Like Flames In The Night - Connilyn Cossette

After a six month hiatus, I am officially back. And I am determined to pick this up again. To say that I lost my love for reading is an understatement... I spent my masters analyzing everything that I read, to the point where I couldn't event sit down on the weekend and enjoy a good book about something completely different to the fifth century AD.

This was unfortunate as Conni's new book was timed to release the week after I handed in my Masters. My ideal plan was to finish my masters and within the week read the entire books, ready to publish my review on release day. Well... that didn't happen. Normally that would have been fine. I mean, I've finished her books in under a day in the past. But the burn out was real.

So I decided to leisurely read the book, take my time, and read it when I wanted to read it.

It may have taken me about a month to complete. But complete it I did.

I am going to be upfront and honest. I didn't love this book. Part of it was because of the studying slump I was coming out of, I will freely admit to that. But I am also someone who loves a realistic story when it claims to be one. The past few books in this series were incredible on that front. They felt believable, which helped draw me into the book. I felt like I was a real observer in those books. With this one, not so much. I'm not even sure if it was because of the style, the characters, the narrative arc, or the extremely long time span that I felt like I could never become one with the book - if you know what I mean.

Despite that, this was one of the best ways Conni could have ended this series. She tied together the narrative by beginning it where it started. And while I felt myself pushing through some parts, the last chapter left me in tears. In that sense, I felt a true catharsis. And maybe that was why I did not feel so drawn to the book. Most books end by making you want more or by invoking a high level of emotion. The ending of Like Flames In The Night was exactly what you need in an ending. It was true, it was sweet, and it was almost... sad. Sad in the sense that you really felt like you were closing the chapter on this series. It was now complete. There was no more speculating about any other nephews, nieces, or children in Moriyah's line. Her tale had been told, and now it has been left to be remembered.

I'm getting ahead of myself. I should explain what it is about.

Like Flames In The Night concludes what began in the last book in the Out From Egypt series - Wings of the Wind. In that book, we read the story of Moriyah and Alanah who undergo a treacherous journey when Alanah decides to escape the Jewish camp. At the end of the book, Moriyah and Alanah part ways to live with their respective families in the Promised Land. The Cities of Refuge series picks up where the Out From Egypt series ends, by following Moriyah's own journey, as well as the lives of her family and children.

Like Flames In The Night introduces us to Moriyah's youngest daughter Tirzah, and Alanah's son Liyam, who incidentally cross paths. Tirzah is a young, fiesty woman who has faced much hardship in her life. Her family was expelled from their land and her husband was worked to death after being captured by the Arameans. When Darke, Tirzah's father, asks her to consider remarrying, she pleads to her brother to continue teaching her to fight, just as he did when they were children. Tirzah convinces him that a woman is needed to complete the task of infiltrating an Aramean camp and listening in on their plans to defeat the Hebrews. Only a woman could pass in the shadows without being seen.

It is within this camp that Tirzah meets Liyam, a broken and hurting man. His wife died in childbirth and his daughter had been mercilessly run over by a merchant while he had been away away at war. On his hunt to avenge her blood he met Moriyah's family, who begged him to go in and rescue her after receiving news that she had potentially been found out.

Together, Liyam and Tirzah discover the Arameans plot to defeat the Hebrews and send a message to Moriyah's family to prevent it for coming to fruition.

The story does not end there though. After this, Tirzah is enlisted to go back to her hometown, Shiloh, and save it as well. Liyam is asked to accompany her, however, the terms and conditions state that they must marry. Tirzah's family believe that they will not lay down their lives for each other and protect each other against all odds unless they are bound together in marriage. It is here where the turbulence begins. From working together the rest of the narrative tracks Liyam and Tirzah falling in and out of love with and trust for each other.

I won't give any more spoilers, but from here you can see that the book is divided into two sections. It was here that I got a bit muddled. I felt like both sections could have been separate books that should have been fleshed out more. That way we could have gotten to know Tirzah and Liyam like we did the last few characters in the series. It just felt a bit... rushed.

In saying that, Liyam's character development really makes you want to scream. He is so relatable that it actually hurts. Liyam has been deeply hurt and he carries a lot of pain. This affects his every thought and action.

"I was no different from Raviv. I'd left my family behind in the valley, brushed off their concern and wise counsel in order to pursue what I considered the best course of action ... I would only continue to react with hostility to his gentle reminders that I'd left behind an entire clan of people, ones who still breathed, who needed me too."

I resonated with Liyam so deeply in the second half of this book - and this is what sold it for me. I think we all have been hurt deeply in one way or another. I can safely say that I have - and it is a wound that I am still trying to stitch together. Seeing Liyam break like that, lash out at those he loved, stop himself from falling in love because he felt like he didn't deserve it, broke my heart because it reminded me so much of myself.

So if you are currently reading the book and feel like you are pushing through the first half, or if you haven't picked it up yet, this book is a must read. It is the perfect conclusion to the series and it wraps it up so nicely. And if you are someone who likes to hurt with those you read about, stay tuned for Liyam's character development in the second half of the book. You will scream at his actions, you will cry, you will laugh, and you will sit on the edge of your chair wondering how he could possibly act in that way.

Thank you Conni for another beautiful book.

Until later,

Michaela.