Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

When I saw that the sequel of this duology was out, I knew that I needed to read it right away! This Cursed Light by Emily Thiede is the final book in The Last Finestra duology. The story continues where the first book left off, and revolves around Alessa and Dante. The pair are dealing with the ramifications of their decisions in the last book, specifically regarding their powers. Will the pair be able to save the world and each other?

Here is a triumphant excerpt from Chapter 1:

"Alessa straightened her shoulders, pushing away the haunting moment with the captain. A cheer erupted as they waved to the crowd, and she basked in the adoration. This was right. This was what she'd been promised. Beloved. Victorious. Celebrated. Her reign was finished, and her time on Finestra's Peak was over.
No more demons. No more wars.
It was time to begin the rest of her life.
Happy.
Ever.
After."

Overall, This Cursed Light is an amazing YA fantasy that will satisfy all fans of the previous book. As I mentioned before in my review of the previous book, I loved how original the it was, and I could not wait to read the second book in this duology. One highlight of this book is the great world-building and Italian-inspired fantasy setting. Another highlight of this book is the amazing climax and ending, which I totally wasn't expecting. If I had to complain about 1 thing, I would say that some dialogue and some of the humor felt a bit too YA for me, but that is the genre, so it's not the book's fault. If you're intrigued by the excerpt above, or if you're a fan of YA fantasy in general, I highly recommend that you check out this book, which is available now!

Thank you so much, St Martin's Press, Wednesday Books and NetGalley, for the chance to read this book in exchange of an honest review.

Six months are passed since Alessa, Dante and their friends save their island from the destruction and while Alessa is ready to move on with her life with her former bodyguard, Dante is sure the gods aren't over with them, yet. Besides, without his power, the next kiss from Alessa could kill him for good. Desperate for answers, they start looking for another ghiotte who could help him restore his powers and joining their powers to save them all. Also, Alessa is hiding another consequence of the battle herself, a growing darkness consuming her mind and their only hope is to find a long lost city. Uncovering secrets, learning more about Dante's past, fighting against the gods' test, all in order to save themselves and the world. But what if they are forced to choose between love and the world?

This Cursed Light is the amazing conclusion of the duology started with This Vicious Grace and I felt so lucky to have gotten the chance to read this book early!
Alessa and Dante are incredible characters and I missed so much their bickering and flirting. I was so excited to know more about the ghiotte and the long lost island, to discover what the gods had in store for them and I'm pleasantly surprised by this book. This Cursed Light is able to answer the questions of the first book, to add new worlds and answers and stories about these characters' lives and pasts. It was so good learning more about Dante and to witness his and Alessa's relationship growing even more.
I love them so much, the story was so good and so compelling I couldn't stop reading it. Such a perfect finale.

DNF pg 40

This is now the second time where I've loved a first book in a series and then dnf the sequel... I think it's because most of the plot was completely resolved in the first book and then there's something completely new for the sequel. I wish the main plot lasted two full books because it really felt like it could be a standalone with a spin off maybe instead of a complete series. I wasn't really interested in picking it up because I wasn't interested in this plot unfortunately

I really wish I loved this because I loved the first book so much :(

"This Cursed Light," the sequel to "This Vicious Grace," proves to be an enjoyable continuation of the captivating narrative introduced in its predecessor. The novel skillfully weaves together intricate plotlines, providing a satisfying resolution to the characters' journeys. While the story concludes on a note of closure, the ending feels somewhat lackluster, leaving readers craving a more resonant impact. Nevertheless, the overall experience remains engaging, with the author's adept storytelling and character development maintaining the same level of intrigue that made the first installment compelling. Despite the minor disappointment in the finale, "This Cursed Light" successfully delivers an entertaining and cohesive narrative that will leave fans satisfied with the culmination of the series.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press, Wednesday Books and NetGalley for an electronic Advanced Readers Copy of this book.

This Cursed Light is the sequel to This Vicious Grace. This book continues the story of Alessa, a teenager who is imbued by the god Dea to absorb other's magical powers to help fight evil demons. Alessa and Dante, now a proclaimed couple, are facing problems as Dante has lost his powers to heal after being brought back to life by Alessa.

A prophesy says that the fighting is not over, and Alessa and her friends set out to find the other gilottes to help, who have been hiding from the world. What will Dante do when he discovers parts of his past? Will Alessa be able to overcome the visions and evil thoughts she's been having?

I enjoyed this sequel and was quickly brought back into this world. Fans of the first book will not be disappointed!

Alessa and Dante are back in what is one of my most anticipated Sequels of 2024.

After consuming This Vicious Grace as my first read of the year I will say the sequel was just as easy to read. I was completely consumed by this story and unable to put it down. While Dante accompanied by Alessa and a few of their friends searched for the Ghiotte and a cure for Dante, I was so thankful to get more of his back story.


Honestly I am a sucker for a duology with a satisfying conclusion that wraps up all of the loss ends I had left pending after the first and I will say Emily Thiede definitely delivered.

3.5/5

An enjoyable follow up to This Vicious Grace. Wraps up the story nicely, the ending isn't anything mind blowing. Thank you for this arc!

I liked the first book in this series, This Vicious Grace, but in this sequel, I felt like character development and detailed descriptions were pushed to the side to make way for the author to finish the plotline in two books. Not to say this series should have been more than a duology; I just think that there was way too much filler for most of the book up until the final battle. I remember really liking Alessa, Dante, and their friends in the first book, as well as being really invested into Alessa and Dante's relationship. But in this one, all of the characters just fell flat. By the end, I didn't really care what the outcome of the battle was because I didn't care about any of the characters anymore.

When I first read This Vicious Grace I was hooked it was a top read of that year and This Cursed Light was one of my most anticipated reads. It was nice to be back with Alessa and Dante and the rest of the fonti. The book picks up right after the events of This Vicious Grace. I love the banter and humor that Emily brings to her characters. Even though they are facing down the end of the world there still manages to be light moments. The found family elements and new relationships that we get to see are refreshing and I loved a particular lemon scene. I also enjoyed the continued romance between Alessa and Dante. It was wonderful to get Dante’s POV. I did think there was some of that miscommunication trope that did hinder some of the fun in Alessa and Dante’s relationship. I wish characters would just talk. Overall this was enjoyable and wrapped up this duology nicely and think that if you enjoyed the first book then this is a must read.

Thank you Wednesday Books / St. Martin’s Press for providing me with an eARC

Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for the opportunity to read an advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

Okay, so I started this book after it was already out, but don’t let that count against the book, because it’s really really good.

If you liked This Vicious Grace, you should like This Cursed Light. It’s an excellent second half of the duology—the plot is new without losing any of the best parts of the first book.

Much like the first book, This Cursed Light is just fun. Every time I picked it up, I had a good time—while there’s plenty of trauma between the characters and plenty of big emotional moments, most of which I thought were handled well, it’s still just such a joy to read. To me, this is an excellent example of writing to tropes done right, too. There are plenty of fan-favorite trope scenes thrown in, and clearly done so just because those tropes are fun, but they’re still well incorporated into the plot. More than that, though, the tone of the story lends itself well to this kind of plot. The author clearly wants you to have fun with the book, and the way these tropes appear is just that: fun.

Seeing more of the Fonte again was an absolute joy. While they’re not always the most well rounded characters, they’re entertaining and charming and easy to care about. Some side plots I cared about much less than others, and honestly I didn’t love the new characters, but the supporting cast was still excellent. Also, I loved how unapologetically and overwhelmingly queer the main cast is.

I know not everyone will agree with this, but I loved seeing Dante and Alessa already together and happy. Sometimes it can be boring in romantasy when the main couple gets together early on, but I didn’t think this was the case at all. They continue to grow, together and separately, and it was so great to watch them learn the intricacies of a relationship under different circumstances than the first book. With only a few small exceptions, there wasn’t a whole lot of romantic conflict, and what romantic conflict there was didn’t feel thrown in arbitrarily—it made sense with the characters and the plot.

It is worth mentioning that this book absolutely toes the line between YA and NA. There is some on-page sex, but it’s not explicit, and Dante and Alessa are very horny for each other. While all of this does make sense with the plot and the characters, it does make me question a bit if it should really be classified as YA.

My only real complaint is that the ending felt very abrupt. The epilogue helps a bit, but the conflict is solved and the book just. Ends. There isn’t really any wrapping up, and while I can’t recall any unresolved plots, it was just a bit lacking to me.

Oh my, what an amazing ending to one of my favorite reads last year.

It's safe to say that This Cursed Light was one of my most anticipated reads this year and I was going out of my mind waiting until the end of 2023 to read it. It's filled with angst, witty banter, and the romance that sucked me in the first time I read This Vicious Grace.

