Delightfully magical with that same enticing magic of book 1, This Cursed Light gave me the same tug of This Vicious Grace with approachable fantasy and world building, and a to-die-for romance.

This Cursed Light is the sequel to This Vicious Grace and while I enjoyed it, I definitely wanted more from the story. I just felt like there was a lot of build up that lacked an appropriate pay off. I wanted a little more from the ending. I still loved the characters and I really enjoy this authors writing style so I will continue to read whatever she writes. This was just a little bit of a letdown for me.

5/5

This Cursed Light was absolutely worth the wait after This Vicious Grace. I am awed, I am bereft, I am crying, and I am so happy. This Vicious Grace was so important to me, and the sequel is equally so. It pulls at just the right strings for me.

I really loved this book — it was a solid sequel. I think Thiede managed to return perfectly to this world and drop her readers right back where they started, but with new faces and additional adventures. I loved it. 4.5/5 for me.

The big, propulsive emotions and romance of the first book were lacking here. The success of book was was the heart of it: Alessa and her angst, and the romance between her and Dante. In this, the sequel, I felt like that was missing. I didn't feel for the characters.

The romance, since the couple already got together in book 1, turned into petty drama between them. Even in the resolution, it was never satisfying.

There was a big feeling here of "teens hanging out and sometimes bantering." From beginning to end, the book was pushing side characters at me without also pushing why I should care about them.
There was also a lot of deepening of the magic system. Which, could have been interesting, but just came off as convenient deus ex machina and infodumping in the end.

A video review including this book will be on my Youtube channel in the coming weeks, @ChloeFrizzle

Thanks to Netgalley and Wednesday Books for a copy of this novel to review. All opinions are my own.

I enjoyed the conclusion of Alessa and Dante's story, but I did sadly feel that the second book lacked some of the spirit and soul of the first. I definitely wanted to love it more than I did. It seemed to me that there was less banter, less suspense, less compulsion to read and finish the story. The characters are as loveable as ever, and the plot is good, I just felt that the book needed a bit more polish and filling out. And I missed the quotes for starting each chapter, too.

This is the final book in the Last Finestra duology. If you haven't read the first one (This Vicious Grace), you should definitely read it because it was in my top 10 books that I read last year. If you have read it, you should definitely finish this duology!

This was a good finish to this duology. It wasn't quite up to par with the first one just because of the amount of miscommunication between the characters in this one. The miscommunication trope is super frustrating for me to read. But the storyline was beautifully written.

Learning to accept people's differences is something that I think a lot of people in this world need to do. This book was a masterclass in this concept. The characters journey in love and acceptance was beautiful. The end was very predictable, but this was a YA book so I kind of assumed it would be. Overall, this was a lovely conclusion for this debut duology!

Thanks @netgalley for a copy of this book! All opinions shared in this review are my own.

It was such a pleasure to be around the characters of This Vicious Grace again. Particularly Alessa and Dante, but the rest of the cast was equally delightful.
The romance part isn’t always easy to land when our MCs already got together, but the premise of the romance plot in this book worked great to build and maintain the tension between Alessa and Dante. Making them unable to touch each other was genius (and I wish Emily Thiede had leaned in the UST even more!!). While it was crystal clear they loved each other, it was also wonderful to read about this perfect/imperfect relationship, Alessa and Dante are extremely endearing characters for that—strong yet filled with very human flaws, so in love with their partner yet unable to see what the other loves so much about them.
As it was the case with the first book, I felt like the build up to the final “battle” was a bit longer than necessary. As a result, my reading of the book grew much slower past the second half.
It doesn’t really change my overall appreciation for the world Emily Thiede created (mixing in her Italian roots to create a place and culture that was familiar yet unique) nor her characters. I enjoyed this duology a lot and will recommend it to fans of fantasy and romance alike, as these books strike the perfect balance between the two genres.

