Reviewed by Risa Nichols on
I received an ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review.
Wow. Embers in Starlight blew. Me. Away. Let me start by saying Sonia de Leon is one of the most brilliant writers I have ever had the pleasure of reading—she weaves a story that finds its way into your heart and you are hanging off every word she has written, anxious to know what happens next. I also truly commend her for writing a story of such a fragile and traumatic theme. I can imagine this was no easy feat, but she pulls it off so beautifully, you can’t help but feel as if she was born to write Tula’s story—no matter how tragic.
Bright lights shine in my face. This won’t do. The most sacred things in life require darkness: birth, lovemaking, and death. I groan and lift my hand to shadow my eyes. – Prologue
Tula has been in love with Sam for years, but because he is her best friend and he’s planning on enlisting in the Special Forces, she squelches her growing feelings for him and goes on with her life like normal. She even begins dating another guy—Adrian—and attempts to go on with life like normal. When Sam comes home for their prom, things between them heat up and intensifies.
…he drops his jacket and pulls me into his arms, engulfing me, nearly smothering me as his mouth meets mine. His lips are soft, his mouth sweet, and this kiss feels like home. It’s familiar and foreign. Endless, but somehow not enough. I want to crawl inside of his skin and merge with him, so that whatever this is could last forever. We kiss and we kiss, and that feeling I’ve been searching for all along is rushing through me in torrents. – Chapter 6
I now completely understand the difference between having sex and making love. How else can this perfect melding of mind, body, and spirit be described? – Chapter 8
After one incredible night together—and despite how desperately he loves her—Sam’s demeanor changes and he convinces Tula that she needs to stay with Adrian. A year later, she finds herself married with two voicemail messages from Sam asking her not to go through with the wedding.
He’s letting me go, little by little. I can feel it. There are times when out of nowhere, thoughts of him assail me. I’m flooded with memories so vivid that I ache for his touch. Deep inside, I know that on some unfathomable level, we are connected. I can’t explain it, nor can I prove it. But I truly believe that just like the effects of the sun can be felt from millions of miles away, I can feel him. And I know he’s letting me go. – Chapter 9
The marriage starts out relatively okay with a few red flags here and there. However, it soon spirals into a life of abuse, guilt, regret, and hiding away from everyone—including her best friend, Solei. The first time he rapes her, everything in her mind toward him—and their marriage—changes.
I can’t even begin to process what he is doing. He has taken an act of love, and has turned it into an act of power. There is no moving forward from this. – Chapter 11
One day while visiting her mother, Tula is confronted by her mother’s doctor regarding a strange phone call he received from Adrian where he asked multiple questions about Tula’s mother’s mental illness and if it could be hereditary. The doctor has caught on that there is abuse in the home, and she attempts to offer Tula some advice on getting out.
“You will never be able to better a sociopath because they are incapable of empathy—the one trait that makes typical human beings to make the right choices. Cover your tracks. Don’t look back. And don’t ask anyone for help, because they will be left as a fodder if it is ever discovered that they helped you.” – Chapter 12
Tula is disheartened by the advice as she knows getting away from Adrian would be no simple task. While working to try to get evidence against her husband, she literally runs into Sam, who is back from the service.
How is it, after all these years, I still respond so strongly to the sight of him? There is an unconscious process that takes place in all of our bodies which is the result of a familiar movement being repeated over time. Our muscles memorize the neural paths created with these activities. The heart muscle in my chest clenches as I recognize him, remember him, and involuntarily fall back in love with him. I experience a sensation of tripping, then stumbling—and I fall so hard—but I am left still standing on solid ground. – Chapter 13
Tula finally finds the evidence she feels she needs against Adrian—messages from his phone selling young girls to potential buyers. She quickly realizes that her husband is a huge part of sex-trafficking, and she prints out the messages and makes a beeline straight to the police station. Once there, the police officer seems to brush off the messages, and he criticizes her for claiming her husband has been raping her, telling her it’s her duty to give her husband sex whenever he wants it. She is appalled, but still she presses on. He leaves the room for a moment, and when he returns, he is asking her to follow him. She obliges, and while he is taking her down several hallways, deeper and deeper in the precinct, she becomes uneasy. She no sooner asks where he is taking her than she feels someone grab her by the hair and the next thing she knows, she’s in a vehicle where her husband is driving. He ties her up and snaps a quick picture; types up a text message, lies about her age and says she’s younger than what she is, and sets a price for her.
“You better hide, you disgusting bastard. Change your name, sell your house, but hide. Because when I survive this, I’m coming for you first.” – Chapter 14
Soon, Tula finds herself in a sex-trafficking ring, locked up in a room with another young woman, trying to prepare herself for whatever horror is awaiting her.
I try to mentally prepare myself for whatever my future holds, because I’m hell bent on survival, but how do you prepare yourself for rape? Easy, my inner voice says, don’t fight it and then it’s just sex. – Chapter 15
Tula begins to lose her fight. She feels used up, heartbroken, and frankly, ready to die, just so she could escape the hell she is in.
My once dynamic soul feels as fragile and destructible as a spider’s web, held together only by tiny, silky threads. – Chapter 17
The story ends with Sam finding her and rescuing her, taking her to a hotel to recuperate. She misinterprets his good deed as wanting to use her body, and he tries to reassure her that he had been searching for her for months. The last few lines of this novella describe Tula’s distrust in men and police officers, both of which Sam is. Needless to say, I can’t wait for the next installment in this series! If I could give it 6 stars, I would!
Reading updates
- Started reading
- 5 February, 2015: Finished reading
- 5 February, 2015: Reviewed