However, I think this book wasn't as amazing as This Vicious Grace. I think it lacked the intensity that made the first book so amazing, the plot dragged in many parts, and I didn't find myself as interested in the side characters.

That being said though, I thought this was a satisfying end to the series and I'm excited to see what else Emily Thiede puts 0ut in the future!

This was a pretty big disappointment to me. I don't think this should have been a duology, just change or add a bit to the first book and make it a standalone. This book made me dislike the romance I enjoyed so much in This Vicious Grace, it gave "impending divorce" vibes.

I thought the book was going to redeem itself in the end but the author had to do a takesey backsey to give that happen ending.

I don't recommend, pretend this book was never written.

Thank you to NetGalley and author Emily Thiede for sending me an ARC of This Cursed Light before its release date. I feel like this second book in the series is just as strong as the first. I was interested and invested in the story, I really loved reading this one. I also really loved getting a further look into Alessa and Dante’s journey. There is a countdown to the apocalypse and a new battle for Alessa and Dante and it keeps you in suspense. The side characters are likewise interesting and useful to move the plot along. I loved that we get a satisfactory resolution in the end as well. Wonderful series altogether.

This Cursed Light was one of my most anticipated sequels of 2023. I absolutely adored This Vicious Grace—from the magic system to the Italian inspired world to the romance. And this sequel did not disappoint any front, and even upped the stakes with additional world-building and character development. While I’m sad that these two books are it for this world, I also can’t see how Emily Thiede could expand this story into further books. All in all, it is a perfect young adult duology that has a little bit of everything.

Pretty early on into my reading of this book, I made a note to myself: “All of the characters feel wittier and more sarcastic than in the last one! Which I’m here for—they’re all making me laugh.” I still stand by that comment even after finishing the novel. There’s something to be said for seeing characters go through an inherently stressful and traumatic event together and then get to show a sillier, more relaxed side of themselves as they heal from that trauma. That statement stood true for everyone on page, no matter their status as a major or minor character, and made everyone feel inherently more human.

Going into this, I wasn’t expecting This Cursed Light to be told in dual perspective—but I’m so glad it was. While frustrating to see the continued insecurities and lack of communication between Dante and Alessa—seriously, y’all, talk to each other!—that dual perspective built the tension of this book. In many ways, I do consider book one to be Alessa’s journey and book two to be Dante’s journey. Which makes sense, considering these two are the true Duo Divinado!

(This is a side note, but I loved that Kaleb and Adrick provided readers with a little enemies-to-lovers relationship arc. Can I place a formal request to get a spin-off with these two at the helm?)

I wasn’t expecting the sheer volume of world-building expansion this book had. Not only did we travel farther away—to the Continent, no less—but we received more lore about the ghiotte and the gods, Crollo and Dea. Of course, one should always expect more world-building in a fantasy series, but it blew me away to see and find the set-up for these details in the first novel and to see those details come into play, or even complicated situations in the second novel.

If I had to critique this book, my only complaint is that the pacing is a little too fast. I found myself wanting more time to linger in scenes to draw out stronger emotionality from our characters, like we had in book one. I also found myself longing for the conflict to push the characters a little bit more. It felt like obstacles—such as Dante winning over the ghiotte or the ghiotte accepting the Finestra and Fontes—were overcome too easily. With a slightly slower pacing and a greater intensity to the conflict, this book would have easily been a five-star read.

This young adult fantasy duology has so much to offer a reader. From fun, realistic characters, to death-defying adventures, to a romance that makes you absolutely swoon—it's an entertaining fantasy duology. Was it perfect? Definitely not. But the fact that I found it difficult to put the book down speaks volumes about how fun and beautiful the writing was.

Thank you to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book.

This book went way past my expectations, and it perfectly ended the duology. Spoiler alert, the ending made me cry (and it is not common for books to make me cry). This book was beautiful, passionate, and satisfying. It is almost impossible for me to describe how much I loved and enjoyed this book.

From the newly developed relationships between side characters to the development of Alessa and Dante's relationship, it was so wonderfully written and developed. Despite the setting being mainly different from the first book, the new setting is set up in a great way and does not take away from the story.

I cannot recommend this book (and the first book) enough to anyone, it is such a wonderful fantasy duology.

SPOILERS
The ending of this book was gratifying and satisfying to read. While I would have been devastated I would not have minded if Alessa died to save her people. But the attention to detail and the call back to a very brief conversation at the beginning of the book to save her was *chef's kiss*.

