I was in the biggest reading slump before picking up this book, and this story instantly cured it. The idea and concept of this story was so creative, and I physically could not put it down.

I really enjoyed watching Selene’s character grow throughout the story. She comes across as ruthless, but we soon learn that she’s very complex and misunderstood. The relationship between her and Jules was so addicting. Their personalities were so different, yet complemented each other perfectly.

This book also has an incredible cast of side characters. I’m so excited to see how their roles play out in the next book.

I highly recommend if you like:
Young adult romantasy
Enemies to lovers
Reverse grumpy x sunshine
Forced proximity
Only one bed
Fake engagement
Knife to throat

Okay, Cruel is the light has been on my TBR ever since I saw the epic cover and heard demons vs exorcists and forbidden love! I mean that’s just right up my alley and, no surprise, I ended up enjoying it!

I will say that it took a little while for me to feel invested (probably because I didn’t connect super well with the FMC). There was some info-dumping and pacing issues at first that contributed to this as well, but once I got about a third into the book, it held my interest and attention more. I did think it had really cool world-building, but I wished that had been a bit more developed.

This story is full of secrets, corruption, betrayal, political maneuvering, and action-packed with fighting and battles! I loved the Dual POV! I always enjoy how that highlights the pining and the angst in a forbidden romance or fake engagement trope (and this one had both—which I was excited about because I love both of those tropes). The dual POV also helps highlight their inner conflict when keeping secrets, etc. Though, I did feel like the angst could’ve been played up a bit more—like Selene found out the big reveal about Jules and didn’t really seem to care all that much and I felt like that could’ve been a bigger thing. I did feel like the big reveals were pretty predictable, but I will say that the nuance of the twists and some smaller twists I did not predict. Like I definitely saw some things coming, but I did not anticipate them playing out quite how they did, etc. I also enjoyed the reverse grumpy/sunshine dynamics with Jules’ playfulness and flirtiness to Selene’s seriousness. That said, both MCs were complex characters which I appreciated!

A benefit of being behind on ARCs is that I was also able to listen to the audiobook for this one! It’s in dual narration (well, technically there are 3 narrators) and I thought the narrators did a great job bringing the characters to life and differentiating between the various characters with different accents and tone of voice, etc. I also was not bothered by her male voices or his female voices (it didn’t sound cheesy or cringey as it can be in some other dual audiobooks). So, while I will always prefer duet narration over dual, I did think this one was really well done as far as dual narration goes!

If you like K-Pop Demon Hunters, you might enjoy this one! This book delivers somewhat similar vibes. Though, it’s less pop-star, more soldiers in a war-torn world haha.

Thank you to Sophie Clark, Random House Children’s, and NetGalley for allowing me to read an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

I really enjoyed this. The concept was really cool, with the demons, and the Vatican controlling everything, and the war between them. The characters were really well done and I really liked how each of them had hidden depths and was much more than met the eye, even the side characters. The plot twists had me reeling in the best possible way and really opened up the story as it progressed.

I can't wait for the sequel so I can learn more about the history between the demons and the Vatican and see how Selene and Jules manage to be together. Because I simply won't accept any other possibility.

This is romantasy in the Cruel Prince and Ember in the Ashes vein and I am here for it. Give me all the political intrigue and plot twists. And romance of course.

And shoutout to the incomparable audiobook narrating team of Steve West and Fiona Hardingham. Their performance was brilliant as always and really enhanced my enjoyment of the story.

*Thanks to Knopf Books for Young Readers for providing an early copy for review.

I don't really read Young Adult anymore, but this cover is so beautiful I just couldn't resist. That being said, this book wasn't really for me. The writing style is not one I'm used to and the pacing needs some serious work. The characters reminded me why I don't pick up Young Adult anymore: they felt so immature and I just could not connect with them. I know, I know, I am not the targeted demographic for this books, and I accept that, but even so, they got on my nerves more than anything. Like, I teach high school, so I know firsthand how annoying and childish teenagers can be, but these characters were too much for me. All in all, this was an okayish read, but not something I'll recommend to friends, though I may recommend it to some of my students.

The synopsis/blurb for this book gave me such high expectations and I have a bit of a hard time reviewing it because maybe I set my expectations TOO high and that isn't fair. I don't by any means think this is a bad book--it has great qualities to be sure, but sometimes, overhyping a book can make me feel let down when it doesn't match my expectations. I wish I had gone into this blindly.

