Cruel is the Light by Sophie Clark

TL;DR: This one tried for edgy romantasy and flopped a bit.
Source: NetGalley, thank you so much!

Plot: A master exorcist and foot solider… have no chemistry.
Characters: No thank you, I didn’t love them. Nope.
Setting: There was some effort at worldbuilding but I don’t think it’s well done.
Romantasy: This was… not it.

Summary:

A bloody war between demons and the Vatican has waged for more than a century, with two elite soldiers now at its center: Selene Alleva, a high-ranking exorcist running from a dark family legacy, and orphan Jules Lacroix, recruited by the Vatican and unrivalled on the battlefield.

When their paths cross over a series of unprecedented demon attacks, the distrust–and unwelcome attraction–they have for each other is immediate. But to get to the bottom of the breaches they strike an uneasy alliance to avoid suspicion. With Jules posing as Selene’s estranged fiance, they head to the Vatican in search of answers. But even as Selene questions who her most dangerous enemy is, Jules has begun to suspect that it’s him.

Now Jules’ very existence challenges every truth Selene thought she knew, and suggests a terrible conspiracy at the heart of the Vatican. Unable to ignore their growing feelings, the two must make an impossible choice between love and duty.

Thoughts:

I didn’t love this. I am increasingly concerned that I am either picking up romantasy that’s not for me, or it’s just not a great genre in general. I thought an older book could scratch the itch and pay off, but I was mistaken.

The characters in this felt very familiar and dull. Additionally cigerettes were mentioned at least 20-30 times (I believe another reviewer counted over 30) throughout the book. While a non-issue for a lot of folks, I absolutely hate this. I’ve lost several close families members to lung cancer, one very recently. It’s not edgy and it felt like the book was trying to make it so. It’s not cool either, it’s just gross. Honestly I could just imagine how these characters smelled/stank of smoke the whole time.

The magic was not exceptionally well done either. I would hope for something based on some real life ideas like the Vatican and exorcism we would have a lot of cool ideas but sadly no.

Add to that the pacing which made the whole plot feel incredibly unimportant and I was frustrated and bored at the same time. Sadly a miss, I don’t recommend and I’m once again hoping it’s the book at not me. Onward and (hopefully) to better things.