3.5 stars rounded up

What to Expect:
- Love to see a bi MMC 🏳️‍🌈
- Reluctant Allies to Lovers 🗡️
- Fake dating
- Really unique magic system
- Demons Vs Exorcists 😈
- Vatican City backdrop
- Love the cover!
- Reverse grumpy sunshine (ala Jude and Carden) 😤😎

Overall, I enjoyed Cruel is the Light. It has a really interesting premise and unique take on Catholicism but with a paranormal / supernatural demons vs exorcists twist. I was a bit confused throughout the book with what’s going on due to switching languages, world-building words not really explained, and POV confusion, but I continued to enjoy it by simply focusing on vibes.

While the book is marketed as YA, I felt like the characters felt older, which is one of the reasons I liked it. I love to see a complicated FMC and a trauma-filled but still very much golden retriever (and bi!) MMC.

Thank you to Sophie Clark, Random House Children's | Knopf Books for Young Readers, and to NetGalley for providing an ebook in exchange for an honest review.

Ugh I put off writing this review for so long because I really didn’t know what to say. I didn’t like this book. It was a tough call between one and two stars because I really really did not like it. However, I could find some redeeming things about it so I landed at two stars.

I found the world building and entire concept to be very confusing. Part of the world is the world we know (sort of a post WWI but if the war was against demons) but then there are fictional countries which have real parallels as well as real countries? For example, France and the Vatican exist but there’s some fake version of an Eastern European nation. Why some countries and not others? There’s no back story there which further served to confuse me.

Next, this is more of a me thing. I’m not a religious person but something about this felt a little icky? I don’t really know how to say it other than that. I’m usually spooked by books / shows about demons and the such but something felt like that about this book and it gave me the creeps in a bad way.

On the same note, the plot twist in the end felt ripped from the Bible (in a bad way). It was so predictable and disappointing.

Needless to say, I would not read the next book in this series. I probably wouldn’t give this author another try unless someone whose opinion I trust really persuaded me. This debut was a great disappointment.

⭐️⭐️

While I adored the premise, there's a LOT going on, as well as a very large cast of characters to follow. The storytelling and prose are well-executed, and the plot it action-packed, but there are moments that can easily lose the reader. A solid attempt at dark YA.

Grumpy v Sunshine
Fake Engagement
Demons
Forced Proximity
Forbidden Romance
Annoyance to Lovers

This was great! A solid idea and really strong relationships! It wold have benefited from a little more in-depth character development but over it was a really strong read!

Cruel is the Light was way darker than expected based on the cover and it being YA... But to be fair some of the most messed up stuff I have ever read was YA (looking at you, Claire Legrand). Be prepared for bodies to drop like flies, lots of religion, and people in power distorting reality to make the narrative fit their desires.

This has average levels of romance, and if you missed Jude/Cardan vibes from The Cruel Prince then you may be in for a little treat. Obviously again, this is YA so don't expect anything super graphic on page. I liked both Selene and Jules for the most part. Their characters were consistent and the banter was bantering.

This was great, but it could have been made better with inclusion of a lot more background. For 500 pages, this was both too much information and not nearly enough. Kairos and Elysian demons (?) are mentioned, and yet we know NOTHING about if/how they are different or why they were in the human realm at all? There is also a ton of stuff happening that has 0 explanation or feels like someone is stage-whispering "it's fine, don't question it!". Unfortunately, I am going to question it and the more I thought about anything in this book, the more I was like ????????? We also start in a war and yet less than halfway through the book this war feels entirely forgotten.

Confusion and lack of clarification aside, this had good vibes and I would happily read the sequel if only to see Selene threaten Jules at knifepoint more and maybe a bi Jules get flustered by more attractive individuals.

As always, thanks to NetGalley, Random House Children's, and Knopf Books for Young Readers for providing an eARC of Cruel Is the Light by Sophie Clark in exchange for this honest review!

This book throws you right into a creepy world!

In a world at war with demons, a powerful exorcist and an elite soldier fake an engagement to investigate a wave of dangerous attacks.

The world building was intense, with a constant sense of danger that kept the tension high.

I ended up loving both Jules and Selene, not just as a couple but as complex characters on their own. Their chemistry and banter worked so well.

I’m especially excited to see how Selene’s powers develop in the next book!

There were a lot of characters in the mix and I found myself enjoying every single one.

If you love high stakes romance, rich worlds, and characters you can root for, this one is a must read.

Thank you NetGalley and Get Underlined for the ARC.

I really thought I was going to love this book but it left me so confused. I found it really hard to follow along with the story when it was being told in 3rd person and you didn’t know what person you were following along with. The story moved so quickly that it left me confused on what was going on at some points. It felt like the dialogue wasn’t flowing smoothly at some points.

