Learning to Fly by
Annie Hughes
My rating:
5 of 5 stars
I’ve not cried so hard for a character in years. This is a truly breathtaking story of pain, suffering and hope and one that is highly recommended.
Yes, this serial is essentially about a 16/17-year-old and her friends but it’s so much more. It’s a portrayal of a future free of suffering and one in the arms of people of who love unconditionally. This is definitely not an easy story to read. The abuse suffered by Anna is difficult to stomach and despite her now living in the arms of a loving family, Anna’s past rears its ugly head on more than one occasion to keep her from being free of her demons.
SPOILER [After ending book 1 with Anna now in a tentative relationship with her brother’s best friend, Jake, Anna is feeling suffocated by his need to protect her. Jake has seen Anna at her lowest having been present at her trial but little does she know that his support of her will be the end of their relationship, and friendship. Jake loves Anna and Anna thinks that she feels the same but questions her feelings for him when she realises that his overprotectiveness of her causes her to become a silent victim once again. This time she is abused by a love which causes Anna to become lost in her mind once again and it’s not long before her family see Jake’s effect on her. Logan, Anna’s brother, becomes moody around Anna as result. His once best friend now spends every waking moment around Anna and their friendship suffers as a consequence. Anna sees the change in her brother but it takes time for her to realise that his connection to Jake is the cause of his mood swings.] SPOILER END[After ending book 1 with Anna now in a tentative relationship with her brother’s best friend, Jake, Anna is feeling suffocated by his need to protect her. Jake has seen Anna at her lowest having been present at her trial but little does she know that his support of her will be the end of their relationship, and friendship. Jake loves Anna and Anna thinks that she feels the same but questions her feelings for him when she realises that his overprotectiveness of her causes her to become a silent victim once again. This time she is abused by a love which causes Anna to become lost in her mind once again and it’s not long before her family see Jake’s effect on her. Logan, Anna’s brother, becomes moody around Anna as result. His once best friend now spends every waking moment around Anna and their friendship suffers as a consequence. Anna sees the change in her brother but it takes time for her to realise that his connection to Jake is the cause of his mood swings.
As ever in Anna’s life, her best friend Chloe is there to steer her in the right direction in her special direct way but Chloe can only help Anna to come to terms with the emotions that she has revealed to her. Chloe has also seen the effect Jake has on Anna and she is also feeling left out of Anna’s life to a certain extent as a result. Anna soon takes matters into her own hands when she realises that what she initially thought was love is hurting her, her friends and her family and frees herself from her relationship shackles. Jake has never pushed Anna to do anything that she’s not comfortable with but having seen her break during the trial, he doesn’t realise that his treatment of her is having a negative effect on her emotional recovery. Instead of supporting her to become strong, he keeps her contained as a perpetual victim in her life.
With things ended with Jake, Anna finds herself once again outcast by their friends and this is hard to witness as she starts to be swallowed up by the darkness she thought was behind her. Chloe is still there to protect Anna but when the invites to parties dry up and Anna struggles to keep her distance from Jake, her so called friends become cold, distant and cruel towards her. It takes her family’s love to turn her problems around again but what Anna doesn’t expect is for Logan to treat her in an almost unforgivable manner. No longer his Angel, Anna is left floundering and wondering what she can do to turn their relationship back to what it once was. With time, heartache and suffering, Anna and Logan do manage to save their special bond and it is timely since Carlos is rearing his ugly head once again.
Things still do not go smoothly for Anna after she is once again welcomed back by her extended friends. She finds love in another boy but when she finally hopes for a pain-free future, her past returns to knock her back down with catastrophic effects. Will Anna ever be free of the demons who haunt her? (hide spoiler)]
This really was a beautiful story and one I will always remember fondly. Finding your feet into adulthood is difficult for most people but for Anna, it’s nearly impossible as her pain and suffering continue to form the teenager that she is today. I loved the way Ethan saved her from herself in a way that Jake couldn’t. Logan is the perfect brother to Anna, despite one rather impressive fall from grace, and his character was instantly loveable.
I read this book through the night, sobbing quietly to myself but at the same time turning the pages as quickly as I could to savour every nuance of this story. If you love Jillian Dodd’s Keatyn Chronicles series then you will love the characters in this serial. They play hard, drink hard and love hard, a perfect basis for any YA story.
Annie Hughes may not be a hugely well-known author but she deserves to be, her storytelling is pure bliss!
This ebook was kindly provided by the author in return for an honest and unbiased review.
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