**actual rating 4.5 stars**

This was one of my MOST anticipated reads and it did not disappoint! It's a great followup and end to the duology.

My absolute favorite parts were Dante & Alessa's relationship, of course. I loved seeing how they grew together and how they had to learn how to be in a relationship. I loved seeing them together as an established couple just as much as I loved seeing them fall for each other.

I also loved the side characters just like in book 1. Adrick really grew in this and I loved seeing it. And I loved seeing Dante and Alessa's relationships with their friends. There are also a couple new characters here and I enjoyed getting to know them as well.

Why did I take off half a star? Well, the plot wasn't as exciting at book 1. Things felt more rushed and random even though we got hints at the end of the first book of what was to come. And no spoilers, but the end kind of fizzled out for me and felt very rushed. However what happened did make sense within the world so I wasn't too disappointed!

All in all, I loved this book just as much as I loved the first one. I definitely recommend this duology if you like YA fantasy (keep in mind this is upper YA)

This Vicious Grace is one of my top favorite books of 2023. I did not love this quite as much, but that ending was incredible! I highly recommend this series to all YA fantasy lovers.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press, Wednesday Books, for this digital arc in exchange for my honest review which is not affiliated with any brand.

The first book was such an unexpected delight and the follow up is quite good; the original premise is a bit tough to beat.

I'm not a romance/relationship reader but I actually enjoy Alessa and Dantes. Especially that they talk (albeit sometimes forced and after consequences) but they both make it clear that communication is very important. This is more of a journey/prep for battle book and it delivers on those fronts. The pieces were put into place along the way, so even the final final play had been breadcrumbed earlier.

The only thing I hated was the gods. They make no sense and are just horrible..Gods are always toxic but those two take the cake.

I love the first book so much, and this 2nd one? TAKE ALL MY LOVE.
I love everything about it. The settings and world building were amazing. I also love Emily's writing so much, it's so easy to read and enjoyable. Alessa is a dear as before, but Dante has all my heart... and Kaleb has all my laugh lol he is such a mood and I adore him. The ending was so perfect!
It was soooo good ugh I love every pages!

I AM CRYING AND NOT IN A CUTE WAY WHAT AN ENDING

*Full review to come once I am no longer a shell of myself!*

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The romance, the friendships, the drama - it's all here. I kept getting antsy with the countdown though and wanting this battle to get on with it already, and then it felt like it wrapped up pretty quickly. Luckily there's an epilogue though because I definitely needed that.

Kindly received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The story that started in This Vicious Grace moves seamlessly to This Cursed Light. Both books should be read to understand how the story was too big for one book. Emily Thiede skillfully developed the characters and their community to weave the story together. Highly recommend this series to all ages, it will be sure to captivate.

A special thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press & Wednesday Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.