An absolutely outstanding debut novel that captured my imagination and took me on an amazing journey! This is a definite must-read for anyone who enjoys great world building, action, great character development and YA fantasy.
The opening chapter had me hooked - I won’t spoil it, but it certainly wasn’t how I expected it to start! It was very powerful and set the story up brilliantly.
And those chapter names?! 5/5 - I felt like I was always learning something! This was a completely original idea and loved how well each added to the story and complimented each chapter.
The characters find themselves in an impossible situation and through their new-found friendships, they prove they can overcome anything.

Some of my favourite quotes:
‘I didn’t come this far just to come this far.’
‘With no bookmark in on hand, he used the blade of a dagger he found in the nightstand to save the page.’ (This is my personal favourite - as a reader, just how relatable is this?)
Her: ‘Why won’t you kiss me?’
Him: …’Because once I start, I fear I won’t ever be able to stop.’

Tropes:
Found family
Mental health
Magic
Secret societies

A massive congratulations to Andy Darcy Theo for this debut and I will now wait impatiently for the next book in the journey of the elementals to arrive!
Thank you to NetGalley, Andy Darcy Theo and Simon and Schuster UK Children’s publishers for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I loved the diversity of the characters involved and how unique each one is. The development of the main characters relationships with each other is so heartwarming. The style of writing was easy to read and flowed well whilst still being captivating and made me want to read more without putting the book down. Cannot wait for the next book!

An outstanding debut. Andy had this way of making his characters relatable. The way I laughed at interactions, especially between the girls, because they felt so real and fleshed out. I loved the sarcasm, the banter, the affection...
It was so well rounded and then the plot on top made it a perfect YA. Brilliant.

I really enjoyed this! It had me hooked from the start. Really great writing, It flowed easy, never over described anything or left anything out and was really easy to read. Great for the younger age bracket. The plot was really interesting, it's compared to Percy Jackson and legendborn and I can definitely see how. So much adventure and page turning moments that keep you on your toes. The characters and their development and growth were gorgeous. The beautiful messages within the words were subtle in a good way they aren't pushed in your face but you notice and resonate within yourself. I think it really sets up a really cool and broad world that I can't wait to explore again. I would recommend this to all young children that loves them adventure and high stakes stories and even adults that use to love the old school classics.

I really enjoyed this book! You can tell a lot of heartfelt effort went into Andy's writing, and the world building/ lore was fantastic. Each character has their own story arc to overcome, and the found family aspect was done beautifully.

I did find some of the story a little predictable at times, and I do feel there was something missing - perhaps more backstory - but considering how the book ended, I think this may be being held back to flesh out the series further which is understandable.

Overall, it was a really enjoyable read and it felt quite nostalgic reading something similar to other classic YA books like Percy Jackson. Thank you to the author & publisher for the advance copy - I ordered myself a physical copy to keep!

*Spoiler* I also have huge respect for an author who is not afraid of killing a character to advance the story. Teller's death gripped me early on and definitely had the intended emotional effect!

Oh my GOD! I don’t think anyone knows how excited I was when I got approved for this on NetGalley!!! I’ve been watching Andy for a while so jumped at the chance to request it - AND I WAS NOT DISAPPOINTED.

The first three sentences??? Hooked. I loved everything about this book from the beginning. I really didn’t expect it to be as dark as it was but I’m not complaining at all! Andy wasted absolutely NO time diving into the action 🤣 I immediately loved all of the characters, who were all so likeable, especially Caeli and Blaise 🫶 I wish wish wish this book was multi POV because I would’ve loved to read things from the others’ point of views, especially Caeli (of course, there are future opportunities for this, cough cough). Another thing I loved about this is how RICH the history is!!! You can see that this book was a labour of love and there’s so many opportunities to expand the lore into a whole franchise ( I personally will not rest until I get to read a prequel about the Quinate). The history, the setting, the writing, the characters, the plot - chefs kiss!

This book had everything you could want from a YA fantasy - prophecies, elements, magic, creatures and so much more! If I wasn’t so busy, I would’ve devoured this in one sitting! I will absolutely be reading any and all future instalments Andy decides to put out and I will be forcing my younger siblings to read this as well 🤣

4.5*⭐️

Thank you to @simonyabooks and @netgalley for allowing me the opportunity to read this eARC in return for a fair and honest review 🤍 also thank you to @andydarcytheo for writing this and the many more books I require from this franchise 🫶

*as an adult reader, it’s 4.5 but if I read this when I was younger and still YA, I would’ve given this an easy 5⭐️

✅ Found Family
✅ Elemental Magic
✅ Magic School
✅Gripping twists and turns

If you liked Percy Jackson you will like this book.
That being said .......ANDY IM SENDING YOU AN INVOICE FOR MY THERAPY BILL.

This was such an emotional rollercoaster and I loved every moment of it.

Let's start of with the writing. ABSOLUTELY sensational, not a word wasted. The variety of words used at the start of each chapter was sensational and so fitting! The writing pulled me in instantly and if I didn't have to work I would have devoured it in one day!

Characters and Character development THE BOND between Demi, Alexis, Blaise and Caeli is just the best thing to experience. Rach character had heir own strong sense of identify but also they adapted and grew as they experience challenges along the way.

I have big Caeli energy because yes I'd rather die than apologise. She is a Scorpio IDK.

