in a state of bone-deep sadness, which I assume is the intended effect. Even the happy parts seem tinged with sorrow. And that effect is precisely why I love this so much.
June 29, 2011
I really enjoyed this story. WWI, British soldiers, a commoner and a nobleman, older + younger, hurt/comfort (PTSD). Some flashbacks (about 50%) of trench warfare, some of it graphic. It seemed to me there were some slight technical problems - sometimes the flashbacks were not too clear - I wish they had italicized them. And some little motivational/plot holes, but very minor (enough to notice though). On the whole, very readable, enjoyable, seems to ring true to the era of WWI in England and illegal homosexuality, and public school education. The protagonists dilemma was very sweet, one a young nobleman officer, the other an older workingclass soldier, so they had to cross all those obstacles to get together after they came home.
August 14, 2011
Painfull and tragic, yet filled with hope and sweetness. It's a story about surviving the end of the war.
April 1, 2012
I think I'll do my review before I give it any stars.. Wouldnt know what to give it now anyways..
This is a free online read.. A story about English soldiers during the 1st WW.. Mostly its about Dev and Cowan.. A young Captain and an older private finding each other during the war..
Dev, the young Captain, suffers from severe PTSD after the war, and Cowan is the only one that can help him through it..
I think that pretty much sums it up..
I liked these two, I really did.
I thought it had a vague beginning, so many names to keep track of, and it took me 6 chapters before I was certain that Cowan was the love interest and not Cam (one of those names you have to keep track of).
I did like Dev a lot though, and I think I'll add a extra star for him..
2 for the story, 1 extra for Dev and Cowan..
This is a free online read.. A story about English soldiers during the 1st WW.. Mostly its about Dev and Cowan.. A young Captain and an older private finding each other during the war..
Dev, the young Captain, suffers from severe PTSD after the war, and Cowan is the only one that can help him through it..
I think that pretty much sums it up..
I liked these two, I really did.
I thought it had a vague beginning, so many names to keep track of, and it took me 6 chapters before I was certain that Cowan was the love interest and not Cam (one of those names you have to keep track of).
I did like Dev a lot though, and I think I'll add a extra star for him..
2 for the story, 1 extra for Dev and Cowan..
March 3, 2017
I thought this book captured the feel of the last part of the Great War and it's immediate aftermath through a moving story of two men who find and ultimately heal each other. It's a little disjointed, but it read to me like the disjointedness of the time; the disjointedness of shell shock. It's easy to forget that the Great War was one for which it's participants were totally unprepared for, and its consequences overwhelmed the society soldiers returned home to. Although the main characters are gay, and some issues are unique to them, their problems really are remarkably universal even if the ultimate solutions are not. Really quite moving.
January 21, 2014
Really great story, though at some points a bit difficult, very powerful and doesn't really pull any punches. Well written though the flashbacks get a little jarring and scattered at points. Definitely worth the read.
May 19, 2012
WOW. Amazing, powerful, like a punch to the stomach. It takes your breath away.
November 1, 2014
Raw, horrifying, and very real. Review to come when I've thought about it a little more. I'm so glad I read this.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews