The Unsought Light ~ K.A. Wiggins

★★★☆☆

I received this eARC from the author in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of this book in any way. All quotes are taken from the uncorrected proof and are subject to change.

This would be my freedom: not the flight of a blossom nor even the slow decay of a leaf, but the inexorable plunge of a stone cast into the depths. No more would the webs of Unai constrain me.

Obligatory Summary

Set to be wed to the son of a lord since birth, a girl struggles to accept her role in life, especially when another lord comes to her home to see her fabled beauty and the two fall madly in love. Destiny has other plans, and the three fall victim to a devastating fate.

Based on a Japanese legend.

My Thoughts

I just couldn't get into this. The writing was fine, though it relied too heavily on metaphors and similes, which became pretty repetitive fairly quickly. I liked each chapter being headed by a different season, and I appreciated the message at the end discussing the importance of suicide, listing numbers you can contact if you're struggling.

I think the biggest issue for me was that I just didn't particularly like the story, which as the entire foundation of a work of fiction, means I didn't really care about anything. The characters felt dull and the insta-love was groan-worthy. I just never cared, and I think that's mostly because of the pacing. I knew intellectually that what was happening was tragic, but I didn't feel anything. Perhaps it's just because I've read too many things like this, along the same vein as Romeo and Juliet, and I've never liked particularly Romeo and Juliet. Give me Macbeth any day, but keep the sappy stuff far away.

But this wasn't bad by any means. I didn't hate it but I didn't love it. I think it's important to make non-Western legends and folklore more widely known, so I really appreciate that aspect of this, and would recommend it to anyone who's interested in lesser known fairy tales. Just be warned: There is in fact a suicide pact in this.

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