I did not realize that this book was a sequel. I will come back to do a proper review on this one after I read the first book.

This one was a decent sequel to This Vicious Grace. A very atmospheric read, like the first one, but it did leave me wanting more. You go through a WILD RIDE of ups and downs as relationships crumble and thrive at times. I did prefer the first one, but still a good read to finish the series.

{3.5 stars}

The first book of this series was pretty by the book light fantasy, I enjoyed it but wasn't wow-ed. That said, I was interested in seeing it through. I'm glad that I did. I liked Alessa a lot more than book one. There was a lot more character work than there was plot.

The ending brought this one down for me. I did not need the last chapter or epilogue. Not every book needs that kind of resolution.

Thanks to Wednesday Books for gifted access via Netgalley. All opinions above are my own.

I will not be reviewing as SMP has failed to speak out against the racist actions of their employee.

After saving their city from scarabei hordes, Alessa and Dante travel to search for others like him who can win the next war.

The change in setting was refreshing - seeing such a different culture in this world kept things interesting.

The dynamic between Alessa and Dante evolved nicely after the will-they-won't-they in the first book. So many times I find relationships get boring after they finally get together, but that doesn't happen here. Their banter and tension stay golden.

In this reading landscape of so many romantasy trilogies, this duology was a breath of fresh air. The story didn't need another book, and I'm glad the author brought it to a satisfying end.

We need more duologies in the world.

4/5 stars

This series was ok for me. I did have a slightly hard time following along with this book. I think if you like a slower paced book this would be for you! I wasn't fully connected with all the new characters but this may be for you!

This was one of my most anticipated books last year, and it did NOT disappoint! This Cursed Light by Emily Thiede is the follow up book in The Last Finestra duology. Dante and Alessa have been apart for several months while he recovers from his injuries at the end of book one, and she tours the continent seeing the damage wrought by their war. Both Alessa and Dante are battling their own inner demons and have forgotten what made them so strong in the first book: working together.

I love that this book is dual POV. While we spend a majority of time in Alessa’s, Dante’s is an added bonus. We learn so much about him, his life as a ghiotte, and the struggles he feels after the events of This Vicious Grace. Dante’s powers of healing are gone, used up in saving Alessa and then her turning around to save him from death. Death haunts his movements. Little injuries seem big to him as he copes with living a normal life. But a normal life also means giving up the person he loves.

Alessa is oblivious to Dante’s inner turmoil at first as she deals with her own. Her mind is preoccupied with all the death and destruction that occurred at the end of book one and nightmares of Dante’s death, even though he is now living and breathing next to her. Learning of his predicament is heartbreaking for her. She has been alone, no one allowed to touch her for so long, and now her powers are just as strong as before and have not disappeared as promised. How can she live with herself if she causes Dante pain?

While they both are keeping these thoughts to themselves, not sharing with each other or their friends, Alessa and Dante heed the warning both have received from the gods: a new threat is coming and if they are to stop it, they will need the help of the ghiotte. The only problem is no one has seen a ghiotte in years. They were thought extinct or exiled until Dante showed up. The plot of this story follows Alessa, Dante, and their friends as they track down the ghiotte and hopefully find a solution to Dante’s problem and by extension Alessa’s. And maybe save the realm again too.

Overall, I really loved This Cursed Light! I read it in just a few days. Alessa and Dante are fantastic MCs to follow and root for. I wanted to reach through the pages and hug them as they lived heartbreak alone, refusing to share it with each other or their friends. Miscommunication plays a big role in the conflict between them in this book, which to be honest kind of sucks considering how well they communicated and worked together in This Vicious Grace. If you are a fan of YA fantasy, I highly recommend this one. Exciting and heartbreaking with a satisfying ending!

Thank you so much Wednesday Books/St. Martin's Publishing and Netgalley for sending me an eARC of This Cursed Light to read and review!

