3.5 Wallowing Stars 
 In "Fight Shadows" we follow Flint's unfortunate incident that left him in a vulnerable position after protecting someone he cared and loved dearly. We go through his motions of being angry, bitter, confused, sad and just overall miserable. Being at the top of in your life was wonderful, but being dropped to the ground was such an ugly twist of fate. 
 We met Flint in "Fighting Silence" and he was such a wonderful character. It was hard to take in after the incident that changed his life. It felt as if we had to re-learn who Flint was, because he was no longer the boy we met in "Fighting Silence." For this, I had my issues. Here's why: 
 I understood the darkness that surrounded Flint, he was no longer in a position where he felt invincible, he was dark, moody, and overall just an ass. I completely understood where he came from and felt his emotions which were true to any situation that indicates it. Singling himself from his family was the most painful and also hurtful thing he could have done, but I could see how he could no longer be around the one thing he truly felt was his happiness and trying to regain some sense of freedom, belonging, and not being a burden on other people. 
 We meet Ash she has had a crappy life with her step-father who has her working as a pickpocket. She doesn't have the luxury of being a regular 16 year old who goes to school, has friends, or a normal life. The normality for her is going out with two middle-aged homeless man and woman whom are her best friends. She finally gets to have some sense of a family when she meets her new step-brother, Quarry, but what she didn't expect to find is one brooding 19 year old Flint who is pissed at life and who has captured her eye. 
 The relationship that forms between Ash and Flint is very interesting. It comes at a perfect time in Flint's life, but he screws up by hurting Ash in a way he didn't mean to. His words of anger and guilt flow to the top and the friendship between the two goes up in flames, causing Ash to run. As far as it goes Ash is insecure, she has had a very sketchy and unstable life and when she finds some stability it comes crashing down. 
 The rest of the story goes on with Flint trying to locate Ash. He finally realized that he messed up badly and was falling in love with the correct girl. Trying to find her and make it right is the only thing that preoccupies his mind. During this time between Ash and Flint, I couldn't help but feel as if Flint became such a pushover. Ash still had soo much to grow and you could see it in her character. They both wanted something from one another and I felt Flint was giving more than Ash was willing to give. I understood her reservations she had, but at some point you have to let go and live. There was so much more that made this read just ok for me, and I really wanted it to be more because I loved Flint in book one. I would like to go on, but I don't want to turn this into a rant.