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The Last Finestra #2
This Cursed Light
When the gods make the rules, the players must choose: Sacrifice their love to save the world, or choose love and let it burn?
Six months after saving their island from destruction and almost losing Dante, Alessa is ready to live happily ever after with her former bodyguard. But Dante can't rest, haunted by a conviction that the gods aren't finished with them yet. And without his powers, the next kiss from Alessa could kill him.
Desperate for answers, Dante enlists Alessa and their friends 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. But Alessa is hiding a deadly consequence of their last fight--a growing darkness that's consuming her mind--and their destination holds more dangers than anyone bargained for. In the mysterious city of the banished, Dante will uncover secrets, lies, and ghosts from his past that force him to ask himself: Which side is he on?
When the gods reveal their final test, Dante and Alessa will be the world's last defense. But if they are the keys to saving the world, will their love be the price of victory?
In This Cursed Light, Dante and Alessa face their most daunting challenge yet when the Gods demand they prove their worth by choosing the ultimate sacrifice to save humanity, once and for all.
Six months after saving their island from destruction and almost losing Dante, Alessa is ready to live happily ever after with her former bodyguard. But Dante can't rest, haunted by a conviction that the gods aren't finished with them yet. And without his powers, the next kiss from Alessa could kill him.
Desperate for answers, Dante enlists Alessa and their friends 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. But Alessa is hiding a deadly consequence of their last fight--a growing darkness that's consuming her mind--and their destination holds more dangers than anyone bargained for. In the mysterious city of the banished, Dante will uncover secrets, lies, and ghosts from his past that force him to ask himself: Which side is he on?
When the gods reveal their final test, Dante and Alessa will be the world's last defense. But if they are the keys to saving the world, will their love be the price of victory?
In This Cursed Light, Dante and Alessa face their most daunting challenge yet when the Gods demand they prove their worth by choosing the ultimate sacrifice to save humanity, once and for all.
448 pages, Hardcover
First published December 5, 2023
199 people are currently reading
15728 people want to read
About the author
Emily Thiede
2books800followersEmily Thiede grew up reading in trees and now now writes fantastical tales about magic, mayhem, and characters who flirt with their enemies while the world burns. She is the author of THIS VICIOUS GRACE and the sequel, THIS CURSED LIGHT.
When she isn’t writing, you can find her fostering kittens, mentoring aspiring authors, and serving as vice chair for Writer House, a writing nonprofit in central Virginia.
When she isn’t writing, you can find her fostering kittens, mentoring aspiring authors, and serving as vice chair for Writer House, a writing nonprofit in central Virginia.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 780 reviews
January 17, 2025
2023 reads: 347/350
i received a digital review copy from the publisher via netgalley in exchange for an honest review. this did not affect my rating.
in this sequel to this vicious grace, we follow alessa and dante six months after the events of the previous book as they search for other ghiotte to create an army and hopefully restore dante’s powers.
this vicious grace easily became an all-time favorite of mine last year, and i have not-so-patiently been awaiting this sequel since. the angst in the last book was one of my favorite parts about it, and that was definitely not missing from this one! because dante’s powers were gone, he and alessa couldn’t touch, which of course led to lots of tension.
we also got to know dante a lot more in this book since his pov was included! i already loved him, but it was so great to get to know him even more.
overall, this was such a satisfying sequel, and although i’m sad to say goodbye, i loved going on this journey and can’t wait to read whatever emily thiede writes next.
post-this vicious grace review:
i will be slowly losing my mind till i can read this.
i received a digital review copy from the publisher via netgalley in exchange for an honest review. this did not affect my rating.
in this sequel to this vicious grace, we follow alessa and dante six months after the events of the previous book as they search for other ghiotte to create an army and hopefully restore dante’s powers.
this vicious grace easily became an all-time favorite of mine last year, and i have not-so-patiently been awaiting this sequel since. the angst in the last book was one of my favorite parts about it, and that was definitely not missing from this one! because dante’s powers were gone, he and alessa couldn’t touch, which of course led to lots of tension.
we also got to know dante a lot more in this book since his pov was included! i already loved him, but it was so great to get to know him even more.
overall, this was such a satisfying sequel, and although i’m sad to say goodbye, i loved going on this journey and can’t wait to read whatever emily thiede writes next.
post-this vicious grace review:
i will be slowly losing my mind till i can read this.
October 29, 2023
The saga of series ending badly for Sarah continues.
This wasn't the worst ending I've ever read. It wrapped up character arcs nicely and finished off all of the plot lines. There weren't any major personality shifts for the MCs, and I still enjoyed the fantasy version of Italy.
I firmly believe Alessa and Dante are some of the best YA characters I've read in a while. Their POVs switched cohesively, and they have strong personalities. Alessa and Dante are working through shared and separate trauma. We see them struggle to get over childhood hurt and how it affects their abilities to form healthy relationships, platonic and romantic. It's rare to not have YA books where the main characters make dumb decisions for the purpose of furthering the plot. They are both sharp, and come with flaws.
The romance I loved so much intially fell apart in . Dante and Alessa's sharp dynamic was completely absent. I missed the wit, sass, and humor that made me fall in love with them in the first book. They got stuck in a miscommunication loop, falling into the classic YA trap of "I'm not good enough for you, why do you love me." In small doses, I can deal with this trope, but it permeated the whole novel, up until the epilogue. Sure, there were fleeting moments of the iconic wit and dialogue, but overall, it was replaced with a weird back-and-forth dynamic.
When Dante and Alessa weren't working through couple therapy, they were bundles of raging hormones. While it only had one or two vague sex scenes, the amount of innuendos and talk about bodies looking sexy was too much for me. If I was looking for smut, I would be in the adult section. This isn't really the author's fault; publishing companies need to market for the right audience. I know this will boil down to personal opinion, but this is not intended for a younger audience. Lots of dirty jokes and heated statement that no fourteen-year-old has business reading.
Much like , the villain plays a fleeting role. The big bad is overplayed and talked to death, but facing the villain takes up hardly thirty pages. There's so much prep and anxiety over an evil that is underwhelming in the end, when it has the potential to be terrifying. Thiede spends too much time prepping her characters for a ludicrously quick battle. The preparation is repitive as well. Majority of the time the preparation is reading about soldiers training, over and over again.
If Thiede doesn't give the side characters their own books, I'm rioting. More often than not, they are relegated to therapy roles or moments of humor, which is a shame. They are all so witty and fun, yet they never reached their full potential. I would have liked to see them not play the roles of psychologists and comedic relief.
If you loved , I do reccomend you read the sequel. It still was fun and charming. If you don go in with high hopes for the romance, and are ready to admit the villian is too similar to the first book, you'll set yourself up for success.
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the advance copy! All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.
—Ĕ�
just got an ARC and no i will not be normal about it i’m so excited😭
This wasn't the worst ending I've ever read. It wrapped up character arcs nicely and finished off all of the plot lines. There weren't any major personality shifts for the MCs, and I still enjoyed the fantasy version of Italy.
I firmly believe Alessa and Dante are some of the best YA characters I've read in a while. Their POVs switched cohesively, and they have strong personalities. Alessa and Dante are working through shared and separate trauma. We see them struggle to get over childhood hurt and how it affects their abilities to form healthy relationships, platonic and romantic. It's rare to not have YA books where the main characters make dumb decisions for the purpose of furthering the plot. They are both sharp, and come with flaws.
The romance I loved so much intially fell apart in . Dante and Alessa's sharp dynamic was completely absent. I missed the wit, sass, and humor that made me fall in love with them in the first book. They got stuck in a miscommunication loop, falling into the classic YA trap of "I'm not good enough for you, why do you love me." In small doses, I can deal with this trope, but it permeated the whole novel, up until the epilogue. Sure, there were fleeting moments of the iconic wit and dialogue, but overall, it was replaced with a weird back-and-forth dynamic.
When Dante and Alessa weren't working through couple therapy, they were bundles of raging hormones. While it only had one or two vague sex scenes, the amount of innuendos and talk about bodies looking sexy was too much for me. If I was looking for smut, I would be in the adult section. This isn't really the author's fault; publishing companies need to market for the right audience. I know this will boil down to personal opinion, but this is not intended for a younger audience. Lots of dirty jokes and heated statement that no fourteen-year-old has business reading.
Much like , the villain plays a fleeting role. The big bad is overplayed and talked to death, but facing the villain takes up hardly thirty pages. There's so much prep and anxiety over an evil that is underwhelming in the end, when it has the potential to be terrifying. Thiede spends too much time prepping her characters for a ludicrously quick battle. The preparation is repitive as well. Majority of the time the preparation is reading about soldiers training, over and over again.
If Thiede doesn't give the side characters their own books, I'm rioting. More often than not, they are relegated to therapy roles or moments of humor, which is a shame. They are all so witty and fun, yet they never reached their full potential. I would have liked to see them not play the roles of psychologists and comedic relief.
If you loved , I do reccomend you read the sequel. It still was fun and charming. If you don go in with high hopes for the romance, and are ready to admit the villian is too similar to the first book, you'll set yourself up for success.
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the advance copy! All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.
—Ĕ�
just got an ARC and no i will not be normal about it i’m so excited😭
November 10, 2023
The big, propulsive emotions and romance of the first book were lacking here. The success of book was was the heart of it: Alessa and her angst, and the romance between her and Dante. In this, the sequel, I felt like that was missing. I didn't feel for the characters.
The romance, since the couple already got together in book 1, turned into petty drama between them. Even in the resolution, it was never satisfying.
There was a big feeling here of "teens hanging out and sometimes bantering." From beginning to end, the book was pushing side characters at me without also pushing why I should care about them.
There was also a lot of deepening of the magic system. Which, could have been interesting, but just came off as convenient deus ex machina and infodumping in the end.
Thanks to Netgalley and Wednesday Books for a copy of this novel to review. All opinions are my own.
The romance, since the couple already got together in book 1, turned into petty drama between them. Even in the resolution, it was never satisfying.
There was a big feeling here of "teens hanging out and sometimes bantering." From beginning to end, the book was pushing side characters at me without also pushing why I should care about them.
There was also a lot of deepening of the magic system. Which, could have been interesting, but just came off as convenient deus ex machina and infodumping in the end.
Thanks to Netgalley and Wednesday Books for a copy of this novel to review. All opinions are my own.
Want to read
February 14, 2025read the first two sentences and yeah! this is gonna break me 🥰
Want to read
October 30, 2023I'm only 100 pages in This Vicious Grace and I already want to read the second book hahaha <3
Update: My review of the first book: This Vicious Grace
Update: My review of the first book: This Vicious Grace
October 22, 2024
I enjoyed being back in this world, though I was having some difficulty remembering some of what happened in the first book. I think ET did a good job of referencing past scenes without detailing too much and I found myself remembering what was probably the most important parts.
But I'm having mixed feeling about this sequel. It started off pretty entertaining and I was intrigued by the storyline that was going to unfold, but the whole middle of the book just sagged for me. And I didn't end up connecting to this story half as much as the first. The writing felt very surface level with very little development. It felt like I was reading a play-by-play of what was happening without any of the emotion.
I enjoyed the end once everyone really started working together, but I'm not sure how I feel about the ending. Since everything was very surface level for me, I can't tell if the ending was just an easy way out or if that was what was supposed to happen considering Dea and her godly mechanizations.
Overall, the characters were very enjoyable and I liked the overall teachings that this book was trying to impart, but it fell a little short for me.
Thank you NetGalley and St Martin's Press for this arc in exchange for an honest review!
But I'm having mixed feeling about this sequel. It started off pretty entertaining and I was intrigued by the storyline that was going to unfold, but the whole middle of the book just sagged for me. And I didn't end up connecting to this story half as much as the first. The writing felt very surface level with very little development. It felt like I was reading a play-by-play of what was happening without any of the emotion.
I enjoyed the end once everyone really started working together, but I'm not sure how I feel about the ending. Since everything was very surface level for me, I can't tell if the ending was just an easy way out or if that was what was supposed to happen considering Dea and her godly mechanizations.
Overall, the characters were very enjoyable and I liked the overall teachings that this book was trying to impart, but it fell a little short for me.
Thank you NetGalley and St Martin's Press for this arc in exchange for an honest review!
