I freaking loved This Vicious Grace and after finishing book two in the The Last Finestra series This Cursed Light by Emily Thiede it was just as amazing as the first book.
Such an enchanting tale. I was completely immersed in the fascinating world that Emily Thiede created. The plot was so interesting and the pacing was perfect.
The whole premise of this book was so incredible.
The world building was phenomenal, the pacing was perfect, and the romance was so beautiful.
Overall, this was a wonderfully written, action packed, romantasy filled with betrayal, romance and friendship.

I would like to thank NetGalley and Wednesday Books for the opportunity to read this ahead of its publication date in return for my honest review.

A suspenseful and moving continuation of the duology! It’s always hard to top “the end of the world” and I’m impressed with how the author handles that tension and stakes without turning the book into a DC superhero movie. Alyssa and Dante have their personal struggles to work through, as well as their relationship troubles. And the side characters continue to delight.

A big thanks to NetGalley and Wednesday books for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

..........This felt like a sequel book. But in a good way?

This Cursed Light by Emily Thiede is a YA fantasy novel that follows up the events of This Vicious Grace. Six months after saving their island from destruction and almost losing Dante, Alessa is ready to live happily ever after with her former bodyguard. But Dante can't rest, haunted by a conviction that the gods aren't finished with them yet. And without his powers, the next kiss from Alessa could kill him. Desperate for answers, Dante enlists Alessa and their friends to find the exiled ghiotte in hopes of restoring his powers and combining forces with them to create the only army powerful enough to save them all. But Alessa is hiding a deadly consequence of their last fight--a growing darkness that's consuming her mind--and their destination holds more dangers than anyone bargained for. In the mysterious city of the banished, Dante will uncover secrets, lies, and ghosts from his past that force him to ask himself: Which side is he on? When the gods reveal their final test, Dante and Alessa will be the world's last defense. But if they are the keys to saving the world, will their love be the price of victory?

Honestly, I didn't see quite the point of having a book two to This Vicious Grace. I feel like it was wrapped up nicely with an inconclusive bow. But at the same time, I didn't really see the point to this book. Save for Dante having more broody screen time. Which wasn't all that compared to his snark in the first book. I feel like this duology should have been standalone. A long one, but still just the one book. Still a solid read though.

***ARC received from Wednesday Book and NetGalley in exchange for honest review, opinions are all my own. Thank you!***

This Cursed Light is the conclusion to the Last Finestra duology and the characters are left dealing with the aftermath of the Divorando and the sinking feeling that the gods are not done yet with our heroes.

Alessa and Dante are suffering after the outcome of what happened in the previous book. Dante’s death and revival have robbed him of his ghiotte abilities leaving his relationship with Alessa strained. Alessa’s abilities have also changed by her decisions in the previous book reminding her that her abilities are still something she is struggling to control. I really liked their fun banter in the previous book and that is missing for a good chunk of this book as both are a little more not really secretive but not as open. Yes it makes sense in how things have changed. Dante and Alessa are also pretty head strong with neither seeming to want to admit to the other that they are right or that there is something wrong with them. Yes I can understand why they may keep the information from each other and thankfully it does resolve itself quickly so it never feels unnecessarily drawn out I just wish they had been more honest with each other. But through it all they both love each other and want really only what is best.

The secondary characters are still a struggle for me but I did like the new characters that were introduced in this book. The ghiotte are a really interesting community, Dante is trying to turn them into an army for the threat they rightfully believe is on its way but how do you get people that are basically invincible to work together when they don’t really need others to survive. Watching how they managed to get them to work together was really fun. Talia is the best of the secondary characters, she had a lot of distrust and watching her walls slowly come down as she comes to accept not everyone is out to hurt her.

The middle of the book drags a little bit as it feel like nothing is really happening. I think it felt like tension of the upcoming conflict was missing as it was in the previous book, even though they had a dead line of what it will be arriving. When the conflict does show I liked how it was handled in compared to the previous battle, this being more of a psychologic battle.

Dea and Crollo left me wanting more, they were an interesting pair in this story and I just wish there was more of them. I know this is Alessa and Dante story but the little we saw of them together really did leave me wanting to have a story about them, maybe a short little novella of what they are up to and where this whole conflict started and what they will be up to after the conclusion of this book.

This Cursed Light is a satisfying conclusion that sees Alessa and Dante story come full circle in particular Alessa who went through a great deal of growth between the two books.

DNF 40%

I genuinely wanted to love this book. The first one was one of my favorite reads last year and I was genuinely so excited for this one, but it's been about a month since it started and at some point I have to admit that I'm just not enjoying myself. It's been such a slog trying to get through every single chapter that I found myself reading a few pages a day before I stopped. I genuinely do like the characters but I think the book struggles a lot with pacing, where I genuinely don't think anything too exciting is going on and I'm not looking forward to what is going to happen next. The larger cast of characters sure don't help.

