The Light Of The World by Ellen SimpsonThe Light Of The World by Ellen Simpson was startlingly impressive. I could not believe the little treasure I had found.

Eva’s Grandmother Mary has just passed away. Mary was known to be bitter, sad, and angry. She absolutely never talked about her past. But despite all of Mary’s shortcomings Eva had a special connection with her.

When it comes time to clean out Mary’s apartment Eva comes across some of Mary’s diaries that talk of a time before Mary’s depression. The diaries date all the way back to 1925.

The journals tell of a woman. One that Eva’s grandmother has fallen in love with. Mentions of the light of the world and this woman from the diary drive Eva to find external help to figure out the entries her grandmother has cryptically written. She meets a historian, his son, and their beautiful book store assistant Olivia.

Situations become all too real when their search leads them to a long forgotten room beneath the city, where the light of the world may be, and they find fresh footprints. Apparently they are not alone.

The Characters

Eva struggles with depression. She has dropped out of college because the stress was too much for her and now she struggles to find a job. The only real connection she had with anyone was with her grandmother Mary, who has recently passed away. Eva is determined to find out what happened to her grandmother even if it means stepping outside her comfort zone and overcoming her disease.

Olivia is an enigma. She studies women’s history and works for Theo in his book store. Always willing to debate (argue) with him especially when no one else will.

I definitely loved Olivia or Liv as they called her, the most. Yes of course she is tall but more than that she was usually the picture of suave. Dropping hints of her growing affections for Eva by standing maybe just a little to close or letting her touches linger just a little too long, she never seemed afraid to hold back.

The Writing Style

The story starts with a prologue that sucks you in. Then from there the first few chapters have a little bit of a slow start. But once the story starts to build I was sucked in again. Its written in first person from Eva’s perspective.

The Pros

I just loved this story! There were so many dots to connect which made it a fun puzzle to piece together.  I became so invested in the story and the characters that when danger was lurking I became sick to my stomach. I had to put the book down and give myself a break before continuing.

A Note

Eva is bi-sexual. It really wasn’t a problem for the story. There was no challenge of, “oh should I choose this man or this woman?” Eva 100% falls for Olivia so not to worry.

There is the prologue which REAAALLY sucks you in. Then the beginning has a little bit of a slow start. But I feel like there were reasons for it. The whole book doesn’t read that way. Reading through it really made me become invested in Mary and I really began to care for her.

The Conclusion

Don’t let the con’s prevent you from reading this book! I really enjoyed it. I became emotionally attached to the characters and the adventure they were having. I loved reading about the 20’s and how it may have been to be a woman back then.

Please do me a favor when you read this book. Read the prologue, then read through the whole story, and then read the prologue again. It really added to my experience.

Excerpt from The Light Of The World by Ellen Simpson

A banging above her head woke Wren from her fitful sleep. She sat up, heart hammering in her chest. Her head tilted low, chin tucked in tight, as she ducked under the exposed joist above. Her breath came in short, shallow gasps.

They’d found her.

Wren rolled away from the cast iron hinges of the trapdoor overhead. She gathered herself and her blanket into a small ball as far away from the sound as she could. Blood pounded in her ears. Above, the ruckus continued. Wren wrapped her arms around her knees and tried to steady her breathing. There was no time, and no escape. She had to hope they would not find this place or else it would all have been for naught.

The crawl space was lit by narrow streams of light from the kitchen above. They cut through the gloom and riddled it with patches of bright yellow. Wren inhaled and exhaled slowly, forcing herself to stay calm. The rough wood of the wall dug into her back and the pain kept her grounded.

There were seekers at the door. Seekers that must not find her. Wren clutched her heavy pendant to her chest and wove her fingers around the points of the red-orange gem. It was warm to the touch, warmer than it should have been given her interrupted sleep. She let the sharp points dig into her palm because the pain focused her terrified mind.

It was the only comfort Wren dared allow herself. The warmth of the gem was enough to steady even the most frayed of nerves. It was all she had to keep her safe, and it would keep her safe on faith alone.

She forced herself to be as still as death. The weight of the entire world pressed down upon her. She felt it through the thin blanket she’d wrapped around herself. She pulled the blanket over her head even though she knew it would be no use. She was as far away from the trapdoor above as she could possibly get. It didn’t matter. If the seekers thought to look into the space—if they found the door—the pendant would do little to protect her. She couldn’t get out of this crawl space.

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Bits and Bobs

  • ISBN number:  978-3955335083
  • Publisher:  Ylva Publishing

Ellen Simpson Online 

Note: I received a free review copy of The Light Of The World by Ellen Simpson. No money was exchanged for this review. I will always review books as honestly as possible and on occasion I refuse to review books.