Book Review: 'Fireflies Glow Only In The Dark' by Ruth Morse | Olivia J

"A real book is not one that is read, but one that reads us," - W. H. Auden

I don't think there will be a time where I won't be in love with the cover of Fireflies Glow Only In the Dark. Life goals on the cover, right there. 

I discovered Ruth Morse through Instagram, and when I saw that she was publishing a YA contemporary, I had to get my hands on it. I feel like there aren't many self-published authors who are writing contemporary stories, so I had to support a fellow author!

follow me on Instagram @olivia.j.the.wordshaker

This book seemed like a perfect fit for me - and for the most part, it was. But alas, there is no book without flaw. Without further ado, let us dissect . . . 

The Bad

1. Character/Theme Development

I think this is my biggest flaw with FGOITD. Neither Lana nor Max felt fully fleshed out. Sure, they had personalities and we knew a little bit about their backstories, but not enough for me to get a full picture of who this character was, and why. 

First, Lana. Despite her nightmares, she seems to be relatively unaffected by her dysfunctional family, which is virtually impossible. The problem is that we know very little about Lana or her life. We know a little about her family - about Jax and how her parents fight. We know about her friendship with Mel . . . and that's about it. What else has happened in Lana's life that has impacted who she is now? What was her school experience like? What about her other friends? 

This severe lack of knowledge of Lana's past leads to an undefined character, and it all comes down to the question of: "How does Lana's past impact who she is today, and how does that impact her choices?" We don't know nearly enough about who Lana is to answer that question. Sure, one could argue that that's the point: Lana doesn't know who she is. However, the thing about people is that we are just the sum of what has happened to us until we grasp ahold of who we want to be and therefore form our own identity. This concept was not expanded upon in FGOITD.

Max is nearly the same way. All we really know about his past is that his dad is an alcoholic, that he ran away, and a sliver of his interaction with Jack and Lily. How was Max's childhood? What kind of person was he in high school? And because we knew so very little about Max and Lana's pasts, it was hard to connect with their journey and their romance. 

This also comes down to the fact that FGOITD doesn't go deep enough into its characters to make the themes and relationships impactful. What makes these coming-of-age contemporary stories so good is that they are often a deep dive into the characters and their backstories, and how they overcome and accept their past in order to face the future. Way too much time is spent on the romance and other regular-life things than on the actual coming-of-age aspects that could have been explored. Many very interesting themes were touched on, but not fleshed out to their fullest potential. How does Lana finally move past her self-hatred and blaming herself for her brother's death? How does her family come back together after Lana's revelations? However, FGOITD seemed more interested in describing the romance and the alt-rock scene of Lana, Max, and Mel. 

2. Personal Nitpicks

FGOITD has a lot more romance than I was originally led to believe. Based on the synopsis - which you can read here - it sounds like I was promised a journey of self-discovery and catharsis, with probably a romance side plot. However, I got a lot more romance than I signed up for. Now, romance isn't bad, it's just not what I was expecting/looking forward to when reading this book. Maybe that's my fault, or maybe the synopsis was misleading. 

But really, I think that it stems from my burning hatred of the trope 'book advertizes growth and change but it's really just a romance where said significant other comes in and changes the main characters life'. Now, don't get me wrong, this isn't all that FGOITD does, but it's a significant part of it. I even thought that the romance was pretty realistic and sweet at times. I think they said 'I love you' too quickly, but bygones....

Don't get me wrong again, because I'm fully aware that people can come into your life and help you, change you, and make you realize things about yourself and about life - because there have been people in my life who have done just that. My problem with this idea arises when this significant other cures all of said character's problems - their crops are flourishing, their grades are higher, the sun shines brighter, and their mental health is cured. That's just so unrealistic - and problematic because it furthers the cultural idea that once you find love, your life will be wonderful and perfect. Now, FGOITD doesn't take it to the extreme, but I saw some of this trope throughout the novel, which I didn't like. 


Alas, now that that's out of the way, the rest of this review should be a breeze. 

The Good

1. The Writing Style

While not anything groundbreaking, I did enjoy Morse's writing style. At times it was profound and moving, and other times the descriptions pulled me right into the scene while not being too overbearing. 

