The Light That Binds Us by Andy Darcy Theo is such a beautiful and heartfelt story! It’s the kind of book that pulls you in and makes you feel everything right along with the characters. The mix of emotional moments, unexpected twists, and a touch of magic keeps you hooked from start to finish. The relationships in the story—whether it’s love, friendship, or family—are so well written and feel incredibly real. Theo’s writing is vivid and uplifting, and the message about hope and connection really sticks with you

I wanted to love this one, I really did. I’d been following the author’s journey of writing the book for a while now, and was really excited to be given the ARC for it, but it just fell flat somehow. Maybe my issue is that I’m starting to find lots of young adult fantasy reads to be trite due to my bulk consumption of them, but this one felt even more predictable than usual.

Firstly the things I enjoyed about the book; the fast moving pace, and the mental health representation (something that needs to be featured far more frequently in fantasy novels).

And then the things I didn’t enjoy; the world building that was somehow overly convenient, whilst still having a remarkable amount of holes in it. (The main characters all clone themselves to have their clone live their normal life while they run off and save the world with about a month's worth of training, and that is somehow deemed totally plausible?) For a book marketed as YA it felt more like a middle grade read, and I feel like I would’ve enjoyed it more if it had been marketed as such, because then some of the formulaic plot and childish dialogue would have felt justifiable.

Ultimately a fun read, that could have been a lot better with some more consistent worldbuilding and less plot armour.

This is a true YA adventure. Full of action, adventure and suspense. I think younger me would've loved this book and very much been a huge fan.
Alexis was definitely my fave character, and his story line and past battle and depictions of mental health were so intriguing.

The Light the Blinds Us
Andy Darcy Theo

Take care on your descent into darkness.
Another delusion. Another fantasy.

This kinda gave me childhood nostalgia in that I grew up watching and LOVED Captain Planet! 🌎 But cross it with X-Men! That is the best way I can describe The Light That Blinds Us.

“Light will always find a way through the darkness, and if you can’t find it, become it.”

When consumed by shadows, even the faintest light can be blinding…

‘Only the darkness was not their protector - it was their reckoning.’

After a childhood haunted by disturbing hallucinations of the Shadow Man, Alexis Michael’s only comfort is his blue amulet he’s had since before he can remember. When a school trip goes astray, him and three teenagers unite, carrying similar gem amulets. These teens are plunged into a hidden world of power-wielding Elementals, Chosen Ones and a prophecy to fulfill.

Alexis and his companions must venture on a perilous quest facing all manner of obstacles along the way.

“Support each other, trust each other, you are nearly unstoppable when together. But you should never become dependent on another person to save you.”

Alexis’s dark past plagues him and he questions how real his old hallucinations were and whether corruption will ruin the mission, their lives and his mind.

“You cannot walk ahead with your head turned back, trust me. To cling to the past is a disservice to yourself and your future.”

TROUVAILLE (n.) French origin. A valuable discovery; a lucky find. I enjoyed this debut fantasy novel, and it’s out now. Massive thank you to @andydarcytheo and @simonschusterau.

‘“Go on a quest, find the Lost Elemental Gems, retrieve your full powers,”’ mocked Caeli in Incantus’s voice. ‘And I can’t even put “saving the world” on my uni applications so honestly what’s the point?’

If you could have an Elemental power what would you choose; water, fire, air, earth, shadows or light?

(REVIEW POSTED 4th AUGUST 2024)

A group of teenagers are brought by what can only be known as “fate”, to Stonehenge. They embark on a journey unlike anything they could have expected, facing tests of love, loss and loyalty. All to help them to fulfil the Prophecy of Light and Darkness.

This is exactly the type of book I would have jumped at in middle school. It was giving all the best parts of a classic, 2000’s YA fantasy while tackling some real adult problems.

The characters and the world building were well done and made the story that much more engaging.

