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3.7 AVERAGE
3.7 AVERAGE
So so good. I really enjoyed this series overall. I loved the characters, and the story was so engaging that I couldn't put it down.
After finishing This Vicious Grace, I needed the second book. To say I was ecstatic to have the opportunity to read and review This Cursed Light would be a colossal understatement. I enjoy Emily Thiede’s writing style and couldn’t wait to tear into this book. There were definitely aspects of this story that resonated with me, but overall the journey was a bit of a rollercoaster.
Things I loved:
Things I loved:
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
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
Solid conclusion to the duology. If you liked This Vicious Grace, you'll want to continue reading this.
I devoured this duology in two days so I think that explains everything.
I thought I would forget everything since it's been so long since I read This Vicious Grace - I read an arc back in 2021! I picked this up as my commute ebook and I don't know why it took me so long to pick up this sequel finally.
This was so funny exactly my type of humour, I was giggling out loud a few times. Alessa and Dante's banter was great!
I was a little confused about the world but was mainly here for the vibes.
I probably should have reread book 1 before diving into this one. I thought this was a satisfying conclusion to this world, but felt kind of long...
3.5 ~ 4 stars
arc provided by Netgalley
This was so funny exactly my type of humour, I was giggling out loud a few times. Alessa and Dante's banter was great!
I was a little confused about the world but was mainly here for the vibes.
I probably should have reread book 1 before diving into this one. I thought this was a satisfying conclusion to this world, but felt kind of long...
3.5 ~ 4 stars
arc provided by Netgalley
adventurous
emotional
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
There were a lot of opportunities to be annoyed with this book - where characters could hide things, make decisions for others, outright lie, etc., a lot of the very annoying things that very annoying characters do - and every time this book leaned in that direction, it kind of winked at you and then went: nahhh and that was hella refreshing! Only when Alessa broke the fountain and then let Adrick take the blame for it was I frustrated with our protagonists, mostly with Alessa for even doing it in the first place and then for how long it took her to tell everyone else what really happened.
Otherwise, I thought this was lovely. It was a shame how much time we spent integrating new people into the story because I feel like the found family we formed in the first book took a backseat to expanding said family but I did like the new characters - even though Talia could sometimes be a lot.
Otherwise, I thought this was lovely. It was a shame how much time we spent integrating new people into the story because I feel like the found family we formed in the first book took a backseat to expanding said family but I did like the new characters - even though Talia could sometimes be a lot.
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
emotional
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Ugh, this was such a let down. I enjoyed the first book and was excited for this one, but now that I’ve finally gotten around to it, I wish I’d simply forgotten about it instead.
The stakes never really feel real because the first part of their journey is so easy. Once they make it to their destination, they’re isolated enough that they don’t have any serious confrontations with the people their society harmed. So many pages are taken up with pointless pining and weird flirtations that have as much elegance as a that’s what she said joke. I straight up forgot that Alessa was having some mental health issues because there was no gravity to any of it. Dante dealing with his wavering powers was the most compelling aspect of the story but it was so isolated from everything else that it didn’t feel that serious really.
The stakes never really feel real because the first part of their journey is so easy. Once they make it to their destination, they’re isolated enough that they don’t have any serious confrontations with the people their society harmed. So many pages are taken up with pointless pining and weird flirtations that have as much elegance as a that’s what she said joke. I straight up forgot that Alessa was having some mental health issues because there was no gravity to any of it. Dante dealing with his wavering powers was the most compelling aspect of the story but it was so isolated from everything else that it didn’t feel that serious really.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, Blood
Minor: Sexual content