Reviews

Candle in the Darkness by Lynn Austin

nikkit_nzl's review

emotional inspiring reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

forestidylls's review against another edition

5.0

Still one of my favorite books ever. Filled with conviction and spirit and romance and so unique, it never fails to bring tears to my eyes.

astraia_sun's review against another edition

2.0

This book was a huge disappointment. I really enjoyed a lot of it... though some of the battle explanations were a bit heavy handed. I liked that Caroline's beliefs were shaped by what happened to her as a child, and I liked that it grew and changed over the course of the book. Caroline herself was a bit flat, but nothing too problematic.

I hated Charles. I did not like him as a romantic interest for Caroline, especially considering

Spoiler

Charles firmly and utterly believes the slaves are inferior and meant to be enslaved for the ENTIRE book, RIGHT up until the last few pages of the book when a former slave pretty much comes up to him and yells at him. It didn't even mesh with the fact Caroline straight up betrayed the Confederacy and her spying could have killed him. I agreed with what Caroline did for the Union, but I felt it would have been a more interesting story if Charles didn't do a complete 180 in the last tiny bit of the book.

I liked Robert a lot more, considering he had a much more believable character arc and his development was natural and would have been a lot more interesting to read about in depth.

My final complain was the idea that Love Only Comes Once in a Lifetime. And that no one could possibly be happy if they got married when they weren't totally in love with each other. I don't know, it just seems to cheapen the love between people if they remarry after the death of a spouse.

Most of the slaves didn't seem too particularly real either, but I still enjoyed reading about them and their dreams and hopes. The story itself was well written from a technical point of view, and after reading the summaries for the other books in the series I'm definitely interested in reading them, especially the book with Grady in it.

rayarriz's review against another edition

3.0

Very good story. Lynn Austin never fails to impress and I think she has rightfully earned the title of being a bestselling Christian author. The characters were potrayed so well they were easy to visualize. The story had good flow, and I look forward to reading the others in this series. The only disturbance was the relationship between Caroline and Robert. Of course, it wouldn't do for Caroline to be with someone she didn't love, but why manipulate Robert, relying on him for emotional support- when she had no other close companion, egging him on- until Charles shows up in her life. Anyway, awesome story and I look forward to reading the next book in the series.

mumabear50's review against another edition

emotional hopeful informative reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

savandstories's review against another edition

5.0

No matter how many times I read this book, every time it touches my heart differently. And while the Civil War is a horrific and dark time for America, this book is full of so much hope and trust in a God who is faithful - to both the slave and the free!

I can’t recommend this trilogy more!!!!

asipofvanillalatte_'s review against another edition

5.0

Lynn Austin became my favorite author this year. Her novel is seemingly strong and yet it's very touching.
Caroline Fletcher got a bitter-sweet life, one because she got a mother she can't understand and unfortunately died because of child-birth. Two, her father has to go away to serve the Confederates. Three, she got a lover that's ought to join the army and fight the war.

It's so heart-rending that she fought too, for her beliefs of anti-slavery. She never looked at them as slaves or property but as her family and loved ones. So she managed on giving help for the Unions surreptitiously even though it's perilous for her and a treason to her community.

This is worth a read. And until now, I can't seem to forget every details. Caroline Fletcher is my remarkable character.

mrsbrharris's review against another edition

4.0

Oh my goodness I loved this book. 4.5 stars. Read it!

dborch's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

emerygirl's review against another edition

3.0

My favorite book of all time is Gone with the Wind. So any book that deals with the Civil War is immediately interesting to me. This is a very different book than Gone with the Wind, but I enjoyed it. It too is about a young Southern Belle (in this case Caroline Fletcher) trying to find a beau on the brink of the Civil War. But unlike Scarlett O’Hara, Caroline is deeply religious and not as self-centered and realizes slavery is an evil institution.

I found the spiritual undertones of the book soothing, a bonus with such awful subject matter as slavery. While the romance was no Scarlett and Rhett, I did like the romantic undertones as well.

It was a solid book that kept me interested. I would give it 3.5 stars.