This was one of my most anticipated releases this year! It has some of my favorite tropes with enemies-to-lovers, forced proximity, and fake dating. This was action-packed and fast paced. The magic system was interesting and I would love to see how that develops through the series. The twists and turns were exciting and kept me guessing.
The POV shifts were not always super clear and took me a second to identify whose perspective we were getting; it occasionally hurt the flow. The chemistry between the MCs felt a little sparse but maybe that will develop throughout the next book, too. All-in-all I am hooked and can’t wait to read the next one!

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Children’s for the ARC!

When I first read the blurb of Cruel is the Light, I just knew I was going to love this. Sophie Clark has written a book that felt specifically made for my brain. The nuns with guns anime inspiration, the dynamic between Selene and Jules, the lore - I mean basically EVERYTHING was an element I love in fantasy romance. The world building was great and I was enthralled with Jules from the beginning. Selene's character development and growth made me, as the reader, feel like I was building a personal relationship with her and by the end, I felt like I identified most with her. I seriously cannot wait to see where the story goes and I'll be feral for more Jules and Selene. Their romantic relationship was my favorite type of dynamic (black cat x layered golden retriever) and I wish I could read about them forever. The last sentence of the book completely endeared me to Jules and I was SO happy to see a MMC vowing to not run. I feel like authors use that sort of plot device (the MMC/FMC running from their significant other to "spare" them) almost too generously, especially in romantic fantasies. Cruel is the Light completely stands on its own in its uniqueness and was a pleasure to read.

Thank you to Knopf Books for Young Readers, NetGalley, and the author for sending me an early copy!

As an adult romantic fantasy reader, this didn't hit for me, but I would have no qualms with recommending this as an introduction to romantic fantasy for a young reader.

However, even for young adults, there are things about this story that left me wanting and left me a bit confused, and I think it's because it was trying to be too many things. All of the puzzle pieces are there, it's just the assembly that seems to be a bit off. The magic system is unique and fascinating, the political intrigue is interesting, and the world is exceptionally detailed. But to that last point, there was detail where you didn't necessarily need it for the story, and no detail where you did, or for the characters.

For instance, this book hit on one of my big pet peeves with the way FMCs are built -- lots of saying she's this and that, lots of saying she's known as this, but... no real examples. Talk the talk, but not walking the walk.

Everything should always be in service of the greater story, instead of just existing in batches and pieces close together. Otherwise you have a book of great ideas instead of a story. I would love to see this author pull these pieces together, because the ideas could stand above the crowd when paired with the right story.

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC of Cruel is the Light by Sophie Clark. This book is defiantly a fun read and I wanted to keep reading about these characters. I just wish there was so much more worldbuilding because I love this type of world so much! I love the demon vs hunter concept and of course the romance has me. This book is defiantly worth picking up if you want an romantasy which is what I love. This book comes out May 20th!! I will pick up book 2 for sure and I just hope there will be more worldbuilding and more character. 3.85 stars!

This starts out with a bit of history where God is killed and exorcists are fighting demon armies all over the Holy Roman Empire Selene is the top exorcist in Rome. The Vatican makes the decision to send her to Nice where a powerful demon destroyed a village. Jules is a soldier who is currently fighting demons in Czech Republic but leaves to go back to his home in Nice to find answers about who he is. Selene and Jules keep running into each other. It’s when their paths cross when fighting the Duke of Briar that Selene realizes there is something more to Jules and ends up taking him to Rome.

This book immediately had me intrigued. As a history major my attention was peaked at the beginning with the description of the demons and the exorcist characters. This book also did not feel YA to me at all which I actually like because I’ve started to gear myself away from YA. The action in this picks up immediately too! This also gave me major Shadowhunters vibes since it’s young adults (18-20ish) fighting demons which I love. The connection between the two MCs was everything to me. I absolutely loved their banter!! But honestly there were so many things in this book I did not see coming. The writing is so top tier. And the ending!!! I cannot wait another year for the sequel!!!