I really enjoyed the world building and the banter between the FMC and the MMC but I think there needs to be some adjustments to the writing style to make it flow better so it’s less confusing to follow. I really had to push through to finish this book and it shouldn’t have been like that. i wish i had a better experience with this book because i was excited to read it but i just didn’t.

the world building was fun, the story was great even if a hair aimless at points in the middle, and the characters were cool. 4 stars. tysm for the arc.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The atmosphere, characters and world-building of this book were really enjoyable to me. The entire vibe of the world at war with demons was dark and intense, not what I expected coming into this book, but it was well-written.

I ended up loving Jules and Selene both individually and together and their relationship was understanding? That is such a deviation from romantic fantasies lately which tend to give the main couple issues just for the sake of it. I really, really loved how Jules and Selene worked out.

The side characters also had unique personalities and I would love to see more of Caterina, Lucia, Sparrow and Eliot in the sequel.

Ultimately, the only issue I had with this book is it felt like pieces of the narration were missing, like we were jumping around and skipping moments. I already have a tough time picturing what’s going on in books and in this one I had no idea.

Overall, a really good read, and don’t let the pretty cover fool you! This is an intense story!

I’m going to be brutally honest if this book wasn’t Fairyloots January YA pick this would’ve been a DNF for me. But I just had to know if I need to splurge on the pretty version. And it saddens me that I won’t be splurging because the Fairyloot edition is stunning.

Regretfully though this one wasn’t for me. Which honestly shocks me. Reading the description everything checks out for things I love in a Romantasy book. But the overall plot and execution just wasn’t there. Like I mentioned earlier I struggled with this one. The pacing was slow, the world building was confusing and lacking. I think if the magic system had been more fleshed out and developed the story would’ve flowed much better.

Then we have our character’s. Which is usually my favorite part of any story. However, our characters had no real depth to them. Making it impossible to attach myself to any of them. I was secretly hoping the romance aspect between the MFC & MMC would turn the book around. But even that was asking too much. The chemistry was lacking and their relationship between them felt forced and often times cringe worthy.

Overall, sadly this book just wasn’t for me. Which still really sucks because I was really looking forward to this one. Which brings me to the last part, would I recommend? Unfortunately no, nor will I be reading the sequel. Lastly big thank you to Penguin Books & NetGalley for providing me an arc to read and review!

After reading the first 20% of this book I decided to DNF. This one just isn't for me, I was also under the impression that this was a standalone, but now it is labeled as book 1 of a series on Goodreads.
The first couple chapters were intriguing, and I really enjoyed the detailed character chart at the beginning of the book. That said, there was a lot of info being dropped in the very beginning and both characters seem to be very special/different and not like everyone else. I was having trouble following the lore/magic/politics as well. This had a lot of potential, I just didn't feel invested enough to continue.

2.5 rounded to 3 Stars.
This really did have a lot of promise. The first 40% was entertaining, if a bit juvenile. Then it immediately switched to romantasy fodder, interspersed with a bit of plot.

Jules being a demon was seen from a mile away and the Uncle character being corrupt was easy to spot too. The random Latin and French words really felt disconnected from the story and since this was a fantasy world I'm a little confused as to why they were included.

This setting is ripe for a better fantasy series. Van Helsing for demons in a Catholic setting is awesome, but deserves a more developed plot.

A fun romantasy full of angst, tension, and adventure. I am eager to see what happens in the next installment!

Cruel is the Light is an upper YA romantic fantasy taking place in an alternate history Europe where the Vatican Empire wages a war with demons.

Selene is the most powerful of the Exorcists with mysterious power embedded in her bones. But even her power isn't enough when she faces a duke of Hell, Baliel. Nearly defeated, she is saved by a foot soldier, Jules, who seems too powerful for an ordinary human. Yet his past is a mystery. The two of them invent a fake dating, fake identity scheme to infiltrate the heart of Vatican to discover the secret behind Jules' invincibility and unravel the plans of Baliel. What follows is a lot of romantic tension, big reveals and dramatic battles.

The romance plot was well developed, the protagonists likeable, and the setting unique, since it's neither fully historical nor fully a fantasy world.

My only complaint is the book feels too long for the amount of story contained in it. It could have been edited down a bit. I also hope Selene's powers are better explained in the sequel, because currently it's not clear how did she obtain them and how do these work exactly. Nonetheless, this was an entertaining read.

I wonder whether the author ever played the Diablo video game series, because some of the lore behind demons and humans reminded me of it.

