SPOILER-FREE REVIEW: A Light From the Nether. // ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4/5 stars)

*thank you to net galley and the author for an e-ARC of this novel*

While this is not a genre I typically read— A Light From the Nether was a surprising, dark, and exciting read. It’s a queer dark fantasy with heavy horror and sci-fi elements, and once I got past the dense opening, I couldn’t stop reading.

Fair warning: the first 10% throws a lot at you (terminology, world-building, and lore). It’s a little disorienting, so I recommend sticking around until at least this point, where the character stakes start to ramp up.

The writing is atmospheric, vivid, and at times deeply unsettling. There are moments of body horror that made my skin crawl—in the best way—and the way the author brings the mirror world of The Nether to life is unlike anything I’ve read before.

The story follows Liam, a rare person who can travel between our own world and The Nether (similar to the upside down from Stranger Things) where parasitic soul-eating creatures called Flukes lurk.

After a traumatic event, Liam tries to hide from destiny, ending up in a sleepy east-coast town. However, he quickly gets pulled back in when strange deaths, defying the known rules of the Nether, begin to occur. That's when he meets Jasper (their first real conversation is about 30% through the book), a mysterious man that seems to be haunting him-and is somehow tied to the murder mystery Liam must solve.

If you enjoy:

* low-spice, high-stakes queer romance

* body horror that will make your skin crawl

* sci-fi/horror blend

* mind bending portal fantasy

* characters that will make you laugh out loud

* soul-ties
—then A Light From the Nether should be on your radar. It’s quirky, deeply emotional, and beautifully written. I'm glad I went out of my comfort zone to try this book.

A cracking read . Devastating and enthralling. A ghost story that isn’t really a ghost story at all. Interesting characters. I found the premise to be new and captivating, and the romance was intriguing. Would highly recommend .

This was such a great, creepy read that I didn't know I was missing. At first I wasn't certain what sort of story I was walking into with the definitions and such listed on the first few pages, however, once the story started, I was hooked. It was such an interesting concept. This is a world where there are parasites of the mind, and mindscapes which are hellacious to those who are able to perceive them. The hosts are fed upon by the parasites and only certain people are skilled enough to sever the ties between the host and parasites and try to close the fissures linking the parasitic world to our own.

Liam is one of the skilled people who is able to "wedge" himself between the host and parasite to sever the attachments and try to close the fissures which allow them access. However, Liam and his partner encounter a scenario which goes wrong and Liam loses more than he can stand. After the job, he quits the business and refuses to insert himself into those types of situations again. He even leaves Chicago and heads towards the Northeast to try and escape his past which still haunts him.

There is quite a bit of body horror, self-deprecation, and mental horror. I thin that's what gives this book such an eerie atmosphere. The worldbuilding is really well done and I think the small town gives me the same spookiness I feel when I read a Stephen King book. This is one I will definitely reread in the future!

i am CRAZY about this book, it has been buzzing around my skull all week and i've been racing to finish it and now that i have, i couldn't be CRAZIER for it!!!

THIS RIGHT HERE. THIS is what my sci-fi, cop drama, small town big problem, supernatural mental monsters, 'genius who drinks himself silly' character loving, adhd meets autism pairing enjoying, supernatural mental monsters, butt wanted!!!! AND THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT I GOT!!! everything about this book drove me wild.

okay, so, when i saw it was a 300+ page book with a glossary at the start, i got scared, but after doing a little googling and finding out that the author is a fanfic author, i felt a little more safe to keep reading. and boy, am i glad i did. by page 20 i was intregued, by page 50 i was interested, by page 150 i was hooked, and by page 277 (miss molly dowd sullivan how could you DO THAT TO ME) i was locked in and refusing to move until i finished the book.

this book feels familiar to me in a way i can't explain - the mechanics of this world are a little overwhelming at first, but as the story unfolds and envelops these unknown terms, they come to me like remembering to learn a bike, like i've always known what a fluke and a wick are. familiar, recognisable, but in an entirely new way that had me, an autistic person who loves to guess the ending and find the twist, with not a SINGLE clue of where this would end up.

i honestly can't and won't shut up about this. it's getting five stars and it's going on the favourites shelf. mwah. mwah mwah mwah mwah.

This book is a lot. In the best ways possible.

