Book Review ~ Cold Light by Jenn Ashworth

Cold Light was a struggle to get through and I almost gave up on it a few times. I kept waiting for it to get better, but was repeatedly disappointed. All told, it was a rather depressing book that fell flat in its delivery. While I'm usually intrigued by the back and forth between the past and the present, much of what was occurring in the present was boring and dragged out the story rather than contributing to it. The relationships between the characters lacked depth and some should have been developed more or eliminated completely. I'd like to say that the fact that it was set in the UK may have had some impact, but the teenage experience is universal and should be easily translatable, regardless of location. I was hoping to have found a book I could recommend to my students, but I don't think they'd make it through this one. It was difficult for me to finish, so I can only imagine that most students would give up after a few chapters. Thanks to William Morrow Paperbacks and Edelweiss for access to an advanced copy of this title.