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kirstenf's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Grief
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Violence, Death of parent, War, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Sexual content, Torture, Physical abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Murder, Mental illness, Abandonment, and Religious bigotry
bookcheshirecat's review
adventurous
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
"Everywhere, there was light. And for as long as there was anyone alive to look for her, she would be there, too, in the shimmer on the ocean, an arc of color in the sky after rain, or the gleam of stars to light their way. No matter how lonely, no one was truly alone."
➽ This Cursed Light was a great sequel! This Vicious Grace could have been a great standalone, so a sequel wasn't 100% needed for me, but the author did a great job exploring new settings and deepening her lore in this book! I also liked that it provides an insight into life after the big battle. In This Cursed Light, Alessa has just come to terms with the cost of their victory on Divorando and the effects that Dante is still suffering. She's ready for a quiet, comfortable life after all the misery and bloodshed, but it seems like Crollo and Dea have one last challenge for them. I really felt Alessa's despair when she found out that she was still not done and her loved ones were in danger again. I appreciated that the story also delved into mental health and the trauma the Finestre and Fonti have after their big fight. We meet another Finestra called Ciro and Alessa can connect to some of his feelings, though their trauma isn't exactly the same. Dante's also dealing with the loss of his powers and his identity as a ghiotte. The author did a great job looking at the aftermath of the big battle and showing how the characters have changed. Alessa and her friends set out to the continent in order to find the rumored city of ghiotte that'll be attacked by Crollo during the next eclipse!
➽ I loved getting to know the ghiotte more! After the first book focused on the Cittadella, Finstra and the Fonti, we're finally digging deeper into the ghiotte. They've been outcasts all their life and have built their own community in Perduta that only welcomes others like them. Therefore, they aren't thrilled about the blessed coming along with Dante, as they trust no outsiders. I felt for Dante as he’s caught between two worlds and hasn’t told them that he no longer has his powers. It was a surprise that we ended up meeting his oldest friend Talia! I can understand why she was wary of Alessa and the others, as the blessed have not been kind to her people. It was so interesting exploring the ghiotte community, especially as Dante has to convince them to work together. This book touches upon the prosecution of the ghiotte but also the possibility of peace between them and the blessed!
➽ Alessa and Dante definitely got me emotional in his book! They deserved to be happy and at peace, but they still faced many complications, from the bad omens Crollo sent to their past trauma. I felt bad for Dante because he’s struggling with no longer being a ghiotte and not having a purpose anymore now that the war is over. His life was very different from Alessa’s, so he’s not good at all the traditional stuff she grew up with. My heart also broke for Alessa as she wants her hard-earned peace, but she has to fight again.
➽ I also loved Alessa’s and Kaleb’s friendship so much! Their bickering is always so entertaining and I loved that they had each other’s backs! Kaleb has really grown on me since the first book and I’m glad he hasn’t forgiven Adrick as easily as everyone else. Though I did enjoy their hate-to-love romance and wish they had their own companion novel!
➽ The story could be a bit slow at times and parts of the ending were anti-climatic. These were probably my only complaints about the story, as the middle of the book was pretty slow-paced compared to the beginning and ending. The very end of the book was ultimately satisfying for our characters, there were just a couple of small things I wasn't happy with.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Blood, Violence, and War
Minor: Death and Grief
theespressoedition's review
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Murder, War, Death, and Blood
Minor: Sexual content
booksalacarte's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
This cursed light- 3.75⭐️ 2🌶️
New Adult
Fantasy Romance
Dual POV
🏳️🌈 Side characters
Found family
Journey
Savior Storyline
Self Discovery
God/goddess Magic System
Closed door spice
This was such a great duology! It is set 6 months after the end of the first book and gives a new POV! Both the MC’s were unique and separate. I never felt like they were blending into the same character, the way some book couples do.