Banter
Enemies to Lovers
Demons
Dual POV
Fake engagement

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I adored the idea of this book with the struggle of love vs duty through the lens of demons and demon hunters. There were some really funny lines and adorable exchanges between Jules and Selene that really brought the book together. While the side characters were great, they were not on the page enough to have really distinctive roles or personalities so I hope they are more at the forefront of the sequel. I also found the plot and world building somewhat haphazard which made some of the romance feel a little forced, especially in the beginning. While this book left something to be desired in plot and character development, I had fun reading it and am excited to get my hands on the sequel.

I believe this book has a lot of potential and most people will enjoy it. I usually love in-depth fantasy worlds but I cannot seem to get into this quite yet. I have not gotten far in this book either (~10%). I am DNF-ing for the time being, but there’s a huge possibility I may come back to it later because I am still intrigued, and for that I am giving it a 3 stars.

I do hope to get a physical copy at some point! I loved it! I really enjoyed this!!

the world building was pretty decent and I really enjoyed it. I do wish it was a bit more fleshed out but this is the arc version, so the final could possibly be more detailed.

I really liked that it was 3rd person. I genuinely enjoy reading books a lot more when they are 3rd POV. it was easy to follow and you could easily tell which POV was who's. I do think this is more of an adult book category as it is labeled as children's & YA.

there is action immediately into the book and for me, this was pretty cool. I enjoyed the fight scenes and would love to see more about Selene and Jules

thank you to netgalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review!

dnf @10%

due to how netgalley operates i can't review this without giving a rating, and i don't believe i read enough of it to truly be able to rate it with any accuracy, so i will leave my review at 3 stars.

unfortunately, this was not for me. a 16-page glossary style introduction is simply a non-starter, especially in a YA romantasy. though i appreciate the uniqueness of the world the author built, that kind of heavy information dump up front is just an insurmountable wall, because it makes it seem like i have to know all of this information ahead of time to get invested in the story.

the nature of arcs does imply some line/copy editing mistakes will be made as well, but there were a lot of them, and it's difficult for me to get into the story when constantly catching typos/grammar mistakes, or reading metaphors or explanations that plain don't make sense to me.
(from the second page of the first chapter: "A rank wave of demonic magic ached through her eye teeth and into the depths of her skull". what?)

i think the worldbuilding and magic have a lot of potential, and the author isn't afraid to shy away from the horrors of war which is interesting, but i couldn't grab on to this enough to be willing to continue, especailly knowing it's 500 pages long. i do really hope this finds its audience, because the premise is interesting and it's clear the author put in a lot of effort and passion here, but i do not want to continue at risk of not enjoying it at all.

Thank you to Random House Children's - Knopf Books for Young Readers and NetGalley for the early review copy!

This book fucking SLAPS. I loved it! From the very beginning Clark pulls you into a very violent, very bloody centuries-long war between demons and the Vatican and there's no turning back. Fast-paced and action-packed, I was pulled into the world from the very beginning.

Selene has a "Serena Vanderwoodsen with a sword" kind of vibe and I was totally here for it. I loved her! She's a badass FMC who also happens to be the academy's hot popular girl. She is rigid, and violent, and brave, and loyal to a fault. Jules is (understandably) a sad sack puppy dog and all I wanted to do was wrap my arms around him and tell him everything would be okay. This man needed a hug and I would happily volunteer as tribute. Even the demons all have their own personalities and motives, and getting to meet Sparrow and Belial was such a treat. I can't wait to get more from them in the next book.

The world building and the writing were both fantastic. I really felt like I was in the story right alongside Selene and Jules as they traveled across countries. Clark did a great job keeping you centered on the current location by incorporating plenty of French, Italian, and Latin into the dialogue. Even the way the characters were described when speaking in different languages changed enough for you to really visualize their mannerisms.