Want to read
April 10, 2022I remain personally aggrieved I don’t have a Dante irl, but I’ll settle for knowing he is well� Emily Thiede, he is well, right??? 😩
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 30, 2024
Vorhang auf für die gefährlichen Ghiotte!
Enthält Spoiler zum Vorgänger!
Alessas Beziehung zu Dante ist nach ihrem vorläufigen Sieg etwas fragil, weil ihre traumatischen Erfahrungen zwischen ihnen stehen und auch ihre magischen Kräfte gerade nicht ganz zuverlässig sind. Als aktuelle Finestra hat Alessa viele Pflichten und ist in ihrer Gemeinde sehr angesehen, doch als sie auf die Hilfe der Ghiotte angewiesen ist, begeben sie sich in das feindselig gesinnte Gebiet. Außerhalb ihrer eigenen Territoriums, wo sie gerade mehr Selbstvertrauen gefasst hatte, fühlt sie sich auch wieder etwas überfordert.
Diesmal rückt Dante in den Mittelpunkt und Alessa ist eher eine unterstützende Kraft im Hintergrund, während Dante seine Probleme aus der Vergangenheit verarbeitet und sich mit seinen Fähigkeiten auseinandersetzt. Er kehrt zurück zu seinen Wurzeln und trifft alte Freunde und Bekannte wieder, doch es ist gar nicht so leicht, wieder an diese komplizierten Beziehungen anzuknüpfen.
Die Gemeinschaft der Ghiotte fand ich schon ziemlich spannend, und zwar nicht nur dadurch, dass Dante, Alessa und ihre Begleiter dort in ständiger Gefahr sind. Die Bedrohung durch die dunklen Mächte habe ich diesmal nicht ganz nachempfinden können, aber dafür konnten mich die Charaktere wieder absolut überzeugen und auch der Kampf um die magischen Fähigkeiten hat mir gut gefallen. Neben Liebe, Pflicht und Verantwortung geht es hier auch besonders um Gemeinschaft und Vergebung und diese Themen fand ich auch liebevoll umgesetzt und spannend verpackt.
Enthält Spoiler zum Vorgänger!
Alessas Beziehung zu Dante ist nach ihrem vorläufigen Sieg etwas fragil, weil ihre traumatischen Erfahrungen zwischen ihnen stehen und auch ihre magischen Kräfte gerade nicht ganz zuverlässig sind. Als aktuelle Finestra hat Alessa viele Pflichten und ist in ihrer Gemeinde sehr angesehen, doch als sie auf die Hilfe der Ghiotte angewiesen ist, begeben sie sich in das feindselig gesinnte Gebiet. Außerhalb ihrer eigenen Territoriums, wo sie gerade mehr Selbstvertrauen gefasst hatte, fühlt sie sich auch wieder etwas überfordert.
Diesmal rückt Dante in den Mittelpunkt und Alessa ist eher eine unterstützende Kraft im Hintergrund, während Dante seine Probleme aus der Vergangenheit verarbeitet und sich mit seinen Fähigkeiten auseinandersetzt. Er kehrt zurück zu seinen Wurzeln und trifft alte Freunde und Bekannte wieder, doch es ist gar nicht so leicht, wieder an diese komplizierten Beziehungen anzuknüpfen.
Die Gemeinschaft der Ghiotte fand ich schon ziemlich spannend, und zwar nicht nur dadurch, dass Dante, Alessa und ihre Begleiter dort in ständiger Gefahr sind. Die Bedrohung durch die dunklen Mächte habe ich diesmal nicht ganz nachempfinden können, aber dafür konnten mich die Charaktere wieder absolut überzeugen und auch der Kampf um die magischen Fähigkeiten hat mir gut gefallen. Neben Liebe, Pflicht und Verantwortung geht es hier auch besonders um Gemeinschaft und Vergebung und diese Themen fand ich auch liebevoll umgesetzt und spannend verpackt.
September 26, 2024
I had more expectations from this fantasy sequel as the debut was quite satisfying. Both Alessa and Dante struggle and are plagued with their nightmares and traumas after Divorando. I missed their riveting easy dynamic banter which was a crucial ingredient in . This romantasy was subpar with pacing issues, missing intrigue, and entertainment while it tethered dangerously on childishness and an upcoming battle that fizzled out. It was all so predictable and underwhelming that even the interesting side characters failed to save a poorly handled conclusion.
November 14, 2024
I've been saying more people should read this series since book one, but man, this sequel just blew the first book out of the water. Since I picked up the first book, I've loved the world building of The Last Finestra series. The backstory revolving around the gods really reminds me of Divine Rivals. And while I liked the characters in book one, I felt as though they all needed a little more depth. And boy, did this book deliver! Every character, relationship, plot thread, and theme is expanded upon perfectly. This is such a solid conclusion to a series. It also had some moments towards the end that really reminded me of Kingdom of Ash. I don't want to give away too much, because I want people to read this duology themselves, so for now I'll just say that this was everything I wanted in a romantic fantasy and more. I'm eagerly awaiting the author's next release.
April 16, 2024
Let me start off by saying I loved This Vicious Grace... it was one of my favorite YA fantasy books from last year. But This Cursed Light felt like it was written by a different person. Everything that made the first book so riveting and enjoyable was missing from the sequel. The story, the characters, their banter, everything just felt so juvenile, which was not the case with the first book.
What a bummer. 2.5 stars rounded down
What a bummer. 2.5 stars rounded down
January 26, 2024
God this book is exhausting
The more I think about this book, the more angry I get at it. And I am unfortunately thinking about it a lot because I spent so much time trying to finish it, only to be so utterly annoyed by it!!!!
I adored Lemon Book 1—I can't be bothered with titles rn and I've been calling the series lemon books and like that it shall stay—even though, during my reread, I was a little more subdued in my enjoyment. But it was still fun. The pacing of the romance and the overall plot will always feel off, but man, I adored those characters. The humor, the quiet affection, the feeling of found family coming together. It was precious.
This???????? Sure, it has some of that heart, but it is so utterly useless. Side characters are resorted to simply being comedic relief or to ease whatever tension is brewing. The romance is a fucking mess and completely ruined the book for me. It's hard to have a plot that goes along the lines of "oh no the world is ending once more and we must stop it" and give a fuck about miscommunication.
