"If you should be so lucky as to be deeply defeated ... you will know what it means to be alive ... And if you should triumph over it, then go and find something greater to be defeated by."

I'm not going to summarise the plot as I usually do to avoid spoilers, so I'll just refer to my feelings about the book.

The sequel to "The Darkening" can't be described as slow, yet it dragged a bit in parts for me. Our FMC Vesper Vale is facing a new danger, that emerges from her actions in the first novel. Even those within her closest circle may not be who they seem. With many ordinary people worshipping her, the pressure is on to save not just those she loves, but everyone in the kingdom. The problem is, she doesn't feel like a hero. Self-doubt plagues her, so much so, that it becomes a little annoying. Come on Vesper – yes it's not easy to be the saviour but you have a lot of support. Believe in yourself a little!

What's positive about this book is that the male love interest isn't set up to be the one who rescues the FMC. The book isn't about how a relationship can conquer everything, but rather about finding strength within yourself to overcome obstacles.

A sequel that improves upon its predecessor!

There was a lot I liked about the first book, The Darkening, the world, magic system, and story felt fresh, still very YA-like in it's character relationships and overall themes, but it had more to it than the usual, more complexity, better writing, particularly in creating vivid imagery, and just interesting ideas. The first book lost me a little in the storm, which, unlike the rest of the book felt kind of vague and hard to visualise, for me personally, and just the idea of the characters 'facing themselves'- I dunno, it just lost me at that point.

So, the second book, I really wanted to see where it went, so was really pleased to receive and e-arc, though apprehensive, because, while I always give honest reviews, I do genuinely want to love all the books I receive arcs for, and feel bad when I don't, and because my interest in the first book had diminished towards the end, I wondered if the next one would be a disappointment...it wasn't!

The start of The Lightstruck was brilliant, an unexpected start, and the issues Vesper faces coming out of that opening sequence and the various beliefs and politics and reactions to her in the beginning of the book was really well done. There were still some ideas that I couldn't quite get my head around (the rainbow-coloured apparitions, for example, not sure about them), Dalca didn't have much to do, the side characters were very much side characters, and I did wonder if the main conflict was going to be a straight repeat of the first, basically switching one deity for another, but the resolution was so well done, I was really pleased, and the duology pacing was just right, it felt like a satisfactory ending to a story that wouldn't fit in a single novel, and would have been too stretched as a trilogy.

A higher 4-star rating than the first, though I may well re-read this, to see if it improves to a five on second reading given how much better this reads than some of my other YA reads this year.

The Lightstruck is a gripping read and continues on from The Darkening in this fantastic sequel. After reading The Darkening I couldn't wait for book 2 to come out, and am happy to say that it doesn't disappoint. Vesper faces many new challenges as she tries to find her place in the world now that the storm has ended. There are heavy expectations weighing on her from the new court, along with new threats, new faces, a new guard and new beasts. Together with Dalca, Cas, and Hadria she must find her way in this new world and face those that threaten her home.

I'm certain if you enjoyed the darkening that you'll enjoy the lightstruck too.
I was a little nervous at first because it was the set up of the storm encompassing the city and how they have to fight it that initially drew me in and I thought now that that's resolved the book might not have the same effect on me. But Mara's writing is beautifully descriptive and just pulls you in.
The book is a worthy conclusion with everything being neatly tied up at the end. The romance was more developed, it could've been more for my taste, bit as a side plot it worked.
The only thing that was a bit annoying is that initially Vesper was told nothing like she didn't just save all their asses? And everyone pretends everything is fine when it's clearly not for way too long. But other than that one things get going it's really fun.

After book 1 in this dilogy left me fairly intrigued but not hooked for the story, I enjoyed this second part much more.
I love the concept of the King and Queen battling via humans, choosing their own means of good and evil. And after the events of book 1 - which were basically wrapped up nicely - this story felt like a whole new and fresh take on the world. A lot of ideas in this world were truly unique and managed to surprise me time after time.
All in all this series is not a highlight for me, but very enjoyable and worth a read.

4/5 stars

Thank you @netgalley and @hodderbooks for the eARC!

#Lightstruck #Netgalley #Bookstagram

A fun sequel!

I liked The Darkening, so I was excited to get to read this early, however, I did find the pacing lacking. Despite that, I liked how it picked up where we left off in book 1 and how the plot was easy to follow. It didn't suffer fromm 2nd book syndrome and I liked the development of the characters and the romance. The characters are likeable and the world is not too complicated.