Back to the 'profound and moving' bit. I know some people hate this kind of writing, but I love the 'philosophical musings' type of writing, and FGOITD had a significant amount of that in it. I live for prose/dialogue that points out universal truths/reveals something new about the human experience. Cue favorite quotes here:

"People come to the most unbearable places when they can no longer bear themselves," -page 19

"It sucks loving someone who reminds you of your unfulfilled happiness," -page 27

"Tragedy isn't unique, nor is happiness or any other feeling," -page 28

"It's funny how nothing prevents me from being anywhere at all. And that's what bothers me," -page 85

"I wished that at least for a moment, I could see the world through his eyes," -page 110

2. The End

The end of FGOITD really redeemed the novel for me, as many books often do. For the most part, I felt the middle sagged. Plot threads meandered and themes floundered, and other than the relationship progression between Max and Lana, not much else happened. However, the climax, the falling action, and the resolution of FGOITD saved it for me, since it was emotional, there were lots of character breakthroughs that happened, and the purpose of the story became clear. My only nitpick about the end is that certain things seemed to wrap up just a bit too nicely. However, despite that, the end really solidified my positive feelings about FGOITD. 

3. Personal Preferences

I have been - and probably always will be - a massive sucker for contemporary stories about life, finding yourself, mental health, family, and love - and FGOITD was just that. For that alone, I have to say that I enjoyed it. 

I also liked that while Lana had obvious problems and was definitely depressed, she didn't always act depressed or mopey. I loved that Morse deconstructed this stigma: that people with mental illness/trauma/problems have to act sad or anxious all of the time, because in reality, we hide how we're truly feeling. And just because someone has a mental illness, doesn't mean that they can't be happy sometimes or that they can't have fun. Hats off to accurate portrayals of mental illness and deconstructing the stigma!

This was one of the few times that I liked it when the main character was a writer/reader. Most of the time, I don't really like this trope because it makes the main character feel like a self-insert, but the way that Morse describes Lana writing were some of my favorite passages in the book. 

Final Thoughts

While Fireflies Glow Only In the Dark is a solid novel in my favorite genre, it suffers from half-formed character development, which therefore makes the themes and plot less impactful. What saves it is the profound writing, the end, and my sheer enjoyment for these kinds of stories. 

Objective Rating: 7/10
Enjoyment Level: 8.5/10

~

Thank you all for joining me once again on the 'Olivia goes on a spree of reviewing books and then won't review books for another 3 months' blog. It's one hell of a journey. 

~The WordShaker

Book Review: Control Freakz by Michael Evans | Olivia J

“Writing is a gift to yourself, and it’s a gift of giving a story to someone else,” -Amy Tan

This is my second indie book review, and I’m finding that I quite like it! Contact me on Instagram at @olivia.j.the.wordshaker or through my email at oliviajthewordshaker@gmail.com for review requests.

Follow Michael Evans on Instagram @mevansinked

Disclaimer: I was sent this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Alone. Abandoned. Threatened. Natalie has lost all hope for a better future. Everything she’s known and everyone she’s ever loved is gone, and it’s up to her to get her old life back. In Michael Evans’s first novel, Control Freakz, Natalie’s journey toward a better life begins.

When Protocol 00 is enacted, Natalie’s family is taken by the government, along with the families of her two best friends, Ethan and Hunter. With nothing to lose, and the threat of government hitmen kidnapping them at any moment, the three must battle to survive in a horrid, post-apocalyptic world run by President Ash and his invasive government. They want answers. And they’re willing to jeopardize everything in desperate pursuit.

Risking ruthless leaders, attempted mind control, and her very existence on the planet, Natalie, along with Hunter and Ethan, will stop at nothing in their quest to regain everything they’ve ever known. Her spirits crushed and her will to live destroyed, Natalie knows everything is dead and gone, and soon she will be, too.

Memories connect us to the past, and can often cause us to long for a better future, but they can drive our minds into a state of hell if a better future is unattainable. Nevertheless, Natalie’s hope for a better a future remains.

~

This was the first science fiction dystopian novel that I’d read in a long time, and it was really refreshing. Control Freaks takes the dystopian tropes and stereotypes and subverts them, and makes them a bit more digestible for an audience that’s sick of the same old dystopia.

As usual, we’ll start of with The Bad.

Spoilers, duh.

The Bad

1. The Writing

This one’s a hard one, because some of the writing was fantastic. At times, the description of emotions was heartbreaking and raw. But other times, it was excessive and long.

Emotional dynamics in a story is the level at which the emotions fluctuate. Control Freakz has very little emotional dynamics, and sometimes this makes for an exhausting read. Going back to the emotional descriptions, Evans’s descriptions of emotions go around and around, and, to an extent, it’s effective because it energizes the novel with a constant sense of anxiety. However, Evans takes it a bit too overboard and the novel ends up having just one, monotonous emotional feeling. There should have been moments of tension and release, moments of humor, moments of wit, and moments of numbness, all on top of the sense of constant anxiety that Natalie feels. With just some cuts of emotional description and additions of variety in emotions, Control Freakz could have been an intensely emotional and complex novel, but it barely missed the mark.