Listen, I'm not so heartless. I've desensitized myself to the woe is me, I'm not good enough for her bullshit. It's unfortunate, but it comes with the trade. It lasted to the point that I decided that I'd had enough of it. There's no reason for me to care about this relationship anymore. Lemon book 1 had the weird tension of them getting together, and them staying together? Quite possibly the worst route this series has taken. The stakes are so much higher, or I'm supposed to believe that, but every other page is full of "he just ignored me again" and "I need to be good enough for Alessa."
Bro. Please.
And then when just about the worst thing that could happen, other than, y’know, everyone dying ig—I wouldn't know! I didn't fucking finish this hot mess! Who knows what happens—they STILL FIGHT ABOUT THEIR RELATIONSHIP instead of dealing with that God awful situation.
Ugh. UGH. I'd been dying to read this for AGES. I was anticipating it so, so much!!!! I didn't want to write a rant about how much it sucked my will to live DRY.
The more I think about this book, the more angry I get at it. And I am unfortunately thinking about it a lot because I spent so much time trying to finish it, only to be so utterly annoyed by it!!!!
I adored Lemon Book 1—I can't be bothered with titles rn and I've been calling the series lemon books and like that it shall stay—even though, during my reread, I was a little more subdued in my enjoyment. But it was still fun. The pacing of the romance and the overall plot will always feel off, but man, I adored those characters. The humor, the quiet affection, the feeling of found family coming together. It was precious.
This???????? Sure, it has some of that heart, but it is so utterly useless. Side characters are resorted to simply being comedic relief or to ease whatever tension is brewing. The romance is a fucking mess and completely ruined the book for me. It's hard to have a plot that goes along the lines of "oh no the world is ending once more and we must stop it" and give a fuck about miscommunication.
Listen, I'm not so heartless. I've desensitized myself to the woe is me, I'm not good enough for her bullshit. It's unfortunate, but it comes with the trade. It lasted to the point that I decided that I'd had enough of it. There's no reason for me to care about this relationship anymore. Lemon book 1 had the weird tension of them getting together, and them staying together? Quite possibly the worst route this series has taken. The stakes are so much higher, or I'm supposed to believe that, but every other page is full of "he just ignored me again" and "I need to be good enough for Alessa."
Bro. Please.
And then when just about the worst thing that could happen, other than, y’know, everyone dying ig—I wouldn't know! I didn't fucking finish this hot mess! Who knows what happens—they STILL FIGHT ABOUT THEIR RELATIONSHIP instead of dealing with that God awful situation.
Ugh. UGH. I'd been dying to read this for AGES. I was anticipating it so, so much!!!! I didn't want to write a rant about how much it sucked my will to live DRY.
January 13, 2024
I have received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
This Cursed Light is the second installment within The Last Finestra series. Just like the first one, I absolutely loved everything about Dante and Alessa. Well, when they were communicating or flirting with one another. I'll admit that if they didn't keep things secretive or hidden most of the time, they would've had less problems to solve. Especially with the whole battle hanging over their heads.
Still, I was pretty excited to finally meet more of Dante's people. The ghiotte's didn't disappoint one bit. Sure, some were a bit harder to convince that they were all on the same side. When things were finally getting better, I was really happy because it seemed like hearts were mending for everyone involved. Alessa couldn't be held accountable for how they were all treated before she became the Finestra. It just didn't make sense to me.
Other than that, I went through a mini emotional roller coaster ride towards the end of this book. I wasn't prepared for what was coming even though I had a feeling it was going to come. It was hard to accept but I was pleasantly surprised with what happened next. In the end, I'm really happy I got the chance to read this, and I can't wait for everyone else to fall in love with this series.
This Cursed Light is the second installment within The Last Finestra series. Just like the first one, I absolutely loved everything about Dante and Alessa. Well, when they were communicating or flirting with one another. I'll admit that if they didn't keep things secretive or hidden most of the time, they would've had less problems to solve. Especially with the whole battle hanging over their heads.
Still, I was pretty excited to finally meet more of Dante's people. The ghiotte's didn't disappoint one bit. Sure, some were a bit harder to convince that they were all on the same side. When things were finally getting better, I was really happy because it seemed like hearts were mending for everyone involved. Alessa couldn't be held accountable for how they were all treated before she became the Finestra. It just didn't make sense to me.
Other than that, I went through a mini emotional roller coaster ride towards the end of this book. I wasn't prepared for what was coming even though I had a feeling it was going to come. It was hard to accept but I was pleasantly surprised with what happened next. In the end, I'm really happy I got the chance to read this, and I can't wait for everyone else to fall in love with this series.
October 8, 2023
This was a great read, and a fitting sequel to This Vicious Grace. Thiede's genre is hard to pin as it's a mix of YA, new adult, fantasy, and (YA appropriate) romance. That said, there's no reason to avoid reading it because what you're in for is another fun ride.
A team of older, gifted teenagers leave their safe city and travel to the edges of their world to find an army to team up, with so they can fight the gods together with their two leaders at the forefront.. This is not a fluffy read; lots of details, good writing, and banter to enjoy. Take your time soaking in the settings, character development, love-filled angst, and the buildup to the battle that ends this duology.
I recommend reading book 1 first as there are a few characters to follow in both books.
A team of older, gifted teenagers leave their safe city and travel to the edges of their world to find an army to team up, with so they can fight the gods together with their two leaders at the forefront.. This is not a fluffy read; lots of details, good writing, and banter to enjoy. Take your time soaking in the settings, character development, love-filled angst, and the buildup to the battle that ends this duology.
I recommend reading book 1 first as there are a few characters to follow in both books.
October 12, 2023
I'd like to thank the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to follow up with this story, like I did with the first book (they offered me an arc back when that dropped).
EH.
I don't know. Maybe, maybe there are some interesting ideas in this. But it's just so lax with world building, character development, and strong focus on the relationship (romance) between the main two that things I hoped that were going to be embellished on or matured with the release of book one never really happened.