The dual POV could be a little hard to follow because it wasn't always totally clear whose perspective we were reading right away and the chapters don't include a note about who we're hearing from (which would have been helpful), but I was able to keep up as long as I paid a little attention. I did have to go back a few times after getting confused about who we were hearing from, but it wasn't frequent.

I've already preordered a copy, I loved it that much! Think Gossip Girl meets Daughter of Shadow and Bone or Blue Bloods meets City of Bones. Highly recommend!

Unfortunately, I have opened this book 3 times and have not progressed past the 10% mark. I can't even tell you what I read in that 10%.

Thank you Netgalley and Get Underlined for allowing me to read and review Cruel is the Light! I received a physical ARC copy through an Instagram giveaway. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

A glimpse inside:
forced proximity
fake dating / engagement
enemies to something more
demons vs exorcists
reverse grumpy x sunshine
forbidden romance

I think many readers can agree Cruel is the Light is a highly anticipated read of 2025. It's got an absolutely gorgeous cover and a premise that is right up many of our alleys, but there are many mixed reviews. You're either going to lean towards loving it or disliking it. Personally, I'm kind of on the fence. I'm not sure if I enjoyed this book but I was entertained.

For most of the book, I was unsure of who we were following due to the third person story-telling. I don't normally mind third-person point of views but when you're reading a book with it and you have no idea who you're supposed to be following at the time, it comes across as disjointed and frustrating to read. At first it was easy to follow, before Selene and Jules cross paths, but when they finally do the third-person pov becomes confusing especially with the dialogue. There were many times when I needed to go back and figure out who was talking at the time.

In my opinion, I do not believe this story should be categorized as a romantasy. It's more of an urban fantasy with romance thrown in. The attraction and the chemistry between the "enemies-to-lovers" pair is there but sometimes it felt forced as if the author would lose readers if there was not a romance shoved in. I don't think this book should be shoe-horned into being an "enemies-to-lovers" trope, unless it's being taken as a generalization. Selene and Jules are more like reluctant allies who dislike each other but become something more later. I did enjoy their continuous banter, and the tension between them. I'd like to see where that goes in the sequel and conclusion.

Cruel is the Light can be compared to City of Bones, the first book in the Shadowhunter Chronicles by Cassandra Clare. In comparison to the shadowhunters, set in an alt-version of Rome, Selene is part of a group of people who are called Exorcists, they are trained to hunt and kill demons. She is considered the Butcher of Rome and a prestigious leader of her own group. A prince of demons is searching for a mysterious item or person, and the Exorcists are trying to find leads that go straight to him. Jules crosses paths with Selene, after fighting in the front lines of a terrible massacre, and they realize they both have the same goals. To help figure out more clues to the Prince's whereabouts and uncovering a mystery involving her late father, Selene has Jules pretend to be her ex-lover who was exiled years ago so they do not get found out by her higher-ups.

The plot twists were pretty good, but if you have good deduction skills you could probably see them from a mile away. I did put this book down for a period of time. Due to the confusing writing, the slow beginning, and not connecting with the characters, I wasn't sure if I wanted to finish it. I obviously picked it up again and pushed through. When they make the decision to have Jules impersonate her ex-lover is the point when the pacing finally takes off. I liked Jules's development and his mysterious background reveals. I enjoyed the demon section of the story when Sparrow (I can't remember his name, it could be Shadow (?) is introduced. I wish the author flipped the script on us and put Jules with Sparrow instead of Selene, as a romantic twist, but I get why that would not happen.

While the writing was not my favorite, the premise itself is entertaining. I am curious as to what will happen in the sequel and conclusion. I do think with a couple more edits or re-writes this would have been a knock-out.

