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.

I loved the first book and this was everything I wanted in a sequel. I love this world and the LOVE in it. I couldn't stop reading.

This Cursed Light is the second book in Emily Thiede’s “The Last Finestra” young adult fantasy duology.

After defeating an invasion of monsters six months prior Alessa is now on her victory tour with other Fonti that defended their own cities. While she was away her lover Dante built up his own bar business but still has not recovered his Ghiotte powers and therefore can’t be touched by her without unbearable pain. Alessa didn’t escape unscathed either and is having strange visions from her brief touch of one of the scarabei monsters. After deciphering one of the goddess’s messages they realize that the fight isn’t over and they will face another battle during the next eclipse. The only the way they can survive the onslaught from the god Crollo and possibly get Dante’s powers back is to find the secret city of Ghiotte and ask them to join the battle. But the Ghiotte don’t trust easily and both Dante and Alessa are keeping too many secrets.

I enjoyed the “found family” aspect of This Cursed Light. Between the banter of Alessa and Dante and that of their companions (assorted Fonti and Alessa’s twin brother Adrick) it made it a fun read and gave the reader a lot of people to root for. I also loved the angsty romance between Dante and Alessa while they figured out how to be together without her powers hurting him and what their future will look like. I was a little let down by the final showdown between the gods and the main characters but it has a very satisfying conclusion that readers will be happy with.

This was an exciting and romantic conclusion to The Last Finestra duology and I look forward to reading more from Emily Thiede.

Love love love
I have been waiting for book 2 for so logn and I had such a great time with this
Love the characters, love everything about it
Dante and Alessa are so mature and their relationship is <3

I could not wait to read this book and the wait for this sequel seemed like forever; worth it.

The ending of the last book set us up for a lot of delicious romantic tension and overall world tension as Dante tries to regain his power, the loss of which makes it impossible for him and Alessa to touch OR ELSE HE DIES.

I loved getting Dante’s pov and learning more about him and am so sad that this story is over! I cannot wait to see what Emily writes next!

What a romantic, swoony, adventurous follow-up to This Vicious Grace! It was a total delight to be back in this world with Alessa and Dante and to travel through a more expanded version of their world. A great sequel!

This duology is addicting! The chemistry between the main characters in this romantic fantasy is mesmerizing.

For those who enjoy:
🍋 Unique magic system
🍋 Italian influence
🍋 He’s her bodyguard
🍋 Political & religious intrigue
🍋 Opposites attract romance
🍋 Saving the world
🍋 Can’t touch eachother

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you netgalley for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was a wonderful sequel. Emily Thiede's writing is stunning.

This Cursed Light, by Emily Thiede, is the second and final installment in the authors The Last Finestra series. While the first installment was mostly through Alessa's perspective, Dante gets his fair share of the story this time around. Six months after saving their island from destruction and almost losing Dante, Alessa is ready to live happily ever after with her former bodyguard. But Dante can't rest, haunted by a conviction that the gods aren't finished with them yet. Brought back to life by Alessa, Dante's powers are missing. And without his powers, the next kiss from Alessa could kill him.

Desperate for answers, Dante enlists Alessa and their friends 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. But Alessa is hiding a deadly consequence of their last fight--a growing darkness that's consuming her mind--and their destination holds more dangers than anyone bargained for. They and our motley crew of fonti (and Adrick), strike out for the continent to see if they can find the missing Ghiotte, cure Dante and help prevent another impending apocalypse.

In the mysterious city of the banished, Dante will uncover secrets, lies, and ghosts from his past that force him to ask himself: Which side is he on? When the gods reveal their final test, Dante and Alessa will be the world's last defense. But if they are the keys to saving the world, will their love be the price of victory? In This Cursed Light, Dante and Alessa face their most daunting challenge yet when the Gods demand they prove their worth by choosing the ultimate sacrifice to save humanity, once and for all.

*Thoughts* I have few complaints about this book, except the ending. So much tension and effort is put toward preparing for an inevitable battle with Crollo, that I was more than a little disappointed the fighting scenes weren’t longer. Alessa was clearly having issues in the beginning and middle of the book, but instead of trying to understand them and manage them, she just hid everything or brushed it off as nothing. After finding a people who were lost, and Dante reuniting with people he thought he has lost, they had to face a life or death choice thanks to two petulant Gods, Dea & Crollo who make Alessa choose her path. While there is a brief choice one of the characters has to make in order to save another, it was nice to see all of the character play a part in what happens, which includes Adrick and Kaleb who play games with each other throughout the book.

*Actual Rating closer to 3.5*

This Cursed Light was an anticipated book for me. I was so excited to continue reading about this series. The story was very easy to get into, and it was helpful that there were recaps from book 1, as long as more plot buildup in the continuation. I loved reading about Dante’s side and his world, and seeing the royals visit. There were scenes that I felt were too sexual for a YA book, it just made me weirded out to imagine my younger family members reading this. However, I think for the new adult, this series is definitely entertaining and very fun to visit. I cannot wait to continue to read Thiede’s books. This book was a rollercoaster, so I can’t wait to see what other magical worlds she creates!