The ending was another issue I had - again, when I said in my review of the first book that it felt like Bilbo hitting his head on a rock and the entire battle of the 5 armies went down off page... think about that happening almost with how Callos and Dea were dealt with. I closed the book with the epilogue asking myself, is there a book three happening or is that the end of this all?
Still with modern language between characters ; still, this is 'Italy' but not really Italy.
I don't know, having the villains be the main villains, and no lackeys destroyed any enjoyment for this. That and the focus being entirely on the main two characters that the others and their point was used as point A to point B plot devices. Remove them and the ending would fail, but when they're in the story, you're not missing them.
A point happened in the book with the main character that she did something incredibly stupid and had her brother take the blame and caused a huge issue to go down. On one hand, I had to admit that as a 20 year old I did stupid things out of selfishness for myself, but the person I was would never let someone else take the blame. But low and behold, she did and wa-wah-wahed over it. Eventually she came open about it, but it was in my opinion too late and poorly handled. Because of the crappy character development between her and her brother to begin with.
This series could have been interesting, and should have been interesting given the ideas the author had, but the outcome was just poor.
EH.
I don't know. Maybe, maybe there are some interesting ideas in this. But it's just so lax with world building, character development, and strong focus on the relationship (romance) between the main two that things I hoped that were going to be embellished on or matured with the release of book one never really happened.
The ending was another issue I had - again, when I said in my review of the first book that it felt like Bilbo hitting his head on a rock and the entire battle of the 5 armies went down off page... think about that happening almost with how Callos and Dea were dealt with. I closed the book with the epilogue asking myself, is there a book three happening or is that the end of this all?
Still with modern language between characters ; still, this is 'Italy' but not really Italy.
I don't know, having the villains be the main villains, and no lackeys destroyed any enjoyment for this. That and the focus being entirely on the main two characters that the others and their point was used as point A to point B plot devices. Remove them and the ending would fail, but when they're in the story, you're not missing them.
A point happened in the book with the main character that she did something incredibly stupid and had her brother take the blame and caused a huge issue to go down. On one hand, I had to admit that as a 20 year old I did stupid things out of selfishness for myself, but the person I was would never let someone else take the blame. But low and behold, she did and wa-wah-wahed over it. Eventually she came open about it, but it was in my opinion too late and poorly handled. Because of the crappy character development between her and her brother to begin with.
This series could have been interesting, and should have been interesting given the ideas the author had, but the outcome was just poor.
April 23, 2024
Just like the shape of the country that ""inspired"" this ""fantasy world""... it's a boot.
This duology is so bad.
Much as I disliked This Vicious Grace, it at least had a semblance of a story; mostly because it copied its beats from the 2000 X-Men movie.
This Cursed Light is lost. Never does it find its way, and it goes nowhere.
It has nothing new to say about love, faith, responsibility, or sacrifice.
It has no contribution to make to fantasy, the genre of imagination.
Listen, if Wrath of Khan could convince us to accept the death of a character as universally as beloved as Spock—because to love him is to understand truly that the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few...or the one�This Cursed Light trying to pull the same stunt with that much weight with as petulant and self-serving a character as Alessa is beyond unearned.
Just because Dante loves her doesn't mean the audience should be compelled to.
In the climax, when all it took to save every living soul was for her to die, I was like, "fucken werk".
And I knew it wouldn't last. The duology isn't mature enough to tackle death, nor consequences of any kind. Rather, these are books where Happily Ever After is secured with a kiss.
And an eye roll is secured from me 🙄
This duology is so bad.
Much as I disliked This Vicious Grace, it at least had a semblance of a story; mostly because it copied its beats from the 2000 X-Men movie.
This Cursed Light is lost. Never does it find its way, and it goes nowhere.
It has nothing new to say about love, faith, responsibility, or sacrifice.
It has no contribution to make to fantasy, the genre of imagination.
Listen, if Wrath of Khan could convince us to accept the death of a character as universally as beloved as Spock—because to love him is to understand truly that the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few...or the one�This Cursed Light trying to pull the same stunt with that much weight with as petulant and self-serving a character as Alessa is beyond unearned.
Just because Dante loves her doesn't mean the audience should be compelled to.
In the climax, when all it took to save every living soul was for her to die, I was like, "fucken werk".
And I knew it wouldn't last. The duology isn't mature enough to tackle death, nor consequences of any kind. Rather, these are books where Happily Ever After is secured with a kiss.
And an eye roll is secured from me 🙄
August 3, 2023
THIS WAS SO GOOD BUT EMILY IM SENDING YOU MY THERAPY BILLS!! I AM IN SHAMBLES🤠
December 15, 2023
I read book one of this series and fell in love with it. The romance! **sigh** Dante and Alessa were adorable and they’re finally going to get their chance to be together, but it’s not going to be easy. The world building was great and lots of page turning moments.
I love the way the author writes and I especially like how she handles the difficult things about the romance. It’s realistic and there wasn’t any over exaggerated drama. That is so important to me. I swooned every time I got near Dante and I loved ALL the side characters. This was a very happy satisfying read for me and I recommend it.
Thanks St. Martin’s Press via NetGalley.
I love the way the author writes and I especially like how she handles the difficult things about the romance. It’s realistic and there wasn’t any over exaggerated drama. That is so important to me. I swooned every time I got near Dante and I loved ALL the side characters. This was a very happy satisfying read for me and I recommend it.
Thanks St. Martin’s Press via NetGalley.
November 29, 2023
I have been anticipating this since the moment I first finished This Vicious Grace and it didn’t disappoint for one moment. Books like this remind me why I love the fantasy genre so much. I felt so attached to the characters and was fully invested in their world and stories. There wasn’t a single point during my reading experience that I wanted this story to end and I’m devastated that it doesn’t look like it’s going to continue as a series, although the ending was absolutely perfect. I am such a huge fan of Emily’s writing and I can’t wait to lose myself in more of her stories in the future. I also have no doubt I’ll be returning to this series many times.
October 8, 2023
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an ARC in exchange for an honest review! This Cursed Light will be published on December 5, 2023.
� 5 stars �
So, it’s no secret that I loved This Vicious Grace. I was gushing over it for months, probably annoying everyone in my life when I talked about how important lemons are to my mental well-being and the ecosystem. I fell in love with Emily’s world, the old language, and most of all, Alessa and Dante.
