"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.

Thank you, Netgalley and Wednesday books, for my ARC in exchange for my review.

I enjoyed this story, although the personality of the characters fell short. And the ending was wrapped up way too fast, but I will admit it was a nice ending. Overall, a good read!

This Vicious Grace, the first book in this duology, was one of my favorite reads last year, which made this sequel near the top of my anticipated reads for this year.

The story begins six months after the last book ended. Dante is still without his powers and believes the gods are sending him messages. Alessa is ready to settle into her happily ever after with Dante, but since they can’t touch without her killing him, they’re off to a rough start. Riding off into the sunset will have to wait because it turns out Dante is right – the gods aren’t finished with them. Soon they set off with friends to locate the exiled ghiotte (gifted fighters who spontaneously heal) and create an army.

Dante and Alessa are both strong, flawed characters that I adore. But this supporting cast is just as loveable, and there’s a distinct found family vibe. It’s not often I come across novels where even the supporting crew is as well-crafted as the MCs. If the author wrote a spinoff featuring some of them, I’d absolutely read it.

There are no shortage of challenges facing Dante and Alessa this time. He’s dealing with ghosts from his past, and she has a growing darkness taking over her mind. Besides that bucket of problems, they have to win over the ghiotte (who don’t trust anyone), train them (they’re unorganized and fight among themselves for entertainment), and then face impossible choices to save humanity. A miscommunication between them causes plenty of angst for several chapters, and I was relieved when it was resolved. It distracted me from the larger story going on.

Be prepared for the ending – soooo many emotions, but characters arcs and loose ends are wrapped up. This is a fitting sequel that didn’t disappoint, and it’s a series I highly recommend to fantasy fans who enjoy high stakes, humor, and exceptional character development.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I was hesitant to jump into another YA fantasy but this one proved to be very excellent.

I would recommend for fans of upper YA and romantasy. There are significant romance plot beats that may not appeal to the younger YA audience.

It has taken me a bit to be able to review this, because I've struggled to know how to put my feelings into words.
I absolutely loved the first book, because I connected so deeply with the characters, and I loved the way Alessa didn't accept the lot she'd been given in life, refusing to just be a figurehead.
She was strong, and independent, but also fiercely wanted to be everything that her people needed her to be.
Dante's secret wasn't much of a secret, but still, knowing that it was going to create a problem for their relationship upped the tension, and gave me a heaping dose of anxiety.
And perhaps part of my issue with this one is how good the first one was, because it felt a little flat.
I'm glad that I read it, but I just wish it had hit the same high notes that the first one did. It could be because a good chunk of time has passed between the two books - both in plot, and in the time since I read book one.

The good news is that we get a truly satisfying ending, that helps make up for the less than stellar middle of the book.

If you liked book one, you'll be glad you read book two, but don't go into it craving that delicious push/pull between Dante and Alessa.

On a positive note, the side characters truly were given a chance to shine. I'm hoping we get a short story about some of our previous Fontes and Finestras.

I loved finishing up this duology.

This was a somewhat unique story plot I thought. I enjoyed the character development in this one. We really got to know more about the characters we met in the first book.

I feel like the story wrapped up a bit too quickly at the end and would have liked a bit more if the conflict and the steps to solving it.

The ending definitely had me crying but the author created the perfect ending pages.

The way the characters worked through trauma in this book was executed so well. The character arcs were done well and this book felt like it really completed the duology. Nothing felt very unfinished. There were elements of wit and humor that were way more prevalent in the first book between Alessa and Dante that I really missed. It was a pretty fundamental part of their dynamic that made them feel more strained/forced in this book. Overall I still enjoyed this book and would recommend the duology.

This Cursed Light by Emily Thiede picks up right where This Vicious Grace left off. I loved getting to revisit favorite characters. I also enjoyed getting to meet new characters and explore a new setting that included a side of society we didn’t see much of in book one. This book was a bit angstier than book one which made for some slower pacing particularly in the middle, but it picked up quickly at the end. I found the ending satisfying and was happy to finish another adventure with Dante and Alessa.

*Note: contains sexual references and is vague open door. Has some language.

