Review: "Last Light" by M. Pierce

Note: This ARC was provided by St. Martin's Press via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

"You underestimate your charms."

"'My charms?' Hannah giggled. She giggled only for me."

"Yes, your charms. You know, the charms I threw over my whole life for."

Whoa. I thought Night Owl was a roller coaster read but Last Light, the second book in the Night Owl trilogy by bestselling author M. Pierce, left me grasping for a coherent thought after I was done reading it. Just like with the first book, I read this in one sitting because there was no way I was going to let life get in the way of my time with Matt Sky and Hannah Catalano. And, sadly, I can't really go into much detail about what happens in this sequel because I refuse to spoil the ride for those of you who have been waiting for it for over a year or however long it's been since you finished book one. ^.^

"A psycho, they called me. They were right. They were wrong. They couldn't come close to my fire. They couldn't touch my heart." (Matt)

Last Light explains the evil (I say this with affection) epilogue that readers and fans were left with from the first book. The reasons behind the actions of both Matt and Hannah is a study in how different these two are. Yes, they're both very much in love with each other but while Hannah is more selfless and puts Matt's needs first, Matt is narcissistic, allowing his selfishness to often override what we would consider common sense, but then Matt is anything but common. The thing is, while his motivations may come off as self-serving at times, the best way to better understand why Matt is the way he is and why he does what he does is to unearth his dark past, something that even Hannah hasn't successfully gotten him to do.

"God, I felt strange and wonderful. Terror mingled with desire, mingled with happiness." (Hannah)

While we met the oldest Sky brother, Nate, previously, here we meet the middle brother, Seth, and are also introduced to Melanie vanden Dries, who plays a rather pivotal role. Nate has always come off as a loyal and supportive brother to Matt and there's no doubt that he continues being that here. Seth is more mysterious and there are moments that I found myself either disliking or liking him, but the curiosity to learn more about him, as well as Nate, is definitely there. Melanie was, well, let's just say I wasn't really a fan of hers and there was a point in the book that had me wondering how she knew about Cal, the male lead character in the writing project Matt and Hannah were working on together. I definitely don't trust her but I do wonder if she'll still be around for the third book.

"She was alive in her anger, her eyes illuminated, her body electric. She gave no ground, took no excuses. She saw straight through me." (Matt)

Okay, I know that this review and that of the first book didn't really give too many details BUT you should really read the books themselves in order to see what all the fuss is about and not just read reviews. If you're worried that this one ends in yet another evil (again, I'm being affectionate here) cliffhanger, worry not because there isn't one. However, the ending will pique your interest enough to endure the months-long wait until the release of After Dark, the third and final book in the trilogy, next year. I loved the perfect imperfectness that are Matt and Hannah and how this story just keeps you coming back for more. I. AM. ADDICTED. And yes, that means Last Light gets five stars because it so deserves it and is on my list for Favorite Reads for 2014. ♥♥♥

Release Date: 28 October 2014

Date read: 21 October 2014

Check out my review for the first book in the Night Owl series:

Book 1 - Night Owl

Learn more about the addictive M. Pierce here.

Pre-order a copy of Night Owl and grab M. Pierce's other books on Amazon | Barnes & Noble (first three books displayed only).