Book Review: Daughter of the Light

Fiction/Spiritual

Daughters of the Light

Bobby Simmons

The Center for Self-Actualization, Inc.

2008

ISBN: 978-0-9788389-8-0

Soft cover

153 pages

In author Bobby Simmons' novel, Daughters of the Light, a young woman and her grandfather are the sole survivors of a family devastated by the brutal actions of one man. This is a story of faith and mysticism, with the purity of a young girl touched by the light of divinity at the core of its message.

Nua is an infant when her father is murdered by Red, an ambitious guardian of Thor. Her mother died soon after from a broken heart followed by Nua's grandmother's demise from grief. Nua's grandfather, Levitus was left to raise the child along. He waits until Nua is a young woman to tell her the story of her parent's deaths: "Red brought misfortune to your family." As Nua is learning the truth about her family, she is also becoming more aware of an inner light that has grown within her for years, but has become stronger and more frightening as she has matured.

Following the invasion of Thor by the Virgilans, Nua and Levitus go on a trip to confront the authors of the compromise that led to the occupation of Thor. While there, Red who is working with the Virgilans, has the pair jailed. When Nua, but not her grandfather, is later released, Levitus has her sent to live with his relatives in Zephyr. Nua became pregnant under unusual circumstances prior to her arrest and Levitus charges his relatives with keeping Nua and her child safe.

This is an interesting tale that borrows from the story of the birth of Christ. Nua ultimately has two daughters. The light that exists in Nua is also present in her girls. After the births of both children, Virgilian soldiers are sent to check their gender as Red has ruled that all male children who could be challengers to his throne are to be murdered. "His family was instrumental in changing the lineage of the Credos, a feat that has gone unchallenged even today."

Simmons' writing is fluid and includes graphic details of the beauty and horror present in the story. His depiction of the relationship between Nua and her grandfather embraces the preservation of family in light of destruction. In other areas of the book, the author limits the story by failing to include transitions that would make scenes easier to follow. The ending is also very open-ended, leaving the reader somewhat unsure of the totality of the message Simmons intended to present. There is a feeling that there is more to Nua's story.

Daughters of the Light is a simple tale with the complicated goal of portraying the human and divine that is present in all of us.

Melissa Levine

for

Independent Professional Book Reviewers