Another critique of the writing style was the inclusion of sequels. Sequels, in this case, are the italicized thoughts of a character. My only criticism was I thought they were a bit unnecessary. Evans does a fine job of conveying Natalie’s feelings without her stating them directly, or  having her add some commentary with her reactions.

Control Freakz has a tonal problem as well. It all boils down to this: Natalie doesn't sound like a girl. Now, I understand that everyone reacts differently, and people aren't bound to gender stereotypes, but women tend to react differently than men do, despite the character's outlined personality. While Natalie felt very strongly, her thought processes, descriptions, and reactions didn't feel . . . feminine - and Natalie wasn't outlined as a character to be particularly butch. There's nothing wrong with Natalie as a character, necessarily, but part of a character's identity is their gender. While this doesn't always determine how they act/think, it does effect aspects of them, and this is something Natalie lacked.

2. Hunter

While Evans directly states why and how Natalie and Hunter are together, it never sank in. Their relationship never felt like it was a driving force, or felt fully developed, and I think that's because Hunter was a very weak character. He had little-to-no development, arc, or backstory that explained why he was the way he was. And since he wasn't developed, I didn't believe and couldn't connect to his relationship with Natalie.

The Good

1. Ethan

My hat goes off to Evans for not including a love triangle in this sci-fi dystopia. I honestly thought that's what was going to happen, and I was pleasantly surprised that the three were just friends. 

Okay, but onto Ethan as a character.  He was by far the most developed character. He was smart and an absolute hardass, and his internal conflict blew me away. He's one of those genuinely awful people that you understand and root for anyway. I'd honestly love to see a story from Ethan's point of view. 

2. The Themes + Motivations + Character Stuff

Evans does a spectacular development of themes. They don't always hit the mark, but they're fleshed out and tie together the strings of the novel, and cover the parts where it falters. 

Natalie's desire to find a new life/get her old life back was at times overbearing considering the use of sequels, but it still held a deep place in the story and I could see a beautiful character arc come to fruition over the forthcoming novels. It was truly very raw and relatable to someone in that situation.

The theme of control blossomed at the end of the novel, but it was obviously an undercurrent throughout the whole thing. I devoured the last part of this novel because of all of the reveals, and it was like a camera coming into focus. All of these things that Evans had set up where finally making sense, and it was a great experience.  

The themes of mental illness, pain, and death were also very present. They were established very well, but I don't have much to say about them because they don't get resolved other than with the heart-pounding moment at the end when Natalie stands true in her resolve. I assume that these arcs will come full circle in the other books as well, and I look forward to it. 

I also loved how Natalie, Hunter, and Ethan were very ordinary. It was refreshing to see in a YA dystopia where every spunky teenager is somehow super important and leads legions of armies. Danielle didn't pick them because they were special, she picked them because they were expendable. Evans really has found a much needed niche in the genre of YA dystopia. 

3. The Worldbuilding

The worldbuilding in this book surprised me, because it ended up being a 'less-is-more' approach, which actually worked. With dystopian stories, authors often try to strip America to it's bare bones and build from that, which gives a sense of disconnect from the America we know.

However, Evans's world didn't feel too different from our own, and I think that's what made it so compelling.   

Objective Rating: 6/10
Enjoyment Level:  7/10

Overall, this wasn't a perfect book - as very few books are -, but Evans really brought some strong, new concepts to an old genre, and I have high hopes for the rest of the series. 

~The WordShaker

Crazy Stupid (Problematic) Teenage Love | Olivia J

"Never annoy an inspirational author or you will become the poison in her pen and the villain in every one of her books," -Shannon L. Alder

Happy Belated Valentine's day post, I guess? Except I despise Valentine's Day, even when I had a significant other. Beside the point. 

~

As a crazy, stupid teenager, I consume a lot of stories with crazy stupid teenage love. 

Like the name implies, a slew of teenage love stories are, dare I say, problematic. They're only problematic because of the negative effects they have on our ideas of love, and, more importantly, teenage relationships. 

Unfortunately, this was inspired by the trailer to Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon. Granted, I have yet to read or watch this story. However, while I was watching the trailer, I was struck with this repulsive sense of familiarity. This predictability that infects YA romances. While the genre has become more creative over the years, moving from basic rom-com setups to having more inventive premises and spins, a few things still permeate the genre, as well as how it's worked into stories as a subplot. 

Hence, this is me bitching about YA romances.

