This book had me hooked from page one—like, “cancel my plans, I’m reading” kind of hooked. Think demon-slaying exorcists, forbidden slow-burn romance, Vatican conspiracies, and a fake engagement that’s way too convincing. Selene is a badass demon hunter with a haunted past, and Jules is an orphan-turned-soldier who might just be more dangerous than any demon. Their chemistry? Off the charts. Their bickering? A+ entertainment. And don’t even get me started on the tension. The fake-fiancé trope has never felt this deadly (or this swoon-worthy).

The action scenes are cinematic, the world-building is rich and gritty, and the multiple POVs give you deep insight into characters you’ll 100% get emotionally attached. It’s pitched as YA, but it leans older with its darker themes and intensity—so perfect if you like your fantasy with a New Adult edge.l.

This was a very underwhelming read. I couldn't get into it. The writing was clunky and confusing and the pace was too slow. I found our characters to be two-dimensional and lacking in depth. Overall, I wouldn't recommend it.

I love the premise but I am soft DNFing because I couldn't get into it. I think I just wasn't in the correct headspace for it.

This was a really fun enemies to lovers fantasy! I enjoyed the characters and romance and the world building, despite it being a little confusing to follow at times. Nevertheless I had a great time.

5/5 stars!!!

Sophie Clark’s debut, Cruel is the Light, feels like the start of something big. Blending demon-slaying action with political tension and a romance that burns slow but deep, this first book in a duology is a sharp, emotionally charged romantasy that hits all the right beats while still carving out a voice entirely its own.

Set in a war-ravaged version of Rome where humans and demons have clashed for centuries, the story follows two unlikely allies: Selene, a deadly exorcist known as the Butcher of Rome, and Jules, a runaway soldier who might be the key to unraveling the entire war. Thrown together under a fake engagement and relentless external threats, their relationship is nothing if not complicated. Expect all the good stuff: enemies-to-lovers, forbidden love, forced proximity, only one bed, knife-to-throat moments (literal and emotional), and a grumpy x sunshine dynamic, except the sunshine is the boy this time, and it’s adorable.

Selene is an absolute powerhouse of a protagonist; fierce, cold, and deeply burdened. She's a walking contradiction: revered, feared, and utterly isolated. Watching her slowly open up, question her loyalties, and forge real emotional connections was one of the book’s most rewarding arcs. Jules, on the other hand, is pure warmth in a world of blood and betrayal. He’s funny, empathetic, and quietly resilient, even when surrounded by violence and loss. Their chemistry is electric from the start, equal parts tension, banter, and unspoken longing, and their dynamic evolves with purpose and patience.

This is a book that thrives on dual POV storytelling. Seeing the war, the world, and their relationship unfold through both Selene’s guarded perspective and Jules’s open-hearted one makes for a richer, more layered experience. And while their connection is central, it never overshadows the wider stakes: unraveling secrets, navigating a corrupt church, and confronting demons both literal and metaphorical.Sophie Clark’s writing is atmospheric and vivid, there’s a cinematic quality to how she paints scenes, from brutal fight sequences to stolen, intimate moments. The early chapters can feel a little dense as the worldbuilding ramps up, but once you’re in, you’re in. The plot unspools steadily, with twists that genuinely surprise and small details that land with impact later on. And it doesn’t just build tension, it builds emotion. You feel what these characters are going through, and by the final chapters, the stakes feel personal as well as epic.

If you’re a fan of upper YA or crossover New Adult romantasy, Cruel is the Light is a must-read. It delivers angst, action, and emotional payoff in equal measure. It's for fans of slow-burn romance that actually earns its steam, fantasy worlds that feel lived-in, and complex characters who don't always make the right choices but make them believably. My only real complaint? I need the sequel. Immediately. Preferably with more Sparrow, more pining, and more knife-to-throat confessions.

A fun enemies to lovers YA Fantasy! Whilst I did enjoy the characters and romance I found the world building had some plot holes and was confusing to understand at times. Not a new favourite but an enjoyable read that reminded me of Shadowhunters!

