Thiede masterfully delves into the complexities of love, duty, and destiny, crafting a narrative that is as emotionally resonant as it is action-packed. Alessa and Dante's journey is fraught with danger and uncertainty, yet their unwavering devotion to each other serves as a beacon of hope amidst the chaos. This was captivating and is a must-read for fans of epic fantasy and romance alike. I absolutely love novels like this and I am excited for what Thiede writes next.

I really liked the prior book and so I was very excited for this, alas it didn’t quite work as well for me this book. I am not sure why, there was just a lack of connection in the sequel.

Two gods making a bet over humanity reminds me of Divine Rivals although the two series are nothing alike. I did read This Vicious Grace when it was first released and I loved it but this one didn’t give me that same energy. Dante’s childhood best friend Talia sucked. Her character was trope-y and made the negotiations too convenient in my opinion. I felt like she was an easy choice made by the author… I would have liked to have seen something different. I’m not a fan of hiding a relationship to save face or miscommunication. Be blunt and be bold. ALSO, the war we were waiting for hardly happened. There was no violence until about 85% in and then it ended abruptly with the good old question of will you watch the world burn to save your girl or sacrifice her to save it… which isn’t terrible but it felt unsatisfying to leave everyone’s fate up to one decision. Overall I would say this was 2.5-3 stars.

I loved This Vicious Grace and knew I had to have This Cursed Light to read the finale of this wonderful duology. The tension and angst of the first book seemed lacking a bit in this second one, though I did appreciate getting to understand Dante's history much better. The ending felt a bit anti-climatic after all the building throughout the novel. That said, I love an HEA and Alessa and Dante finally get theirs. Furthermore, the found family and love between the characters is just as strong and I would read any spin-off that the author writes to get more of this world.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the advance copy. All opinions are my own.

I have some mixed feelings about this one. I still love the setting plus Dante and Alessa but there was just some magic ingredient from the first book that did not make it here for me. May give this one a second shot with a reread and the audio if it gets released.

I have been really into duologies lately, and I was excited to finally finish this one!

I do think it lacked some of the magic from the first one. The first one had an amazing slow burn with all the tension, and that was missing in this.

I did still love the banter between all the characters and I loved being with them.

After being much anticipated, the pacing didn't work for me. I also didn't really like the ending???

Thanks for the eARC in exchange for my review.

Yessssss. I know some didn't like this book but I sure did. Dante is lovely. I do think that him and Alessa are a bit juvenile about some things, but they are still young. I liked the spin of a ghiotte village that saves the world. That a god and goddess made a bet on humanity and what will save them. The cast of characters were all lovable. I havent read many duo books, but this was a good series and I loved the ending. I thought I would be heartbroken and devasted, but I'm glad that the ending wasn't that.

This Cursed Light is the second book in The Last Finestra duology. After reading This Vicious Grace, I was looking forward to this one, and although I didn't enjoy it as much as the first one, in fact, at times I was frustrated and put it aside. I will say that I liked how it was brought to an end. Alessa and Dante got together in the first book, but now they are on the run with their small band of fighters. Dante has lost his powers and they are headed to the other side of the island 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. Dante is not sure what he will find, but it wasn't who was there. There is a lot of drama between the ghiotte and Alessa's group which was a bit annoying to this grandma. Does Dante get his power back? Will he remain with the ghiotte? Is the romance between Dante and Alessa doomed?

The first book was a five star read for me and in my opinion, this one sits in its shadows. This was all the YA that I don't like. The bickering, back stabbing, jealousy. I wanted to see how this love story would play out and that was done well. There was a lot of magic in this book, with powers that were interesting, as well as rather meh. There is a huge test at the end and a puzzle that needs to be solved which did have me sitting on the edge of my seat. The ending was a bit surprising and I enjoyed how it concluded. I am not going to give away the story, but I will say that this was a bit of a disappointment after the first book.

I am participating in the St. Martin's Press boycott. I will not be publicly reviewing this title until St. Martin's Press addresses reader concerns.

thank you to netgalley for the advanced reading copy. I really enjoyed this and will be getting copies for my shop.

This was a surprising disappointment after how much I loved the first book. The story felt flat, the characters were boring, and I just couldn't be bothered to care about anything that happened in this book.

This was....not what I'd hoped for. After being absolutely obsessed with book one, I had high hopes. But the plot here felt lacking. I needed more urgency from the characters and better communication. A lot of the conflict was self-inflicted and could have been avoided with a good, honest conversation or two. The ending was good, if somewhat predictable.

*1-2 closedish door scenes.

Thank you to Wednesday books for my complimentary e-arc. All opinions here are my own.

This Cursed Light is followup to This Vicious Grace. I really enjoyed the romance and fantasy version of Italy in the first book, and the sequel didn't disappoint. The chemistry between Dante and Alessa was my favorite part.