~ 

1. Love Triangles

Let's get this one out of the way. The most obvious and terrible trope of 'crazy stupid teenage love' is love triangles. Two people are madly in love with one person - or find them just super hot. 

-Why It's Problematic

Very rarely do love triangles like the ones seen in YA fiction develop in real life. Surely, two people can like one person, but most of the time, the person caught in the middle is not so indecisive. If they are, it's a general rule that people dislike to be strung along like the way they are in YA fiction, so one base of the love triangle will drop off. They realize that the pursuit is useless. 

Love triangles are only used to create drama, and to appeal to everyone's  - especially girls' - desire to be desired, and this becomes wish-fulfillment. Don't use them, unless you put a unique spin on them, because most readers can see a bad love triangle forming from a mile away. 

-How We Can Change It

Observe how 'love triangles' form in real life. See their nuances, and how un-dramatic they really are. Stay away from the stereotypes. Realize that there are very few times that you should employ a love triangle.


2. Misunderstandings

You know how it goes. Information gets omitted, people read into meaningless things, and suddenly, the girl thinks he cheated, or some variation thereof. 

-Why It's Problematic

It's extraordinarily frustrating for the readers, because they know the whole story, most of the time, or they realize how ridiculous the reactions and emotions of the characters. This portrays that misunderstandings are an integral part of relationships, and that they always must be this dramatic. That every little glance means he's cheating. That every little comment means she doesn't like him anymore. It portrays a hyper-dramatic, unhealthy relationship that only breeds fighting.  

-How We Can Change It

Realize that misunderstandings do happen in relationships, but never make them the central conflict. When they arise and are resolved, make sure your characters learn from the. Never use it as a way to create unnecessary drama. 


3. Lack of Emotional Connection

This is when no reason is given why these characters are able to connect. What are their shared experiences? Common interests? All too often, the author never gives the reader a clear reason on why these characters are connected emotionally and mentally. All we're given is that "they make me feel all fluttery inside" BS. 

-Why It's Problematic

Not establishing a strong emotional connection between characters gives the idea that romantic relationships are only based on good feelings and attractive people. This is so unrealistic, because if we only gravitated towards friends because they made us feel good, then we'd leave them if and when that feeling subsided. Relationships - any relationships - are based on emotional and mental connections. What differentiates platonic from emotional is the phsyical attraction factor, which should not be the defining factor in a relationship. 

-How We Can Change It

There's no real other way to change this than to create a way that your romantic interests have an emotional connection. Think about why you connected so well with your friends or past or current significant others. Was it because you have the same morals, or sense of humor? Make sure there's an emotional and mental connection at the same time, if not before, a physical one. 


4. The Manic Pixie Dream Character (MPDC)

Definitely the most critizied of tropes along with love triangles, the Manic Pixie Dream Character serves to only further the main character's emotional journey. I've already written a whole post dedicated on how to avoid this trope - check it out here!

But alas, I'll go over the basics here. 

-Why It's Problematic

This sets up the idea that there is this perfect person out there who is just waiting to fix us. That another person can cure all of our problems, and show us all there is to life. And surely, people can teach us lessons. But the problem happens where the MPDC devolves into a plot device, and become two dimensional. 

-How We Can Change It

Give the character a goal in the story that doesn't concern helping the protagonist. More on that in my previous blogpost, Writing People Not Plot Devices. 


5. The Magnum Opus

This is a Latin phrase meaning 'greatest work', as in reference to an artist's most successful accomplishment. But in this context, it means - or rather, I want it to mean - is that "this high school romance is the best it's ever going to get and I'm so in love that nothing could tear us apart so dramatic much sappy". In other words, that the romance that these teenagers are experiencing is so world-shifting and heart-wrenching that it could never get any better and that it will last forever and ever. Right. 

-Why It's Problematic

You're seventeen. How likely is it that this cute boy from your math class is your soulmate? Yet again, this portrays the idea to teenagers that high school romances are so important and detrimental. Acting so dramatically about relationships at such a young age exposes the heart, which isn't always a good thing, because people sure do love to step all over hearts, and crush them. They make good doormats. 

-How We Can Change It

Don't make everything so serious. The characters are young, probably in high school, and, realistically, immature, relatively speaking. Realize that a lot of what teenagers focus on in relationships are feelings, despite whether this is a good thing or not. 

And most importantly, if you take all of the above advice and culminate it in your story, you can probably avoid the "Magnum Opus" trope all together. 

~

Surely, not all of these apply to every YA romance on the market, but a good handful of them do. Hopefully, we can eliminate these annoying stereotypes - which are mostly wish-fulfillment - and write real romances. 

~The WordShaker