The Last Blue

By

Isla Morley

Wow!  Amazing! I didn't just read this book, I experienced this book!  I'm in a huge book hangover after finishing the last emotional page.  I closed the cover of this book a couple of days ago and I needed to soak and bask in the journey back in time  that I just spent with Jubilee and Havens as their love story unfolded.  It was like going into the pages and becoming a part of their story. It was a complete bonding with the characters, the remote location of Spooklight Holler, and the level of prejudice the Buford family suffered just because they were born "blue".  I love historical fiction and this book is a top reason that makes it so for me.   It was an unbelievable and unforgettable encounter with an epic read.  The love story of two people who were destined to be together through so many challenges just because one of them was different.  It's a story of how the power of love can overcome even the most difficult of times, situations and heartache.

For me this book is so worthy of high praises. There are so many emotions I felt that were as real as if I were experiencing them myself. This is the first book I've read by Isla Morley and I'm in awe of her talent to pull so much out of me with her extraordinary prose. Each page in this magnificent novel drew me deeper into the lives of the characters. I'm just mind boggled at the intimate and minute details that created a living journey for me to travel in the pages of this book.  Ms. Morley's writing is profound and filled with word portraits that filled my mind with detailed pictures.  Not only of the settings but also the emotions of the characters.  The horrors of what it was like being discriminated against and treated as inferior.  The level of prejudice and hatred was stark and blatant.  Raw and achingly painful.  But then she took me into the inner depths of the love between Jubilee and Havens.  The beautiful connection and true passion for one another.   Ms. Morley tenderly and intimately crafted their relationship and had my heart yearning for their lives to come together and be with one another.  The pacing was precise and perfect in creating their story.   "There are but three things over which a poor soul has no control: his birth, his death, and who he'll love, and anyone who tells  you an orderly tale about love has surely never encountered the real thing."  The passages of Haven's depth of feelings for Jubilee had my heart beating.  "He has the urge to unbutton his shirt, unhook his ribs, show her his heart."  "Such an unspoiled goodness will make a man want to pull rainbows from the sky and tie them around her neck."  How romantic is that!?  Such beautiful words.  I have so many passages highlighted that touched me in so many ways.  Words that blended the book together so perfectly.

This book is magnificently written. The characters are unforgettable.  I will carry a part of them with me for a very long time.  I will go back to what I said earlier about needing a couple of days to absorb all that is between the covers of this book.  I didn't want the book to end but I did, too.  It is an emotional read and I had tears as I read the last few pages.  It touched me heart and soul.  
I want to especially thank Ms. Morley for a copy of this book I am so, so honored to have read.  There are totally not enough stars or words I can give this book for how wonderful it is. One of my top five books this year.   All opinions and thoughts in this review are my heartfelt own.