The concept of this is great, especially the magic system. As a shadowhunter fan, this was a fun twist on demon hunters. I think the romance will appeal to a lot of readers as well, but unfortunately I found myself confused more than I would have liked. But other than that it was easy to enjoy the characters and the dynamics between them!

Thank you so much to Knopf Books for my ARC!

3.5/5

I will likely give a full/longer review near the release date but just wanted to quickly say I devoured this book and fell in love with the world and characters (especially Sparrow!) Some plot points were predictable but very satisfying to watch unfold! I also can’t wait to see more of the magic/class system shine in book 2. You can tell Sophie put so much time and care into creating something beautiful and truly setting the stage! I’m rating this a 4 on here but it’s really a 4.5-4.75!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC!

Unfortunately, this was a DNF at 44%.
For me, the worldbuilding/magic and change of perspectives were confusing. I enjoy 3rd person POV, but I still felt kind of confused when we switched between Jules and Selene. The overall banter between was good! I love an “enemies to lovers” moment.

Thank you netgalley and the publisher for giving me an early copy to read and review. All thoughts are my own.


While I did enjoy this book; I do feel like it needed a little more work. It it attention grasping but it was hard to keep up at times. I feel like there should have been more world building and character development. I’m hoping if there is a book 2 that the author gives me background information.

I do think the plot is interesting and I liked most of the characters. I can say this book was unique because I haven’t read anything like it…I don’t think. All in all; I think fantasy lovers with enjoy this one!

Just a few tropes:
-humans/demons
- fake engagement
-enemies to lovers
-forbidden romance
-grumpy /sunshine
-knife to throat

3 stars!

Overall rating: 4.0

This was everything I’ve ever wanted in a Romantasy: forbidden romance set in an elegant backdrop in the heart of Rome. All with some demons and demon hunters!

I loved the picturesque details, the witty banter, the chemistry between the two, the constant pining. The plot itself is also incredible. So why 4 stars? The writing.

Cons:
- While the author can write, sometimes it feels like the story or scene has moved but didn’t tell us that the story or situation has changed. It makes things a bit confusing.
- I had to use Google Translate many times throughout the book, pulling me out of the story.

Pros:
- I loved both characters. Selene is the demon hunter / exorcist.
- The story and all the twists are incredible. I can’t say anymore bc I don’t want to give it away. But it was worth the read all bc the plot was incredible.

Overall: despite the writing, this was an incredible read because of the characters, the world, and the plot.

Thank you Random House Children’s Publishing and Sophie Clark for this eARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Children's for an eARC copy of Cruel is the Light by Sophie Clark.

If the cover doesn't draw you in, the premise sure will. Sophie Clark's Cruel is the Light delivers an exciting mix of demon-hunting action, Vatican intrigue, and a simmering romance that keeps you hooked until the very end. Selene and Jules are compelling leads, each carrying the weight of their pasts while navigating a world steeped in danger and deception. Their reluctant partnership, laced with sharp tension and undeniable chemistry, makes for an engaging read - especially with the fake engagement trope adding layers to their dynamic.

The story balances high-stakes action with emotional depth, though at times, the pacing slows in the middle as the myster unfolds. Some elements of the worldbuilding, particularly the Vactican Academy and its exorcist traning, could have been explored in more depth (but this is the first of two books, so the second may add to this). However, the twists and revelations keep the intrigue alive, and the emotional skaes only intensify as Jules and Selene are forced to confront painful truths.

Cruel is the Light is a thrilling and unique fantasy adventure. Set in Rome, the Exorcists of the Vatican fight in the holy war against the demons that would destroy humanity. Captain Selene Alleva is one of the best exorcists the Vatican has ever seen. Trained by her uncle, the Imperium Bellum, Selene is as ruthless as she is skilled, but she harbors a secret that the Vatican holds close. When she meets the alluring and mysterious Jules Lacroix, a French deserter from the Vatican army fighting demons and the Caspian Federation on the front lines, she knows something is different about him. On the trail of one of the most dangerous and powerful demons, Selene and Jules return to Rome, with Jules disguised as her betrothed. As their attraction grows, so does the danger - from outside the Vatican, and within.

Cruel is the Light is a really unique and exciting fantasy. I really enjoyed the premise of demon hunters in Rome and the Vatican, and how those elements fit into this reimagined fantasy world. I also liked Selene - a black cat if there ever was one, and Jules, the consummate flirt. We get POVs from both the main characters, and that was really interesting to see the story from both sides. However, our characters are keeping secrets, and are not the most reliable narrators. While I really enjoyed the story, I had a tough time getting into the writing style - some passages were a bit confusing, and the world building, while set in our world, was a tad difficult to follow. It almost has the elements of a thriller, where the characters know things we do not, some things are implied but not said outright, while at the same time, we are learning other things along with the characters. So it took me a bit to settle into the story. By about half way through, I was invested in the characters and the world, and overall I really enjoyed the story. There are some twists and turns I did not see coming, which added to my enjoyment of the story. Overall, this was an exciting story, and I look forward to more in this series! I would rate this at a 4.5 stars.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Random House Children's - Knopf Books for Young Readers for this exciting book! All opinions are my own.