This sequel was one of my most-anticipated reads of the year. And let me tell you, it did not disappoint. It made me laugh more times than I can count on all my fingers, made me cry until I felt like I probably shouldn’t be crying anymore, and squeezed itself right beside the place This Vicious Grace has in my book-heart (just coined that term right now, thank you).
It’s hard to write a sequel. And it’s especially hard to write a sequel with so many characters and plots. But somehow, somehow, Emily does it so well. She handled every character with such care and love, and although there were characters that got more screen time than others, it never felt like someone was pushed to the side. Every single character–and I think I mean that–had a completed arc, had an arc that satisfied the reader.
Of course, how can we forget about our leads? Alessa and Dante are still themselves, not so different from how they were in This Vicious Grace, but they’ve grown. They’ve matured, and you can see that change reflected throughout the book. (They’re still maturing btw, but who isn’t?)
Emily really said, “You want romance? Oh, you just wait. I’ll give you romance and love and every little action of affection you could ever want. You’ll laugh and suffer, but you’ll love me for it.� She probably did think that in her head while writing this, honestly. Alessa and Dante are, quite simply, adorable. They love each other so much that [spoiler redacted, *evil laugh*].
Without giving away too much, I can tell you that this book is worth it. Like, so worth it. Not just for Alessa and Dante (if you thought you loved them in TVG, just you wait until TCL), but for every other character, for every little plot that Emily adds. She twines the people in her world and their stories so wonderfully that you can’t not immerse yourself in it.
This book is undoubtedly one of my best reads of the year. If I could go back and re-experience it, I would. (I’ll probably re-read it soon enough because I have no self control.) I could probably keep talking about TCL long enough to make you hold up a hand and say, “Stop, I get it.� So I’ll end it here. Thanks for stopping by and reading my (very) long-winded way of telling you to pick this book up when it comes out!
(I hope you’ll love it as much as I did, and if you don’t... oops.)
� 5 stars �
So, it’s no secret that I loved This Vicious Grace. I was gushing over it for months, probably annoying everyone in my life when I talked about how important lemons are to my mental well-being and the ecosystem. I fell in love with Emily’s world, the old language, and most of all, Alessa and Dante.
This sequel was one of my most-anticipated reads of the year. And let me tell you, it did not disappoint. It made me laugh more times than I can count on all my fingers, made me cry until I felt like I probably shouldn’t be crying anymore, and squeezed itself right beside the place This Vicious Grace has in my book-heart (just coined that term right now, thank you).
It’s hard to write a sequel. And it’s especially hard to write a sequel with so many characters and plots. But somehow, somehow, Emily does it so well. She handled every character with such care and love, and although there were characters that got more screen time than others, it never felt like someone was pushed to the side. Every single character–and I think I mean that–had a completed arc, had an arc that satisfied the reader.
Of course, how can we forget about our leads? Alessa and Dante are still themselves, not so different from how they were in This Vicious Grace, but they’ve grown. They’ve matured, and you can see that change reflected throughout the book. (They’re still maturing btw, but who isn’t?)
Emily really said, “You want romance? Oh, you just wait. I’ll give you romance and love and every little action of affection you could ever want. You’ll laugh and suffer, but you’ll love me for it.� She probably did think that in her head while writing this, honestly. Alessa and Dante are, quite simply, adorable. They love each other so much that [spoiler redacted, *evil laugh*].
Without giving away too much, I can tell you that this book is worth it. Like, so worth it. Not just for Alessa and Dante (if you thought you loved them in TVG, just you wait until TCL), but for every other character, for every little plot that Emily adds. She twines the people in her world and their stories so wonderfully that you can’t not immerse yourself in it.
This book is undoubtedly one of my best reads of the year. If I could go back and re-experience it, I would. (I’ll probably re-read it soon enough because I have no self control.) I could probably keep talking about TCL long enough to make you hold up a hand and say, “Stop, I get it.� So I’ll end it here. Thanks for stopping by and reading my (very) long-winded way of telling you to pick this book up when it comes out!
(I hope you’ll love it as much as I did, and if you don’t... oops.)
February 25, 2024
Edit 2024: 4 ⭐️
I really struggled to rate this so may come back to it and change once it’s ✨marinated� a little.
This has been my most anticipated read of the year given book one was one of my favourites last year, and has been reread multiple times. In hindsight, that much expectation and excitement is never good.
Going into this book, it picks up a little further on than we left it, and it’s clear to see Dante is still not in a good way.
This sets a precedent for the tone and perspective of the book. Instead of feeling like Alessa leads the third person narration, this is very much Dante’s book and Dante’s story - and that provided some of the things I enjoyed about it, but also some things I didn’t love.
For instance, because we are in Dante’s head a bit more, it lacks the cosy sunshiney feeling of book one. Although alessa undoubtedly went through hard times, there was a cosy magical feeling throughout this vicious grace despite that. This one feels darker, with a little more of a bleak undertone.
I did love getting to see Dante grow though, and it was nice to understand him more.
I really enjoyed the plot of this book, it kept me turning the page and it was different to book one, with enough of a feeling that it made complete sense following on.
The ending felt slightly rushed. I wish the epilogue was longer, more fleshed out.
And I think ultimately, the reason I haven’t given this one five stars is that is lacked the emotion of book one. I cried twice at TVG, but actually, I think it was because I related so heavily to Alessa and where her trail of thoughts were going towards the end of book one.
Perhaps with this one, it’s simply that I don’t relate to Dante as much.
There’s still lots of things I did enjoy however. The romance was beautiful, poetic, everything you could hope for and it actually felt considerably more mature in this one.
There’s also NEW romances and they are small enough parts of the plot that they actually are enjoyable and don’t take away from anything.
The found family group of friends continues to be very entertaining and great!
And there’s a lot of banter in this book that had me laughing out loud.
All in all, this is a really great conclusion to a sweet, magical, and interesting YA Romantasy series with great world building, Italian lore, gods and goddesses, a bodyguard trope, and found family.
I really struggled to rate this so may come back to it and change once it’s ✨marinated� a little.
This has been my most anticipated read of the year given book one was one of my favourites last year, and has been reread multiple times. In hindsight, that much expectation and excitement is never good.
