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3.7 AVERAGE
3.7 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
4/5 ⭐
The sequel to This Vicous Grace, This Cursed Light by Emily Thiede follows the story of Dante and Alessa journey to help save another group of people. The first book follows the Finestra and Fontes, whereas this book follows the story of the ghiottes. You learn a lot more about Dante's origins and the ghiotte culture and beliefs, how much they suffered and adapted from that in their egalitarian community.
I definitely enjoyed this book more than the first. I felt like I was able to connect with the characters more in this one. Dante and Alessa's feelings and struggles are much more readable and balanced. It made me relate more to them compared to the first book.
Thiede definitely throws a few twists and turns in this book, more so than the first and toyed with my emotions at the end a little bit. I definitely was not expecting it! It was a wonderful surprise given that the first book for me was little predictable. She does a good job this time around at surprising me. Overall, everything that I found lacking in the first book she makes up for it in the second and ends the duology off in a way that is satisfying.
***I received this book in exchange for my honest opinion. Thank you to the author/publishing company and netgalley for this opportunity!
The sequel to This Vicous Grace, This Cursed Light by Emily Thiede follows the story of Dante and Alessa journey to help save another group of people. The first book follows the Finestra and Fontes, whereas this book follows the story of the ghiottes. You learn a lot more about Dante's origins and the ghiotte culture and beliefs, how much they suffered and adapted from that in their egalitarian community.
I definitely enjoyed this book more than the first. I felt like I was able to connect with the characters more in this one. Dante and Alessa's feelings and struggles are much more readable and balanced. It made me relate more to them compared to the first book.
Thiede definitely throws a few twists and turns in this book, more so than the first and toyed with my emotions at the end a little bit. I definitely was not expecting it! It was a wonderful surprise given that the first book for me was little predictable. She does a good job this time around at surprising me. Overall, everything that I found lacking in the first book she makes up for it in the second and ends the duology off in a way that is satisfying.
***I received this book in exchange for my honest opinion. Thank you to the author/publishing company and netgalley for this opportunity!
I didn't like this as well as the first book, although it was entertaining enough. I guess it just didn't feel like a lot happened and most of the book was just waiting around. I liked the characters well enough, and the epilogue was really sweet.
I was excited to read THIS CURSED LIGHT since the first book's ending left us with a few interesting unanswered questions. I was also unsure whether this sequel (and finale!) would be as good as the first book, especially given it has to stick the landing when it comes to wrapping everything up. And overall, THIS CURSED LIGHT was a skillfully rendered sequel... despite the fact that book one remains my favorite of the duology.
Our knowledge of this fictional setting, including its lore and history, grows a fair bit in this installment. There's brand new places visited, for one thing, and there's also more revealed about the ghiotte and their part to play in this conflict between gods. Being able to enlarge the setting and set-up for a book series is always something I enjoy encountering, and this was well-done to be in line with the plot. And speaking of the plot, I was also quite hooked! The stakes are higher (namely the fate of the whole world & humanity is now in the hands of our two main characters), and new characters are introduced (which also means additional character relationship dynamics). These new elements are balanced well with the existing found family (I really adore this group!) and the aftermath of everything that occurred in the first book (both physical and emotional). And catching some ways that the plot mirrors (in a distorted way because it's unique to this book) the previous book was fun as well! I also thought that this book ended the series on a note that felt right for the story, though it does feel a tiny bit rushed.
But once again, it's the characters that really stood out for me in THIS CURSED LIGHT. Alessa is still a main point of view in this story; her struggles have now turned towards figuring out what her future holds and what she wants for herself. Her relationship with Dante is going through some growing pains, and while that's a sensible occurrence given 1) they've both changed after what they went through, 2) there's still a fear of being completely vulnerable and honest with another person, and 3) there are unavoidable secrets in some of the precarious situations they're in , it does lead to some frustrating moments to read. Still, it does make their relationship feel more real and relatable outside of the fantastical circumstances they find themselves a part of. It's great to see that Alessa retains some of my favorite character traits - namely bravery, selflessness, intelligence and a genuine care for other people; but it's also nice to see that she's still just a very human girl with all sorts of feelings.
It's pretty clear though that THIS CURSED LIGHT is giving us readers the chance to see Dante's side of the story in a more intimate way since he gets regular perspective chapters in the book. It's his turn to grapple with his trauma, history and identity, especially since he's confronted with obstacles at every turn (including suppressed feelings he doesn't want to address). Much like Alessa, my favorite things about Dante still remain true, but he too is also very clearly just a human boy also having some very real intense feelings about all of the things. And that made me want to give him a big hug (or shake him hard, it depends on the situation) as he worked his way through it all, which I was totally rooting for him to do.
Even though I do think the ending is a little rushed and there are some characters and world bits that could have been revealed less bluntly, HIS CURSED LIGHT is still overall an effectively written sequel and ending for this series that I enjoyed.