I really wanted to love this book because it had so much going for it—a brutal war between humans and demons, a cool magic system with exorcists and different demons, and plenty of political intrigue. But the execution fell flat for me. The pacing was all over the place, and the plot felt disjointed and confusing. At times, it seemed like the demons attacked the plot itself because there wasn’t much to follow.

Selene, the supposed “Butcher of Rome,” felt way underdeveloped—I never really saw why she was so feared or powerful. Jules was definitely the highlight: charming, brave, and fun to read, but even their relationship lacked real chemistry, except for a few moments on a train. Honestly, Jules had more spark with another character than with Selene. The fake engagement and grumpy-sunshine dynamic started well but fizzled quickly.

The writing was complicated and repetitive, making it hard to keep up, and so many characters were introduced only to be killed off quickly without much emotional impact. The side characters and some of the early demon scenes were interesting, but the story never fully grabbed me. It had potential but missed the mark for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for this e-arc in exchange for my honest review!

I am incredibly conflicted about how to rate this one - it was an anticipated read of 2025 for me, but what I read didn't align with what I had expected. The writing felt off to me; the descriptions seemed wholly fake and contradictory to the way they were described, and the dialogue was just plain dull. It didn't feel like natural conversations between characters and instead felt as though it was words place in quotation marks. The world building also was not great and quite frankly the glossary did absolutely nothing to help with understanding the world. It was for sure something that needed to be focused on a bit more to really make it work.

This book also started off FAST! There was a lot of action right at the start and then it slowly just... ended? Was rather strange to me, but it did keep me reading.

I mainly just loved Jules - Jules is brave and kind. Selene is a beautiful fierce woman and they made a really incredible pair! Where she's soft, he's not, and vice versa which was really fun to read and explore as the characters learned that about themselves as well. Their banter was fun and witty and I LOVED how Sophie Clark wrote the dual POV's and had them switching back and forth within the same chapter which allowed you to read both perspectives - I wish more books would do that!

Overall, I liked the book - I enjoyed it for what it was but wish that there had been more development and fine tuning to make it an epic novel.

This was a quick read for me. Honestly it felt a little like a cross from the animes Demonslayer and Vanitas, which I loved. Cruel Is the Light is a good start for a new series with interesting magic and worldbuilding, though it is very light on these aspects (I really want a deeper dive into these for the next books)

I loved the two leads. Selene is a bit of a grump, but Jules was a great counter to her. Sparrow was also very intriguing and I can't wait to see more of him along with the rest of the crew.

The most fascinating part for me was the little glimpses of the demon hierarchy and what it truly is. I really wanted more of that, but I expect the second book will reveal much more. I look forward to continuing the series and seeing how Selene and Jules struggle with their new world views.

Cruel is the Light is the epitome of a three star book, and I mean that in the most positive and negative sense possible. I’m genuinely so stumped on how to rate this book because I don’t understand how a book could be simultaneously interesting and so, SO frustrating.

The most positive thing I can say is that the vibes of this book are immaculate because Clark really delivered on the demon-hunting Vatican setting. It’s kind of like if The Infernal Devices took place in late 19th century Rome and was more romantasy than fantasy, if that makes sense. The worldbuilding is definitely a little under-explained in the book because it lets the glossary and cast of characters do the heavy-lifting in the beginning (which definitely was a little irritating since we shouldn’t be relying on glossaries for information), but once the alternate demon-hunting religion was explained a bit further it definitely intrigued me. I loved the idea that the current demon-hunting religion with the Deathless God is implied to have supplanted Roman Catholicism once “God” came to Earth to defend humans and lives in a perpetual state of passion, but I wished Clark could have made this a little clearer in the book and expanded upon the framework. There’s lots of references to “the old religion” (aka Roman Catholicism) but I wasn’t really seeing how that framework was reworked to encapsulate the Deathless God and demon-hunting aspect. I understand that Clark was likely trying to avoid real-life parallels between her fictional religion and irl Roman Catholicism, but I think the worldbuilding would have been more interesting if she’d gone a bit more in-depth and worked the fictional religion into Catholicism, especially if things like St. Peter’s Basilica and the Vatican necropolis exist in the book.

