{Something New}: My Review of Seeing Through Stones + February Picks

{Something Old, Something New} Challenge

I did actually finish this one in January - I just didn't get around to writing the review until now! You'll find my February picks for the challenge below the review.

Here's a description of the book:

From Award-Winning, Young Adult author Rajdeep Paulus comes the sequel to Swimming Through Clouds, a powerful reminder that life is a battle you don't fight alone.

I live in the in between. Between yesterday and forever. The way forward haunts me. The gap I must cover daunts me. And hope beckons, "Run to me," but I just learned to walk.

After a lifetime of abuse, the Vanderbilt siblings flee their home, finally free to pursue new dreams while running from yesterday's nightmares.

Once bed-ridden Jesse navigates the Chicago streets, concealing his identity and planning revenge. A chance encounter in the rain introduces a girl who offers Jesse a glimpse of a sunnier future, but how will he weather the growing storm inside himself?

Separated from her Post-it note prince, Talia hides at a safe house for survivors of domestic violence while her father turns the city upside-down to find her. Surrounded by women fighting their own demons, Talia faces her past at every turn.

Add to Goodreads | Purchase on Amazon

My Rating

Spring/Summer

My Review

Seeing Through Stones is a powerful sequel to Swimming Through Clouds. A hard but hopeful follow-up that separately follows Talia and her younger brother Jesse as they face their own demons and struggle to embrace an uncertain future.

Just because Talia is now in a safe house doesn't mean things are settled for her. Doubts and dangers won't leave her alone, and she faces some very difficult decisions. And meanwhile, Jesse is out on the streets, alternately chasing independence and revenge. Both make new relationships and try desperately not to lose hope for the good ones they've had to let go of for a time. 

As for Lagan, Talia's "Post-It Prince"...oh, how I adore him! His character, although only allowed brief page time, has a presence that permeates the story with sweet security and joy.

Author Rajdeep Paulus has a vivid, fragmented, and beautiful way with the English language. The reading experience for this series isn't always smooth in terms of both painful content and unconventional syntax, but it's striking and poignant and captivating. Seeing Through Stones is a gripping story of perseverance, new perspectives, and finding freedom.

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Care to join the {Something Old, Something New} Challenge? Visit PidginPea's Book Nook for all the details!

And now, here are my February 2015 picks...

{Something Old}
Acquired August 2013

An Unlikely Partnership

Opening a business isn’t a piece of cake – something Melissa Sweeney discovers when an anonymous benefactor brings her to Bygones, Kansas. She can’t fulfill her longtime dream of starting up her own bakery without help. But with his traditional view of work and family, Brian Montclair is the unlikeliest candidate for the job. Even more surprising is the powerful attraction sprouting up between the rugged mechanic and his fiercely independent new boss. Brian’s heart and soul belong to his hardworking community that is slowly coming back to life. Melissa wants to be part of that transformation . . . if she can make Brian believe they can be true partners in everything – including love.

Amazon | Goodreads

Note: If this one doesn't end up being my cup of tea, I'll plan on reading one of the other Love Inspired or Heartsong Presents books that have been on my shelf for a while.

{Something New}

Acquired September 2014

Ty Porter has always been irresistible to Celia Park. All through high school - irresistible. When their paths cross again after college - still irresistible. This time, though, Ty seems to feel exactly the same way about Celia. Their whirlwind romance deposits them at a street-corner Las Vegas wedding chapel.

The next morning they wake to a marriage certificate and a dose of cold reality. Celia's ready to be Ty's wife, but Ty's not ready to be her husband. He’s a professional bull rider, he lives on the road, and he’s long planned to settle down with the hometown girl he’s known since childhood.

Five and a half years pass. Celia's buried her dreams so that she can afford to raise her daughter. Ty's achieved all of his goals. Or thought he had, until he looks again into the eyes of the woman he couldn't forget and into the face of the child he never knew he had.

How much will Ty sacrifice to win back Celia’s trust and prove to her that their spontaneous marriage can still become the love of a lifetime?

Amazon | Goodreads