I DNF'd this book for reasons that may be a me issue. One of the things that I do not like is when fantasy books start off with information dumping, just page after page, and introduce the characters in a very clinical way, almost, and that's what this book started with. It was like a table of contents for the plot, and it really turned the book into what felt like a textbook. The plot seemed great, and this may be something I try again in the future, as tastes change. From the writing I did read, I liked the flow and style that the author had, and would read maybe a lower fantasy from the same author.

I think this book had a unique world and magic system. I enjoyed reading about demons and exorcisms and how it ties in Christianity. It however lost me in the last 25% of the book. I was just confused and lost interest in the characters and the ending.

In Cruel Is the Light, a centuries-old war between demons and the Vatican rages. Selene, a powerful exorcist, and Jules, a skilled soldier with secrets of his own, are forced into a fake engagement to investigate a spike in demonic attacks. But their uneasy alliance soon teeters into forbidden attraction, with dangerous consequences.

I really wanted to love this. The cover? Georgeous. The premise? Awesome. A gritty demon war, Vatican conspiracy, fake engagement, and a demon-hunting heroine? Sign me up. But the execution didn’t quite fully hit the mark for me.

The Rome setting and supernatural vibes were cool, and I did enjoy Jules—he had charm, depth, and just enough mystery. Selene, on the other hand, didn’t fully land for me. Her character felt a bit stiff and underdeveloped, which made it hard to connect with her or really buy into the story.

The POV shifts were also a bit rough—sudden, frequent, and confusing enough that I sometimes wasn’t sure who was talking or what was happening.

And while the world had potential, the info-dump-heavy opening and vague rules around magic made it hard to get fully immersed.

It also leaned WAY more YA than I expected, and some moments felt overly tropey.

Still, if you like angsty tension, Vatican intrigue, and morally gray characters, there’s enough here to keep you intrigued—just go in with patience and a love for slow-burn chaos.

Tropes:
-Demon hunters
-Humans vs demons
-Fake engagement
-Enemies to lovers
-Forbidden romance
-Forced proximity
-Secret identity
-Hidden legacy
-Supernatural conspiracy
-Light hints of found family

I received and ARC of Cruel is the Light from NetGalley.

I was initially drawn in by the beautiful cover art, however, the blurb was also very intriguing.

It's set in Rome where demons are a constant threat to humans and the only beings able to fight them are exorcists. Our FMC, Selene, is one of the highest ranking exorcists and has noticed an increase in demon attacks in Rome. While trying to get to the bottom of it, she crosses paths with our MMC, Jules, a French soldier.

They have to work together to uncover secrets of the Vatican, demons, and Jules' past. There's a good ole fashion fake-dating/engaged plot which is always fun.

I really enjoyed this book. The worldbuilding was great and I want to find out more about the demons and their past. Selene and Jules' chemistry was palpable and their romance believable.

I'm looking forward to the next book!

I really enjoyed 'Cruel is the Light' by Sophie Clark. I ended up reading it in one sitting, which is unusual for me, and that's a testament to how engaging the story is. The book stuck with me even after I finished it - I had dreams about it, and the characters were still fresh in my mind. I loved the fresh take on exorcisms and demons; Clark's approach was unique and captivating. The plot had some great twists that I didn't see coming, and while some were more predictable, others caught me completely off guard. The characters were well-developed and likable, with distinct personalities that shone through in their interactions. I appreciated the dynamics between them and enjoyed watching their relationships grow. It’s a book I would happily read again, and again. I also enjoyed the life lessons that can be seen between the pages.

I got this from Netgalley in exchange for my review. I liked this book, but not as much as I hoped I would. I loved the magic system and the demon hunting aspect as well as the setting in Rome, The Vatican, St Peter’s Basilica, so many good visuals.

I liked the demon hunters and the action parts, but I felt like after the first part of the book that really fizzled out and became something else that didn’t intrigue me as much.

I enjoyed the characters but again I felt like I wasn’t as connected to them as I should have been. The action in the end got more interesting but unsure how the story will continue. I liked the premise a lot but it didn’t hit me as much as I would have liked.

3 ⭐️⭐️⭐️-

Huge thank you to Random House Children's for giving me a chance to read this book via eARC on Netgalley!
I really liked the premise of this book. I got the eARC a couple months ago but had a hard time getting into the story so I waited until the audiobook was released. I enjoyed the audiobook, I felt that it really helped with the confusion I was experiencing when physically reading it. The story took me until around 25-ish percent before I was really drawn in. Which is not bad but I would've loved to be drawn in a lot sooner. I feel as though Selene and Jules had virtually no chemistry and then bam, they were in love. Which was odd to me but I did like them together. I think that with this being the first book, there's a lot of room for improvement. I will most likely pick up the next book to see how it builds upon what was in this book.

Tropes:
✨Enemies to lovers
🌙Forbidden Love
⭐️Fake Engagement
🌙 Dual POV (Third Person)

*Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an early review copy*

Sophie Clark’s Cruel is the Light plunges readers straight into the action from the first page—there's no slow build-up going on here! The opening chapter throws us headfirst into a brutal demon attack, setting a high-stakes tone for a story full of magic, monsters, and moral dilemmas. It’s an intense start that promises a sweeping romantasy, and while the book delivers on atmosphere and ambition, it doesn’t always stick the landing.

Set in a world where exorcists trained by the Vatican fight a centuries-long war against demons, the novel introduces us to Selene Alleva, a by-the-book exorcist, and Jules Lacroix, a brooding, battle-worn orphan. The two are reluctantly paired together through a fake engagement in order to investigate a troubling rise in demonic attacks. Their uneasy alliance slowly evolves into something more, with all the classic enemies-to-lovers tension you’d expect.

What stood out most for me were the thoughtful details at the beginning of the book—particularly the character charts. They helped anchor me in the story and gave a clear sense of who was who in this complex world. Clark’s world-building is also a highlight: Vatican City is rendered with a gothic, reverent edge, and the lore around demons and exorcists is rich and compelling.

However, the novel stumbles in its pacing. The breakneck start eventually gives way to uneven momentum, and the romantic arc, while filled with potential, feels a bit rushed and trope-heavy at times. Some emotional moments don’t get the breathing room they need, and I occasionally wished for more internal development rather than external plot twists.

Verdict: A solid YA romantasy with immersive world-building, compelling aesthetics, and a promising central romance—but one that sometimes prioritizes pace over depth.

I had high hopes for Cruel is the Light as the synopsis somewhat reminded me of Wicked Saints. The beginning was filled with action before transitioning to a much slower pace alternating between Selene and Jules. The writing style was difficult to follow as multiple characters would be in a scene and yet I had no idea who was speaking. There also wasn't any chemistry between Selene and Jules despite being marketed as so, but there was so much between Jules and Sparrow. I wonder if that inclusion will be foreshadowing that Jules and Sparrow will end up together in the second book. Thank you NetGalley for an ARC, I wish I had liked this one more.

This book was so unique! It has an Italian and French setting, with the majority of the book taking place in Rome. It has the fake engagement and enemies to lovers tropes, which are some of my favorites. The book was action packed (from the first chapter onwards), and follows Selene, an elite demon exorcist, and Jules, a military deserter and orphan looking to find out more about who he is.

Characters - 4/5
Oh, Jules! Jules is probably my favorite MMC of the year. He is witty and flirty, and smug, and everything I want in a man. I liked his POVs and it was nice to read about a guy that doesn’t have glaring red flags. He was super sweet to Selene, and had some of the most iconic lines of the book

Selene’s character fell a little flat for me. She is the typical badass that values her job above all else but softens up as she spends more time with Jules. Other than that, she made very questionable decisions, even putting her job and beliefs over her own family. I liked her with Jules specifically, not the person she was before Jules. She did have really good banter with Jules because they are both snarky.

The other characters felt kind of under developed, as the story focused more on the MCs than anyone else. Other than Sparrow, we only saw the side characters once or twice. I hope we get to see more of everyone in book 2!

Plot 4/5
The plot was confusing at times, but I found it very engaging. I found the main conflict to be very deep and compelling. The story ties religion and God into this story very well without making the book feel religious. This story does have some graphic content, so I wouldn’t say this story is pushing an agenda or anything. If anything, it pushes disbelief as opposed to faith. Although I don’t think I fully understood everything, I was able to follow the story for the most part.

World Building - 3/5
There were a lot of random Italian and French terms thrown into the book with little explanation, and I had to go a Google search on multiple occasions. However, I really liked the world and history between demons and humans that gets explored later in the book. I would picture a lot of the world in my head, plus there was a glossary in the beginning that helped!

Pacing 3/5
First the first quarter of this book, I was BORED. I am so glad I stuck with this book, but I really disliked the time it took for the MCs to meet each other. After they met, I devoured the book, but the beginning was a bit difficult for me to get through.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book! It was very different from anything else I have read, and I loved the romance. The banter was great, and I am a sucker for the fake dating/engagement trope. I will definitely be picking up book 2 once it is released.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for giving me a free copy in exchange for my honest review.

Cruel is the Light by Sophie Clark was a very imaginative and ensnaring book about terrifying demons, corrupted religion, war, and so many more incredible elements.

I’ve always been very fascinated with books that have the god(s) vs demons aspect and I thought this was very well done. I listed to the audiobook for this and the narrators really brought these characters to life. Seeing both their traumas and their pasts come to light and the bond they started to share really made this endearing. From a certain point, I could predict what was going to happen, but I’m an easy reader to please and this was just very fun, immersive and I really liked the magic system.

I look forward to see where Jules and Selene go from here, now that things are seemingly taking a dangerous turn!

A very long time ago (wow I’m again myself over here) I watched an anime show that had the premise about a nun fighting demons, for the life of me i couldn’t tell you the name of the show, the characters or any other details but i do remember being absolutely in love with it and wishing there were more stories with the same vibes. This book is very reminiscent of the feeling I had while watching it and its like stepping back into that feeling of nostalgia. Not to say that Cruel is the Light has a dated feel to it, not even in the least possible sense, more that it gives off a feeling of comfort when reading it, as if I’m already safely tucked within the story and didn’t need to become attached to it, because I already seemed to be.

By the first few chapters I was intrigued, and by halfway I was so invested I was ignoring much of my other commitments in order to keep reading. I loved the feel to it, and the characters, the different concepts than the typical books that have been coming out lately.

I liked the premise of this book: Action packed with warriors vs demons with some good romance tropes in there. I just had a hard time getting into the story. I want to try the audio and see if that helps.
The writing just didn’t flow super smoothly, so it was hard to stay in the story. I think it’s the way the third person plays out with the many POVs in a scene.

*language GD

Cruel is the Light
By Sophie Clark
Narrated by Fiona Hardingham, Ethan Reid, Steve West
4 ⭐️

This is worth the read for the banter alone, 10/10. Selene and Jules’ interactions are chef’s kiss worthy. I really liked how their dynamic echoed the overall societal temperament. Really, Selene and Jules make this book, and I can’t stop thinking about them. My only gripe is somewhat substantial: there was too much convenient resolutions throughout the story. Need info? Talk to this conveniently placed informant. Need a weapon? Oh look! Here ya go. Need a disguise? Here. We just met. Take my whole identity willy nilly. I really enjoyed this book but this was a continuous theme. The audiobook was easy to listen to. The narrators were good, and I enjoyed it. I combo read this beauty.

2 stars: ★★☆☆☆
Huge thanks to Random House Children’s / Knopf Books for Young Readers for the eARC via NetGalley 💌

i really need to stop requesting books based on their cover.
this one? seduced me with the cover & the promise of demon wars, forbidden love, fake engagement... and then handed me ✨confusion✨

Cruel Is the Light by Sophie Clark was… well, cruel 😭
i tried. i really did.
i squinted at the pages like i was deciphering ancient code, hoping things would click eventually—but the whole time i was just like: “what is going on fr.”

✦ the writing? chaotic.
not ✨mysterious✨ chaotic. just… “why is this written like a dream sequence but on caffeine” chaotic.
third person dual POV should’ve been a win but somehow it made things worse. i was constantly backtracking like wait… who’s thinking? who just said that? what dimension are we in?

✦ the pacing? criminal.
there’s allegedly a war happening?? but they’re out here slow-dancing through cathedrals, dropping banter mid-crisis, and monologuing like they're on a drama stage.
it was giving “i should care but i simply do not.”

✦ characters? not it.
Selene is introduced like some legendary Vatican-trained exorcist™ but most of the time she’s just… confused. moody. saying “what?” every five minutes.
(girl pls. you’re the main character. why do you know nothing.)
and Jules?? oh my god. every time he opened his mouth i felt my soul leave my body 💀
the banter wasn’t sizzling—it was forced. their chemistry? non-existent. at one point i swear Jules had more tension with a side character than he did with Selene. and yes, i was lowkey shipping that instead.

✦ romance? they tried.
fake engagement + enemies to lovers = a recipe for spice, angst, TENSION. except this one turned the oven off mid-bake 😭
i kept waiting for the spark… instead i got "you're beautiful." "no YOU’RE beautiful."
chemistry was on vacation. possibly never coming back.

✦ the world? kinda cool ngl.
i’ll give credit where it’s due: the world had potential. exorcists, Vatican secrets, demon mythology—there’s a rich, gothic vibe here that could’ve carried.
but everything was so rushed, disjointed, and underdeveloped.
magic system? confusing.
demon lore? underexplained.
worldbuilding? barely there.
they told me it was epic, but forgot to show me.

✦ bonus L’s:
✧ side characters dying five seconds after being introduced?? r u serious?? let me breathe
✧ plot twists that hit like a feather, not a punch
✧ vibes > actual substance

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

✦ final thoughts:
this had the aesthetic. it had the tropes. it looked like a win.
but under all the pretty was a confusing mess with zero payoff.

was i rooting for this book? yes.
did it make sense? no.
will i read book two? absolutely not.

🖇️ summary if ur skimming:
cool premise, messy execution. romance didn’t hiit. worldbuilding half-baked.
writing = headache.
proceed with caution if you're not a fan of confusion disguised as plot.

I liked the book and it had a few tropes that I love (one bed and grumpy sunshine) but based on the cover I thought I would like the relationship more than I actually did. I’m aware that this may be my own personal preference and me being nitpicky but the world building didn’t feel as fleshed out as I was hoping for. It was definitely still an enjoyable read but my not buying into the main relationship and the want for more world building is the only thing that kept me from giving it a higher star rating.

Actual star rating: 3.5

"He wanted her and he was tired of pretending he didn't." <3

4.5 stars!

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the ARC of this fantastic fantasy! I went into this book relatively blind, knowing it was a Young Adult (except I now want to call it more of a New Adult, due to language and one vague open-door scene), Enemies to Lovers fantasy. I ended up finding the audiobook on Spotify shortly after starting the book, so I went back and forth between the eARC and the published audiobook. Either way, I liked this book a lot!

I really liked the world building, in that it was set in our world's Rome and France, but with magical and demonic twists. Thinking about it after the fact, there was a lot that can be seen as sacrilegious (I'm a Christian and there were a LOT of twisted parallels to events in the Bible), and I could see that bothering some people. As for me, I took it as the interesting and intriguing story it was meant to me and thought some of the connections were pretty cool. XD

I also really enjoyed our two main characters. Selene is a total girl boss (though I wish we'd learned more about her abilities), but hides a more vulnerable side.Jules comes off as endlessly charming and confident, but struggles with questions of his identity. The way they slowly soften toward one another was done very well, and I was relieved when they were still together at the book's end. I was nervous that this book would end with an awful cliffhanger(as most first books in duologies do), but I was pleasantly surprised that it wrapped up nicely, with the obvious potential for more to come. :)

If you enjoy the romantasy genre, you'll definitely love this book.

I feel it in my bones. It was REALLY good.

From the fake engagement to the discovery of a bigger lie... At one time the story felt like Romeo and Juliet. The biggest slow burn ever, and in there you throw only one bed and a fake engagement... and you know I'll be here, kicking my feet in delight.

You'll love this one if you like:
- slow burn / fake engagement
- enemies-to-lovers
- demons vs humans
- only one bed

TW for war, deaths, blood and gore, amputation, grief

Many thanks to the publisher for the complimentary e-copy of this book through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this in exchange for an honest review.

This book was a wild ride! One of the strongest aspects of this novel, and what initially drew me in, was the concept of a war between demonkind and the Vatican, set in a roughly modern-day/apocalyptic world. There were elements that reminded me a bit of Cassandra Clare's "City of Angels" series, a personal favorite, and both the FMC and MMC were easy to root for.

The relationship and banter between the characters - and the 'enemies to lovers' relationship between Selene and Jules - was another strong point of the story.

There were times when the pacing of the story felt a bit rushed or too slow or scenes progressed in an uneven fashion, but not to the extent that I lost interest in the story.

I will certainly be looking out for the sequel, and I will be recommending this book to my students.

for more than a hundred years, war has waged between demons and the vatican. selene alleva and jules lacroix have both been thrust into the center of this war, one with a family legacy behind her and the other an orphan with no family history. to learn about the recent unprecedented demon attacks, and jules’s own past, the two work together, jules posing as selene’s fiancé. as they learn more, realizing they’ve both been lied to, they must decide between love and duty.

i thought this book had an interesting concept, and i do tend to enjoy stories about demon hunters. i think the world building could have been a bit more in depth, but maybe some of the questions i had about it will be answered in book two. the writing style wasn’t my favorite, as i felt that many scenes ended awkwardly or progressed in ways that didn’t quite make sense to me. with that said, i did enjoy this book overall, especially the moments between selene and jules. i loved their romance and how drawn-out it was. i’m looking forward to book two.