Part horror, part police procedural, part fantasy mindbending mystery. There are a lot of moving parts to this book, and they're all handled (mostly) perfectly. The world building was intense, and it really throws you into the deep in with the glossary at the beginning, but things are slowly revealed and explained in the world so that it's easier to digest.

Every single character is perfect. The mystery is amazing. The romance is tender, sweet, and more than a little trippy in an Eternal Sunshine type of way. I loved every second I spent with it.

A Light From the Nether is a new queer fantasy novel that has some truly incredible and creative world-building. It's largely set in our world, but there's a horrifying mirror world that can occasionally leak into ours. That world is called The Nether, and it is full of parasitic monsters called Flukes that feast on human souls. When those come through fissures and attack humans, it is Liam's job to destroy the Flukes and close up the breach.

Liam is a Trypanon, an extremely rare person who can move between our world, known as The Walking World, and The Nether. This isn't an exciting and fun portal-hopping fantasy career, though! The Nether is traumatizing, and the Flukes inflict gruesome damage to their hosts. If Liam could, he would abandon this draining and dangerous job for good, but he's quickly pulled back into the fray when a series of strange deaths start occurring.

This book genuinely had one of the best prologues that I've read in ages. In just a few pages, it introduces the world and the main character expertly. I was hooked immediately, which is so rare for me with a fantasy novel.

The characters in this are flawed and complicated. Liam, in particular, is struggling at the beginning of the book. He's been exposed to some truly horrific scenes, and he's also repressing a childhood trauma. He is not in a good place. Liam meets Jasper in an unusual way, and the two strike a deal to help each other solve the mystery of what is going on in their town.

The love story that develops between them is epic and a very slow burn. There's no spice, and the romance is only one aspect of the plot, but it's wonderfully done; I got so emotionally invested in this pair! It's also a really unique relationship. I don't want to give anything away, but their dynamic is very different than the average romance. There are some big twists and reveals with them that blew me away, too!

The mystery part of the plot is engaging and well-plotted. There was never a moment in this where I felt bored or wished the story moved faster. It was paced perfectly with bits of information being revealed regularly. Every thing comes together in shocking and satisfying ways.

There were points when I seriously couldn't put this book down! A big part of me really wanted to slow down reading this book so I could really savor it, but I absolutely had to know what was happening next! I was up far too late reading this because I truly couldn't stop reading!

This book is one of the biggest surprises of the year for me. I had no expectations when I sat down to start reading this. The blurb sounded interesting, and I thought I might like it, but this is a debut with under 10 ratings on Goodreads (at the time I started reading it). To say I was unprepared by how much I would end up loving this is an understatement!

A Light From the Nether is utterly unique and captivating, and I genuinely loved every second of reading it. This is one of my favorite books I've read in recent years, and it's a strong contender for my best book of the year! I very highly recommend it to fans of queer stories, mysteries, and dark fantasy! It has some gore and some dark content, but if you can handle it, you will be rewarded with a phenomenal love story and an incredibly well-written, emotional, and surprising book!


My Rating: 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕 (5/5 stars).

Pages: 352 (Kindle Edition)

Tropes/Tags: Queer, Fantasy, Achillean, Horror, Mystery, Soulmates, Urban Fantasy, Slow Burn, Portal Fantasy (kinda)

Spice Level: 🌶️/5. There are kisses but no spicy scenes.

Content Warnings: Body Horror, Murder, Death, Violence, Mental Illness, Homophobia, Religious Extremism, Eating Disorder, and mild descriptions of animal corpses. There is a more detailed list included at the beginning of the book.

I wasn't sure what to expect when I started to read this book and boy was not not disappointed. What a marvelous debut urban fantasy!

Liam is what's called a Trypanon, he can walk where others cannot and can open/close Fissures. He has spent his whole life being "special" and also being used by FUSE for his talents. These skills wear on him mentally and physically and one day he's not sure what will be left of him.

After a tragic incident he travels back to the seaside town that the used to spend with highly religious grandparents. He hopes to be left alone but the town has other plans as local law enforcement/FUSE pull him back into a serious of unexpected events that pulls him back into work he wanted to leave behind.

This story is full of unexpected twists, especially after Liam starts having nighttime visitations from the mysterious Jasper that he seems to have a connection to.