A fun read and good follow-up to The Darkening!

I think this was a decent sequel. It began very good and I was interested to see what was going on, but when the main character is “brought back from the dead” and large portions of the book was about all that she had missed that no one told her about, I frankly lost interest. Nothing happened and it was always the annoying thing of “something is wrong here, and everyone I know could tell me the truth, but they are all lying for no apparent reason”. Super annoying. I would have rather read the sequel from another character’s POV.

Didn’t work for me.

Vesper awakes, back in the world after 3 years, to find that the city she sacrificed everything to save isn't free. It is being terrorized by the Great King and his lightstruck, a growing army of people that have been touched by the ominous light encroaching on the city. To save the rings Vesper must tame the power within her and become the Goddess everyone sees in her.

Sunya Mara's evocative writing sucks me in from the very beginning. The author builds her fascinating world with the shiny clay of her creativity. Word embroidery is the only way to express how the author weaves together words to create phrases of vibrant beauty. Descriptions that make you want to touch the page to feel them.

The POV might be 1st person but it is all-enveloping of every scene, so we feel like we're in the story. I love the details of how this world has changed after the Storm. It is interesting to see a world after it is saved (even though this one needs saving again). The idea of light being the threat in the sequel is ingenious. It is good to see familiar fave characters and how they have evolved. New characters find their place, well-developed and well-equipped to be loved or hated.

Vesper's sharp wit is as biting as ever. After a bit of joy, the weight of the world is on her shoulders again. She does not know if she is capable enough, though her only other choice is to give up, she will never do that. I love her strong will. Hers and Dalca's relationship remains just as complicated and just as interesting.

The book took its time to introduce the new enemy to us and it made me as impatient as it did the protagonist. Then the book finds its fervent spark. But there were times when I got a little lost in the musing and the mythology. Unfortunately, this book was in my opinion uneven, where parts of it were brilliant and there were parts that I did not like for this story. For example the many doors part (don't worry no spoilers).

This story is about being a hero and what that signifies. About the meaning of home and never giving up. About believing in, acknowledging and knowing yourself.

Action suspense, intrigue and characters being awesome, with smiles sprinkled in and devious machinations reminding me why I hate politics in real life. And let's not forget the twists and turns, the gorgeous writing holding your hand till the end.

3/5

Thank you Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Unfortunately I found this book quite underwhelming. I much preferred both the concept and execution of the first book and think that it would've worked much better as a standalone.

To my memory, the characters weren't as whiny in the first book as they were in this one, they didn't make such frustrating decisions. I hate to be so negative, but I just found myself feeling apathetic. The narrative was clunkier, the characters less interesting, the world-building was hardly explored when it had ample opportunity to do so.

I was surprised by how enthralling I found the first book, but I'm really sorry to say that I didn't enjoy the second very much.
You win some, you lose some, I guess. I'm still definitely interested in what Mara will write in the future.

I absolutely loved The Darkening so couldn't wait to dive in here and get more Dalca!!!!!

Vesper is now back and trying to get used to being 'her' again and finds someone has taken over as the baddie whilst she has been gone.

I must admit I didn't love this book as much as book 1 and I felt a bit lost at the beginning struggling to remember what was happening!

But, as in book 1, I loved the magic system and I loved the writing style.

Vesper did get in my nerves a bit but the overall character win for me was Cas! Loved him and we really now need a book for him!

Thank you to NetGalley, and the publisher, for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Lemme start off by saying that I really did love The Darkening, and the world building in this duology. The author has a way of creating magical worlds that are both rich in detail and intrigue. The politics that are ingrained in the worlds was definitely a highlight for me, and I felt that the author has done a spectacular job of creating and describing the complex backgrounds.

However…this book just felt off for me. I’m not sure if it was the pacing, or the fact that I just didn’t really enjoy the storyline overall, that did it. I really liked Vesper in the first book, but in this one?! I felt that all she did was complain and winge about the position that she was in. Fair enough, I understand that the author was trying to detail the anxiety the character felt (and rightfully so), but for the same sentence to be repeated every chapter or so just bored me.

The ending was okay. I feel like it wrapped up a lot of things nicely, and I did like the romance between our two main characters. It’s just a shame that the majority of the book felt off.

This was one of the must expected sequels for me and I'm so happy I get the advanced reader copy.

The Lightstruck is the perfect ending for this duology. I loved the first book, and this one didn't disappoint.

