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3.7 AVERAGE
3.7 AVERAGE
Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press, Wednesday Books for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.
5/5 stars
I wasn’t sure what to expect for this sequel and was presently surprised! The author did a great job keeping the pace interesting as well as making the plot different from book 1!
Alessa and Dante are so sweet and I loved watching them work together to save the world again. I enjoyed that this took place in a different area as that helped make the book feel more unique. I also liked that it was flipped where Alessa was more out of her element.
Alessa being vulnerable and real was so refreshing. I enjoyed she was bad at fighting and cried easily. I loved watching her and Dante fall in love again and continue that relationship. The author did a great job of growing the other character relationships as well.
Dante, my poor sweet summer child, you really have had trial after trial. This book mostly revolved around Dante and his heritage. It was fascinating learning more about him and the ghiotte. It was cool to meet some characters from his past and see that dynamic. I loved how protective he was of Alessa and how driven he was to win.
Overall this book concluded the series well. I enjoyed that this focused more on Dante and his struggles and Alessa got to support. I enjoyed seeing more of the wide characters and their relationships grow. The plot was steady and I enjoyed that there wasn’t useless filler chapters.
5/5 stars
I wasn’t sure what to expect for this sequel and was presently surprised! The author did a great job keeping the pace interesting as well as making the plot different from book 1!
Alessa and Dante are so sweet and I loved watching them work together to save the world again. I enjoyed that this took place in a different area as that helped make the book feel more unique. I also liked that it was flipped where Alessa was more out of her element.
Alessa being vulnerable and real was so refreshing. I enjoyed she was bad at fighting and cried easily. I loved watching her and Dante fall in love again and continue that relationship. The author did a great job of growing the other character relationships as well.
Dante, my poor sweet summer child, you really have had trial after trial. This book mostly revolved around Dante and his heritage. It was fascinating learning more about him and the ghiotte. It was cool to meet some characters from his past and see that dynamic. I loved how protective he was of Alessa and how driven he was to win.
Overall this book concluded the series well. I enjoyed that this focused more on Dante and his struggles and Alessa got to support. I enjoyed seeing more of the wide characters and their relationships grow. The plot was steady and I enjoyed that there wasn’t useless filler chapters.
Loved it! Perfect ending. Not a big fan of Talia but she sort of grew on me. Love the lgbt representation as well.
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
sad
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Drug abuse, War, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Ableism, Mental illness, Misogyny, Violence
Minor: Sexual content, Torture, Religious bigotry
anticipated reads flopping era <3333
3 stars isn't a FLOP necessarily but like bitch i preordered
This was just so long and convoluted. Everything I loved about the first book was so.... not present in this book. The new characters and scenery introduced weren't super intriguing. And when I tell you it was long, it was looooong. A lot of the plot hinges on whether or not Alessa and Dante are going to be able to fuck each other. Like, will Alessa's powers let them.
3 honestly feels HIGH for what I feel thinking back on this which is so painful considering how much I loved book 1!!!!!!! Some people should not write conclusions to stories
Dante did have to grapple with the PTSD of dying and being resurrected, which, fair, so that was a good lil trauma storyline.
Idk, minimal thoughts, most of them disappointed. The scene with Alessa's grandparents was cute and inclusive, as one of them is Deaf. I think I liked the epilogue? I really don't remember I am so sorry just pretend book 1 was a standalone bc that's prolly what I will do
3 stars isn't a FLOP necessarily but like bitch i preordered
This was just so long and convoluted. Everything I loved about the first book was so.... not present in this book. The new characters and scenery introduced weren't super intriguing. And when I tell you it was long, it was looooong. A lot of the plot hinges on whether or not Alessa and Dante are going to be able to fuck each other. Like, will Alessa's powers let them.
3 honestly feels HIGH for what I feel thinking back on this which is so painful considering how much I loved book 1!!!!!!! Some people should not write conclusions to stories
Dante did have to grapple with the PTSD of dying and being resurrected, which, fair, so that was a good lil trauma storyline.
Idk, minimal thoughts, most of them disappointed. The scene with Alessa's grandparents was cute and inclusive, as one of them is Deaf. I think I liked the epilogue? I really don't remember I am so sorry just pretend book 1 was a standalone bc that's prolly what I will do
LOVED IT! No spoilers but I especially loved the ending and that one of the characters is named Kira (and even spelled correctly).
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I’d like to thank NetGalley, St Martins Press, and Emily Thiede for the eARC of this stunning conclusion to the The Last Finestra duology!
This was the perfect conclusion to this duology and I am OBSESSED. We dove right back into the thick of things with Alessa, Dante, and crew. They have to work through a lot of their current problems but also some new ones, because why would anything come easy for them? I mean it with 100% sincerity when I say that Alessa is one of, if not THE, most well rounded FMCs of any fantasy book/series I’ve read. She has mounds of patience, but still stands up for what is right. She is openly vulnerable, but still so fierce. She is just such a healthy FMC and a breathe of fresh air to read about and I know you’ll all love her as much as I do when you get to read This Cursed Light!
Pick this up if you love…
✨This Vicious Grace
✨peace by Taylor Swift
✨Found family
✨Angst
✨Complicated allies
✨ROMANCEEEEE
This was the perfect conclusion to this duology and I am OBSESSED. We dove right back into the thick of things with Alessa, Dante, and crew. They have to work through a lot of their current problems but also some new ones, because why would anything come easy for them? I mean it with 100% sincerity when I say that Alessa is one of, if not THE, most well rounded FMCs of any fantasy book/series I’ve read. She has mounds of patience, but still stands up for what is right. She is openly vulnerable, but still so fierce. She is just such a healthy FMC and a breathe of fresh air to read about and I know you’ll all love her as much as I do when you get to read This Cursed Light!
Pick this up if you love…
✨This Vicious Grace
✨peace by Taylor Swift
✨Found family
✨Angst
✨Complicated allies
✨ROMANCEEEEE
2.5 stars. Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and Wednesday Books for this advanced copy! You can pick up This Cursed Light on December 5, 2023.
I had such high hopes going into this book because I gave This Vicious Grace five stars. But it felt like I was reading a completely different story, with less compelling characters and a plot that wasn’t necessary. The story skipped around so much that I felt like I had no time to settle in with the characters and feel what they felt. We just skipped from moment to moment with almost no transition or explanation.
A lot of the magic wasn’t explained super clearly, the characters felt like caricatures of themselves, and overall I just didn’t feel motivated to pick it up. It pains me to say it, because I love this author and the first book, but this one was a miss for me.
It might be up your alley if you enjoy training montages and forbidden love, and miscommunication. But all in all the sequel wasn’t for me.
I had such high hopes going into this book because I gave This Vicious Grace five stars. But it felt like I was reading a completely different story, with less compelling characters and a plot that wasn’t necessary. The story skipped around so much that I felt like I had no time to settle in with the characters and feel what they felt. We just skipped from moment to moment with almost no transition or explanation.
A lot of the magic wasn’t explained super clearly, the characters felt like caricatures of themselves, and overall I just didn’t feel motivated to pick it up. It pains me to say it, because I love this author and the first book, but this one was a miss for me.
It might be up your alley if you enjoy training montages and forbidden love, and miscommunication. But all in all the sequel wasn’t for me.
Fantastic! I really liked the first part, and this one is even better in every aspect. It combines perfectly a big amount of drama with some well-written funny moments. It adds more depth to the characters we already know, and the new ones are also amazing additions (I truly wasn't expecting a please-sit-on-my-face character, but here we are). It has more LGTBQ representation and way more lemons that the first one. ✌
medium-paced