The Lightning Within Us tells the story of Lina, a woman who can't let go of her past. Fifteen years ago, Lina and her friend Cassie both went up a mountain, but only Lina came down. What happened on the mountain, and why hasn't Lina gotten over it all these years later? These are the questions in the minds of readers and of Lina herself.

We follow two timelines. One with fifteen-year-old Lina, and one with Lina in the present as she seeks answers and closure from the past. We meet colorful characters from Lina's family as well as the community where she once lived and from her present life. They are woven throughout the story like sign posts that help to shape the narrative in critical ways. The descriptions the author uses to describe characters as well as the mountainous forest where it takes place are sometimes breathtaking, bordering on poetic.

In fairness, though I really enjoyed this story, if I had to point out a flaw it would be in the plot. We are left with some lingering questions in the end that I would have liked to see resolved. That may have been intentional, but I was left feeling a little bit as loose ends.

Bottom line: If you enjoy hiking, exploring, trailblazing, or anything else in the wilderness; if you like books with unfinished business from the past, or if you are drawn to the mountains; give this book a try. The descriptions of wilderness alone are worth the read.

At this point, I’m DNFing the book. I was very excited to read it and it has a lot of good potential but the writing style just isn’t for me. I may pick this back up in the future because I hope Lina finds peace.

This book was mostly enjoyable and easy to read. Although I didn’t particularly care for the writing style: the main character having conversations in the present, and then mid chapter the author would talk about them in the past as third person, then switch back.

I became invested in the characters and how their story line played out. I was hoping for a different ending. Maybe even a happier one.

I appreciate the authors vast knowledge on trail building. It was interesting to read a fictional story that was also heavily focused on nature.

**Trigger warning. There were some brief mentions about childhood abuse that I wish I had known before I read it.

#TheLightningWithinUs #NetGalley

I have not read anything by this author before. The cover drew me in at first, but I stayed for the writing and the likeable main character. It's about, as the description says, when two girls hike up a mountain and only one returns, what happens to the one that returned.

I had a lot to say, but apparently when you delete the app from your phone, all notes and annotations are lost. So I'll be quick and I'll write from my memory.

The prose is really good. Characters feel real. Even if you're annoyed at them, strongly dislike them or love them, all of that feels multidimensional. Kudos for that! Didn't care much for the plot, but that's on me. Had a lot more to say about themes, oh well.

Enjoyable read.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was such a great book! I recommend it to those who enjoy a mystery and liked “Where the Crawdads Sing”. I loved the way Mary Emerick builds up the suspense.

I read this book on NetGalley. Overall it was a good read for those that like mysteries and mountains setting.
#NetGalley
#TheLightiningWithinUs

This book is a lot of things.

I'm trying to figure out how to follow up that statement, and nothing feels quite right. I loved the title and LOVED the cover but ultimately, I was kind of disappointed because I don't know what the story wanted to be.

The story begins as a mystery. A postcard arrives unexpectedly, leading Lina to question whether her long-presumed-dead friend may actually be alive. Unfortunately, this plot point went nowhere.

Then was a little bit of a woman unraveling her past, but we find out that her past is exactly what it had been all along. It seemed like there was a setup for big reveal that would change her perception of what happened on "the night in question". However, once all the details fell into place, the story was pretty much the same. She (and we) learned new things but it didn't really reframe the events of that night in any meaningful way. Which is to say, there was no mystery here either.

This was also an extended treatise on How to Build Mountain Trails. In fact, these sections almost felt like the result of someone taking notes during an interview with a trail builder or Forest Ranger.

This was also a strange display of teens and pre-teens patiently explainifying a variety of things AT each other (like How to Build Mountain Trails) instead of having normal conversations. They spent endless pages filibustering in world-weary metaphors about cars and walls and human nature... you know, like kids do.

Then suddenly, one of them decides to burn down the forest.

In a way, it felt like this book was written by two separate people. One author was very good at describing the inner life of the main character. The other author put a lot of time into instruction manuals and unrealistic dialogue. Neither author seemed to care very much about plot flow so the whole thing felt somewhat choppy. It was often difficult to tell who was talking because the digital book didn't indent or put space between lines of dialogue when the speaker changed.

Adding to the confusion, sometimes the characters would jump to a brand new subject in the middle of a scene or conversation, or make reference to things the reader had not been witness to, with no explanation. In fact, there were lots of references made throughout the book to things that I thought would be explained at some point but they never were. Perhaps these are the mysteries we are meant to solve?

The more skilled author used some lovely, poetic language. Lina's parental abandonment is described as "her father captured by the mountains, her mother betrayed by the sun". (That one IS actually explained later on.) On the other hand, the unskilled author engages some Writing 101 tropes. "What did Lucy know? She couldn't think about that right now".

It's not "It was a dark and stormy night" but it's not far off.

This lovely sentence must have been a collaboration because it manages to capture both at once: "If she were a tree, she would take pain and become stronger, wrap her new and thicker bark around the scars of the fire or the tracks of the beetle. Instead, she had turned into a woman who hid in shadows."

I had high hopes for this book, but it was mostly forgettable. Unless I ever need to Build a Mountain Trail.

I appreciate NetGalley and the publisher for access to a digital ARC. My honest review is my own opinion.

I liked this story. It honestly reminded me a lot of "Where the Crawdads Sing" but the story takes place in the mountains between Oregon and Idaho.

The Lightning Within Us follows the story of Tazlina "Lina". She's a woman around 30 years old living in a very remote area, hiding and fighting the demons she's carried for the last 15 years. The story flashes back to the summer when Lina was 15, she meets siblings Cassie and Silas. They spend the summer wondering the mountains, clearing out old mountain trails from settler's past, and avoiding the townsfolk- who consider them outcasts. The summer ends with the death of Cassie and Lina fearing she played a role in her friend's death.

However, in the present, Lina receives a postcard from someone claiming to be Cassie. To find out the truth to what happened that night, Lina goes back to the mountain town- where she was forced out, and may not be welcomed again.

The story was easy to read. Could use some layout editing but I was intrigued with the story. I wanted to know what caused Cassie's death, why was Lina so scared to go back and afraid people would find her in the present. I liked the character of a young Silas and wanted more from him as an adult. I loved that the story ended with a cloud of mystery still attached to it and would recommend to others.