This is an exciting mix of urban fantasy, romance and murder mystery. I was guessing until the end who the real culprit was and who was/was not on Liam side. This was a story of confronting what you fear, overcoming grief and allowing yourself to open up to others. I spent a lot of this story wanting to give both Jasper and Liam a big old hug.

The burn is extremely slow and feels earned once you get there. I do with the epilogue has been a tad longer. And if anything would have happened to Kermit there would have been riots on my end!

Although I obviously couldn't understand fully Liam struggle he was incredibly relatable in the face of grief and allowing yourself ot heal. I'd read so many other stories in this world! This was a creative story and I couldn't put it down!

Thank you NetGalley and Victory Editing for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Woah, what a book. What a debut, even!

First of all, what the hell even is the story? Urban fantasy coupled with a thrilling serial murder mystery, with some horror elements (atmospheric and body horror mostly) and historical aspects woven in. Add in coastal small-town vibes, two creepy Victorian mirror houses, a love story spanning many decades, and you’re set for a very ambitious ride.

Is your mind spinning yet? In a good way, I hope!

Guys, the world-building, holy shit. Insanely interesting and elaborate with its own terminology (thank the author for the glossary included). Imagine mindscapes and different types of parasites that feed on trauma, and people with abilities to deal with these parasitic infections - and with more. Because there’s something even worse lurking around, beyond our ordinary sight, that can feast upon human minds.

And Liam O’Connor is the best person to deal with the threat, his abilities the most outstanding. He’s also an almost thirty-year-old anxious hot mess battling grief and depression, and very much doesn’t want to be the best person. I think some readers could find him frustrating, but I found Liam’s struggles very relatable. A gifted kid molded into a tool, whose job slowly whittles away at his mental health. And when he finally arrives at the conclusion he doesn’t want to do this anymore, he simply can’t do this anymore... people refuse to let him go, making him feel responsible for everyone.

I couldn’t help but feel for this very reluctant hero. His unraveling state of mind, his doubt and self-hatred, created an uncomfortably cloying and claustrophobic atmosphere for most of the story.

Then there’s Jasper Knox. Oooh but Jasper is lovely. I won’t say much about him, but look - tall, dark and handsome, deliciously snarky and sarcastic, standoffish, brusque... wears an ascot. He’s also, possibly, maybe, not really alive? Who knows, I certainly won’t tell 🤭

And calling the book a romance wouldn’t fit, so definitely don’t expect that, but there IS a heartbreaking love story, with a soulmate situation that worked incredibly well for me. No instant lovesickness, just a connection both Liam and Jasper are befuddled by.
One more warning, though: don’t expect any kind of steam. None. Not even fade to black, sorry!

The mystery and suspense really propelled the story forward. It took me quite a while to read just because my brain wouldn’t shut the hell up, throwing theories at me left and right, and generally being a nuisance - although it did make for an engaging reading experience. It’s been a while since I’ve had so much fun being suspicious of everything (and my main theory ended up being correct and it was so satisfying!)

The book isn’t perfect though, the first twenty percent is a bit slow-paced, and there are definitely a few logical inconsistencies and unexplained details - but it’s not hard to just go with the flow. I was insanely inquisitive because the world-building truly caught my attention, I can imagine it being expanded upon in a series!

The writing also took me a bit to get used to; it consists mostly of shorter, sharp sentences that are usually effective for creating tension, but the overuse can affect the flow of the story. Nevertheless, I feel like it either got better, or I truly got used to it.

Despite some flaws, I don’t think I’ll forget how this book made me stare at the wall and contemplate, shout at my e-reader, and even shed a tear. I’m itching to pre-order a physical copy so I can one day do a proper reread and annotate because my mind is still spinning. Seriously - what a treasure of a debut! ❤️

This book isn't like anything I've read before and I was blown away! First of all, be mindful of the content warnings because the story is very dark and the author does an excellent job of conveying the visceral horror of it all. As someone who doesn't read horror often, I was having a hard time but that is 100% a me thing -- the book is really, really good. The worldbuilding/supernatural elements are well explained and conveyed in spine chilling detail. The settings are immersive and creepy. The characters are intense! Liam really goes through it, and his story is one of great darkness and pain. But he's not alone, and I liked getting to know all of the supporting characters and seeing how their stories intertwine. There are so many shocking revelations in this book, and I had no idea what would happen next or who the big bad was - it definitely kept me guessing! All in all, this is a highly emotional read filled with the highs and (mostly) lows of Liam and his desperate attempts of close fissures and save lives. I'm excited to read more work by Molly Dowd Sullivan!