Going into this book, it picks up a little further on than we left it, and it’s clear to see Dante is still not in a good way.
This sets a precedent for the tone and perspective of the book. Instead of feeling like Alessa leads the third person narration, this is very much Dante’s book and Dante’s story - and that provided some of the things I enjoyed about it, but also some things I didn’t love.
For instance, because we are in Dante’s head a bit more, it lacks the cosy sunshiney feeling of book one. Although alessa undoubtedly went through hard times, there was a cosy magical feeling throughout this vicious grace despite that. This one feels darker, with a little more of a bleak undertone.
I did love getting to see Dante grow though, and it was nice to understand him more.
I really enjoyed the plot of this book, it kept me turning the page and it was different to book one, with enough of a feeling that it made complete sense following on.
The ending felt slightly rushed. I wish the epilogue was longer, more fleshed out.
And I think ultimately, the reason I haven’t given this one five stars is that is lacked the emotion of book one. I cried twice at TVG, but actually, I think it was because I related so heavily to Alessa and where her trail of thoughts were going towards the end of book one.
Perhaps with this one, it’s simply that I don’t relate to Dante as much.
There’s still lots of things I did enjoy however. The romance was beautiful, poetic, everything you could hope for and it actually felt considerably more mature in this one.
There’s also NEW romances and they are small enough parts of the plot that they actually are enjoyable and don’t take away from anything.
The found family group of friends continues to be very entertaining and great!
And there’s a lot of banter in this book that had me laughing out loud.
All in all, this is a really great conclusion to a sweet, magical, and interesting YA Romantasy series with great world building, Italian lore, gods and goddesses, a bodyguard trope, and found family.
October 11, 2023
A million stars! This Cursed Light is the perfect sequel to This Vicious Grace. It was one of my most anticipated sequels this year, and it was absolute perfection. Spoilers ahead for This Vicious Grace!
The story picks up six months after the events of This Vicious Grace, and all of our friends are struggling to adjust to a world After - Dante without his abilities and haunted by the visions he saw in death, and Alessa the celebrated Finestra who saved the world, but did not make it through unscathed. They and our motley crew of fonti (and Adrick), strike out for the continent to see if they can find the missing Ghiotte, cure Dante and help prevent another impending apocalypse.
Emily is the queen of melding together witty, absurdly funny banter and the most heartbreaking character dynamics and scenes into a book. Making you alternately laugh and cry (I cried so much) and sometimes doing it all at once! She managed to create a slow burn for Alessa and Dante, an established couple, (amazing, incredible) that made your heart ache. The dynamic between the whole group of characters was an absolute delight and the frequently irreverent support they provided for each other warmed my heart, which was frequently being torn apart by Alessa and Dante’s journeys - both as individuals and as a couple - as they struggle to find their place within their communities and with each other.
The ending was devastating and beautiful and perfect and I, quite simply, will never recover!
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this e-arc!
The story picks up six months after the events of This Vicious Grace, and all of our friends are struggling to adjust to a world After - Dante without his abilities and haunted by the visions he saw in death, and Alessa the celebrated Finestra who saved the world, but did not make it through unscathed. They and our motley crew of fonti (and Adrick), strike out for the continent to see if they can find the missing Ghiotte, cure Dante and help prevent another impending apocalypse.
Emily is the queen of melding together witty, absurdly funny banter and the most heartbreaking character dynamics and scenes into a book. Making you alternately laugh and cry (I cried so much) and sometimes doing it all at once! She managed to create a slow burn for Alessa and Dante, an established couple, (amazing, incredible) that made your heart ache. The dynamic between the whole group of characters was an absolute delight and the frequently irreverent support they provided for each other warmed my heart, which was frequently being torn apart by Alessa and Dante’s journeys - both as individuals and as a couple - as they struggle to find their place within their communities and with each other.
The ending was devastating and beautiful and perfect and I, quite simply, will never recover!
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this e-arc!
February 20, 2024
Emily Thiede should write a masterclass on functional relationships in romances. The amount of moments in this book with the main couple that could have been a catastrophe for every other couple I've read about that was instead a healthy conversation? This book exemplifies my problems with contemporary romance in that these two teenagers were facing the end of the world, imminent death, lots of outside drama, and still managed to have meaningful and healthy communication the whole time?! This is why I can't read about 30 years olds who can't figure out how to talk to their partner.
Outside of the amazing relationship at the core of the novel, the world building felt very empty and that's probably on me for not remembering that much from the first book. But I was never that invested in the final battle and never really got how high the stakes were for our FMC until the very end because its not expressed very well. The plot wasn't that thrilling and had far more to do with holding our main couple up to an observational lens.
Also maybe its just because I am the one to make dirty puns whenever possible, but the sense of humor in this was great and it was nice to feel like characters were having real conversations. Whether over their feelings or how many dirty puns they can make about pirate ships.
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
Writing wise I think it would have actually been better to keep our FMC dead, as it was a total devastating gut punch and really framed the whole story. But mental health and emotional wise I am glad she came back lol
Outside of the amazing relationship at the core of the novel, the world building felt very empty and that's probably on me for not remembering that much from the first book. But I was never that invested in the final battle and never really got how high the stakes were for our FMC until the very end because its not expressed very well. The plot wasn't that thrilling and had far more to do with holding our main couple up to an observational lens.
Also maybe its just because I am the one to make dirty puns whenever possible, but the sense of humor in this was great and it was nice to feel like characters were having real conversations. Whether over their feelings or how many dirty puns they can make about pirate ships.
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
Writing wise I think it would have actually been better to keep our FMC dead, as it was a total devastating gut punch and really framed the whole story. But mental health and emotional wise I am glad she came back lol
November 16, 2023
This might have been one of my most anticipated reads of the year. It was so nice to see the beloved characters from This Vicious Grace return in This Cursed Light. This time, they (minus two of the fonti) set off on a quest to find the ghiotte, Dante's people, who were thought to be dead, but are actually living in exile. Dante has been having visions of a coming battle and a cryptic verse appears to predict that the gods will test humanity again during the next eclipse.
Throughout the story, Alessa is literally losing her mind. It took me a while to recognize her mental decline...perhaps I was just too excited to see what would happen, but the deterioration could have been more obvious for some of us! I didn't read it as a gradual thing until a few chapters from the end.
