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ashley_apairofreaders's review against another edition
5.0
4.5/5
I was a little nervous to read this one because I have a few other series that disappointed me this year. They were good, but they didn't quite deliver for me. But...BUT Emily Thiede wrote a conclusion to her The Last Finestra duology that is packed with themes of sacrifice, belonging, and a whole lot of heart.
I'd forgotten how much I missed Alessa, Dante, and the rest of the gang. The continuation of their story was powerful and bittersweet. Theide did a nice job of balancing the heavier subjects with cute interjections of Alessa and Dante's flirting as well as humor from some of my favorite side characters (Kamaria and Kaleb).
The plot moved along pretty quickly. It dipped a couple of times, but Theide always made sure to pepper in moments of action to keep the story lively. The conclusion of the story did a nice job of wrapping up some unanswered questions.
I can't wait to see what Emily Theide does next, but I am a fan. Definitely add this duology to your list if you haven't already.
I was a little nervous to read this one because I have a few other series that disappointed me this year. They were good, but they didn't quite deliver for me. But...BUT Emily Thiede wrote a conclusion to her The Last Finestra duology that is packed with themes of sacrifice, belonging, and a whole lot of heart.
I'd forgotten how much I missed Alessa, Dante, and the rest of the gang. The continuation of their story was powerful and bittersweet. Theide did a nice job of balancing the heavier subjects with cute interjections of Alessa and Dante's flirting as well as humor from some of my favorite side characters (Kamaria and Kaleb).
The plot moved along pretty quickly. It dipped a couple of times, but Theide always made sure to pepper in moments of action to keep the story lively. The conclusion of the story did a nice job of wrapping up some unanswered questions.
I can't wait to see what Emily Theide does next, but I am a fan. Definitely add this duology to your list if you haven't already.
ashley_apairofreaders's review against another edition
5.0
4.5/5
I was a little nervous to read this one because I have a few other series that disappointed me this year. They were good, but they didn't quite deliver for me. But...BUT Emily Thiede wrote a conclusion to her The Last Finestra duology that is packed with themes of sacrifice, belonging, and a whole lot of heart.
I'd forgotten how much I missed Alessa, Dante, and the rest of the gang. The continuation of their story was powerful and bittersweet. Theide did a nice job of balancing the heavier subjects with cute interjections of Alessa and Dante's flirting as well as humor from some of my favorite side characters (Kamaria and Kaleb).
The plot moved along pretty quickly. It dipped a couple of times, but Theide always made sure to pepper in moments of action to keep the story lively. The conclusion of the story did a nice job of wrapping up some unanswered questions.
I can't wait to see what Emily Theide does next, but I am a fan. Definitely add this duology to your list if you haven't already.
I was a little nervous to read this one because I have a few other series that disappointed me this year. They were good, but they didn't quite deliver for me. But...BUT Emily Thiede wrote a conclusion to her The Last Finestra duology that is packed with themes of sacrifice, belonging, and a whole lot of heart.
I'd forgotten how much I missed Alessa, Dante, and the rest of the gang. The continuation of their story was powerful and bittersweet. Theide did a nice job of balancing the heavier subjects with cute interjections of Alessa and Dante's flirting as well as humor from some of my favorite side characters (Kamaria and Kaleb).
The plot moved along pretty quickly. It dipped a couple of times, but Theide always made sure to pepper in moments of action to keep the story lively. The conclusion of the story did a nice job of wrapping up some unanswered questions.
I can't wait to see what Emily Theide does next, but I am a fan. Definitely add this duology to your list if you haven't already.
culturekath's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
medium-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? Yes
4.75
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
chaitai00's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
chelcadventures's review against another edition
3.0
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:
brittanya's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
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
mweir710's review against another edition
4.0
(3.5/5 stars, rounded up) Honestly, I was a tad disappointed in the second book of this series. I LOVED the premise of the magic system and Thiede's world-building, but I felt a bit let down by this second book. Let me start by saying that I don't love miscommunication tropes and that's all that seemed to fill This Cursed Light. Someone, or multiple someones, inevitably hold back information to "protect" others and it ultimately creates tension and disastrous outcomes that could have otherwise been avoided. Call it the drama that brings the reader into the story, but I call it an unnecessary way to draw out a book that doesn't have a ton of fulfilling content. I think I just found this book to be a bit "young" in the way the main characters pine after each other, don't communicate, and complicate literally everything.
I will say I loved the inclusion of the Ghiotte and the twists that Thiede took when talking about Crollo's army. I felt like the ending was a bit of a reach though.
Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Emily Thiede for allowing me access to an advanced reader's copy in exchange for an honest review!
I will say I loved the inclusion of the Ghiotte and the twists that Thiede took when talking about Crollo's army. I felt like the ending was a bit of a reach though.
Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Emily Thiede for allowing me access to an advanced reader's copy in exchange for an honest review!
beccaannekent's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Unfortunately, this just fell flat for me. Particularly after enjoying the first one so much.
Dante and Alessa’s relationship was everything in book 1, but it dissolved into a miscommunication trope and I hated every second of it. Why, WHY do this when their relationship was phenomenal to begin with? We don’t need relationship angst to move this story along?
After so much lead up, the actual action/battle was less than 30 pages and I felt it deserved more. I didn’t mind it as much in the first book, as it was wonderfully detailed storytelling in the lead up, but I could really tell this time round the author was info dumping (lots of repetitive scenes of training whilst trying to get the story moved along with conversations etc between characters at the same time). It would have benefited massively from a shorter lead up and longer battle. It was so short that I felt no anxiety about Alessa and Dante being in danger.
The epilogue was really cute, I love how they kept the cat!
Dante and Alessa’s relationship was everything in book 1, but it dissolved into a miscommunication trope and I hated every second of it. Why, WHY do this when their relationship was phenomenal to begin with? We don’t need relationship angst to move this story along?
After so much lead up, the actual action/battle was less than 30 pages and I felt it deserved more. I didn’t mind it as much in the first book, as it was wonderfully detailed storytelling in the lead up, but I could really tell this time round the author was info dumping (lots of repetitive scenes of training whilst trying to get the story moved along with conversations etc between characters at the same time). It would have benefited massively from a shorter lead up and longer battle. It was so short that I felt no anxiety about Alessa and Dante being in danger.
The epilogue was really cute, I love how they kept the cat!