✨can we have a moment for the prologue✨ it was the ultimate hook for this book. It was fantastic and just shows that the author knows how to pull readers into the story they’re creating.

This is truely a YA fantasy that grips you by the reigns and pulls you along for the ride. I have no doubt it will be accepted wholeheartedly by its intended YA audience.

The prologue was intriguing and dark, however, I could not get into this book because the character’s decisions did not seem realistic. Upon discovering this new world and identity, all four main characters are quick to believe what they are being told. They are also very quick to trust these new people, to make clones of themselves and leave their old lives behind. For the main character especially, it is hard to believe because it appears as though he has a healthy and loving relationship with his family. Some of the plot elements were also confusing in the beginning. It felt like a mashup between the Percy Jackson and Zodiac Academy series.

This was such a wonderful and enjoyable read!!!! I loved this book and highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys this genre. Thank you so much to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

First impressions 💭
I was really excited by the prologue, it was really gripping and I was looking forward to the promise that it brought. But the book definitely had a different vibe to the prologue. It’s target audience is definitely younger, and if i had been 12-15 I would have rated it much higher!

What I Loved ❤️
- the chapter headings! A lot of thought obviously went into the chapter headings and how they would reflect the chapter ahead and I appreciated that little detail!
- As I said above, I loved the prologue! I wish that they whole book had continued with more of a psychological / mental health aspect. I almost wish that Alexis had struggled more throughout the book with his inner darkness. But I have a feeling we are going to see more of that in book 2!
- the theme of light and dark and balance overall. Choosing your own path and being in charge of your own destiny.
- the found friendships and family. I also really enjoyed the moments when Alexis would speak of his adoptive family, the lessons his dad taught him or things his brother would enjoy in this new world. I wanted a lot more of that!

What I didnt love 👎🏻
- I wanted to know more about each of the 4 main characters and I feel it could have benefited from multi - pov. Especially in the chapters where they were recovering their specific elemental stone.
- i felt there wasn’t a big enough motivator for these kids to abandon their lives and family to go on a high stakes life and death quest. I think there needed to be more discussion and deliberation from the group at this point. It would have been a great time to learn more about their “why’s” (Caeli’s absentee father for example)
- The ending brought about SO many more questions, ones that I’m excited to read book 2 to find out about. But at the same time we were not given the satisfaction of any closure. A big revelation or reveal before the cliffhanger would have kept me wanting more. But nearly every aspect of the storyline and plot was left up in the air and it was really unsatisfying 😞

Favourite Quote 📝
“We’ve got this, me and you. We’re in this together, until the seas settle and the earth stops turning.”
That he knew with certainty to be true

Final verdict ⭐️
I Enjoyed it but I needed a lot more to be invested. I just find it difficult as an adult to read from the perspective of a teenager and not be frustrated with their decision making and the less mature dialogue.
Not a fault of the book though! I would have adored this book as a teenager and I definitely feel like the target audience is going to eat this up!

This was a lot of fun!! This was filled with so much action and adventure so I was never left feeling bored and just had such a great time. If you love YA fantasy books you definitely should check out this book! I think I would have loved this more 5/7 years ago when I was a bit younger but overall it was fun and it kept me engage the whole time!
I also loved the found family in this book and the depth to some of the characters!
Final rating 3.5 ⭐️

The descriptions in this book are absolutely amazing of both the characters' appearances and the world around them. Also the dialogue between characters were realistic and at times were both emotional and humorous. Another few things I loved which I haven't seen in other books was the author at the beginning of each chapter giving us a word, its definition and origin which gave a hint about what the chapter would bring and the drawings of the main characters which helped for picturing them. A final thing that I loved was how new characters were introduced at a good pace so it didn't get confusing.

I would've loved some scenes that showed that the children of the elements are just kids, for example them playing games during their time at the Haven and I also would have loved it if there were more scenes of their training.

I really enjoyed this read and would recommend to those who enjoy YA fantasy.