Thank you to NetGalley, Emily Thiede, and St. Martin’s press for this eARC.

The conclusion to The Last Finestra duology was packed with themes of sacrifice, belonging, and a whole lot of heart. I'd forgotten how much I missed Alessa, Dante, and the rest of the characters from this series. The continuation of their story was powerful and bittersweet. The author did a nice job of balancing the heavier subjects with cute interjections of Alessa and Dante's flirting as well as humor from some of my favorite side characters (Kamaria and Kaleb).
The plot moved along pretty quickly. It dipped a couple of times, but Theide always made sure to pepper in moments of action to keep the story lively. The conclusion of the story did a nice job of wrapping up some unanswered questions.
I can't wait to see what this author does next, I'm such a fan.

I read This Vicious Grace last year - my first fantasy read - and loved it! I have been (im)patiently waiting for this sequel and it did not disappoint!

I loved not only seeing Alessa and Dante, but also all of the side characters! It was fun to see those characters grow, and the friendships develop. Even though Alessa and Dante are together, there is definitely still tension and angst between them, not just because of the impending battle, but because Dante and Alessa can't touch each other. Even with the tension, I feel like Dante and Alessa grew as a couple and figured out how to communicate more with each other through everything they experienced. I really enjoyed the dual POV and seeing more from Dante specifically.

Overall, without giving away too much, I enjoyed this one and felt like it wrapped up the characters' stories well. Though I admit I would have loved an epilogue from even further in the future. :)

If you're looking for a fantasy duology, especially if you are new to the fantasy/romantasy genre, then pick these up!

I absolutely loved this book! I feel like comparing it to the first one, this book was a little more character-driven than plot driven since the entire book is basically leading up to the last few pages. I also thought some of the character introductions (Ciro & Diwata) were a little rushed and not as explained out as they could have been, but I did end up picking up on who they were easier than I originally thought. Also some of the POV changes were a little abrupt in this version and there were some odd scene jumps where I felt a little thrown off, but then picked up right where I left off.
Alessa & Dante have my whole heart and I want to hurt anyone who comes in between them. Their relationship and obvious love for one another is what kept me coming back to this series and making this one of my most anticipated reads of the year.

listen, one thing i love about the first book was the banters. but i think there's too much of that in this book, mostly it's just the characters jesting around or to one another in a long scene, and the plot barely moved.

4.5💚

I really liked this second part (and final)!🥹
The first book is great, and the second is the same.🛐💚
I liked that here there is more talk about the Ghiottes, in the first one we only talk a little, but here we already know a lot more, and not only that, but also knowing a little about the Gods who are causing all this problem haha😅✨

Seriously, it is VERY entertaining, both books are very light and quick to read, each page has you hooked, the characters are very cute and fun,🥹💚I really liked them, as a group of friends they are beautiful (the fontes), always protecting each other.💚
SUPER recommended!! The story is not difficult or complicated to understand, it is a small world!!✨

Alessa and Dante💚, I love them very much, they seemed like very real characters to me, yes there were moments that made me desperate but if I were them I would also do the same haha ​​so I understand them and that's why I liked them.🙈
Together they are perfect, I love their jokes, also how they protect each other, their romantic moments and (👀😮‍💨) haha, but also the individual development that they have, I really liked it.🥹✨
Dante telling her in Italian (old language here) “mia cara, luce mia” among other things, simply IN LOVE.🛐😮‍💨

This duology is perfect🥹, I like it a lot, it is already one of my favorite books, I would like Emily to give us some extras for other characters haha ​​I'm going to miss them.💚


Thanks Netgalley for the arc

The final book in The Last Finestra duology, picking up where the first book left off with Dante coming back from the dead but losing his powers and Alessa suffering from visions, as they both prepare for a war against the gods while dealing with the fact that without his powers... a kiss from Alessa could kill him. To make matters more complicated, Dante and Alessa and their friends seek hekp from the exiled ghiotte in hopes of restoring Dante's powers and fighting against the gods.... yet the ghiotte have always hated the church and everything Alessa's position means, thus they have to hide their relationship. Dante is afraid that without his powers he can never be full again, he can't be good enough for Alessa... yet the more risks he takes the more Alessa is afraid that he'll end up dying in front of her again. With the ghiotte hating Alessa, and Dante reuniting with people from his past, their relationship is bound to take a bit of strain since they have to keep it hidden... yet when it comes time to face off against the gods.. will they be willing to sacrifice it all to save everyone... even if it means one of them wont make it out alive? This was definitely an interesting way to end the duology, I loved the first book and this one was a fun read. I loved just how deeply in love Aleesa and Dante are with each other, they care so much and are willing to do everything. This one wrapped everything up nicely and overall I really enjoyed the duology! I would definitely recommend this for fans of fantasy romance / bodyguard romance!

*Thanks Netgalley and St. Martin's Press, Wednesday Books for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*