Picture of author.

Laura Whitcomb

Author of A Certain Slant of Light

6 Works 2,546 Members 136 Reviews 10 Favorited

About the Author

Includes the name: Laura Whitcomb

Image credit: Coughlin-Glaser Photography

Series

Works by Laura Whitcomb

A Certain Slant of Light (2005) 2,029 copies, 111 reviews
The Fetch (2009) 327 copies, 20 reviews
Under the Light (2013) 115 copies, 5 reviews

Tagged

2008 (8) 2009 (13) afterlife (33) ARC (9) death (57) ebook (9) fantasy (110) fiction (154) forgiveness (10) ghost stories (17) ghosts (215) goodreads (11) haunting (11) high school (12) historical fiction (18) love (46) love story (9) novel (8) own (10) paranormal (57) paranormal romance (20) possession (15) read (25) religion (14) romance (114) Russia (11) Russian Revolution (9) series (11) spirits (19) suicide (10) supernatural (52) teen (23) teen fiction (8) to-read (213) unread (10) wishlist (21) writing (16) YA (121) young adult (144) young adult fiction (22)

Common Knowledge

Members

Reviews

EDIT: I wrote this review at 1am as soon as I finished the book, and twenty minutes later, I already feel like it's vague, awkward, and doesn't fully capture my feelings, but I'm gonna leave it stand until I write something better.

I adored this book, and read it extremely quickly (for me). It fits a lot into 200-ish pages, and has some truly gorgeous writing, and yet still felt streamlined and efficient.

This is an odd review for me because, on the surface there are quite few things about this novel that shouldn't work, and it feels strange to be writing 5-star review mentioning what might be considered flaws, but something about this book was more than the sum of its parts, and everything that worked and and spoke to me outweighed any quibbles I might have had.

There are definitely some parts of this book that could have valid criticism laid against it. Some may find certain messages a bit heavy handed, and there could be a lot said about consent and bodily autonomy, and while I didn't need some of the messy ends to be tied up, I can see it bothering others. I think these grey areas were handled in such a way that reading those parts felt appropriately and intentionally uncomfortable, though maybe a little easily dismissed. But overall, it all hung together just so, for me personally.

The supporting characters around Helen were written with varying degrees of depth and complexity, but given the economy of the book's length, they all served their purpose. James was likeable, but was kept at enough of a distance that I was never 100% sure of his intentions, which I thought was quite well done and clever, and really served to add to the build of tension. But, Helen herself was wistful and charming, and her observations of her hosts in particular were bittersweet and heartfelt.

Ultimately, I thought it was a beautiful story, and it's ruminations on loneliness and grief touched me in particular.
… (more)
 
Flagged
papercrowns | 110 other reviews | Aug 6, 2024 |
I took me about 100 pages to get into this. I didn't love Whitcomb's writing, but once the plot hit its stride, I had trouble putting the book down. A gripper to be sure. And very romantic.

One more note: Even though this book is for teens, I think it might actually have more adult appeal because the characters are really old people in young people's bodies.
 
Flagged
LibrarianDest | 110 other reviews | Jan 3, 2024 |
The second Whitcomb book I read, and I was pleasantly surprised to discover it featured the Romanov family. It was up to Whitcomb's previous caliber in A Certain Slant of Light, though I felt the ending was a little weak. Nonetheless, an enjoyable ghost story.
 
Flagged
nilaffle | 19 other reviews | Nov 6, 2023 |
A beautiful love story that captures the innocence and tenderness of the first time. This is possibly the best love story I ever read. Deep and playful.
 
Flagged
naturegirlj9 | 110 other reviews | Mar 26, 2023 |

Lists

Awards

You May Also Like

Associated Authors

Kamil Vojnar Cover artist
Lauren Molina Narrator
Sabine Thiele Translator
Sheila Smallwood Cover designer

Statistics

Works
6
Members
2,546
Popularity
#10,091
Rating
3.8
Reviews
136
ISBNs
34
Languages
4
Favorited
10

Charts & Graphs