Our knowledge of this fictional setting, including its lore and history, grows a fair bit in this installment. There's brand new places visited, for one thing, and there's also more revealed about the ghiotte and their part to play in this conflict between gods. Being able to enlarge the setting and set-up for a book series is always something I enjoy encountering, and this was well-done to be in line with the plot. And speaking of the plot, I was also quite hooked! The stakes are higher (namely the fate of the whole world & humanity is now in the hands of our two main characters), and new characters are introduced (which also means additional character relationship dynamics). These new elements are balanced well with the existing found family (I really adore this group!) and the aftermath of everything that occurred in the first book (both physical and emotional). And catching some ways that the plot mirrors (in a distorted way because it's unique to this book) the previous book was fun as well! I also thought that this book ended the series on a note that felt right for the story, though it does feel a tiny bit rushed.
But once again, it's the characters that really stood out for me in THIS CURSED LIGHT. Alessa is still a main point of view in this story; her struggles have now turned towards figuring out what her future holds and what she wants for herself. Her relationship with Dante is going through some growing pains, and while that's a sensible occurrence given 1) they've both changed after what they went through, 2) there's still a fear of being completely vulnerable and honest with another person, and 3) there are unavoidable secrets in some of the precarious situations they're in , it does lead to some frustrating moments to read. Still, it does make their relationship feel more real and relatable outside of the fantastical circumstances they find themselves a part of. It's great to see that Alessa retains some of my favorite character traits - namely bravery, selflessness, intelligence and a genuine care for other people; but it's also nice to see that she's still just a very human girl with all sorts of feelings.
It's pretty clear though that THIS CURSED LIGHT is giving us readers the chance to see Dante's side of the story in a more intimate way since he gets regular perspective chapters in the book. It's his turn to grapple with his trauma, history and identity, especially since he's confronted with obstacles at every turn (including suppressed feelings he doesn't want to address). Much like Alessa, my favorite things about Dante still remain true, but he too is also very clearly just a human boy also having some very real intense feelings about all of the things. And that made me want to give him a big hug (or shake him hard, it depends on the situation) as he worked his way through it all, which I was totally rooting for him to do.
Even though I do think the ending is a little rushed and there are some characters and world bits that could have been revealed less bluntly, HIS CURSED LIGHT is still overall an effectively written sequel and ending for this series that I enjoyed.
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Thank you, NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press, for providing an advanced ARC in exchange for an honest review. This book is set to release on December 5, 2023—a great pickup for a good read.
I loved the first book and was super happy to receive an advanced copy of "A Cursed Light." Alessa has won Divorando with the help of her chosen Fonte, her Fonti friends, and a ghiotte, Dante. Alessa, the other Fontes, and the rest of Saverio believe they are now safe from Crollo and his army. However, Dante believes they aren’t finished with him yet, and something worse is on the horizon. To prepare for whatever Crollo has in store, they will need an army of the beings the Church of Saverio banished—Ghiottes.
I appreciate the character development of Alessa and Dante, as well as the other characters in this story. No plotlines felt unfinished, which I appreciated. Although I liked how this book ended, I have one issue with it. In my opinion, I felt like the plot was slow for much of the book. It seemed like there was too much dragging on about Alessa or Dante’s trauma on a new journey, which felt unnecessary to the story. The book started to pick up around 80% of the book or so. Other than that, I liked the book and the following chapters made up for it.
The epilogue was beautiful and a perfect conclusion to this duology. The story presented in this duology is interesting and unique, and I would recommend you read it :)
I loved the first book and was super happy to receive an advanced copy of "A Cursed Light." Alessa has won Divorando with the help of her chosen Fonte, her Fonti friends, and a ghiotte, Dante. Alessa, the other Fontes, and the rest of Saverio believe they are now safe from Crollo and his army. However, Dante believes they aren’t finished with him yet, and something worse is on the horizon. To prepare for whatever Crollo has in store, they will need an army of the beings the Church of Saverio banished—Ghiottes.
I appreciate the character development of Alessa and Dante, as well as the other characters in this story. No plotlines felt unfinished, which I appreciated. Although I liked how this book ended, I have one issue with it. In my opinion, I felt like the plot was slow for much of the book. It seemed like there was too much dragging on about Alessa or Dante’s trauma on a new journey, which felt unnecessary to the story. The book started to pick up around 80% of the book or so. Other than that, I liked the book and the following chapters made up for it.
The epilogue was beautiful and a perfect conclusion to this duology. The story presented in this duology is interesting and unique, and I would recommend you read it :)
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
tense
My heart hurts after finishing this series.
This Cursed Light made me laugh, angst and cry and I am so grateful for it. I rarely stay attentive once a couple gets together, but Dante and Alessa's love just gave me all the feels and I am genuinely sad to let them go. I don't care if their main relationship issue in this book was communication, Emily Thiede made it work and I love her for it.
This Cursed Light made me laugh, angst and cry and I am so grateful for it. I rarely stay attentive once a couple gets together, but Dante and Alessa's love just gave me all the feels and I am genuinely sad to let them go. I don't care if their main relationship issue in this book was communication, Emily Thiede made it work and I love her for it.
adventurous
emotional
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No