This Cursed Light
Emily Thiede
Pub Date: December 5, 2023
St. Martin's Press
YA/TEEN
Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
I recommend This Cursed Light to my book list especially those who have read book one. You have plenty of time to read that one if you haven't read it yet. I can't wait to see what Thiede publishes next and if you can grab these books on audio, I can vouch that the first one is really well done so look forward to grabbing This Cursed Light in that format as well! Thiede does a great job on writing this book. I highly recommend it.

I absolutely loved the first book and was so excited to be able to read this one before the release. It was a nice tie up for the characters! There is a lot of details but it was well done and I enjoyed the setting, the theme and the characters’ development! The angst and banter were just so on point!

This Cursed Light is book two in the The Last Finestra duology and if you haven't started book one yet, now is a perfect time to do it so you can just slide right into this book when you finish. Here's my warning - don't go any further with this review if you haven't read as while I won't intentionally give spoilers...it won't be possible to talk about my feelings without saying a few things.

I loved this series and I'm sad the journey for these characters is over but Thiede definitely took them through enough that they earned their HEA's! I can't say too much here as I don't want to give anything away but Dante and Alessa have made it onto my list of favorite couples...that's for sure.

This book picks up shortly after the end of This Vicious Grace and Alessa and Dante have been on separate paths for the last few months. As they come back together, they have to get reacquainted with each other and I'm happy to report that they didn't lose any of the love they have for each other...the banter is also still there which is one of my favorite parts. That's not to say things haven't changed. With Dante's powers gone, it creates quite a conundrum on how they will make things work.

This book has more to it than the relationship piece (even though that's always a favorite). If you recall, Dante had a vision at the end of book one and as this book picks up, we find out it is supported by visions Alessa is having and they realize they have another mission. They need to find the exiled Ghiotte and convince them to fight this last battle alongside the Finestra and Fonti and this is the core of the story.

I thought Thiede did a great job of giving us more on Dante. Yes, we saw pieces in the first book but when they find the Ghiotte, I felt like he truly became a main character as we got to learn so much more about the Ghiotte and his history with some key people.

As I mentioned, A LOT happens in this book and I almost thought I was going to have heart issues but Thiede ended this one perfectly and while I experienced almost every feeling you can imagine in the last few chapters, I'm happy with the closure.

I recommend book one to everyone I know and will now add This Cursed Light to that list! I can't wait to see what Thiede publishes next and if you can grab these books on audio, I can vouch that the first one is really well done so look forward to grabbing This Cursed Light in that format as well!

Content Warning: violence

I enjoyed the first book in this series, This Vicious Grace a lot and was very interested to see where the story would go.

+ Alessa and Dante are back together with their banter but there are many challenges between them. Dante has lost his powers and Alessa’s powers hurt when they touch so they can’t be together physically which makes the tension between them rise. But I like how they can also focus on the matter at hand and that is trying to defeat Crollo. There is a few steamy scenes between them but it lacks the details to make it spicy so I’d say it’s pretty PG-13.

+ We get to learn more about Dante’s past and present and people who used to be in his life. He takes on a leadership role as he tries to make the ghiotte into an army that can help them in their fight. It takes a lot of trust and revisiting his feelings about his past though but Dante really overcomes and rises to the challenge.

+ The found family with Alessa and the side characters are one of the things I liked about book one. They are here again supporting Alessa and the fight against Crollo.

~ So this happened with me in the first book where the whole story is a lead up until the battle that lasts only a few chapters at the end of the book. It happens in this book as well where all we hear is Crollo is coming, the chapters even tick off the days leading up to the battle but I feel like nothing much is happening during those days except relationships being fixed. Yes they are building an army but there is so much going on like: Alessa and Dante’s relationship and not being able to touch, and the secrets they are both are keeping from one another. Also Dante’s past and being with his people again conjuring up all kinds of feelings that he has to work through. I felt like the battle again was anti-climatic after the whole book being so much about the build up to it.

This Cursed Light is one of my most anticipated releases this year. I had a high expectation with this one but it just fell short. The pacing was too slow and full of discussions scenes for the first half, and the plot basically followed the previous book where everyone was busy training only for the battle to end in a few pages.

