Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for giving me an earc for review.

I dnf’d this at 20% as I really could not get into this book in the slightest.

The book starts with you quite literally being thrown into all the action which can be quite overwhelming when you’re having random characters thrown at you as well as extensive world building and politics which can be really hard to grasp.

What made it even harder is that you follow two POV’s but there’s not a great indicator in the chapters as to which character you’re now following which makes it a bit harder to understand.

All of these combined, I just couldn’t get into it which I find a real shame but maybe I will try this again later in the year.

What to expect?

😈Demons
❤️ Fake Dating
🥰A new book boyfriend
⚔️Baddass FMC
💜High Stakes
❌Forbidden Romance
🏛️Rome Setting

Set against the backdrop of a centuries-old war between demons and the Vatican, the story follows Selene, a high-ranking demon exorcist, and Jules Lacroix, a skilled foot soldier. When their paths cross, they form an uneasy alliance to uncover a dark conspiracy at the heart of the Vatican

My Thoughts

"Cruel is the Light" by Sophie Clark is an exceptional read, featuring a unique setting and a storyline with characters you’ll absolutely adore.

Clark's writing is intense and engaging, with action-packed sequences and rich, easy-to-follow world-building. The chemistry between Selene and Jules is palpable, making their forbidden romance a central and addictive element of the story.

Light of my eyes, she called him. He filed that one away.

The pacing is masterfully done, especially in the second half of the book where I found myself racing through the pages. The narrative is fast-paced, with themes of betrayal, loyalty, and forbidden love shining throughout. It’s filled with twists and turns, humorous side characters, a witty and flirtatious male main character (MMC), and a morally conflicted female main character (FMC).

I can’t wait for book 2!

Many thanks to the publisher and netgalley for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

I was expecting an action-packed adventure between good and evil but I was pleasantly surprised to discover how morally grey this book is! It begins with Selene, an exorcist who hunts demons, being sent to a small town under attack. In the city of Rome, where the exorcists are based, demons are common and constantly being hunted. Lately though, the wards have been failing and more powerful demons have been making their way into the mortal world and wreaking havoc. For Selene, this is a minor inconvenience, since the cities outside of Rome receive the brunt of the attacks. For Jules, a French orphan and soldier, this means constant fighting and a life in the trenches. That is until the day his entire unit is killed and he deserts. Cue the enemies. During Jules’ escape, he runs into Selene (literally) and the drama begins. For things are changing in Rome and not all is as it seems. As the lines between good and evil become blurred, Selene and Jules will have to trust each other to have any chance at survival.
The worldbuilding in this book was incredible and I loved the way history was twisted to create this unique landscape. Demons roam the streets of Rome while God is held captive. The descriptions were luscious and it was incredibly easy to get lost in the words. May I also say that the outfits were gorgeous and I want Selene’s effects so badly. Sophie’s writing flowed perfectly and I flew through this book. You can expect plenty of swords, guns, opulent buildings, midnight masquerades, and mysteries. And according to Selene:

“she loathed mysteries. Particularly mysteries in the gorgeous packaging of a young French soldier.”

Oh, yes. And tests. As Jules puts it:

“What kind of tests? Tests to see who can look prettiest in black and gold? Who can wear the biggest, fanciest buttons?”

And that’s another swoon-worthy part. The pining. The banter. The enemies to lovers. Aaaahhhh. If this book had no plot or worldbuilding it would still be worth reading just for this. (Luckily we get all three!) The relationship between Selene and Jules is so full of tension but it is somehow also hilarious. For example:

“I don’t have time to waste answering asinine questions.”
“That’s rude. You’re assuming my questions will be asinine?”
“Obviously. You can go first.”
“Well, it’s a lot of pressure now.”

Oh my gosh. THEM. They were so perfect. And might I add that Jules is obsessed with Selene. It was so fun to read chapters from both their perspectives to see how oblivious Selene was to Jules’ obvious infatuation. Even just thinking about, I’m sitting here kicking my feet with the sudden urge to read it all again. I could not get these two out of my head. This quote sums it up:

“Why are you so irritating?”
He smirked. “Born that way.”

Finally, the action and adventure in this book was so engaging. I was intrigued by the plot and how everything Selene knew seemed to be a facade for something more dark and twisted than I had thought. I’m excited to see where this series goes and am so thankful I got to read an early copy! In parting,

“Regrettably, she wasn’t possessed. More like obsessed.”