Thank you to Netgalley, Emily Thiede, and Wednesday Books for an e-arc. All opinions are my own.

i loved this book so much!! this was so fun and i'm so thankful that i got to read this one early! thank you so much to netgalley and everyone should pick this up soon!!!

I freaking love Emily Thiede. Her voice, her characters, the world building. Everything about this book is perfect, and I wouldn’t change a thing.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the review copy of this title.

I really loved this sequel. Well worth the wait.

4.5 stars

What a great finale for this duology! I loved this concept, with the finestra, fonti, and ghiotte fighting to show their gods that they can come together and are worth saving.

This continued to have plenty of action and battle scenes, along with some sweet romance and interesting new characters and settings. There's a countdown like in book one and that helped me feel the pressure of a big event looming on the horizon.

I wish there was an audiobook for this, but I loved reading the series and hope more people check this out!

I voluntarily read and reviewed this book. All opinions are my own. Thank you to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for the copy.

This Vicious Grace was one of my top reads of 2022 and I was super excited for this sequel. Unfortunately, due to the lack of response to St. Martin's Press for the racist, Islamophobic, and queerphobic comments made by one of their employees I cannot review this title.

I tried holding off on sending this "review" to give SMP time to do the right thing in response to this boycott, but I can't have this continuing to hurt my feedback ratio when it's out of my control.

I still love this author who had no control over their imprint's actions, and am upset that SMP would rather hurt their own credibility and authors rather than take accountability.

I LOVED LOVED LOVED the first book in this duology. I have read it 2-3 times already. I really think it could have wrapped up stunningly in the last book, and didn't love the bit that led into book two.

It was glorious returning to this world and the characters. I loved them. However, again, I felt it slightly unnecessary. It was not my favorite... It felt slightly more juvenile. But I will re-read book one a bunch more times... hahah

This was a really great ending to this duology! This Vicious Grace was a strong book, one of my favorites the year it came out, so the sequel had some high expectations to meet, and I feel that overall it did meet them well. We got to stay invested in our favorite characters, while meeting some new fun characters. There was a lot of romantic drama, with so many wonderful Alessa and Dante moments especially. For me Dante especially came out strong, Seeing his honest struggle with his identity and ghosts from his past was done so well, the best part of the story for me. In addition to romance and identity crises, there's also a new war to prepare for, with secrets and betrayals that could put everything at risk. I wouldn't say the way it ended was the biggest shock, but there were some things about it I didn't expect, and overall I think it was a great conclusion. I can't wait to see what Emily Thiede comes up with next!

It took a bit for me to settle into this book. I thought I'd jump right back into it because I was eager to see where book two would lead. Unfortunately, it felt a little sluggish to me at first. However, once it kicked in, I was pulled into the storyline and happily hooked.

It was fun to be back with the characters I'd grown to both love and some who I didn't necessarily like. All of the characters are well developed - - not just the main ones. In this book, there's a new batch of problems to deal with. Dante and Alessa are trying to figure out how to carry on with their relationship when her kiss is now potentially deadly to him. They also believe the world is in dire trouble again but no one else believes them. Forcing them to search for a solution on their own.

This book is a clever and worthy sequel to the first. It's inventive in its own way and had some unique and original twists that I didn't see coming.

Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for this ARC. I voluntarily chose to read and review it and the opinions contained within are my own.

(Actual: 3.5⭐) I really loved the first installment of this series, so I was very excited to be approved for the ARC for its sequel. Alessa, Dante, and the romance between them felt like one of the cornerstones of Book 1/TVG, so I was a bit disappointed to see them reduced at times to petty arguments and useless banter in this installment. If a series continues after the main couple gets together, my hope (and one of the things I look for when reading) is that their relationship continues to GROW and be expanded upon, both positively and negatively, as opposed to the couple regressing. I also didn't care much about the myriad of side characters thrown our way - like, I just didn't have a reason to, so I didn't lol. That said, this book does wrap up its predecessor's plot points and characters arcs by the end in a passable way - I do wish it was slightly more satisfying to feel for me as a reader, but I digress - I'm just happy the ending didn't do a nose dive. I'd still recommend this duology out to others, and am excited for what the author puts forth in the future!