*3.75 stars, rounded up*

As a romance book, this book was top-tier. If you're into blushing and heart-wrenching romance, then this is the book for you. However, if you're looking for a fantasy book, this is . . . meh. While I loved the introduction of the ghiotte and the gods warring once again (though Dea and Crollo are NEVER really fleshed out, despite the world expanding), it seemed like the romance was what the story centered around rather than saving the world. While I liked the continued romance between Dante and Alessa, I missed the witt, sass, and humor that made me fall in love with them in the first book (it didn't help that they fell into my second most-hated trope: miscommunication).

That being said, as a romance lover, I enjoyed this book! I loved that it talked about many themes like the nuances of love, believing in yourself, finding who you are outside of your abilities, struggling with trauma after a life-changing event, and the importance of friendship and loyalty.

I also really liked that Thiede included Dante's POV in this (it was refreshing, and I liked to see him working through his mental/physical trauma along with Alessa after Divorando). I want to clarify, this was VERY much Dante's book.

However, as a fantasy book, this one was dull. The "villains" aren't introduced until the very end (just like in the first book) and the rest of the time, the characters are preparing for the "Final Battle" if you will. And the "Final Battle" was too short to even make me hate the villain. Additionally, the characters didn't grow; they just fell into their written roles and lacked the dimension that they had in the first book (except for Kaleb and Adrick; they grew a little).

Favorite interactions:
- Argument over who has the most tragic love story
- Groveling
- Round 1 of self-control (ft. a dagger)
- "How to be a true leader" - A TedEd by Alessa
- Lemonade war (not actual lemonade, but you'll see lol)

Favorite Quotes:
- "'Not even death can stop a guy from being a dumb*ss on occasion.'"
- "'And I finally accepted that I can't change who I am, but I can be kinder to myself and change how I feel about who I am.'"
- "'You can't be a hero without being scared. Courage doesn't mean you aren't afraid, it means you are and do it anyway.'"

One last thing, get your tissues ready y'all. One of those 4 stars is just because it made me cry.

Overall, if you liked the first book, you probably should read this to see how Alessa and Dante's story ends, BUT don't go expecting the same whirlwind romance from the first book. DO expect the lack of a true enemy until the VERY end though. That being said, I would really like to see a spin-off for Kamaria and maybe even Kaleb.

I really enjoyed this. Not quite as much as book one but still a decent amount. I think it was the relationship between our main couple and how everyone felt so paired up. A few plot points felt too easy I think because we’re fitting a lot over a few locations and there couldn’t be too much conflict or the book would be too long.

Alessa and Dante are back in the second half of Emily Thiede's The Last Finestra Duology.

This book picks pack up only 6 months after TVG's Diverando, and I am happy to report that we get much more from Dante in this book (from his POV *heart eyes*).

We follow Alessa, Dante, and a few of the other Fonti as they journey to find whomever may remain of Dante's people. Like the first book, this book is full of angst, cute scenes, and lovely friendships/found family (my FAV). I still love all of the characters and still swoon each time I read about Dante.

I'm so sad to leave these characters and their stories behind!

Such a perfect ending to the series! I love that we got to see more of Dante and Alessa as they deal with the aftermath and can’t wait for more of Emily Thiede’s work!

This book dragged a lot for me, especially in the beginning. I’m not sure there should have been a sequel, and I didn’t enjoy it nearly as much as the first which was a massive disappointment for me. I will be posting my review to good reads with my full thoughts after St Martins Press responds to the boycott. Thank you very much for the ARC.

This was such a good wrap up to the duology.

I loved that it doesn’t have solely romantic themes but that those are centered around exploring and coping with self identity; and show strong character growth and solid development arcs.

I think I would have screamed and thrown up if what almost happened happened. But I think I would have liked that as the ending. Although I wasn’t unhappy with the ending.

I’m glad we got all of the side characters also. They’re hilarious and I’m going to need more Kaleb and Adrick and I’m so sad the duology is over.

Yepp everything I ever wanted in the sequel to This Vicious Grace 😭 the banter and the angst were very top level and the hea was everything >>>>>

-- ty to the author, the publisher and Netgalley for an advanced copy!

I would like to say that the current boycott on SMP is preventing me from leaving a review on this book on my social media pages. I would love to support Emily Thiede, so I would appreciate if SMP would speak up and address concerns so that I can rave about how much I enjoyed this book!