The angst from book 1 was so good, this book wasn’t quite to the same level of intensity, but still had a slow burn vibe. It was interesting to have the main POV from book one state that she has to let the MMC be the savior so specifically. It was a little bit of a 4th wall break. The FMC was so well emotionally developed in the first book, I was a little disappointed that the MMC didn’t get the same amount of emotional focus… while at the same time being disappointed that the FMC just took a solid step back, causing the whole book to seem a little unfocused.
When it came to the big bad… I feel that the premise of the battle was really interesting, but concluded way too quickly. There was so much nuance that could have been explored, and instead it was glanced over… the first book had some of this issue with execution.
I loved getting to know the old characters better, but the new characters were very surface level and seemed like they were just full of hot air. They didn’t seem to have much of their own character arcs, which made them feel more irrational, erratic and unmoored.
Man, we’re there a lot of dirty jokes and innuendos. It was interesting g to see this book go more conservative in the spice department, being fully closed door scenes. Generally, a second book goes in the opposite direction.
It wasn’t as strong of an ending as I hoped, but it was a very good duology!
Thank you to St. Martin’s Press, Wednesday Books and NetGalley for an Advanced eReader Copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
New Adult
Fantasy Romance
Dual POV
🏳️🌈 Side characters
Found family
Journey
Savior Storyline
Self Discovery
God/goddess Magic System
Closed door spice
This was such a great duology! It is set 6 months after the end of the first book and gives a new POV! Both the MC’s were unique and separate. I never felt like they were blending into the same character, the way some book couples do.
The angst from book 1 was so good, this book wasn’t quite to the same level of intensity, but still had a slow burn vibe. It was interesting to have the main POV from book one state that she has to let the MMC be the savior so specifically. It was a little bit of a 4th wall break. The FMC was so well emotionally developed in the first book, I was a little disappointed that the MMC didn’t get the same amount of emotional focus… while at the same time being disappointed that the FMC just took a solid step back, causing the whole book to seem a little unfocused.
When it came to the big bad… I feel that the premise of the battle was really interesting, but concluded way too quickly. There was so much nuance that could have been explored, and instead it was glanced over… the first book had some of this issue with execution.
I loved getting to know the old characters better, but the new characters were very surface level and seemed like they were just full of hot air. They didn’t seem to have much of their own character arcs, which made them feel more irrational, erratic and unmoored.
Man, we’re there a lot of dirty jokes and innuendos. It was interesting g to see this book go more conservative in the spice department, being fully closed door scenes. Generally, a second book goes in the opposite direction.
It wasn’t as strong of an ending as I hoped, but it was a very good duology!
Thank you to St. Martin’s Press, Wednesday Books and NetGalley for an Advanced eReader Copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Abandonment, Alcohol, Blood, Toxic friendship, Gaslighting, Religious bigotry, War, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Cursing, Toxic relationship, and Death
readwithria's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This Cursed Light didn't pull any punches. It hit me right in the chest, and won't let me go for a while. Alessa and Dante are both such incredible characters, and I wish I could read their story for the first time again.
This book deals with so many themes that resonated with me. Belonging, community, finding yourself outside of who you've been told to be, courage, and so much more. Family really is who you choose it to be, and the chosen family in this book is even stronger than in book one.
I don't know if I can fully express how much this duology means to me. The romance is wonderful, the characters speak to me, the story is compelling, and I loved reading every second of these two books.
If you haven't read This Vicious Grace, you still have time to get on it before This Cursed Light comes out, and you won't regret it. 5 stars.
Thank you to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy. All thoughts are my one.
This book deals with so many themes that resonated with me. Belonging, community, finding yourself outside of who you've been told to be, courage, and so much more. Family really is who you choose it to be, and the chosen family in this book is even stronger than in book one.
I don't know if I can fully express how much this duology means to me. The romance is wonderful, the characters speak to me, the story is compelling, and I loved reading every second of these two books.
If you haven't read This Vicious Grace, you still have time to get on it before This Cursed Light comes out, and you won't regret it. 5 stars.
Thank you to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy. All thoughts are my one.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood
Moderate: Violence, Death, and Sexual content
Minor: Cursing
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