⅘ stars

This book is a YA romantasy.

Tropes:
enemies-to-lovers
Humans V Demons
Fake engagement
forbidden romance

Now let's ignore the fact I am so behind on this review, but I’m here to give you my review regardless.

I loved this book so much. Like it was actually a nice, refreshing change of pace. I’ve always enjoyed YA, and my job requires me to read a lot of it too. But this was absolutely awesome. And the fact irs a debut? Sign me up for the rest of Sophie Clarks releases.

World Building:
The world building was up and down for me. There were times that I thought it was perfect but then I was left with some questions (hoping to get answers in book 2). But it really did keep me on my toes and I thoroughly enjoyed the story as it progressed. There is not anything to find fault in.

Characters:
Selene and Jules - I don't even know where to begin. Selene is such a young girl and her story really made me fall in love with her and the things she has faced throughout the story. I'm just in awe of her in every single way. She is the type of character you wish you could grab and protect, regardless of her being incredibly strong, she needs to be protected. Then we get to Jules, the relationship with Selene is something you desperately want to see. They worked together, amazingly. To see them both through a dual. POV was perfect. I love not having to guess or wonder, it was there, in black and white.

Summary:
The book was well paced with fantastic descriptive writing. I was left wondering during certain parts of the book, but i was always blown away from the revelations. I love a book that keeps me contemplating whilst also not leaving me completely hanging. I am now restlessly awaiting the release for book 2!

3.75-4⭐

”Jules watched Selene hungrily, eyes drawn to her as though he was a firefly battering itself against a lantern and she was the light inside. He would willingly die smashing his body to that light if he had to, just to be close to her."

For me this felt a bit like Angels and Demons (for the aesthetics and the setting!) meets fantasy. The story was original - the more books I read, the more I appreciate when I come across a magic system I have not read about before. All of this combined made Cruel is the Light an enjoyable read.

”She’d always considered herself a necessary evil in this world. A small cruel cog in the machine that kept demons at bay.”

I’ve seen it advertised sometimes as an ‘enemies to lovers’ story, but I’d argue it’s more of forced proximity/allies to lovers? Other tropes you can expect are fake dating, hidden identity, found family; but also war, gore and self-harm for magical intent - all of that in a stunning setting of a Vatican City. The Vatican City in question is different to the one we know, with demons and exorcists lurking...

”She was an empty vessel. Ambition. Drive. Fury. None of them survived grief. Not even vengeance. Grief subsumed everything else. It was the absolute hollowness left behind.”

I adored the main characters, Selene and Jules - and the way Sophie Clark wrote the chemistry between them was phenomenal! ”And again Selene prayed. May God protect me from lustful thoughts about Jules Lacroix.” Sparrow deserves a special mention as well, I hope to see even more of him as the story unfolds.

”Even battered and bruised with that haunted look in her eyes, she was perfect to him. She was always perfect to him.”

Reasons for my rating not being higher is that it was sometimes hard to follow, be it for the writing or just the amount of information to process. The short guide at the beginning did help a bit, but still felt overwhelming. Having said that, I have already preordered the second book in the series. I’ll reread this one beforehand and look forward to meeting Selene and Jules again. This series has potential and I hope that the author builds onto the world, solving the issues I had with the opening book.

Thank you to Sophie Clark, Penguin Random House UK Children’s and NetGalley for providing this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Demon Hunter X Soldier?
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This was such a good ya debut romantasy book. Sure it had its questionable plottwists and holes here and there, but it was still a good book nonetheless. An enjoyable book to me.

Oh my God can't wait for the second book!!

This book was a perfect enemies to lovers for fans of young adult romantasy!

Selene and Jules had sizzling chemistry throughout that made the enemies to lovers trope all the more enjoyable and rewarding (the best kind!!!)

I loved the setting, the characters and the writing was pure magic. Considering this is Sophie’s debut book makes this book all the more incredible!

I couldn’t recommend this book more to fans of the genre. It was the perfect historical setting, beautifully written character dynamics and an engaging plot.

What to expect: humans & demons, enemies-to-lovers, forbidden romance, fake engagement trope, ONE BED….What more could you want?