Three years after the events of The Darkening, Vesper wakes up to a world seemly back to normal where she is revered as a saint, a world which now sees her as a saint. But not everything is what it seems, and Vesper will need to distinguish the truth from the lies as the people around her try to keep her in the dark about what is really going on.

Familiar characters do a comeback, like Cas, Iz and Dalca. But there are also new characters, like Hadria. Sunya Mara is an expert in creating and developing characters, and also in creating relationships and connections between them. It's an absolute treat. I loved the development of Vesper and the person she became after her sacrifice in the first book. I can't say I'm a fan of Dalca, however. I felt like he could have stayed in the first book since he doesn't have an essential role in this story.

The magic system and situation in this story is also a bit different but just as fascinating. It was interesting to see how the people who were lightstruck are very different from the stormtouched, and it was great to learn about the use of ikons.

The book has a slow start but it picks up quickly, with the tension slowly building up, and with unexpected twists and betrays that keep things interesting. The final battle was well thought and executed to perfection. The ending was satisfying, leaving no loose ends.

I will miss this world and its characters, but I can't wait to see what Mara will come up with next!

Thank you Hodder & Stoughton for the e-ARC!

— 4 stars
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

"You will know what it means to be alive."

📖 | 448 pages
👤 | author Sunya Mara
🏢 | publisher Hodderscape
📅 | release date 29 August 2023

The Lightstruck is the epic conclusion to The Darkening duology which continues the story of our main character Vesper as she is faced with the aftermath of her sacrifice at the end of The Darkening. Taking place three years after the events of book one, Vesper returns to discover that her home has befallen the control of The Light King and his army of lightstruck, once regular citizens who are now controlled by an ominous light. We join Vesper on a gripping and emotional journey as she seeks to find her place within a world that once rejected her, and now look to worship her as a returned goddess who is their last hope to freedom.

Vesper's journey in this book was quite a tumultuous and emotional journey that I never expected to go on. It was refreshing to see the aftermath of being a "hero" to your people, and the consequences that it can bring. Vesper expresses a vulnerability and emotional longing that really made me want to reach into the pages and give her a strong hug. To see how lonely it can be when you are perceived as a saviour, and all people expect from you is to make a life-altering sacrifice all over again. We get to witness as Vesper goes through a journey of self-acceptance within The Lightstruck which in the end felt really rewarding. I felt immensely proud of Vesper's growth leading up to the conclusion of this story, and I imagine many other readers will share the same sentiment at the end.

As a huge lover of all things romance, I was surprisingly happy with how unimportant it seemed to the overall story. Don't get me wrong, the romance absolutely has it time and place, but ultimately for me The Lightstruck focused more heavily on the love within yourself and the love that can be found within the people around you. I really enjoy Dalca as a character, and I appreciate how realistic their growing affections for one another felt. The relationship growth was filled with conflict which is something that I've always enjoyed. Vesper and Dalca compliment one-another very well, and I loved how things between them were not always smooth sailing.

The only real let-down for me with this book was the pacing. I struggle to invest myself into stories with inconsistent pacing, and unfortunately this was one of those instances. The pacing begins slower and starts to pick up as the story progresses, however the last 25% for me felt a bit too rushed and at times I struggled to mentally place what was happening.

I feel like I'm always picky with what to say in my ARC reviews as I never want to risk giving away too much too early. However overall I will say that character development is a core theme within The Lightstruck. We are reunited with familiar characters, and introduced to some new ones that have you eager for the next page. The atmospheric world-building leaves you immersed into the world and unable to tear your eyes away. The conclusion to this story really resonated with me after all of the sacrifices that were made, and overall was an epic conclusion to a beautiful duology. If you're looking for your next low-commitment read of 2023, this is your sign to pick up The Darkening.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hodderscape for the DRC (digital review copy) in exchange for an honest review.

What an amazing second part to a fantastic duology! I enjoyed every second of this book. It did not disappoint at all. Once again fantastic world-building and character development!

It was such a joy to read more about the characters and to meet new ones too! There was great character development and the characters were really fleshed out nicely. The story pacing was medium to fast, with something new happening every few pages to keep you engaged. I did wonder whether this series would end up as a trilogy however everything was wrapped up nicely at the end with a satisfying conclusion to a beautifully written book.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I might have used getting an arc via Netgelley for this book as an excuse to buy the first book in the duology. And like so often that could have gone completely wrong. What if I had not enjoyed the first book? What if I didn't even want to read this second book anymore? Luckily that wasn't the case. I really loved the first book and was therefore very happy that Hodder & Stoughton granted me this review copy. Last Friday it was finally time to dive in!