This Cursed Light by Emily Thiede is fine. It is a sequel to the Young Adult romantasy This Vicious Grace. It is not as tightly plotted as the first, nor as good a tale. I honestly just could not finish it because of the use of colloquialisms. If you are creating this entire world you do not have to be Tolkien, but “fixer-upper” to refer to a home in disrepair. Game over, team player, new guy. The list goes on, but it just repeatedly upset my suspension of disbelief in her storytelling. The invoking of an old Italian charm was also not as much in evidence.

This Cursed Light is book 2 in the Last Finestra duology.  The first book, This Vicious Grace, was one of my top young adult fantasy picks of 2022, so I was excited and nervous to read this one.

Six months after saving the world in This Vicious Grace, Alessa and Dante want to settle down and relax.  But Dante is dealing with the loss of his powers and with a vision that tells him the gods have a new challenge in store — and to survive it, he’ll have to find his exiled people, the ghiotte.

I really enjoyed This Cursed Light.  It’s very different in tone from the first book, and feels much lighter and funnier.  At first, that bothered me — I wanted the feel of higher stakes from the potential world-ending apocalypse.  But I quickly settled in and enjoyed revisiting these characters.

This one is more focused on the character relationships and emotional journeys.  Dante’s story is prominent. He wrestles with fear that he’s not good enough for Alessa, his past abandonment by his family, and the potential loss of powers that make him special.

I really appreciated the way Thiede kept Dante a strong, romantic hero while letting us see him hurting and insecure. Both Dante and Alessa are incredibly well-written characters with so much depth.  It’s such a pleasure seeing how Thiede challenges them and keeps their relationship fresh, funny, and passionate.

There are some action scenes that rival book one, and a suspense-filled ending.  I’m not totally sure how I feel about the ending…but I won’t spoil it in this review.

Definitely read This Vicious Grace before picking up this one.  It jumps straight in and you need to know the lore and characters from the first book.

Thank you to Wednesday Books and Netgalley for my review copy of this book.

What a great follow-up to This Vicious Grace! Romantasy is hit-or-miss for me but I loved book #1, so I definitely wanted to try this story. In it, we return to Alessa and Dante six months after they saved the world. This time, they've received signed another brutal attack from the gods is coming, and they search out the remaining ghiotte to help them defend the world. Complications from the last world-saving mean Alessa and Dante again can't really touch, and both are antsy, in love, and insecure.

I loved that we got to see so many of my favorite characters from the last book but also met a charming if angsty new cast. And I won't say anything else about this, but the twist at the end had me screaming! I wish this series was more than a duology because I would happily read Alessa and Dante several times over. That said, a duology is hard to pull off -- I feel they often feel either like one too-long book split in two or an incomplete series -- but this one was very satisfying.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinions.

I wanted to love this book especially after the first one but this one was a bit difficult to get through!

The plot so was so similar to the first book that I wish the first had just been a standalone.
I also wasn’t happy with how Dante and Alessa’s relationship was on this book.

I know there’s someone out there who will love this but it unfortunately wasn’t me.

I honestly was just not into the direction this second and last book in The Last Finestra duology took up. This Vicious Grace was so fun, fast paced, and full of intrigue. This Cursed Light skidded to a halt about 30% through and limped along until the end. The payoffs for the mysteries left unresolved in book one were just not satisfying, everything came wayyy too easily once it finally did come, and none of the weight of the upcoming World-Ending Event landed the way Diverando loomed over Alessa and the gang in book one. The stakes should have felt much higher in this book, and instead we got a bunch of ghiotte being standoffish and rude to our main cast for most of the book.

In many ways, I feel like This Cursed Light suffers from being a YA duology. There's a lot of interesting ideas and nuances that Theide brings up that she just does not have time to fully address. The treatment of ghiotte by Savario and the other islands deserved a more thoughtful exploration, the redemption of Adrick and his subsequent romance plotline didn't feel convincing at all, and none of the pining or angst between Dante and Alessa, who literally cannot touch in this book without causing him extreme pain, felt sharp enough. All of their problems and interactions felt really petty and immature in the face of what is basically supposed to be Armageddon.

I'm so bummed. This Vicious Grace took me by such pleasant surprise. I absolutely flew through it and it wound up being a 5 star read for me. This book had none of that same feeling, and consequently I didn't feel immersed in it at all.


Thank you to Netgalley and Wednesday Books for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.