This was such a great story!!

I loved the Dual POV and the ending was great in the fact that if you want to read it as a stand alone you could.
there would be a few things left unanswered that clearly is setting up for book 2.

I enjoyed the twists, even if I was able to guess at them.
a great YA but with enough graphic details that I'd leave this one for Upper YA.

Talk about a good slow burn! I have a love hate relationship with slow burns because I feel pacing is everything and Sophie Clark nailed the placing in this. Outside of just well done romance pacing the story in itself is unique and well done. The world building isn’t overly complex and is easy to understand while still being enticing and well thought out. Selene and Jules are likable and compelling characters who I really enjoyed following. Clark’s writing is vibrant in a way that makes you feel like you are right there with the character. And honestly I really appreciated the supporting character, sometimes I feel like you can end up with characters for characters sake but the supporting character here I really felt added to the story. This was one of my most anticipated reads and probbaly top five in books I’ve read this year! I couldn’t recommend it more!

The Vatican fights demons in the world. The Holy City now the center of a war training exorcists to fight the evil trying to take the world. Selene is an exceptional Exorcist. Jules an orphan solider in the trenches. They both have skills that have kept them alive in the war against demons. Jules abandons his post after a ruthless attack and runs straight into Selene’s investigation. They strike up an alliance to try and uncover what the demons are planning, but in order to get into the city, Jules must impersonate Selene’s long-exiled betrothed. It quickly becomes clear that everything, and someone, is not as it seems. The duo cannot deny their strange attraction. They both fear that they might be each other’s enemy in more ways than one.
Y’all. You. All. This book is fabulous. Do prepare for some thorough worldbuilding to fully understand the interplay of magic and demons and how politically charged everything is. But even that is delicious. I love a book that dismantles bad history and slices through hard choices for the truth. Cutting away at the lies even if they hurt.
And if you think that’s good? Oh, lawd, this couple is fantastic. I would read about them grocery shopping together because they’re so much fun. She’s all business, scary and tough and damaged, so is he, but he will cut through the best defenses with his charm. They’re both so smart and loyal and just want to be loved and they DO THE WORK to figure out all the things happening around them and between them.
The absolute chemistry and call and response is visceral. These two have a right to be suspicious and distrustful of each other yet whenever something happens, battles, ballrooms, fountains, or trainwrecks they move seamlessly together. The angst and longing and tension is palpable. All while weighing and measuring what they’ve been told about the world verses what they’re seeing and uncovering. Every light does not shine on the truth. And they have hard decisions to make.

2⭐️

This is a soft DNF at 20%. I wanted really badly to like this as the books description made me believe this was something I’d love and additionally, I have a gorgeous FairyLoot edition that came in one of my boxes, but unfortunately I’m having a hard time getting through this- the main reason being that everything in this fictional world is based off of ours with political figures and people (for example, the Vatican/The Holy Roman Empire/the person leading the demons is Anastasia Romanov…) and I have a hard time picturing/taking it seriously. In my personal opinion, I think fictional names based off real places/people would’ve been a better move that kept me more engaged. I also feel unclear about the main characters/their backstories and have so many questions already that I feel the author is attempting to answer but it overall feels unclear. I just can’t get into this story.

With all of this being said, now that I do have an inkling how this book will go/because I have a SE of this book, I may attempt to try and read again at some point in the future but as of right now I just can’t get into this book.

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

Cruel Is the Light is about Selene an exorcist and Jules a soldier, after an event they meet and she pretends he is her estranged fiance so that they can both get answers. The simple part is I liked the book but I didn't love it, which sucks because I really wanted to. The characters especially Selene and Jules were great, I just had a hard time getting into the story, at times it felt like infodumps, and at others, the point of view switches were a lot and inconsistent, to the point they would happen in the middle of the trouble and I would lose track of whole's POV it was.

Some things were predictable, which wasn't an issue, they just felt obvious. Overall the religious aspects were okay, but at times they felt overbearing and uncomfortable to read. While this book is a YA book (12-18) it felt at least upper YA (16-18) with a crossover with New Adult (18-25), the language, sexual tension between the characters, etc is not suitable for all YA readers and I think that should be noted, especially since the YA readers on the younger side are getting pushed out of this space.

I am glad that this was a standalone, and that it ended well because I had a tough time getting into this book, that if a sequel happened unless I changed my mind I would not seek it out. This however would not stop me from trying another one of the author's books if they come out with something new.

Thanks to Random House Children's for the ARC.

Thank you Netgalley & Random House for this ARC!

I was pretty excited for this book but I fear it was the new romantasy curse; high potential but poor execution because we are too focused on the romance and not enough on the fantasy.

Overall, I gave it a solid 3 stars.

The characters were nice- on their own- but the relationship felt off- like we were just trying to hit trope checkboxes rather than anything organic.
Because I didn't feel anything for their relationship- I couldn't feel any type of way when things happened to it.

The ambiance/world/setting was cool- but confusing at times. Do we have technology or not?
I think it was meant to be unique but not explained well or consistent enough throughout.

The magic system was there but it left me wanting more.
Not sure if we kept it vague to not confuse the reader or because we just didn't develop it.

It was unique and good in theory- but it felt too forced and not fleshed out enough to be great.

I went in expecting a lot. The premise sounded AMAZING, but my hopes were quickly dashed. I just didn't like it. There was too much going on, too many characters to keep up with, the world building was hard to get through, and darker than I expected for a YA book. This would have been a DNF for me but I received the Fairy Loot version and felt like I needed to commit. I think what got me overall was the filler... There was so much of it that if it was cut out the book probably would have had more potential.

Don't use my review to decide if you wanna read it or not. I am one person and while I may not like a book that doesn't mean you wouldn't find enjoyment in it.

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!