Before I really dive into my review, I want to talk about something that I kept thinking about while reading this book. I received a physical ARC from the publisher and within the book the age rating is listed as 12 and up. I knew this was a YA book going into it but after having read it I think it's absolutely wild that this book was placed into the YA category. I think that this book is okay for older teens and adults and think it's a huge disservice to have implied that it was suitable for audiences that are around the age of 12. This book features darker themes and a lot of aspects that shine a twisted light on religion and especially the system that is the Vatican. Not only that but I think that the intimacy that is explored on the page isn't suitable for that particular age group. It's not overly descriptive but it's definitely not fade to black. I read adult romances primarily so I am all for intimacy being explored on the page but I don't think that this book was categorized correctly. That being said, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and now I'm going to dive into my review.

In this story, we've got two main character. Selene, an extremely talented exorcist, and Jules, an orphan who was forced to be a soldier on the front lines of the war against demons. Selene is a super strong character and based on her description, I knew that I was going to love her even before I picked up the book because she's the sort of girl with sharp edges and I love FMCs like that. She comes from a noble line that is full of exorcists but her family was disgraced and so she sort of stands on her own under her uncle's leadership after the death of her father. Jules is the kind of MMC that everyone loves so I'm positive he will be a fan favorite. He is the kind of guy that you expect to be rough around the edges but he is gentle and sweet and oh so flirty he will have you swooning. Their dynamic throughout the book was so good. The perfect sort of chemistry that had you itching for all of their interactions and desperate for the culmination of that tension that lives between them. Their banter was top tier and this is a man obsessed and it shows all throughout his chapters.

The plot was one that sunk its claws in early and kept me hooked until the very last page (and even after because what do you mean that's the end????). You might think that you know where it's going to go only for it to unravel in a different and completely unexpected direction. The world building is something I genuinely cannot get enough of because it took aspects from our world and twisted it into something really interesting to read about and I genuinely cannot wait to read more about it.

I'm really thankful to Netgalley and the author for allowing me a early review copy

Whilst I did start the book and really enjoyed the setting and the writing I will not be finishing it due to personal reasons

If you like romance, demons and a vatican setting definitely do give this book a try, the writing is amazing

Marking it as 3 stars as I don't feel lile I should gove it any less, as I will not be carrying on with this book and I don't want to unfairly rate it lower

I honestly feel so honoured to be given this book as an ARC, normally I ask for thrillers but it was nice to be thrown into a fantasy, filled with world building and lovable characters.

Sadly this book was not for me, I just couldn’t get invested in the character’s story, I found the world building confusing and hard to follow

Gripping YA fantasy romance filled with all the enemies to lovers vibes you could ask for.
Interesting world building but honestly this book was all about the character dynamics for me!

I just had a feeling as soon as I saw this book that I would love it and I really did, this book was really fun and really tense and emotional at some parts too. Sophie Clark has done a really good job creating this world and characters and I am very very excited to read the next book!

Sadly this was a dnf at 52% in, while the concept was so original, I just couldn't get into the story. I think this could be because I am falling into the biggest reading slump of my life. I could come back to the book in the future and fall in love with it.

an intense and atmospheric fantasy with a strong emotional core. Though it takes time to settle in, the story builds into something both gripping and memorable.

Being raised Catholic and having a very weird fascination with the Vatican, I was soooooooo excited about this book. I wanted to love it, for the most part I did.


I understand that this is just book one of a series and you wanna introduce us to everyone and everything in this world, but this was a bit much.

I am still super excited about the next book and I care a lot about these characters. I do think some of the repetition could be taken out. Fantasy books don’t have to be 500 pages to be great. Still a really good book!

I really enjoyed the whole setting and concept of this book. I loved that it was set in the Vatican and how the magic and demons are linked. Selene was a fun FMC and the banterous relationship with Jules was just what I like. I think Sparrow is my favourite and I enjoyed seeing how all the politics played out between them all. My only criticism is that the pacing felt a bit off for me but I absolutely need to know what is going to happen next.