3.25 stars. I wanted to love this book so bad, but honestly, I didn’t. It took me so long to get through, it kinda just dragged, I genuinely just feel indifferent to it - I’m not convinced that I’ll even read the sequel. It just felt … like a slog? It kept going for so long and it felt like hardly anything was happening. I was so excited to read this one.

As soon as I saw this cover and read the description, I knew I was going to love Cruel is the Light!! And it didn't disappoint, it had everything I froth at the mouth for in a fantasy book: enemies to lovers, fake engagement, magic, war politics and forced proximity?!

Every time I turned over a page, I felt like I was learning new secrets alongside Selene and Jules and it kept me absolutely hooked the entirety of the way through. I thought the pacing was a teeeeny bit slower towards the 3/4 mark but it soon picked it up and I gobbled the rest up in one sitting. Special shoutout to Sparrow as well, one of my favourite side characters!!

Definitely give this one a go if you can!

This book has me a bit torn between a 3.75 and 4-star. The premise is super interesting, and I really liked the characters, especially Jules and Selene. Their relationship felt natural, and I could easily picture them together. But there were a few things that threw me off. For one, it took about 20% of the book before they even met, and when they did, their connection felt rushed but that might just be me tbf as i read quite quickly so it might have felt longer for others.

The writing also felt a little all over the place at times. Some parts were way too detailed, which ironically made things confusing, and I had trouble grasping the magic system and world-building. I still enjoyed the story though!!! If you’re into fantasy with a slow-burn romance and strong characters, it’s definitely worth a read.

The premise…
Set in a darkly beautiful version of Rome, the Vatican’s exorcists are Europe’s main line of defence against demons.
Selene, one of the Vatican Academy’s best and most powerful exorcists, is sent to investigate a series of demon attacks in France where she crosses paths with Jules. A footsoldier in the Vatican's army, Jules has survived the the war’s increasing violence, but now he must ally with Selene to get answers not only about his own mysterious past, but also about the Vatican’s terrible secret.

My thoughts…
As a Rome obsessive (both ancient and modern) I loved the hook of this world and the twists and plays on the Rome we know. It was a refreshing setting and the worldbuilding, although heavy, fully immersed me.
The story was really well paced and kept me hooked with action, character development and both small and big questions throughout with a satisfying amount of answers by the end.
My absolute favourite part of this book was the relationship between Jules and Selene! I adored their banter and Jules’s charming brand of cockiness was so appealing to me I just loved him!

Perfect for…
Anyone who loves the banter in Lauren Roberts' Powerless.

I was kindly given an eARC of Cruel is the light by Sophie Clark! Which I highly recommend to all your romantasy lovers out there.

Oh dio immortal help me .. because how on earth am I supposed to move on from this book! I need more…this is going to be such a hit this year on release day. How anyone could give this book anything less than 5 stars I don’t know.

From start to finish I loved every character and their progression throughout.
Selene an exorcist with powers beyond her wildest dreams, too dangerous to tap into, she gives a whole new meaning to badass FMC with her sarcastic and closed off personality.

Then comes Along Jules, foot soldier in the war trying to find more about who he is and where he has come from!

Exorcists, demons, gods and magical powers what more could you ask for in a fantasy book? “An incredible complex and intriguing plot with lots of little twists to keep you hooked, you say?” Well then look no further. I devoured this book and need a new book, like right now!!

With some of my favourite tropes …

•Enemies to lovers
•One bed
•Slow burn
•Fake relationship

I’m super grateful to have been approved to read this early, this was a great read.

Selene was a fascinating and complex character who seemed groomed by her environment and the emotional blackmail of wanting to make her uncle proud by any means he deemed necessary. Jules was even more interesting with layers of secrets and questions surrounding his identity and where he fits into this world.

I really enjoyed the combination of fantasy and religion in this dark and tragic story following the two main characters who are battling demons and unravelling secrets within their society, questioning everything they thought they knew.

I really hope there will be a book 2, I’m rating this 4.0 - 4.25.

I really badly wanted to love this book. The premise was so promising, and i generally love this genre. BUT i just couldn’t get into it at all. I feel like I was just violently pushed into a storyline that I didn’t have any previous knowledge about and I felt like so many pieces of information was missing. Might give this back book another go at some other point, but for now I just didn’t like it.

Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Random House for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I'm sad to say this was slightly more of a miss for me than the hit I was anticipating but I'll be honest, I didn't have much expectations as the author is new and the setting was a bit of a gamble for me.

However the lure of enemies to lovers reeled me in only for me to be left a little disappointed as I feel that is most certainly a stretch. There wasn't much in the way of conflict between the two for the most part, which is fine but I like a little more tension in order to build up the chemistry which felt lacking for me.