This book was a bit of a disappointment. It makes me so sad because i genuinely liked the premise. The demons vs demon hunter, fake dating, set in the Vatican City and Rome. It was incredibly unique and very promising. Unfortunately, the execution fell flat. The book was quite chaotic and confusing, the magic systems were difficult to follow and there was an extreme lack of world building to the point that i couldn’t picture anything i was reading. I would go from not understanding what i was reading, to finally getting it, to then being confused a few chapters later. Overall i just continued to feel so lost at times that a DNF was inevitable.

Cruel Is the Light is a beautifully written, epic young adult romantasy with complex characters and fantastic world building. Selene Alleva is not just an exorcist but Rome's most talented and feared exorcist. Jules Lacroix is a soldier, unrivaled on the battlefield, with more death scars than anyone else. While Selene and Jules' worlds are completely different, they are both devoted to defeating the demons plaguing humanity. After an unprecedented, horrific demon attack, Jules is forced to flee and is marked a deserter. When Selene's path collides with Jule's escape, they formulate a plan that will clear Jules' name and save not only Rome but all of humanity. Unfortunately, as secrets are revealed and truths come to light, both Jules and Selene begin questioning everything they thought they knew. Without knowing who to trust and fighting a growing mutual attraction, the two have to ready for war.

The stunning world building, the unique magic system, and the complex, morally gray characters make Cruel Is the Light one of the best books of 2025. The book is action packed with a sprinkling of intimate moments and romance. The dialogue in the book is well-written with the banter between the two main characters making me laugh out loud at times. The characters are all well-developed, including the side characters. Sparrow is one of my favorites and I hope we see a lot more of him in the next book. There are definitely dark themes throughout the book, which should be expected in a book focused on a world of demons, soldiers, and exorcists. I absolutely loved Cruel Is the Light and cannot wait for the sequel!

Huh. This was kind of a shocker to me. I thought this was going to be an instant new favorite. Sadly, it didn't quite click with me.

I wouldn't say anything was particularly bad. It was just...the concepts of everything about the book was incredible, but the execution just wasn't there. I struggled with the writing style, especially at the beginning. It was for some reason pretty confusing to read. Like my brain couldn't make sense of the sentence structures. On top of the confusion, both the plot and the chemistry between the two main characters felt lacking in a way that left me feeling like I wasn't quite sure what I was reading for. Like, what I was actually getting out of the story.

The saving graces were that I liked both the main characters individually, well enough, and the worldbuilding was pretty darn intriguing.

Overall, it just felt like it everything needed more substance, more depth to it, and the writing style needed a bit of cohesive tweeking.

It took me a little bit to get into this story but in the end I was glad I stuck with it. The pacing and relationship development was a little uneven at times and it felt fairly dark and violent for a YA. But I liked the twist on the whole demons vs church element, and the world building was fun. I wanted to love our main couple a little more, but I think I'm invested enough to pick up the second when it comes out! Overall a solid if not sparkling debut.

I will start by honestly saying I had to DNF this book. I hate typically having to do that to a book. I felt it was necessary so I would allow myself to maybe one day go back and attempt to rereading and hopefully completing said book. Reasoning is due to the world building. Maybe it's my own lack of creativity that has trouble keeping up with scene and with the characters. Although the author did add a full list of characters and meaning of they're statuses. I should have known with that list that I wouldn't be able to fully enjoy the story.

Someone that only reads fantasy will probably love this more than I. The opportunity it's a great one is there but unfortunately it wasn't for me.

ARC Review

Cruel is the light
By Sophie Clark
Publish date: May 25, 2025

⭐️⭐️⭐️✨

Thank you @penguinteenca for sending a copy to review ❤️

This is Sophie debut novel in the world YA romantasy.
I absolutely loved the world Sophie created with unique magic and characters.

Selene was the perfect FMC watching her character grow throughout the book was amazing and to see her vulnerabilities. Jules was charming and witty and I was all for it.

My one critique is some of the world building was confusing and it would pull me out of the story. I however loved the glossary at the front of the book that went over all the different parts of the world.

I loved the banter and twists throughout the book. I really enjoyed Sophie’s captivating writing style and look forward to book 2.