Giving this two stars for now because I do want to get back to it. I just know that I need to take a break.

After the cliffhanger ending of the first book in this duology, I knew I needed to read this sequel. It picks up right where This Vicious Grace ended, and I didn't realize how much I had missed the setting. The world building really is my favorite part of this story. The first third of this book was so good and had me hooked right away. When we got to the middle and the end though, it started to lose steam and I lost a bit of interest. I powered through and I honestly feel much like I had with This Vicious Grace. There's just something missing from this so I can't commit fully to 4 stars. I do like how the novel ended, but I guess none of this duology surprised me. Like I already knew how this was going to end. I do think this will be great for those who enjoyed the first book, but it could lack the umph it needs for others to fall in love.

Thanks so much to Wednesday Books for the advance copy of this book!

This Vicious Grace was in my top fantasy reads of 2022, and I immediately preordered This Cursed Light. The magic system is so unique and you honestly just can’t beat the Italian setting!

This Cursed Light is a great end to this duology. There’s mystery and adventure, a carryover of our beloved characters and romance, but also new characters and a new setting that propel this story toward its end. The banter is SO good and I loved the second romance storyline that developed in this book SO MUCH.

Note that while this is YA, it’s closer to NA and may not be totally appropriate for the younger YA crowd!

Ugh, it pains me to say this, because I loved the first book... but I DNF'd this book at Chapter 10.
Firstly, it took me a while to remember what happened in book 1, and there wasnt much on that reminded us of what had previously happened.
Secondly, I wanted more of Dante and Alessa, instead I felt like the side characters got so much more space on the page than they needed (and it was all about their relationships - not moving the plot forward - unless that plot was Alessa/Dante being insecure about their relationship).

I wanted to love this, but I just could connect with anyone - the Dante I loved was not in this book, and that was a huge bummer, there were glimpses but not enough.

Thank you to NetGalley, St Martins Press/Wednesday Books for this advanced copy.

Read this if you liked:
•bodyguard turned lovers
•romantasy
•fantastic banter
•YA. / borderline not YA reads

I devoured this book in less than 24 hours. The writing is fantastic and this book is so good. You do have to read book 1 in the duology so you’re not confused but they are both great books.

Thank you for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I thought This Cursed Light was a great conclusion to this duology. There was action and romance, it was emotional, and that ending was very satisfying. While it is a bit slower in the middle we get to learn a lot more about Dante and his past and get more with the other characters I think it was worth it, especially once we get to that epic conclusion. The final battle did feel like it all happened very quickly, but it was also very emotional and had me feeling all kinds of things for Dante and Alessa.
I absolutely adored both books in this duology and can't wait to see what Emily Thiede is going to come out with next.

I adored This Vicious Grace and was so excited to receive an advanced copy of the sequel. While I do think This Vicious Grace could have been a stellar stand alone, it was fun to continue on with the characters. 3.5 stars (rounded up to 4).

My biggest peeve was that I found the miscommunication between Alessa and Dante irritating and out of character. They were so strong and communicated so clearly in book one, that their relationship in the sequel frustrated me. It was necessary for the plot - but felt disingenuous to why I loved them together in the first place.

The plot was very convenient, but it was still a fun ride.

Thank you to NetGalley and St.Martin’s Press for an advanced electronic copy in exchange for an honest review.

I’m a bit torn on how I feel about this book! The most important thing is that it maintained my interest throughout and felt well-paced, so I do believe this is worth the read for anyone who enjoyed This Vicious Grace. This did feel FAR more NA than YA to me.

Things I enjoyed:
➕ I continue to love the beautiful, atmospheric writing style and setting! I will definitely read future work by Emily Thiede.
➕ I truly love Alessa as a character. I love how flawed she is and how desperately she craves affection and connection. Her trauma deeply influences her actions, and it feels incredibly real.

Things I didn’t love:
➖ The big one: I wish there had been far more depth given to the “villains” and the conflict between the gods in this book. It is the underlying premise of this entire series and felt untapped for how frequently they’re discussed. The same goes for side characters, who felt more decorative than substantive in this sequel.
➖ Alessa and Dante’s romance, which was my favorite part of TVG, really lost its spark here. I struggled with the combined miscommunication and constant insecurity. I enjoyed Dante’s POV, but he lost a bit of his appeal to me personally as a love interest.
➖ The plot moved in different directions than I anticipated and introduced new characters I did not personally enjoy, as it all felt like it was lacking depth. I’m very torn on the ending.
➖ One weakness I felt and heard often of TVG was the lack of training and preparation present leading up to an apocalyptic battle. This book went in the opposite direction. There were SO many repetitive training scenes that added little value.

Many thanks to Netgalley & St. Martin’s Press for this ARC!