I would recommend it for ages 16+ due to bloody & violent scenes, romance that doesn't fade to black, foul language, alcohol and tobacco use (the characters are 18+ and it takes place in Europe so I assume they're legal to drink).

I received an ARC from Netgalley & Knopf Books for Young Readers for the purpose of leaving a honest review.

I adore stories about demons and angels. Light and dark. Good verses evil. Especially when the sides and warped and twisted. Those where, in the end, you don't really know which is which.
The large ensemble cast of characters was extremely well done. I adored them all. From Lucia and Caterina, to Sparrow and Kian. I loved the duel POVs.

I really wanted to love this book. I think the premise is so interesting and I loved the groundwork at the beginning breaking down the empire, the important classifications and players, and the Dramatis Personae. There were so many interesting tidbits there relating to who the characters could be and their relationships to each other and the world and plot but it ultimately felt like I was given a really cool D&D guidebook but was disappointed by the actual gameplay.

The anime vibes are strong in this and I don’t think that’s necessarily a bad thing but the way the story is paced and the way the characters are developed, it’s an anime that I would love to watch hours of 2000’s style AMVs for but not necessarily the source material.

The Evangelion vibes were obvious but endearing but the alternate history, FGO-style inclusion of Anastasia as one of the demons lost me a little. Without name-dropping anyone else like this, it felt really disjointed and unnecessary. I think including other historical figures could have been a cool angle but by just using Anastasia and for so briefly it felt a little pointless.

I never truly connected to Selene and Jules as the main characters in the same way that I felt immediately connected to some of the side characters, like Sparrow, Caterina, Kian, and Elliot. But these characters were all off page for the majority of the book and I would have liked to have seen more of them.

That all said, I adored the side characters and the last 40% or so was much more quickly paced and I found myself a lot more engaged. I would definitely read the sequel if some of the side characters, especially Sparrow, are going the be playing a bigger role and I am curious to learn more about the College.

Important side note- there is a lot of self harm in this book. It’s not graphic but references to it are much more frequent than I was expecting based off of the content warning. I think that it could do with a stronger/more clear content warning than what’s provided.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Children’s Books for the ARC!!!

First and foremost, thank you to the publisher for providing an e-ARC of this title. I absolutely love this author—her storytelling never fails to pull me in. I had such a fun time exploring the world she created in this book. The unique and engaging magic system always kept me guessing, which made the reading experience all the more enjoyable. It was immersive, inventive, and full of charm. A solid four-star read, and yet another reason I’ll keep returning to this author’s work.

This was one of my most anticipated releases since the cover dropped because it was gorgeous. The premise sounded perfect for me too! Demon hunting, fake dating, powerful FMC, all of my favorite things. Unfortunately, it didn't end up working for me. I was confused for the most part with the hierarchy of the demons/exorcist AND I wasn't interested in the characters at all. So sad about it, but maybe it will work for others! As always, im still so appreciative and thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC!

I had a really fun time reading this. The world-building was super intriguing and I really enjoyed how the author puts a new and refreshing twist on demons and religion. It's action-packed and kept my attention. Selene and Jules were compelling characters and the banter between them was amusing to read. The story was a bit confusing in the beginning with the extensive info-dump, and constantly flipping back to the first few pages explaining the different positions within the Vatican took me out of reading. The plot was easy to follow and full of action but was a bit predictable. Regardless, this was a fast and entertaining read if you enjoy romantasy.

This book was actually one of my most anticipated reads this year, so I was really thrilled when I got approved for the ARC. The cover looked stunning, and the premise sounded super promising, so it’s a bit of a letdown that the execution didn’t quite hit the mark. I usually enjoy fantasy stories involving exorcists and demons, so I was hoping for some solid world-building here. But honestly, the way the world was explained felt confusing at times. I had to go back and reread some parts just to make sense of what was happening.

The characters didn’t really stand out to me either. They felt kind of flat, and I think giving them more backstory could’ve made them way more compelling. The romance was another thing that didn’t quite work. I’m a big fan of fake relationship plots and love a good grumpy-sunshine dynamic, and I did enjoy the initial banter between Jules and Selene. But it just jumped straight into “we’re in love”, and it didn’t feel earned. A slower build-up would’ve helped a lot in making their connection feel real.

Pacing-wise, it also felt a bit uneven, and I won’t lie, the glossary at the beginning was kind of overwhelming. That said, I do appreciate the Roman setting and the way the story touches on themes like religion and belief. It definitely had potential and some interesting twists. So while this wasn’t a standout read for me, it wasn’t a complete miss either. I’m still curious enough that I might check out the sequel and see where things go from here.