I have a love-hate relationship with the actual plot and characters. I’ve never been a huge romantasy reader because I find most of the genre too derivative and the tropes shoehorned in, so I found it best to just turn off my brain and enjoy the trope-y fluff in this book. It checks literally all the romantasy microtrope boxes, from knife to throat to sexually/romantically-charged sparing to the FMC’s tight fighting leathers to the MMC in a wet shirt. It’s all a bit silly, but I had fun if I just let myself ignore the irrationality of it all. Thankfully, this book didn’t feel overstuffed in every trope under the sun because Clark successfully spaced them out with more thoughtful investigations of religious fanaticism and trauma. The main characters Selene and Jules were both serviceable leads and had decent compatibility, though I didn’t feel a deep connection with either because a lot of their trauma and interiority is told (rather than shown) to the reader. Even though Selene doesn’t quite live up to her violent reputation as the Butcher of Rome on page, she was definitely uncompromising and wasn’t afraid to make difficult but practical tactical decisions. I enjoyed how Jules was able to challenge her black-white morality, but I wish it was also reciprocal because I felt Jules didn’t change or emotionally grow as much as Selene. All in all, the plot and characters are just serviceable—nothing awful or bland, but also not very complex or interesting outside of their archetypes…kind of like the rest of this book lol.

Where this book really faltered was the aimless writing and inconsistent pacing. It took literally 30% of the book for the two characters to even meet, and the intrigue of their first meeting was immediately stifled by over five chapters of them having a prolonged conversation on a train. This book is on the longer side for YA fantasy, and while I’m all for long books that use the extra word count to delve deeper into the themes, Cruel is the Light remained frustratingly surface-level. There’s dozens of prolonged, meaningless conversations between characters that really could have been streamlined as well as random descriptions and flashbacks that completely took the flow out of the scene. The pacing improves in the second half of the book once, you know, the actual plot that was promised in the synopsis starts happening, but it really shouldn’t have taken twenty chapters to get there. My patience was wearing thin in the beginning after chapters upon chapters of set-up and random character introductions (only for them to get killed off or transported to some irrelevant, far off location), and even the (predictable) plot twists didn’t truly capture my attention. If this wasn’t an ARC I probably would have DNF’d in the first 20%, which is ultimately a shame because I found the second half to be quite interesting and with better pacing (though the build-up to the climax and the final fight scene were also inexplicably long). If Clark had cut 10k words, this book would have been much tighter and more intriguing.

There’s also quite a few debut author mistakes that I’d be willing to overlook had Clark not been given the word count she was. A debut YA fantasy over 400 pages is literally a gift, so I can’t understand why there wasn’t more efficient use of all the extra pages/words. Instead, spends way too much time introducing characters, locations, and other general worldbuilding mythology that has no purpose outside of a scene or two. I understand that this world is epic and international in scope, but it’s really not necessary to have as many characters introduced by name as this book did. The bright side is that I didn’t end up DNF’ing (I was on the verge so many times) because Clark just barely managed to keep things interesting, but I would have expected more from an author—even a debut one—who had as many editors and resources poured into a book marketed as the next big YA romantasy. At its core, this book has all the right elements, but there was simply too much fluff for me, and as a debut author, I’m not familiar enough with Clark’s writing style to give her much leeway.

Speaking of YA romantasy, I’m a little confused about this book’s age categorization. I think the publisher did a decent job at specifying there’s crossover potential, but this book felt more like adult with mature YA crossover appeal (and not the other way around). There’s a generous amount of profanity, smoking, and one short but open-door sex scene that felt like this book was trying to be edgy YA instead of a romantasy with a dark thematic edge. I would have loved to see a version of this book that was written more for adults with YA crossover appeal (a la Daughter of the Moon Goddess) because the content would have felt more appropriate and thoughtful rather than edgy. It would have also allowed for a deeper and darker investigation of the religious commentary, which I was really clamoring for as Selene began to question her zealotry.

Overall, I’m pretty ambivalent about this book (as the insane length of this review indicates) because it was somehow good but not lol. I’ll probably read the sequel because Clark clearly has interesting ideas and complex concepts, but there’s still a *lot* of room for improvement for the technical execution (writing, pacing, etc.) of a story. At the end of the day, I stuck with this book and finished it, so that’s got to count for something, right…?