Reimagined world where demons exist, and the Vatican and its demon-hunters are responsible for keeping them at bay.

*Romantasy
*rivals to lovers
*fake engagement
*forbidden romance

Conceptually, I found the story to be interesting and fresh. However the execution was a bit off for me, including inconsistent pacing, confusing world-building and a lack of depth to the characters. I also found the writing to be a bit clunky.

I certainly don’t think it is a bad book - but is not keeping my attention enough to get over the smoking/cigarettes.

So I am DNFing at 56%.

I can’t get behind a YA fantasy book that has so many characters smoking cigarettes. At the 56% mark cigarettes have been mentioned at least 20 times. 33 total times within the book according to a search.

I think there is a time and place where smoking in a YA book serves a purpose. However in a fantasy novel like this, its feels like its only purpose is to make the characters seem edgy. In the end it feels like glorifying something that kills 8 million people annually (according to WHO).

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC. All opinions are my own.

This is a book I really wanted to love. Demons and exorcists and hate to love and what have you. The cover was beautiful and well, this was a highly anticipated read.

No one was more disappointed by not liking it than me. I felt like there was so much potential, it had these Underworld vibes but, the scenes didn’t feel organic to me. Things would happen and it just didn’t feel like a natural progression. The characters were okay … but, I felt Jules was overly happy go lucky especially paired with his history and circumstances it just didn’t feel like it meshed. And the vibe between him and Selene was more annoyance than anything. I also felt things skipped around a lot and I had trouble following the stories progression properly.

I really wanted to love this one and I know it’ll find its audience. It just wasn’t for me.

Thank you for Penguin Canada for the opportunity to read early!

Thanks to Sophie Clark, NetGalley, and Random House Children’s for an ARC copy.

DNF

This book felt very crowded at the beginning, Introducing so many names and characters was too much, I didn’t even feel like we got a good introduction to the main character. The pacing of the story was all over the place. The writing style was hard to read, immature, and had excessive cursing. I was looking forward to reading this book but sadly I was thoroughly disappointed, I couldn’t even bring myself to finish it.

A really, really good YA that reminds me of being 16 again and reading Shadow Hunters! Like a lighter version of DaVinci Code, with a savory little romance between our two main characters, Jules and Selena. A bit of cat and mouse/hadd to get while kicking butt and slaying demons. Sophie has a bit of a unique writing style, in my opinion, with eloquent descriptions and pointed sentence structure in the form of run-on and shortened sentences. But it is consistent throughout the book and something i felt added to the tone of the story. It gave the characters a little bit of their life.
I would highly recommend this to older youth (maybe 13 and up?) Because it is a bit darker and has the romance that toes the line of a tad of spice.
I would also recommend this for anyone who is in their parenting era and wants to reminisce or has teens you can share a reading experience with!

Thank you Net Gallery and Penguin House for the ARC, it was such a good little read!

Sophie Clark absolutely killed it with CRUEL IS THE LIGHT. It’s impossible not to read this in one fell swoop. The plot moves at a dizzying speed, and so does the romance. Add this title to your summer reading list, folks.

It took me a little bit to get into this story but in the end I was glad I stuck with it. The pacing and relationship development was a little uneven at times and it felt fairly dark and violent for a YA. But I liked the twist on the whole demons vs church element, and the world building was fun. I wanted to love our main couple a little more, but I think I'm invested enough to pick up the second when it comes out! Overall a solid if not sparkling debut.

Cruel is the Light follows Selene Alleva, an exorcist known as the Butcher of Rome. She spends her days protecting Rome from demons. Jules Lacroix is a soldier for the Vatican, risking his life on the frontlines in France. As the demon attacks rise and the Vatican believes more is going on, Selene and Jules cross paths and spark an immediate attraction and distrust. As they reluctantly work together to figure out what is going on, centuries old secrets are uncovered that change everything.

This was a such a good fantasy!! I loved the demon hunter x soldier aspect—such a fun trope I now want more of. The world the author created is SO fascinating and immersive. It gave some Shadowhunters vibes which I loved. Having it set in an alternate Rome was awesome and the descriptions were beautiful and captivating. There are some slower parts to the plot, but the ending is super intense and leaves you desperate for the sequel.

Selene was such a great mc. She’s so badass and awesome. I loved her confidence and boldness. Jules was so funny and swoony. They’re such a cute couple and I really enjoyed their romance. The fake engagement was so fun!! I loved the friends too. Caterina and Lucia were so amusing, and I wish we saw more of them—hopefully in the sequel.

Overall, if you love fantasies about demons and swoony romances, I’d definitely recommend checking this one out!

Thank you to Penguin Teen CA and Netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review.