We are introduced to the pov of two characters; Jude, a foot soldier who had deserted his post, and Selene, a powerful exorcist who was trained at the Vatican Academy. The two cross paths after being caught up in an altercation with a demon and despite their initial distrust for one another end up finding their paths lead them both in similar directions to uncover certain mysteries at the heart of the Vatican city.

We're thrown pretty much straight into the action which made things exciting at first but the pacing in general slowed down a lot from that point. 

30% of the way through it occurred to me I still couldn't place my finger on just what it was that I was not enjoying about this book.

The setting was interesting to say the least but the world building and magic system felt slightly undeveloped, like the idea was there but not fully fleshed out as much as I would have liked.

I liked one of the side characters (Sparrow, you the goat!) more than the main characters which was an odd experience.

I wanted to enjoy this as the concept of a raging war between demons and humanity sounded appealing but there was just something missing for me that wasn't helping in the struggle to win me over. Maybe only the last third of the book picked up again enough to keep me invested, since somewhere in the middle of the book lost my attention slightly .

I really did try to see if it was just my mood by giving it enough time to really unfold, as well as reading it at different times but l struggling to care enough about it to the point I was just reading to get it over with 🤷‍♀️

If I could break it down, I wasn't particularly sold on the characters, and found whatever chemistry they were supposed to have quite lacking. In fact I preferred Jules' interactions with another character entirely as I felt like there was more tension between them lol.

All in all it's an enjoyable read for most people - if anything the problem I had most with it was the pacing; some parts were absolutely draggy and others were action-packed.

Regardless I think most romantasy lovers will be largely satisfied, I'm definitely in the minority here. And I would still give it 3 stars as it definitely kept me reading to some degree and I particularly liked the last third of the book.

Cruel is the Light follows Selene, a powerful exorcist trained at the prestigious Vatican Academy, and foot soldier, Jules, unrivalled in battle. While a brutal war between demons and humanity rages across Europe, Selene and Jules’s paths cross, and despite initial distrust, they discover a terrible secret at the heart of Vatican City. Soon, Jules is forced to question everything he’s ever known – including himself. And Selene, unable to ignore her growing feelings for Jules, must make an impossible choice between love and duty.

This book starts with an action scene, and we are thrown straight into the world and magic system with little explanation. Although the author does give us a little more world-building and explanation of the magic system further into the book, it still felt very wishy washy and not fully fleshed out. I finished the book and still didn’t really understand the world and how the magic worked. This is a shame, as the characters use blood magic and runes to activate their magic, and it could have been very interesting if it had been better developed.

Despite an action-packed and fast-paced start, the pacing really slowed down and the middle of the book really dragged for me. I felt like the plot didn’t have any direction, and I couldn’t work out what the characters end goals and motivations were. Jules and Selene really didn’t do much or seem that concerned about the war. This lack of urgency combined with the slow pace made the book feel very low-stakes, and it failed to grab my attention.

The writing felt quite clunky at times, and didn’t flow smoothly. The POV would also switch between characters without any indication whose perspective we were in, which meant I had to go back and reread some paragraphs once I realised whose POV it was. I would have preferred these switches to be as separate, clearly labelled chapters.

This book is marketed as enemies-to-lovers, but I wouldn’t say that is correct at all. It’s more of a forced/reluctant allies to friends to lovers. Although there was some good banter between Selene and Jules at the start of the book, I didn’t feel any tension or chemistry between them, so I didn’t feel invested in their relationship. I was also very surprised how adult the sex scene was, as this is a YA book. This didn’t bother me as I read a lot of adult fantasy and romance, but it’s worth knowing if you were planning to buy it for a younger reader.

While I quite liked Jules with his sarcasm and arrogance, his personality seemed to disappear once the romance started. Selene is known as a fearless and powerful exorcist, often referred to as “The Butcher of Rome”, but we never get to see why she has this reputation. I would have like to have seen more of her in action.

The pacing picked up in the last 20% of the book, but at that point I was finishing the book just to finish it and be done with it. I guessed a lot of the plot twists, and the ending didn’t shock me or make me want to read the second book. Unfortunately this book wasn’t for me, and I won’t be picking up the next book in the duology.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

This sounded right up my street when I read the synopsis - Vatican, exorcists, demons - everything I love! I did enjoy it, but I found the writing especially in the first half to be incredibly slow. I had to push through, and found the character dump to be slightly confusing. It did pick up in the second half, and I enjoyed it enough to read the next one, but I was definitely left slightly underwhelmed.