3 stars

Okay this was a rough one to get through. The magic system was extremely complicated and difficult to understand, especially as a non-religious person. Moreover the characters felt very one dimensional and reliant on tropes, rather than their own development to carry them through the story. While it could have been a cool idea, perhaps I was ultimately not catholic enough to get it

Stab first, ask questions later is Selene’s motto, and it’s a pretty sound strategy for reading this book. Savor the tension. Don’t get fussed about the rest.

Selene and Jules come from different worlds, but from the first page it’s clear how they’re both shaped by violence and the death that waits around every turn. The exorcists are trained from childhood to combat demons, while the common soldiers face an unending trench war against a seemingly demon-aligned empire, and the opening act is steeped in this exquisite, bleak despair that comes from the constant fear and violence. But then, out onto this geo-spiritual-political landscape comes tromping a stabby demon hunter and a tortured soldier type who’s hot and he knows it, and the story pivots to be a far more personal city-bound scavenger hunt. Fake dating and constant maybe toxic doomed attraction make an appearance, and well, fans of Heartless Hunter, need I say more?

All the doom and gloom and glowy-eyed demons sucked me right in, as opposed to Selene, who, unfortunately, I don’t know that I ever grew to like. There’s a difference between tough-as-nails emotional unavailability and straight up brat, and she seemed to take the prickliest parts of both. Sure, prickly is how she survives, but when that attitude prevents her from properly preparing Jules for this elaborate scheme that was her own idea, then I’ve got questions.

As I said, don’t ask questions, but since we’re here, I’ve gotta do it…Why do people go along with her ideas? Particularly this fiancé swap. I’m not here to debate the feasibility of disguising a Swiss-French soldier as an Italian aristocrat, but…are we sure this was the best option? Are there no other disguises? Did we try hair dye? A bad mustache and a slouch?

Anyway, the wartime grit, spooky demons, and romantic tension are solid components, if somewhat chaotically combined. Saccharine flirting at a funeral? That’s a choice. Then, the war takes a backseat in the second half - farewell, sweet sorrow T_T. There’s also some modern lingo that seemed out of place in the pseudo-historical setting (ex. hypersensitive baby, saviour complexes, etc). On the other hand, Selene and Jules converse in French, Italian, or even Latin, as the need arises, and I loved the subtle ways this small detail felt completely natural and added meaning to each scene.

As upper YA, this book contains swearing (f's), some (out of pocket imo) innuendo, and one fade to black. It's the first in a series, but the ending has enough resolution that I’d be happy with where it ends as a standalone.

(Eliot is best boi. Eliot centric spinoff when?)

**Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC**

Thanks to Netgalley and publisher for approving a copy of this book.
This was a DNF for me. I tried but I stopped at 21%. It was really hard to get into it since the start, but I could not take it anymore.
There was too many characters at the start. Both lead characters are not likable and lack of personality.
I don't know, it felt like I was reading a history book.
There was no feeling that I was reading a fantasy/paranormal world. It felt like a history or text book.
The exorcists weren't really exorcists, they were demon hunters.
Unfortunately this was not a good book.

I have very mixed feelings about this.

On the one hand, the plot and the characters are incredibly intriguing, no matter how irritating you find each character you want to know about them. The writing style is also perfect for this book and I am interested in the authors other works.

On the other hand, this book was painstakingly slow until around 50%. I don’t care how much set up you have to do for worldbuilding or characters, or whatever, it should not take almost 200 pages for the story to become interesting. And those 200 pages didn’t even make the worldbuilding clear because I was confused for a good chunk of this book.

I had a few more issues too, though I’m not sure how valid these feelings are. The first was that this book was marked as young adult on Netgalley and I think this should have considered New Adult. I can’t explain why. At first I thought it was because of the almost spice but I’ve read other YA books that were similar in those terms and those were very clearly YA. I think it might have been the maturity level or things were handled in this book. I dont know. I just feel very betrayed because I went in hoping for a normal YA fantasy and ended up reading something that was not that. My other issue was how disrespectful the worldbuilding felt, and I have no Christian background whatsoever.

