A CHARM OF FINCHES (Venery Book #2) by SUANNE LAQUEUR

‘I know you, he thought, wounded. I see you. I was born tangled with you. We started as one cell before becoming two.’

‘He felt nothing but conviction he was right. This was how it had to be. He knew no other way to survive what couldn’t be understood, other than to have it happen to someone else.’

A Charm of Finches by Suanne Laqueur was a masterpiece which we will never forget, our hearts may never recover but we wouldn’t want them to. We honestly have no words for how intensely overwhelmed we feel about this vivid and emotional story of high importance. Incredibly well written; this is a story of survival. Of tragedy shaping futures, of friendship, understanding, compassion and acceptance. This is not a romance in the ‘usual’ sense of the word rather this is a story of the ugly side of life and how friendships and soulmates are the true thread that binds us, giving the cloth of our humanity love, strength and methods of survival.

‘Just let me come home. Give me this chance. Please let me live to find out who I really am.’

The topic of this story is very –very- real and what we truly admire about this Author is how she writes about the harrowing soul destroying psychological as well as physical after effects whilst highlighting the truth that many turn their backs on: men get raped too. This is not something we often come across in the books we read and we applaud her wholeheartedly for it.

‘I am looking for you. Breathe in the air. Can you smell me? Do you taste me? If you do, then you are mine.’

Suanne Laqueur highlighted the disparity between the perception of female rape and male rape for both the victim and in regards to societal beliefs. Yet what she manages to do is weave hope and inspiration into the dark, gritty and quite frankly soul destroying reality. It was a heroic journey that left us exhausted.

‘She brought in a tall stack of blank, white masks’… “The way one fits snug on top of the other…We don’t just wear one mask, we wear many. First the mask we show to the outside world and under it, the mask we put over our feelings. Under that…”

Not a word was written purely for the purpose of creating a dramatic effect, of that we are adamant and convinced. This is a story that has indisputably been researched to the ninth degree making every single character and their individual as well as combined stories come alive in front of our eyes making us feel like we were part of their story. We became the story and the story became us. This intense feeling had us crying till we couldn’t breathe whilst feeling the shivers, shakes and despair, the hopelessness, the fear, the anger and the pain. As hard as this was, we wanted to feel it, we wanted to take every single step alongside the characters.

“Do you believe everything happens for a reason?”

“I do…but not everyone gets the privilege of liking the reason. Of feeling the reason was worth the ordeal or experience.”

Oh the characters; Geno, Steffen, Javier, Micah, Stav and the rest of the heroes; the survivors of atrocities and circumstance each with their own story and part to play; heavily entwined in an account of life with such depth and detail. We took them all to heart; we came to know them, experienced their stories and struggles, whilst rejoicing with them in their moments of beauty and bliss. Steffen Finch, this man became our North Star, a man we will never forget. A man like no other. We haven’t cried over so many wonderful yet pain tormented characters in a very long time; every tear and aching heartbeat belonged to them.

‘I’m on guard, little brother. You fought hard and brave. Rest your heart now. Don’t be afraid. I’m here. They’ll have to come through me to get to you this time.’

In the overwhelming darkness we were able to see the stars, the hope, the purity, the inspiration and the light. The gift Suanne Laqueur gave us is quite simply astounding, masterful, confronting, exhausting and one of the best we have ever received as readers. She obliterated our hearts and we thank her for that. We forgot to breathe – Suanne Laqueur slayed us emotionally. There are not enough stars in the sky to give…..

‘You are here and nowhere else. Nothing else exists. No other thought. No other feeling. No other moment in any other time but now. No other man but him. No other love but his.’