The Cursed Light is a triumphant finale to Thied's This Vicious Grace, providing all the gorgeous prose, hilarious dialogue, and heartbreaking narrative of the first book with a satisfying conclusion that leaves the reader breathless. Thiede manages to weave humor through a powerful story of love in the face of duty, guilt, and trauma. As the characters fight their way through an overwhelming threat, their unyielding love and dedication to one another is both heartwarming and gutwrenching as they continue to sacrifice their own happiness for the sake of others.
While set in a world of epic fantasy and magic, this is ultimately a story of grace and love as the characters learn not only what it means to care for someone against seemingly insurmountable odds, but also what it is to believe oneself worthy.
This is a powerful story and one that belongs on every school and library shelf.

This second book in the Last Finestra series has it all. A cast of many, a new mission, and the romance between Alessa and Dante continues, or does it?

Most of this second book is about the angst both lovers feel and won't confide in the other. Alessa feels as if there is a darkness in her that came from touching one of the demons sent by a "god" to destroy her beloved island, Saverio. Dante recently risen from death, no longer has his powers and is reluctant to tell her that his recent "cure" is only temporary.

I generally like a cast of characters that actively engaged with each other on a group quest. In this second book, Alessa, Dante, her non-magical brother, a Fonte from another island, and the rest of her Fonte's must travel to a mythical island to gather help with the next demon battle which is quickly approaching. These usually occur every 5 years but they learn that another attack is coming in 6 months.

I had a love/hate relationship with some of the characters in this second book. Their changes in character were strangely abrupt and totally unrealistic.

In the end things have a way of working out, but the manner in which it occurred was an unrealistic stretch for me. YA reads have either that "something else", like the first book in the series, This Vicious Grace, or not. This book strained to bring about the grand finale.

Thank you NetGalley and Wednesday Books for this generous ARC. All opinions expressed are strictly my own.

Unfortunately this sequel just didn't work for me. I absolutely loved the first book, but as with many sequels these days, I just didn't feel the same way. I felt a lot of characters lost their spark. The banter between the two leads lost its luster, which was such a bright light in the first book. The prose was still beautiful, but the tension seemlingly disappeared. Everything was resolved too neatly for my liking.

This was a strong finale to the Last Finestra duology, it had everything that I was hoping for in this book. The characters felt like they belonged in this world and I enjoyed getting back to this universe. Emily Thiede always does a great job writing a great story and I can’t wait for more.

This vicious grace was one of my final reads of last year. I was so excited for this sequel and it did not disappoint. I really enjoyed the plot, meeting my favourite characters again and the compelling twists. Following Dante and Alessa as they navigated their relationship and their own struggles was engaging and seeing their individual character development was rewarding. The romance was so swoony and the battle scenes were not confusing (which was lovely because it is easy for some authors to lose me in them sometimes). This is definitely a satisfying sequel and finale to a great series. I definitely recommend that you pick it up if you are a fan of YA romantasy books.

Thank you St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I thoroughly enjoyed the first book, but I ADORED the second one. We pick up where we left off with our heroes trying to solve problems that have been around for a long time! It has the perfect balance of adventure, romance, and danger.

This was one of my most anticipated releases of 2023. And I think my expectations were way too high.

First of all, the plot was too similar to This Vicious Grace. I wanted it to dive deeper and to get more epic and tense. It didn't feel tense to me at all. And once again, the villain is so removed from the story that there's no tension besides an impending deadline. I liked this plot in This Vicious Grace, but it felt too repetitive and lackluster in This Cursed Light.

I also was disappointed with the romance. Alessa and Dante lost all their witty banter and their loyalty to each other. There was too much arguing for my tastes, and it felt like they were either mad at each other or lusting. I missed their old relationship!

I also was annoyed with the dialogue in general. It felt immature, especially with all the innuendos. The dialogue felt young adult, but the innuendos felt out of place. I also didn't love the side characters as much, and their dialogue came off as too cheesy for me.

In my opinion, I wished This Vicious Grace had been a standalone. There really is no need to continue their story with this sequel, and I think I'll pretend that this one doesn't exist. Maybe my expectations were just too high for this. I hope it finds readers who love it more than I did!

Writing Aesthetic/Style: 3
Plot/Movement: 2
Character Development: 2
Overall: 2

Thank you, Wednesday Books and NetGalley, for the arc!
Release Date: December 5, 2023

Trigger/Content Warnings: a couple brief open door scenes, fighting violence and death, swearing

I could say so much about this book. Dante and Alessa will always hold a special place in my heart. This story is all about family, healing, love, and so much more. I can’t recommend this enough, even without going too far into details to remain spoiler-free since this is the second book in the duology. I will say that if you are a fan of romance against all odds, self-discovery, and beautiful, witty writing, then this book is for you.