Dante really shined in this book, I enjoyed following his story finding his true self and home. In the contrary, Alessa didn't get to show her improvement in power and her ability. I only remembered that she and the others were always kept inside, waiting for Dante to come and join them.

Even though this final book felt so underwhelming to me, I would still recommend this book to those who enjoyed This Vicious Grace. I will still be looking forward to Thiede's next projects in the future. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press, Wednesday Books for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

When I was offered a chance to read an ARC of this book, I jumped at the chance. Ever since I finished This Vicious Grace I have been dying for more of this series. And I was absolutely not disappointed with This Cursed Light.

As far as second books go, this one wrapped everything up so nicely. Closing up some of the questions that I had at the end of the first book and building on the relationship I had only just fallen in love with. Alessa and Dante are some of my favorite book couples right now. I didn't even mind the small romances that took place in the background of the story they were well written and honestly a perfect addition. All of the characters jumped out of the page at me and the pacing was perfectly done.

The big twist at the end left me so shocked that I could not put the book down until I was finished because I could not let the thoughts of how it was going to go settle.

Overall, I adore this book and I adore this series.

It was what i wanted after the first book. It was just amazing, I liked it and the story continued. I can say I like the first book more but this one was good.

An amazing sequel. Emily Thiede's writing captivated my heart in book 1 and also with this book. I loved seeing the continued journey of Alessa and her powers. Dante had an interesting character arc, and I thought Emily wrote it brilliantly. The natural progression of their relationship was sweet and genuine and I appreciated the slow, but healthy romance. Of course there's drama and obstacles, it a story and its fantasy so there's a lot going on. However, it was all balanced wonderfully and nothing felt too overplayed or dramatic for no reason.

The other characters really shined in this book too. Seeing Adrick's arc was surprising but pleasant. Kaleb was once again a delight in this story, his humor is a breath of fresh air.

The tension in the plot started off thin and slow but as the story progressed, the tension grew into a great climax and the story ended in a satisfying way. There were twists but it felt subtle which was nice. I didn't get whiplash from the sudden twists and turns.

I adore these characters and these books absolute favorites.

The end could've been better. Alessa and Dante, dealt with their shared and separate traumas, switching perspectives seamlessly. But the romance lost its spark, getting stuck in a constant "I'm not good enough for you" loop. The battle was way too short after all that build-up and the side characters deserved more. But if you liked the first book, you might still have fun with this sequel, just go in with lower romance expectations.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the early copy.

4.5 stars

What a great duology! The conclusion was beautiful and heartbreaking and I’m really pleased with how it all turned out. I loved that in this one we had the team getting out of Saverio and into a new setting, their little found family is the best. The build up to the final battle was really good and I had no idea what to expect, but the last 15% or so was when it got extra exciting.

I do think the first book was a bit stronger which is why I took off a half star - I love Dante and Alessa and I didn’t really want to see their relationship struggling for most of the book. I also thought there was too much focus on a certain new character who I wasn’t a fan of.

But again, I loved this duology overall and highly recommend it. The ending definitely brought a few tears to my eyes and the epilogue was perfect!

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for the ARC!

The romance in this is as satisfying as fanfiction, in the best way! I love how the author doesn't rely on contrived breakups, but instead finds all kinds of tricksy ways to keep the couple from being able to touch each other, to keep the tension high and their love feeling forbidden, even in book 2. The banter and antics of the rest of the crew added a lot to this book, and the stakes and "save the world" stakes as big as book 1!

Really enjoyed the atmosphere and romance.

This is such a fun, quick paced romantic fantasy duology! I liked how the author expanded the world beyond the island and we got to see more of this Italy inspired world. Also Dante and Alessa are just so stinking cute, the first 80% of this book is basically just cute fluff for them with the last 10% being that battle scene. I did think the plot was a bit lacklustre and the ending felt a tad rushed but overall this was an entertaining read.