The final three chapters were heart wrenching. It's not quite as brutal as the battle scene in the first book, but just as emotional. Tears were shed!
I'm glad we got our happily ever after, though I wouldn't object to spin-off novellas for Kaleb and Adrick or Kamaria and Talia. I did find myself wondering what happened with Crollo and Dea. Was it really all a game? No hard feelings? Crollo just walks away?
Throughout the story, Alessa is literally losing her mind. It took me a while to recognize her mental decline...perhaps I was just too excited to see what would happen, but the deterioration could have been more obvious for some of us! I didn't read it as a gradual thing until a few chapters from the end.
The final three chapters were heart wrenching. It's not quite as brutal as the battle scene in the first book, but just as emotional. Tears were shed!
I'm glad we got our happily ever after, though I wouldn't object to spin-off novellas for Kaleb and Adrick or Kamaria and Talia. I did find myself wondering what happened with Crollo and Dea. Was it really all a game? No hard feelings? Crollo just walks away?
December 26, 2023
2.5⭐️
I sadly didn’t like this one as much as the first book in the series. I felt like the characters and the plot were both weaker in this book. The fantasy elements were pretty basic and the plot felt so slow. The action really didn’t pick up until the 80% mark which is just not how a YA fantasy should be. If this wasn’t the second book in a duology I would have strongly considered DNFing.
This felt like a weird mix of young YA and mature YA. The way the drama and conflict were written felt very young but the romance plot line was definitely on the more mature end of the YA genre.
Something I loved from the first book that carries over into this one were the food descriptions. This author has such a talent for writing about food, it makes me hungry every time.
This was a pretty quick and easy read but it ended up being a let down for me unfortunately. I was expecting and hoping for a really great conclusion to this duology and it just didn’t deliver.
I sadly didn’t like this one as much as the first book in the series. I felt like the characters and the plot were both weaker in this book. The fantasy elements were pretty basic and the plot felt so slow. The action really didn’t pick up until the 80% mark which is just not how a YA fantasy should be. If this wasn’t the second book in a duology I would have strongly considered DNFing.
This felt like a weird mix of young YA and mature YA. The way the drama and conflict were written felt very young but the romance plot line was definitely on the more mature end of the YA genre.
Something I loved from the first book that carries over into this one were the food descriptions. This author has such a talent for writing about food, it makes me hungry every time.
This was a pretty quick and easy read but it ended up being a let down for me unfortunately. I was expecting and hoping for a really great conclusion to this duology and it just didn’t deliver.
December 21, 2023
I'm sad it's over. I will revisit these and keep an eye out for anything else Emily Thiede writes.
October 30, 2024
*3 UNDERWHELMING STARS*
"I’d spend a hundred years in chains for one day with you."
While the ending tied up this duology nicely, I'm still feeling a little underwhelmed with everything that happened. I feel like this is another classix case of second-book-syndrome.
While this wasn't bad or anything, I simply feel as if there was a lot of buildup towards the big bad at the end, and then the main event only took like 30 pages. Also, Alessa, Dante (who I adored during the first book) and their band of misfits were supposed to be the saviors of the world (for the second time, might I add) but their communication skills seriously sucked in this book, and some things were just silly, like the lemon fight? I just wasn't feeling it.
Overall, I feel like this was a lot of filler and angst that ultimately didn't lead to a whole lot.. I'm still glad I finished this though! Another series to cross off the list.
"I’d spend a hundred years in chains for one day with you."
While the ending tied up this duology nicely, I'm still feeling a little underwhelmed with everything that happened. I feel like this is another classix case of second-book-syndrome.
While this wasn't bad or anything, I simply feel as if there was a lot of buildup towards the big bad at the end, and then the main event only took like 30 pages. Also, Alessa, Dante (who I adored during the first book) and their band of misfits were supposed to be the saviors of the world (for the second time, might I add) but their communication skills seriously sucked in this book, and some things were just silly, like the lemon fight? I just wasn't feeling it.
Overall, I feel like this was a lot of filler and angst that ultimately didn't lead to a whole lot.. I'm still glad I finished this though! Another series to cross off the list.
March 22, 2025
I just love how Thiede writes! It’s calm yet packed with action 💪🏼💞. The pacing is really good, and all the characters are fun and engaging 🫶🏼.
The plot was quite similar to the first book, but this time Dante was the main character 😅. Overall, it was a fantastic fantasy duology, and I love Dante and Alessa so much! 💕
Dante was a bit of a "pick-me" for about half the book with his “I’m a monster; she’ll stop loving me� attitude🙄. Like, ugh! We love you because you’re a monster (and honestly, he wasn’t at all a monster—wasn’t that the point of the book? So he could become a Ghiotte/ "monster" again?). Have you seen the stuff I read?! Monster guys is what I'm all about😭🫡
The plot was quite similar to the first book, but this time Dante was the main character 😅. Overall, it was a fantastic fantasy duology, and I love Dante and Alessa so much! 💕
Dante was a bit of a "pick-me" for about half the book with his “I’m a monster; she’ll stop loving me� attitude🙄. Like, ugh! We love you because you’re a monster (and honestly, he wasn’t at all a monster—wasn’t that the point of the book? So he could become a Ghiotte/ "monster" again?). Have you seen the stuff I read?! Monster guys is what I'm all about😭🫡
January 4, 2024
So so good. I really enjoyed this series overall. I loved the characters, and the story was so engaging that I couldn't put it down.
December 19, 2023
What a story. I waited for so long and this SERVED. Truly such a spectacular conclusion to the story of The Last Finestra! Emily Thiede knew the hell she was doing when she gave this to us. I loved the creativity, lore, romance, and the action-packed writing of the first book but I didn’t expect to love a sequel so much because the banter, found family, and hilarious dynamics between the characters were absolutely enjoyable. Sadly, it has come to an end, but I will forever recommend how much of a beauty this duology is. I would pay so much money to read these books for the first time again.
This messed with my feelings that I cannot put into words because it was that good, but I hope to get therapy <3
This messed with my feelings that I cannot put into words because it was that good, but I hope to get therapy <3
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