Alessa, Dante, and the Fonti saved their nation from the apocalypse, but not without paying a price. As Dante adapts to his mysteriously powerless state and Alessa her renewed isolation from human touch, new darkness looms on the horizon. Visions of a fast-approaching apocalypse from their cruel, trickster god. This time, it's not coming for Alessa's people, but Dante's.

Their precariously aligned team, which now includes a former Finestra, his Fonte, and Alessa's unpredictable little brother, must travel to a land that seems to exist only in myth. Their goal is to battle against the apocalypse with the ghiotte community that will be under attack— If the ghiotte can come to terms with the much-despised Saverians and their threatening powers. With reminders of his dark past lurking all over and a quest to regain his powers underway, even Dante struggles to find his footing. The team will be tested like never before, by both the gods and other people.

This Vicious Grace was a surprise delight for me when I picked up an ARC last year and while I still prefer the first book, the sequel did not disappoint. There's action, romance, tension, and some impressive twists throughout. The newly introduced characters, many of them ghiotte, came to life easily and I definitely felt some attachment to them. This Cursed Light never felt like unnecessary pile-on storytelling, but rather a true expansion of the first book, despite the first book wrapping up pretty neatly.

However, it didn't hit all the notes quite the same as book one. Alessa and Dante are going through some challenges in their relationship that lead them both to do stupid things in secret rather than… ya know… talking. It's a trope that's never worked well for me and it got a bit frustrating at times. With the exception of Kaleb and Adrick's interactions (no notes, would follow that ship to the ends of the Earth) and an occasional whip-smart line from Kamaria, the banter between characters just wasn't as fun and engaging in this round. The story still did plenty to keep me engaged, though.

The end of this novel (and the duology) was really satisfying in the sense that I never could've guessed how it played out in a million years, but it still made perfect sense. Nothing pulled entirely out of left field, no weird deus ex machina. I think the climax sequence was a little short and could have been drawn out for dramatic effect, perhaps adding some higher stakes as it went, but it was still a great conclusion to the action and the character arcs on the whole!

This book did not hold my attention like the first in the series. I think in part, I didn't enjoy Dante's brooding. But I still enjoyed following Alessa's adventures and mischief. Thiede's world building continues to delight as we explore more of the land and learn more about the curse.

The writing style is simple and a little repetitive, and the word choice sometimes felt odd, but I was able to overlook all of that because the dialogue between these characters are a delight. This duology became an immediate comfort read for me, following lots of tropes and familiar plot beats, with characters that had me smiling every on every other page. The humor and banter is a delight. The chapters are so short or consistently broken up, making the story easy to digest and keep reading "one more chapter". I love how the two main characters communicate with each other even when it's challenging and they are not always on the same page. The comedic relief makes this otherwise heavy story feel light, and made me want to pick up the book as often as possible. Overall this was a story that just felt good to read.

Can't wait to see what else this author comes out with!

Thank you to the publisher for my arc.

This felt like a big let down for me, I wasn’t as invested in the characters as I was in the first book and the story didn’t keep me engaged.

LUCE MIA I CRIED IN AN AIRPLANE

4.5/5⭐

I love this duology so much! This Vicious Grace was one of my absolute favorite books last year and I've been (not so patiently) waiting for the conclusion to the story ever since I finished it.

If you haven't read TVG yet, stop right here and go read it if you love any of the following:
- Italian inspired fantasy
- bodyguard romance
- banter and pining
- "we can't touch"

I adored being with all these characters again and honestly need a novella detailing the secondary romance that developed throughout this book. 😍 The setting continued to be a highlight: the lush descriptions and atmosphere were wonderful.

This one felt a lot more angsty than This Vicious Grace; Alessa and Dante were both STRUGGLING and it was definitely frustrating at times (teenagers!). Their banter was top notch as always though and I just love the "we can't touch" tension.

Everything came together so beautifully at the end, I was on a plane and definitely just cried for like the last 10%. I've loved going on this journey and I'm so sad it's over.

I highly recommend this duology and can't wait for whatever Emily Thiede writes next!

Thank you to the publisher for the ARC!