What I really loved about this book is that it has the same kind of thrill as a first book in a fantasy series. In the first book we had this entire new world to explore but in this second book the entire world has changed again and it's like we're once again exploring a completely new world. And with that new world comes new discoveries, new challenges, new reveals and new betrayals. If you loved the first book you're gonna love this book too!

I also really loved the writing style. I already fell in love with it while reading the first book in the series. But this book reminded me why the writing style spoke to me so much. The author writes straight from the heart. I felt every word. Sometimes I might have gotten a little lost when it came to understanding what exactly was happening and going on but I always knew exactly what the characters were feeling.

I was also really surprised that the author managed to solve everything in this novel. There were still some consequences from the first book and then there were all the new issues arising in this book. At some point I really believed that there was gonna be another book after all and yet the author did find a solution in the end leading to a satisfying conclusion. I still think there is much more to tell about this world. Hopefully the author returns one day!

I would like to thank the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for a review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Let me start this review off by stating that I had a hard time remembering what happened in the first book in this duology, and had to read up on a summary to know where the story would be starting off from. That being said, let’s get into the review for this book.

The characters were great. Vesper’s worries and feelings feel very real after having been asleep for three years, and the characters around her also treated her the way you’d expect someone to be treated after saving the city from the Storm.

What I love, love, loved about this story was the amount of romance. The Darkening ends in such a way that it seemed impossible to resolve all issues around a possible relationship, and the author doesn’t try to resolve all those issues or play them off as small things. It was very refreshing to see a story very light on romance. In a way, it felt more realistic to keep those knots loose, rather than all tied up.

The story in combination with the pacing, however, felt severely lacking in my opinion. The first part of the book has a bit of a slow pace, but after the halfway mark the pacing speeds up. However, at some parts, it ended up feeling a bit rushed and felt like it could use some more explanation, as it was hard to imagine what the author had in mind. Especially at around 75%, the book got vague enough that I was having a hard time continuing.

Although the sequel to the Darkening started off with great potential, it unfortunately couldn’t keep me hooked until the end.

Urgh I wish this was a longer series but I have to say the duology was perfect. The characters were a little irritating but the story and world building kept me going. The ending was a little faff for me but it didn’t make me love it less. Overall a great series and such a unique concept and use of light and dark magic

The lightstruck is the second instalment of a duology giving us an epic conclusion.
I liked the exploration of how our choices can create unexpected change and affect others. There’s plenty of political warfare and a lot is placed upon the FMC shoulders. She has plenty of inner healing to deal with and we go on that journey with her.
We see more of Cas in this book, which I enjoyed. There’s a few new characters introduced that are a good addition, such as Hadria.
The romance is not my favourite but it’s there for people who like a conflicting romance.
The world-building continues to immerse you and that’s the best thing about the book.
For me the last 10% was just beautiful.
Thank you to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for an E-ARC. This is a voluntary review of my own thoughts.

This book wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t really my thing. While the book had aspects I found really enjoyable, like the afterlife at the beginning, for most of the book I was just waiting for something to really grab my attention. Something that made me as invested in this book as I had been in the first. But despite the new threat of the Ancient King and the Lightstruck, the majority of the time I didn’t find myself as invested as I feel like I could have been.

But as I said at the start, there were parts I really enjoyed. Like the group’s heist into the city and interactions with the Lightstruck. These parts were great, and I wish more of the book was like that. The ending was nice, but felt a bit rushed. I was sure there was going to be a third book with the way the pacing was until the last ~40 pages.

THE LIGHTSTRUCK returns Vesper to her home where a new threat has arisen, but this time people are expecting her to be their saviour.

This is a book that plays off contrasts to the previous to great effect. Like everyone expecting Vesper to be their saviour - after all, she saved them from the dead and she's more or less come back from the dead. It adds a whole new layer of expectations and pressures on Vesper's shoulders.

Of course, not everyone is happy with what happened - particularly those at the top who lost out when the storm was defeated and more land appeared. This means Vesper is facing multiple different threats distracting her from the big bad. And with the big bad able to turn people through touch - creating the lightstruck - it's hard to know who to trust.

I like the symmetry of the previous book being about a city being encroached in by darkness while this is about a light pushing outwards. Both are dangerous, which is a nice change from darkness usually being the bad one and light being the good. It's playing with that trope, and having the light as the danger second helps establish its threat as it's building off the danger established in the previous book.

It wraps up the series in an efficient manner, with plenty of action and loss.