3/5 stars
Thank you to Knopf Books for Young Readers (Random House Children’s) for the e-ARC! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Huge thanks to Random House Children’s / Knopf Books for Young Readers for the eARC via NetGalley 💌

✦ tropes:
🔮 Demon Wars
🥀 Forbidden Love
🔮 Fake Engagement
🥀 Enemies-to-Lovers
🔮 Dual POV (Third-Person)
🥀 Gothic / Vatican Secrets

Had a lot of potential for themes and tropes I tend to love in books. This was incredibly slow paced and the characters unfortunately did not hit for me. The executions was a bit off for me. The romance reads a bit more New Adult than Young Adult, which was a win for me. Overall it wasn't for me but I think if you enjoy the pacing and connect with the characters, it could be a win for others.

*Thank you to Random House Children's and NetGalley for this eARC; the review is my own.*

3.5 stars

I really wanted to like this book more, truly I did. The premise sounds fantastic, and the cover art is beautiful. But it was just so chaotically written that the story and the timeline was difficult to follow. Just when I'd think I was figuring things out, everything would get confusing again. I found myself going back and repeating sections just to figure out what had happened. It's really quite sad since I liked the characters and the story was compelling. The execution wasn't the best. That said, I will likely read the sequel anyway because I'm interested enough to see where it goes and how it ends.

Although this is marketed as a young adult book, I wouldn't classify it as one, at least not in the way that "young adult" has become synonymous with "teen" in terms of literature. Selene (17) was a high-ranking exorcist for the Vatican (she was nicknamed the Butcher of Rome), and Jules (19) was a soldier in the infantry. To be honest, they both felt like they were in the early 20s instead of late teens. I liked them together and appreciated the lengths they went to in order to protect one another. The brief suggestion of another possible love interest for Jules was totally unnecessary, in my opinion. It came out of nowhere and felt forced.

I found the different ranks of demons to be interesting, as was the . . . shall I say misplaced mythology of the exorcists' deities? I still have a lot of questions, but I'm not sure how many of those are because they've been intentionally left unanswered for the sequel and how many of them are things that were just plain confusing. Either way, I'll add the sequel to my interest list and keep an eye out for it.

How it ends: (view spoiler)

Language: Yes, including f words
Violence: Mostly fantasy type, but a guy gets his arms ripped off, demons get branded
Drugs & alcohol: Drinking, smoking (gross)
Physical intimacy: Some semi-open door sex scenes
LGB: At least two gay/bi characters

3.5/5 stars

Summary: In a world ravaged by a century-long war between humans and demons, two elite warriors—Selene Alleva, a Vatican-trained exorcist, and Jules Lacroix, a fearsome orphan soldier—are forced into an uneasy alliance. As a cover for their investigation into a wave of strange demon attacks, they enter a fake engagement and travel to Vatican City. Amid mounting danger and buried secrets, Jules begins to question his identity, while Selene must choose between her growing love for him and her sacred duty.

This is the first book in the Cruel Light duology, and I didn't love it, nor did I hate it. The premise is quite cool - demons and demon hunters, with the descriptions of "normal humans" being used as wartime collateral. The Vatican is a great example of a corrupt government and how the viewpoints of a few powerful people can effectively change an entire belief system. The opening to this book, before Selene and Jules actually meet, had me on the edge of my seat and read as a horror/action novel. However, the pacing significantly slowed, making it tough for me to follow the story. I could make out the general plot, but the small moments sometimes felt disjointed, which had me going back a couple of pages each time to make sure I hadn't zoned out and missed something. The chemistry, especially coming from Jules, was great and felt like it grew throughout the story, which I like much better than insta-lust (which, okay, they were attracted to each other right away, but it took time to take some barriers down). I also liked the majority of the side characters, especially Sparrow, but there were a bit too many names for me to keep track of.

Will I be reading the second book? Sure - like I said, I really enjoyed the concept.

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Random House, and Sophie Clark for allowing me early access to an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

As a former Catholic, all the biblical references were fun. I enjoyed the overall atmosphere of the novel and was totally shocked by what was in the church. I first thought that Selene didn't want to go in because she didn't like the whole church aspect of being an exorcist but... damn, I wouldn't want to go in either if the body of an immortal was in the church. Part of what bugged me was the character descriptions in the beginning and how one of the girls Bernadette (? I think was her name) was mentioned but then died ten pages in. I didn't think she needed to be on that list if she literally wasn't going to be mentioned literally anywhere else. I also didn't appreciate how Selene literally sacrifices her teammates arm just so she doesn't have to use her power. I don't like anyone who wouldn't try to help someone else, even if it's at their own cost. She is their Captain, their leader and it felt like she was sacrificing them "for the greater good".

firstly, thank you to the publisher for an arc!

4.5 stars — kicking myself for not reading this sooner because this was so original and intriguingly action-packed!

i believe this is the first time i’ve ever read a YA fantasy novel revolving around the vatican, and cruel is the light takes catholicism as those familiar with it and spins it on its head.

cruel is the light is full of secrets and betrayal from religious leaders and family, demonic magic, and perhaps my favorite trope enemies to lovers (exorcist vs demon)

i’m excited for book two!!

not to mention my fairyloot edition is gorgina

Selene is a holy warrior with a heart encased in Vatican steel. Jules is a battlefield golden boy with a past full of shadows and secrets. Put them in the same room? Sparks. Put them in a fake engagement while investigating apocalyptic demon attacks? Immediate romantic combustion. Neither of them is prepared for what they’re feeling—or what they’re about to uncover.

This book has it all:
⚔️ Knife-to-throat banter
🔥 Tension so thick you could exorcise it
💔 The slowest of slow burns
🩸 A world of demons, secrets, and moral grayness
💍 A fake fiancé plotline that is violently unholy in all the best ways

What sets it apart is how deeply it commits to its themes: love vs. duty, truth vs. legacy, and the aching terror of wanting someone you were trained to destroy. Jules and Selene are so doomed and so in love, it physically hurts—and you will absolutely thank the book for hurting you.

If you like your romance forbidden, your battles epic, and your protagonists permanently one moment away from either kissing or stabbing each other, this is your next obsession.

Enemies to lovers? More like blasphemously fated.

The premise of this book was really interesting. I loved the demons versus the demon hunters based in Rome. The book was very atmospheric.

The writing was easy to read and the character development was done well so I was invested in each main character. However, I wish there was more development in the relationships.

It was a fun read but it was missing that addictive quality.

3.5 stars!

This was very fun! My favorite parts were definitely the religious aspects and investigation. I also liked the reinterpretation of Ancient Rome and Medieval Europe. I do think the pacing was a bit odd at parts, and I didn't really buy into the romance, but I think the plot and the setting really made up for that. I'm still very interested and would be open to reading the sequel!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This book felt overly ambitious. The writing style, pacing, and genre all clash, resulting in a work that has potential and missed the mark. It feels like there's so much meat missing, but the book is still 450 pages. While the premise is interesting, the novel just feels so surface level and shallow that it wasn't particularly engaging.

Rating: ⭑ ⭑ ⭑ .5

Cruel Is the Light is the first in an epic fantasy novel duology about a demon hunter and a foot soldier during a war amongst demons. Selene Alleva is a high-ranking exorcist who crosses paths with Jules Lacroix, an orphan who is incredibly skilled in fighting and was recruited to the Vatican.

I want to talk about a few things I really enjoyed about this book. The way Jules kept fawning over Selene at any moment he could (Especially when he had a knife to his throat? Okay, period). Seeing the side of Selene that apparently no one knew about, except for Jules. And of course, the enemies to lovers trope.

I love a dual POV, but at times I was confused as to what was happening and how it all tied together. There were times where I had to reread a page because some things just jumped out of left field.

It may have been better to separate this into a three book series… It seemed as if there was a lot of information dumping here. I can’t believe I’m saying this but, I wish I knew a little less? I love finding out about new magic and plot twists, but it’s almost like the information was just handed to me on a silver platter. I want to be shown and not always told.

In all, I feel that it had a really great concept. The vibe and the world building is what pulled me in the most. I liked the magic system and that it fed into how the main characters felt and acted. This could have been better if there was just a bit more editing.

Thank you Random House Children’s | KnopfBooks for Young Readers for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

While I am sure "Cruel is the Light" has its fans, I couldn't quite get over the "God created demons" part. I just found myself scoffing at that so much. It was literally the beginning of the book. When we read the apocrypha and the bible, we learn that Elohim created man and woman. Woman slept with messengers aka the Watchers or Angels. Thus, the creation of giants happened and when those giants died, they became evil spirits who torment beings on earth. After I read that initial statement, I just could not take this book seriously.

Thank you NetGalley, the author, and publisher for this arc!