Elpída. Hope.

Because without hope, we are all lost.

Because without hope, we have nothing.

The final installment of this trilogy leaves me shattered and sad, and full of anger towards the men who perpetrate this kind of abuse on children. But most of all, it leaves me with hope, exhilarated and happy, which, in this context, is nothing short of magic on the author’s part.

To take this extremely important and difficult subject matter, and lovingly show it without condescension or sensationalism, and give so many young people hope? Magic, indeed.

There is such powerful truth in this series. There is such compassionate giving of hope. It is horrid and beautiful at the same time, and it has a way of sending a spiraling sense of meaning out to young people who are hurting, telling them there is a future, there is a life, there is a way. Telling them that there are good people out there, who will love them.

Hope. Truly the most powerful of all human feelings.

We started with beauty in book one. And horror. And friendship. And love.

Omorphi. Beauty.

We continued with courage in book two. Lots and lots of courage. And love.

Thárros. Courage.

We finish with hope in this third book, as we run, and hide, and make mistakes, and fix them again. And love.

Elpída. Hope.

Thimi is a young boy who lived through the same horrors as Christy in Greece, and Christy finally gets to see his old friend again as he arrives in the US as a scared little waif of a boy. Thimi slowly opens up through the story, and as he starts to understand the sunshine that can exist in a normal life we get to see more about what happens inside a child after abuse.

When you read a YA book, not often does it also work as a manual of how to do things to help a former victim of abuse. It is not often that, in soft tones and sweet turns of phrase, you will understand and learn how to act around people who have been through the unthinkable. Who have been through the unspeakable.

This is a little bit like a beautifully crafted Technical Manual of Care and Maintenance for those who work with our collective youth, especially if they work with children or young adults who have had a hard time.

And the end result? The telling of a great, great love story — with true friendship shining through, the kind of love that inspires both happy endings and good laughs.

There are other new fascinating characters entering the scene, too, and especially Zero is someone I would love to see more of in a future book... I can truly say that I hope this trilogy gets a fourth and fifth instalment, because there are still things I’d like to know, (and history is full of excellent trilogies in five parts). (Just sayin’).

Beauty and Courage and Hope.

Because Elpida means hope.

And, as we said in the beginning, without hope, we are all lost.

***

I was given a free copy of this book from the publisher, Harmony Ink Press.

A positive review wasn’t promised in return. I also beta-read an early version of the manuscript.

I adore these boys. I love that it’s not set in the US. I’m in love with their red dirt outback. There is heat in this writing, and it’s not all from the sunshine. There is simply heat, here.

There are some pretty awesome characters, too, both a couple of kick-ass women and a couple of Australian native aboriginals who are both cool, true, and fully fleshed out. As are all the secondary characters here.

Yes, there is so much to discover. At the same time, it’s like stepping into the kitchen where old friends live. It’s recognizable. It’s safe. It’s friendly. There are horses in the yard, and cattle to move. There are more stars in the night-skies than ever, and they all look different from the ones we’re used to. 

It feels like home.

And what I really liked is that there is not so much angst. It’s calm, and I really needed this happy. There’s a little trouble, of course, but minimal.

The only thing that bugged me was the chopping off of the final “g”, as in seein’, walkin’, tellin’—not at all because I don’t like the usage, but because it wasn’t consistent. In the same paragraph, it could be used, and then not used. I love it in conversation, a bit less when it’s on and off in the flow of the story background text. Now, use it, or don’t use it. 

All in all a gorgeous story, (and for a self-published story, the quality is really very good). I’d like to hook up with these boys again. They say another book is on the way.

I love a series where every book is a complete stand-alone piece, where I don’t feel cheated at the end. Where the storyline is rounded and I feel I’ve got all the answers I needed, for now. That means the next book is just going to be a bonus-new-encounter-with-favorite-boys. Where Australia can re-enter the scene, and charm my socks off.

I love this story. Australia comes alive, in all its immense, colorful, and difficult nature.

It is simply beautiful.

*** 

I bought a copy of this book with my own money.