Thank you to @wednesdaybooks for the digital ARC. Last year, I read This Vicious Grace because it was recommended to me by a friend when I asked for Romantasy books. I absolutely loved it! I was so excited to read the second book in this duology. This Cursed Light came out in December, but with all the holiday & family events, I didn't get to it by the end of the month, so I added it to my #backlistbooks24 challenge. I decided to read it this month since I knew I was heading to the @loveyallbookfest in Atlanta where I got to meet @ektwrites and hear her talk about Alessa and Dante and share her thoughts on YA Romantasy with a panel of other authors. (amazing!)
Back to the book, the adventure continues in this sequel, with more focus on Dante, who I absolutely love. When I think of a strong, brave, totally in love hero...Dante is #1. I liked how there were many side characters who all played an important role in the plot. It came together like a strong ensemble cast being led by Dante and Alessa. I wish this was available as an audiobook in the US, but hopefully it will come later because I loved hearing the Italian words in This Vicious Grace and I want to hear Dante call Alessa "luce mia". The beginning of the story is a little slower as all of the characters, backstories, and setting are established. Once all that is settled, the story keeps moving at a nice pace and builds up the tension with each chapter. I like that both books incorporate lemons and there is a really fun lemon scene in This Cursed Light. I highly recommend this duology (which must be read in order).

This Vicious Grace was one of my favorite reads of last year so I couldn't wait to read this one and revisit that world. Dante was one of my favorite characters and I loved that we got more of him, I just wish he wasn't so mopey throughout the book. The ending was fast but wrapped things up nicely. I will say this felt like more of an NA novel than a YA novel. The first book in the series was definitely better.

"Everywhere, there was light. And for as long as there was anyone alive to look for her, she would be there, too, in the shimmer on the ocean, an arc of color in the sky after rain, or the gleam of stars to light their way. No matter how lonely, no one was truly alone."

⭐⭐⭐💫

Thank you Netgalley and Wednesday Books for a copy of this book for review purposes. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Content warnings (from Storygraph): blood/injury, murder/death, war/violence

This book is the sequel to a book I loved titled This Vicious Grace. This is listed as a duology, and I was eager for one more chance to revisit the characters I loved in this world so much. I'm not sure how to describe this book without spoiling the first book, so I will simply say: This Cursed Light follows the survivors of book 1 attempting to learn how to adjust to a normal life post-battle, only to discover the worst may still be yet to come, and that normalcy or a happy ending may never have been in the cards for them after all.

I think I may have enjoyed this book more if I had been able to sit down and read through it, but I had to pause it for a work project, for a book tour, for multiple Christmas events, and for my book club readalong, so it ended up being roughly 11 weeks stuck on this one. I'm not certain if my low intrigue would have stayed the same had I read it faster.

The characters and side characters in this were still unique and entertaining, but it was tiresome with how most of the book was Alessa and Dante (especially Dante) were so mopey and secretive when they could have just been talking their insecurities out! The atmosphere overall was good, though! I liked that we got to venture away from the palace (?) this book.

The writing was my favorite part of the book! I had plenty of highlighted quotes and was in tears at the ending! I did not particularly care for the plot or the logic of it. In retrospect, I think this series would have been better as a standalone, but I did find it interesting to see Dante and Alessa somewhat individually facing the same decision from a sort of hero vs. anti-hero perspective.

Overall, I enjoyed this book and would read another book by this author without hesitation!

I would recommend this duology to people who enjoy bodyguard romance, enemies to lovers, Italy-inspired settings, and pyrhhic victories.

Have to say I was a bit disappointed with this one!

I loved THIS VICIOUS GRACE, and was so excited for the sequel. I loved that we got more of a focus on Dante, and I really enjoyed a lot of the ending, but I think many of the things I adored about the first book didn't quite carry over into this part of the story. The plot itself definitely felt like 'filler,' which is surprising for a duology, and the use of modern language/sayings really threw me in a way I don't remember being thrown in the first book. Also, wanted to point out that the romantasy element is definitely adult, and not YA, and I very much wish it had been categorized as such.

The first book is still one of my favorites though, and I do love this world and these characters!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the arc!

An outstanding sequel - I adored the first and I loved how this all came together. The YA authors are really out here doing the most, as always and this is no exception.

This Cursed Light by Emily Thiede

448 Pages
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press, Wednesday Books
Release Date: December 5, 2023

Fiction, Teens, Young Adult, Fantasy, Sci Fi

After Alessa, Dante, and the rest of the Fonti saved their world from annihilation, they travel to Dante’s home of Perduta. A war is brewing and they. Must work together. Unfortunately, Alessa, being the Finestra, is an obstacle for many residents. She stands for things they have never had. They do not trust her and believe she has ulterior motives. This is especially true with Talia, Dante’s best friend. No one knows Alessa and Dante are in a relationship, and they must keep it that way until Alessa and the Fonti are accepted.

The book has a steady pace, the characters are somewhat developed, and it is written in the third person point of view. This is the second book in the series but did not have all the energy the first book had. If you like sci fi and fantasy young adult stories, you may enjoy this book.