I think at the end of the day, this probably was a good book. I just didn’t like it. It wasn’t for me.

Cruel Is the Light by Sophie Clark is made for romantasy enthusiasts. While the story takes a bit to gain momentum, by the 25% mark, I was fully immersed. The novel skillfully incorporates familiar tropes—such as enemies to lovers but executes with finesse. The chemistry between the leads, builds gradually, offering a satisfying slow-burn romance. The world-building, set against a backdrop of demon hunters and exorcists, adds depth to the narrative. Overall, it's a compelling read, and I'm eager to see what Sophie Clark delivers next.

This book had such an intriguing premise, and perhaps at just the most perfect time in the current news as well with the Catholic church. Regardless though, this book just did not deliver in any way. I thought maybe it was just me, but I think after scouring a couple of other reviews, I don't think I'm the only one who was left confused in this story.

Cruel is the Light is about a war between demons and humanity, "exorcists" who use magic to fight off demons. If you're thinking some sort of video game premise, you're basically on the nose. This story revolves around our two main characters, Jules and Selene. Selene is an exorcist who is very powerful due to a mysterious reason. Jules is an orphan soldier, who is also powerful . . . due to a mysterious reason. They serendipitously meet in a demon war-ravaged Vatican, and so their relationship and journey begins. Both are intrigued by the other's power, and how it could be beneficial to them.

Where to start. Characters. Spoiler alert (but not really), a lot of characters die, and like, immediately as well. With the whiplash of characters that come in and out right at the beginning, you would think that would be confusing enough. But there's also a huge prologue(?) preface(?) at the very beginning that lays out the characters, their classes and hierarchies, and even important family trees. But none of that actually mattered. When the story finally got to the part about the relationship between the MC's, I thought it was kind of redeeming, and interesting-ish, which at least kept me reading.

The plot was so so so confusing. I'm not sure if it was just me or if it was the writing style, but I almost couldn't follow the actual plot line at all. I was able to follow the different thoughts of the characters and how they were perceiving the world, but in terms of what was actually happening in the story, I was completely lost—the entire time. It's a shock that I was able to make it through the story, because I honestly just had to suspend my disbelief the entire time and try to just take in the world-building.

I enjoyed the world and the set-up, and the magic was interesting too, albeit a bit gory. Still, I like the way power and magic were set up, and found it to be an interesting story in that sense. However, this ends up being a very small fraction of the actual story, and the plot actually revolves more around the "mysteries" I mentioned earlier about our main characters. That being said, I did enjoy that kind of thriller element of trying to figure out what the big secret was with the characters. Overall, I wasn't too surprised with the "big reveal," but then again this isn't a thriller. It was kind of predictable, but I think the execution and pacing of the reveal was pretty good. If only the rest of the plot was easier to follow.

The story really gives off that kind of horror video game vibe, which isn't bad. However, something about the writing style just did not speak to me. I'm sure someone out there enjoys this book but unfortunately it wasn't me. But also the gore was not appealing to me, so watch out if you're not too into the war aspect of it.

The political set up of the hierarchy and civilization was interesting . . . as a premise. In reality it was basically a non-factor, and not heavily explored at all. I think this book will be a series though, and it might be explored later? But for how much it was mentioned and central to the book, honestly nothing felt important except the slow burn relationship of the two MC's. Unfortunately for me this was not redeeming enough. Still, I managed to finish it which should count for something.

I had a really hard time getting into this book. I think i would’ve connected so much better if i listened to the audio. i am so intrigued by the premise that i do fully plan on buying the audio once it’s out. I think that reading, it felt like it was just jumping full in and it was a bit much all at once. I think that it would’ve been worth it if i were able to continue reading for sure.

DNFed at 30%.

I'm so sad, I wanted to love that book so much, but I just can't get into it. The events are confusing, I don't understand half what I'm reading and I'm used to huge world building. But I just can't get into this one.