This book is so gorgeous. It is literally haunting, and I have not stopped thinking about it since I finished it. It took me literally 1 day to devour this masterpiece.

A Light From the Nether is a contemporary urban fantasy that blends aggressively millennial references with Victorian-era forbidden romance and a dash of immaculate body horror, all wrapped up in a mystery. The story opens with Liam, barely an adult and already wrung out by his career, suffering a cataclysmic breakdown after a job goes wrong.

First off, I have to say how grateful I am for the inclusion of a glossary at the start of the novel, making sure it's spoiler-free and a safe reference point. I think I would have been completely lost without it, even if the narration did a good job explaining the finer points while the reader discovered them, it was just a lot to hold onto! As for the story itself: from the very beginning, the atmosphere just leaps off the page. The humor is witty and so dry, perfectly matching the somber mood. The body horror elements are deliciously creepy and work incredibly well.

For about 60% (or more?) of the book, I was absolutely in love with the novel and what it was going for. The buildup is strong, and the red herrings keep the mystery compelling. However, some of the final twists ended up being either predictable or disappointments. There were a few cop-outs that weren’t foreshadowed enough, and some details unravelled under scrutiny. Without getting into spoilers, I feel like the author fell into a trap of wanting to tie up too many threads together and ended up with something a bit messy, a bit shaky, and which left a few plot holes behind since there was *so much* already.

Even with my lukewarm feelings about the final reveals (and ending as a whole), I still had a fantastic time reading this book. The characters were touching, and I loved the bond they shared (I also appreciated the character art at the end!). The worldbuilding is rich and genuinely unique, something I haven’t seen before, and the writing is competent and engaging. In the end, I’d rate this novel at a 4.25-4.5 stars, but I’m rounding it up to 5. I’d recommend it to (hear me out) Destiel aficionados (don’t judge me) and fans of Victorian whodunnits. The marketing compares the book to C.S. Pacat, but for me, it was much closer to a K.J. Charles!

Sullivan’s "A Light From the Nether" is a rare feast: part police procedural, part psychological thriller, with the whole of it folded into urban fantasy, body horror, mystery, dark comedy, and historical fiction. And yet, beneath it all pulses a queer love story—one that defies time, form, and the bounds of emotional complexity.

The novel resists easy allegiance. It conjures a world where ambiguity and immateriality are not side effects but the very structure of existence. Here, the torments of the mind become flesh, and existential questions of right, wrong, and mortality seep into every gesture.

Throughout, tight, evocative language weaves sensory mindscapes that consume and subvert, splintering perception as they unwind. In a world where you hear with your eyes and taste with your touch, anything proves possible.

This is partly due to the grammar of reality Sullivan constructs. Where language not only reflects but remakes the world, Liam, our protagonist, is left shifting between brutalised psyches in a relentless effort to help them heal. Faced with loss and horror greater than anything he’s known before, he begins to feel his own mind slipping into an essence not entirely his. Still, nothing compares to what comes next: a becoming that undoes all else.

At its heart, Sullivan presents a story of life, trauma, adoration, and survival, told with uncanny precision, rhythm, and emotional depth. Empathy walks alongside disdain. Devotion stares at its mirror reflection: desolation.

This is no fairy tale. Emotion here fractures as easily as it soothes, unmaking the self while clinging to it. To enter this world unguarded is to let the narrative strike at full force. For every turn of the plot, there’s a new layer of darkness—aching, immersive, and laced with revelation.
Those seeking romance should turn instead to the slow excavation of the bodies that hold it; those hungry for horror should open themselves up to a tenderness that slashes and wounds.

"A Light From the Nether" asks you to shed your assumptions and, perhaps, a few hours of sleep. Dreamlike in places, nightmarish in others, it consumes and reconfigures from the inside out. There is nothing left to do but submit to the devourment.

A Light From the Nether by Molly Dowd Sullivan is such a good story. I rated it 5 stars because I couldn't put it down for a second. The characters are immaculate.