I absolutely ADORED Cruel Is The Light. It is such an original story. The characters are so well though out and the chemistry between them is off the charts.
The writing is so well done and I was absolutely gripped from page one and I just didn't want it to end.
I can't wait to read more from this world and anything else from Sophie Clark

What a fantastic start to this series! Whilst it did take me a while to wrap my head around this world and it's magic system, the pacing was great, the characters nuanced and interesting, and there were some unexpected reveals in the final act that had me racing through. I'm excited for the sequel!

⚔️Cruel Is The Light - Sophie Clark⚔️

Demons
Exorcists
The Vatican & Rome

This was absolutely right up my alley! I love the setting of The Vatican, the Juxtaposition between God and Demons. I was hooked from the beginning, trying to work out what on earth was going on (in the best way) and wanting to know the answer to the eternal question, who is Jules Lacroix?

I really enjoyed the world building, the story is set over several different locations, all of which are introduced in an accessible way and are easily visualised. You get dual POVs from Selene and Jules, adding to the secret keeping, seeing them both piece together different parts of the mysteries surrounding Jules, the undead god and the demon dukes. Special mention to my favourite supporting character - Sparrow. I instantly loved him, and I hope we get to see his character develop more in any sequel books.

I would say that this book has some darker elements, and is more upper YA in my opinion. I will definitely be continuing the series.

Thank you to NetGalley, Publishers Penguin Random House and author Sophie Clark for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 stars- arc review. This book was honestly amazing the characters and the plot were so well done. I loved Jules and Selene and all the side characters especially sparrow. I hope there are more books to come as I’m very intrigued after the ending. I did find myself getting a bit confused and it took me a while to read but that was on me not the book that’s the only reason it isn’t a 5 star but I’m already wanting to reread it so it definitely has 5 star potential for a reread in the future. If you like fantasy and romance set in Rome definitely check this out it was amazing.

This will be your new obsession in 2025, I tell you! It has angst, romance, deadly demons, incomparable powers and it feels like the tightest hug and dagger to the heart. Jules is everything!!

I loved the setting being in Europe (Italy and France) especially that the whole governing power was based in the Vatican city, which added a really good dynamic to the story. I so rarely see romantasy books set in Europe so with the mix of magic and the rules of fantasy, this was a pleasant discovery.

Sophie Clark has a way of grabbing your attention and make you bit down your nails in the agonizing anticipation to find out what happens to our favorite flawed heroes. I just loved everything about this book - and the characters had such rich backstories that even tho Jules and Selene don't meet so quickly in the beginning, it keeps you going and want to find out more about the individuals!

Thank you so much Sophie, Penguin Random house UK and Netgalley for the e-ARC!

the plot was so expertly written, that there was never a dull moment. there was so much action, that i just couldn’t get enough of it. i truly ate it up.

the world building was on point. i was a bit confused at the beginning, but once i understood what was happening and why, it was a breeze to get through. i really loved how unique everything was - it was refreshing!

jules was easily my favourite character in cruel is the light. he was the right amount of mysterious and charm that i need. his wit and banter really solidified my love for him.

while i liked selene, i found there was nothing new she really added to the story. she’s your run of the mill badass FMC. because of this, i was a little concerned about the romance - and i was pleasantly surprised to be fully on board with the romance. there was the perfect amount of chemistry and tension, mixed with banter. it was funny and i craved more with each page.

all in all, cruel is the light is an enticing debut from sophie clark and i really look forward to reading the next book.

Firstly, thank you to Penguin and NetGallery for an arc in exchange for an honest review!

Secondly, this was definitely not what I was expecting. I found the plot to be a bit all over the place, even now I’m unsure as to what is going on and what the end goal is supposed to be. It’s clear there is going to be another book in the series that will most likely answer the questions I have, but even the ending of the book just doesn’t leave me wanting more.

The writing was nice, I enjoyed Sophie’s style and it was quite easy to read. I will say I do NOT think this book is young adult, and it is NOT closed door. I would not be happy with anyone under 18 reading this if I’m honest, some of the language was extremely sexual and vulgar. There are a lot of trigger warnings also in this book so I suggest checking them before reading this novel. I felt the first half of this book to be incredibly slow, I almost DNF’d because I just felt like I was wasting my time. The romance started to pick up about 50% in, which was really why I continued to read it.

I have read so many good reviews on this book so I know that there are people out there who will disagree with my opinions which is ok. Reading is extremely diverse!! This book just didn’t sit right with me spiritually and I don’t think I’ll be reading any other books in the series.