I didn't like Song of the Fireflies. It was well written and J.A. Redmerski is an amazing author and person, but this book wasn't for me. It's not the kind of book that I would tell everyone to avoid, it's just the kind of book that didn't click with me personally.
For starters, Song of the Fireflies has a lot of drinking and a bit of smoking/drug use. Those kinds of things don't click well with me. That's just an entire scene that I'm not into. I'm not a party girl, I don't go out drinking, I don't do drugs, etc. But a very large portion of this book is about those things. When Elias and Bray are on the run, they hit party after party after party. It just slowly wore me down over the course of the book. It wasn't fun for me to read about and I slowly started disliking it more and more.
The other thing that turned me off Song of the Fireflies was Bray herself. This complaint is sort of about that last bit in the synopsis:
Elias knows the truth about Bray’s painful history, and in the end he may not be able to save Bray from herself...
I'll try to avoid spoilers so I won't tell you exactly what that "history" is. But basically part of it involves Bray complaining about how her parents weren't very loving or accepting of her. They went through the motions, but eventually they just got sick of dealing with her and were ready to be rid of her once she turned 18. As we learn about this, Elias always makes a big point about how he'd never do that and he truly loves her no matter what, etc.
But the problem is... I felt myself feeling just like Bray's parents; I got tired of her. By the end of the book I was honestly so sick of Bray's drama and problems. I know she has a good reason for them.. she is diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder, which results in her having some MAJOR lows and she has numerous suicide attempts. That's why I feel so bad saying this, but I can't help it.. I was sick of her problems. I was sick of her constant depression and desire to commit suicide. I kind of feel like a bad person for admitting to that, but I couldn't help it! :( I was so ready for the book to end just because I couldn't stand Bray.
On the bright side, I loved Elias. I loved his moral struggles and his fierce love and dedication to Bray. Even if I didn't like Bray myself, I could really appreciate how much Elias loved her! Their relationship was so sweet and it's amazing how it could truly withstand anything.
If you like J.A. Redmerski's other books, then I do encourage you to give this one a try! I didn't like it, but I'm sure plenty of people will. The romance is really quite sweet, especially at the end.
The Verdict: