Oh this made me SOB (in the best way!) I had to reread the last chapter 3 times before I was ready to put this book down. This is one of the most beautiful perfect endings I've ever read. I wasn't sure where this was going at first and I usually hate riddles in fantasy books, but this one was just perfect and had the sweetest meaning. 🥹🧡 I LOVED this duology!

There were a few elements that reminded me of Divine Rivals and Shatter Me, but I wouldn't compare them because these books really have a personality that feels entirely their own.

This also has one of my favorite characters with ADHD that I've ever read. Alessa was so well written, I could not have loved her and Dante more. I know ADHD looks different for everyone, but the way it presented for her felt so real to me. It was woven into every aspect of her character in a such a thoughtful way... We got to see the realistic everyday challenges that come with being a little scattered and forgetful and chaotic, but also so many of the things that made her so loveable and relatable like her zero-filter chattiness, wit, and creativity. UGH I just love these characters so much!!!

First of all, thank you to Wednesday Books, NetGalley, and the author for my eARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

And they are conflicting.

I didn’t hate this book. I felt like I was cruising along alright, but I didn’t particularly enjoy it either. By the 40% mark, I still didn’t feel like much had happened and was a little confused by where everything was supposed to be going.

I didn’t care for the lover’s quarrels befuddling Dante (never Gabe, pls) and Alessa because they didn’t feel genuine and more like they were simply there to further the plot.

I will say the last 50% was significantly better than the first, and I am glad that I finished this story.

I am so sad that this duology is over *crying*. Emily Thiede delivered yet again with another amazing book. I fell in love with the characters and world all over again. I can't wait for what Thiede brings next.

I cannot get enough of Emily Thiede!!! I had the opportunity to attend one of her author talks, and it made this reading experience even richer. I especially appreciated the dual POV addition to this novel.

I have waited for this second book since I read the first, and although the first was a 5 star read, this one was a 3 star for me. I was glad to have some loose ends tied up, but frustrated with the lack of emotional depth that I felt in the first.

Regardless, I will still read this author because I do like her writing style and world building!

Thank you to NetGalley and publishers for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I LOVED This Vicious Grace and was so impressed with it as a debut book, so I was very excited to jump into This Cursed Light. I am happy she added the addition of the second POV throughout the book, but it took me a bit to get used to the POV switching within the same chapter. As well, I always kind of question whether there would have been a bit more mystery if there had only been one POV.

I loved spending time with the characters from book one, and the new characters were for the most part fun and entertaining, but if I’m being honest there maybe wasn’t enough of a plot in this sequel for me, which is why the sequel gets 4 stars instead of 5! Part of me felt that the sequel maybe wasn’t needed and it could be been a great standalone if she tweaked the end of book one. But alas, I’m happy with how everything wrapped up and I look forward to reading more of her books in the future!

Thanks so much for the arc

This Cursed Light is an epic conclusion to this duology!!! After Alessa, Dante, and their friends defeat the demons they think they have normal lives now. But there’s an even more dangerous threat coming that has them needing to travel across the world in hopes of finding Dante’s people.
I loved being back in this world with all these characters again! It’s fascinating to see a different part of the world and an entire new group of people. Plus there’s so much action and interesting magic!
Dante and Alessa both go through some issues which were horrible but I enjoyed seeing how they dealt with it. Of course their romance is a highlight of this book for me! I adore how much they love each other and how they are willing to do anything for the other. They are perfect together but they still have their amazing and entertaining banter.
Another highlight of this book is the found family and all the friendships! I completely love how Alessa, Dante, all the Fontes, and even Alessa’s brother, have formed an incredible family. They all have such different personalities but all of them are always there for each other and I adore them all.
I think this is an incredible book and I’m happy with the ending! The final battle has so many twists, it’s definitely intense. I just wish the epilogue was longer so we got a little extra of everyone being happy.
If you’re looking for a duology with Italian vibes, forbidden romance, demons, gods, adventure, and action, then I would definitely recommend this!!

Thank you NetGalley for the eARC!

I enjoyed the story and I think it was a great sequel that wrapped up character arcs and relationships. The flow and pacing is similar to the first book - there's a lot of the day to day and preparing that takes up a big portion of the book.

The new characters added an interesting element. But the original secondary characters seemed to fade into the background a bit.

And I'm satisfied with the ending. But I was left a bit unsatisfied with the romance. I love the main characters and their connection is fantastic. But in this book it felt very surface level. I needed more depth and more of them together.

Also, I never really understood this world or the magic or even the point of it all till the very end. I think it would have benefited from more world building earlier on.

A stunning conclusion to a knockout debut. I'm feral over Dante and Alessa. Thiede does such a good job bringing fresh sensibilities to classic fantasy tropes, keeps you guessing and turning pages and SCREAMING. LOVED IT.

I was really initially drawn to this series in the first book, This Vicious Grace. The world and the premise were both really interesting, even if the worldbuilding and magic weren't all that deep. There was a heavy romantic focus, but I don't always mind that.

That said...unfortunately this sequel just failed to fully hook me. The romance felt less relevant and less sharply written, and I just lost a lot of my interest in the characters. Major storylines are wrapped up pretty well, so I'm sure that many will enjoy this sequel, but I can't help but feel this would have been a stronger stand-alone with the conflict being resolved in Book 1.

Thiede masterfully delves into the complexities of love, duty, and destiny, crafting a narrative that is as emotionally resonant as it is action-packed. Alessa and Dante's journey is fraught with danger and uncertainty, yet their unwavering devotion to each other serves as a beacon of hope amidst the chaos. This was captivating and is a must-read for fans of epic fantasy and romance alike. I absolutely love novels like this and I am excited for what Thiede writes next.

I really liked the prior book and so I was very excited for this, alas it didn’t quite work as well for me this book. I am not sure why, there was just a lack of connection in the sequel.

Two gods making a bet over humanity reminds me of Divine Rivals although the two series are nothing alike. I did read This Vicious Grace when it was first released and I loved it but this one didn’t give me that same energy. Dante’s childhood best friend Talia sucked. Her character was trope-y and made the negotiations too convenient in my opinion. I felt like she was an easy choice made by the author… I would have liked to have seen something different. I’m not a fan of hiding a relationship to save face or miscommunication. Be blunt and be bold. ALSO, the war we were waiting for hardly happened. There was no violence until about 85% in and then it ended abruptly with the good old question of will you watch the world burn to save your girl or sacrifice her to save it… which isn’t terrible but it felt unsatisfying to leave everyone’s fate up to one decision. Overall I would say this was 2.5-3 stars.

I loved This Vicious Grace and knew I had to have This Cursed Light to read the finale of this wonderful duology. The tension and angst of the first book seemed lacking a bit in this second one, though I did appreciate getting to understand Dante's history much better. The ending felt a bit anti-climatic after all the building throughout the novel. That said, I love an HEA and Alessa and Dante finally get theirs. Furthermore, the found family and love between the characters is just as strong and I would read any spin-off that the author writes to get more of this world.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the advance copy. All opinions are my own.

I have some mixed feelings about this one. I still love the setting plus Dante and Alessa but there was just some magic ingredient from the first book that did not make it here for me. May give this one a second shot with a reread and the audio if it gets released.

I have been really into duologies lately, and I was excited to finally finish this one!

I do think it lacked some of the magic from the first one. The first one had an amazing slow burn with all the tension, and that was missing in this.

I did still love the banter between all the characters and I loved being with them.

After being much anticipated, the pacing didn't work for me. I also didn't really like the ending???

Thanks for the eARC in exchange for my review.

Yessssss. I know some didn't like this book but I sure did. Dante is lovely. I do think that him and Alessa are a bit juvenile about some things, but they are still young. I liked the spin of a ghiotte village that saves the world. That a god and goddess made a bet on humanity and what will save them. The cast of characters were all lovable. I havent read many duo books, but this was a good series and I loved the ending. I thought I would be heartbroken and devasted, but I'm glad that the ending wasn't that.

This Cursed Light is the second book in The Last Finestra duology. After reading This Vicious Grace, I was looking forward to this one, and although I didn't enjoy it as much as the first one, in fact, at times I was frustrated and put it aside. I will say that I liked how it was brought to an end. Alessa and Dante got together in the first book, but now they are on the run with their small band of fighters. Dante has lost his powers and they are headed to the other side of the island to find the exiled ghiotte in hopes of restoring his powers and combining forces with them to create the only army powerful enough to save them all. Dante is not sure what he will find, but it wasn't who was there. There is a lot of drama between the ghiotte and Alessa's group which was a bit annoying to this grandma. Does Dante get his power back? Will he remain with the ghiotte? Is the romance between Dante and Alessa doomed?

The first book was a five star read for me and in my opinion, this one sits in its shadows. This was all the YA that I don't like. The bickering, back stabbing, jealousy. I wanted to see how this love story would play out and that was done well. There was a lot of magic in this book, with powers that were interesting, as well as rather meh. There is a huge test at the end and a puzzle that needs to be solved which did have me sitting on the edge of my seat. The ending was a bit surprising and I enjoyed how it concluded. I am not going to give away the story, but I will say that this was a bit of a disappointment after the first book.

I am participating in the St. Martin's Press boycott. I will not be publicly reviewing this title until St. Martin's Press addresses reader concerns.