Empty Cup

by Suzanne Costigan

[Suz @ Bookish Revelations]

Stunningly dark and edgy, [b:Empty Cup|23633784|Empty Cup|Suzanne Costigan|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1421769354s/23633784.jpg|43238885] is an incredibly intense and emotional story that's hard to read. [a:Suzanne Costigan|9886966|Suzanne Costigan|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1417482956p2/9886966.jpg] pens a beautifully written and realistic tragedy that will drag your emotions through the gamut and wreck you. It will frustrate you, incense you, and move you to tears as you embark on the painful and traumatic journey that Raven goes through in order to discover that change comes from within and only she can make that happen. Alone and devastated, dealing with the aftermath of what she's endured at the hands of her mother's boyfriend, she's frightened and trying to find solace in the depths of her own vivid imagination and immersing herself in the presence of a teacher who seems to understand the hell that she's just been through. Raven's life is filled with so much pain, betrayal, abuse, and torment that it's hard for her to see any glimmer of light in the darkness that she's been tossed out in.

She's drowning, while still gasping for air and any small trace of hope that could possibly give her any bit of comfort to hold onto. [a:Suzanne Costigan|9886966|Suzanne Costigan|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1417482956p2/9886966.jpg], doesn't shy away from writing about the hard stuff, the kinds of topics and issues that the world would be all too happy to turn a blind eye to, because they don't want to go through the pain of acknowledging that kind of evil and torment exists in this world. The way that she writes about it, packs such an emotional punch that it will leave you gutted by the time you finish reading. It's one of the things that I loved most about this book, the realism that it symbolized, the hard realities that evil does exist, and that if you want there to be a change it starts on the inside and then radiates outward. No one else can make that change for you, only you can do that for yourself. She puts Raven through sheer torment and hell, only to have her realize in the end that she's the only one who can make the change from within herself.

It's hard for me to truly talk about this book, without giving too much away because I feel like this is definitely a book that needs to be read by every young woman. It's important to raise awareness for the issue that is tackled within this story, the pain, emotional tragedy, and physical abuse that happens on a daily basis to anyone. Not just to young women, but to anyone. As broken as and tormented as Raven is, she's a gorgeous compelling character that my heart went out to. At times, I wanted to reach through the pages and hug her, for being so incredibly brave and having so much courage to accept the truth of who she is and what she has to do in order to survive the painful past she's been through. It's refreshing, to see that with the help of her friends and teacher that she was able to come through this and start to put the shattered remnants of her life back together so that she could function in a more healthy and productive way.

If you are looking for a novel that's going to leave you floored, break all of your emotions, and then lift you up I would suggest [b:Empty Cup|23633784|Empty Cup|Suzanne Costigan|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1421769354s/23633784.jpg|43238885] to you. It's not pretty, it's damn hard to read, but it's worth every bit of the time you'll spend with it.