Book Review: Night Light by Terri Blackstock (Restoration Novels #2)

Stars: 4 out of 5
Pros: Captivating story

Cons: Poor climax; weak writing

The Bottom Line:

Darkness continues

Pulled into second chapter

With a weak climax

Helping the Children

Terri Blackstock's Restoration Novels have a truly intriguing premise. What would happen if all modern technology failed? That's exactly the scenario that the Branning family have found themselves inhabiting. They used to be a normal, Christian, suburban family living in Alabama, but now they are working hard every day just to have the food to eat that day. But as the weeks fly by, they are learning how to survive by barter and sweat.

Night Light, book two in the series, opens three months into this global crisis. One day, the youngest daughter interrupts two kids robbing them of their meager food supply. Jeff Branning, the teenage son, takes off after them and discovers the thieves are the oldest of four siblings living all alone. Moved with compassion, the Brannings take the kids in while they try to track down their missing mother. What has happened to her? And can the Brannings feed the extra mouths?

Before I go further, I should mention how important it is to read these books in order. Yes, there is a two page recap and another two pages introducing the main characters before the book begins. That would be enough if you absolutely had to jump in here. But it spoils much of the events of the first book, which would probably make that book slow to read.

See, while Terri Blackstock is known for her suspense books, this isn't the best example of them. Yes, there is a mystery. But it develops in fits and starts, often being forgotten pages at a time. The book is as much about the struggle to survive and how various people are handling it as it is about what is happening with the kids.

And it is utterly captivating. I kept placing myself in the various situations here, wondering how I would handle things. I must admit, I came up quite short compared to the Brannings. But I honestly could not put the book down.

Having said all that, I have to knock the climax. It was so weak it felt like just a way to wrap things up quickly because she ran out of pages.

The biggest challenge came to me as a Christian. The Brannings (often reluctant) acts of faith and sacrifice were convicting. They were doing the right thing. And I am ashamed to say I probably wouldn't if I were in those same circumstances. However, the Christian element is never overwhelming. It is ever present, but never preachy.

Getting back into the story, I quickly saw just how much I grew to love these characters, even after one book. They feel like members of my family. The growth they experienced in the first book was retained, and their actions here grew out of the events they've already lived through. And the new characters are just as real. The kids especially stand out. My heart broke for them multiple times as the story progressed.

The only weakness is the writing. It's not completely smooth, often reverting to telling instead of showing. But that's a minor issue that smoothes out as the book progresses.

Night Light is a realistic look at a world far removed from how we know live. I can't wait to dive into the next novel and see how things continue.