Ezra IF I GRAB YOU ! THE HEALING CRYSTALS WILL REJECT YOU!

Magic System and World Building: I loved that the world building wasn't info dumpy you discovered and figured everything out in real time with the characters was a blessing.

I need the next book asap!

Thank you for early copy! NetGalley. This is a phenomenal debut that perfect blends all elements fantasy romance, Amazing ya fantasy absolutely loved the 4 main character's who are put at risk throughout the book it’s an excellent story that I will read again even purchased a special edition will go as far as saying it’s a favourite of mine this year and I can not wait for book 2!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my copy of this e-arc!

I really enjoyed this! The concept was really unique and original. Especially with the whole element side of it. It’s good to read something that could’ve been solved within the one book but is leading into a series because I’m already excited for the next book!

Alexis’ character is still unravelling with every chapter which I’m loving. I also love the chapter titles and how they’re based on what the chapter is about. It’s another unique concept. It follows a usual lay out of what happens in any book, particularly fantasy but the author gives his own little twists at every turn and I love how he shows his authorship and individuality in his writing.

Already excited for book 2! A solid 4 stars!

Thank you to NetGalley for sending me an early digital copy for review.

This was a great debut, especially if you are new to the fantasy genre and don’t know where to start. Equally if you have read Percy Jackson and are looking for something in the same vein that has a similar found family and elemental magic.

The only criticism that I do have of this book is that a lot of the found family “building” moments, where we see character bonding and building up friendships for the foundation of the found family trope were skipped over in a time jump.
Suddenly all the character were more friendly and closer but as the reader we missed out on getting some character development and motivation for dialogue and moments that happen later on during the book.

I will say that overall I did really like the four main characters as I found that they all had a very unique and distinct voices. I would say that the psychological aspect of this book are very well done and felt real which lead to character feeling realistic.

Having said that this is definitely on the younger end of YA and I would have strongly suggested this to my 14 year old self.

I can’t wait to see which direction Andy takes the rest of this series.

For me, personally, there were three different parts to this story. The beginning I was not a fan of. The prologue read like a form of horror novel but I stuck it out because I had heard SUCH good things about the story. And I am glad I did because the first 50% which absolutely blew my socks off. I loved it. Learning about all the characters and the worldbuilding. I loved that they were on a school trip and met two other random teenagers then got transported to a safe haven through stonehenge. However, the second half had a few pacing issues for me personally, which made it feel a little rushed, but I loved the characters by then and needed to know what happened.

I think the author has a fantastic writing style that can easily grip you while also being super easy to read. Definitely will go down well with YA readers, especially those who liked Artemis Fowl and Percy Jackson. It got that epic fun adventurous feel to it we all seek when reading a book. It's one I will definitely be keeping on my shelf in the hopes that my daughter will end up loving to read as well.

So, in a nutshell, it has wonderful worldbuilding, fantastic characters, training montages, elemental magic and quests. A recipe for a brilliant YA story.

I went into the book knowing very little about the premise, the plot and the characters. despite this, I absolutely loved the characterisation, the familiar yet unique plot and overall the excitement around a fantasy novel I haven’t felt since i picked up percy jackson

this is well within the realms of a ya novel without sugarcoating topics to the point it’s so sickening it makes you want to slam your head against the wall. it held enough information, peril and gruesome details to be entertaining and enjoyable to read without it delving into too much detail ..

the plot was definitely information heavy at the beginning yet as the novel went on there was enough action, heartwarming scenes and mentor moments that it felt natural and hooked me from the start. despite leaving on a somewhat resolved ending -considering what they were tasked to do - it left me with plenty of questions and the need to read on to the sequel.

the characters felt unique and natural which added another layer to the story as it is obvious there is a backstory for each character despite our focaliser being Alexis. overall I enjoyed reading about all the characters and their quirks throughout the book.

I really enjoyed everything this book had to offer and I would finished it much quicker if I wasn’t approaching my a-levels and in a massive reading slump. I’m very excited to see where this whole series goes!

thank you NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Ohhh this book. It hooks you in, addicts you and certainly had me hanging off every page.

Right from the beginning, the prologue is so intriguing and a sure attention grabber. I loved and appreciated the stunning artwork designs for the characters too, giving you a memory plant for what the characters both look like and a brief introduction to their personalities. There’s a character for everyone and they quickly became fast favs.

I loved the characters in this and combined with the plot, it made for an epic read. Chosen one tropes, a quest to defeat an evil and a wonderfully built world to immerse yourself into. It made it very easy to fly through the pages and I couldn’t wait to unravel more of the story.

Alexis was so cleverly written, in fact, it was all so cleverly written. I enjoyed it 100/10 stars and as I have an ebook copy, it needs to be upgraded to physical status on my shelf. The time can’t come quick enough for the next book in this series!

I really struggled with this book.

It started out with a great premise for an interesting story, with easy to follow magic system and detailed characters.

Around 40% of the way through, that changed and I just lost all interest in the entire plot. It felt like it had gone into a more child like story plot, and didn’t have the same tone of voice as the first half of the book.

I actually did not finish this book and put it down at 47%

The book has elemental magic and a great story about prophecy and destinies to be fulfilled. I loved the writing because it was very visual, it was easy for me to visualise what was happening and very much enjoyed the overall story and characters.
I wish there was more focus in the characters. By the end of the book I still knew next to nothing about them apart from the MC, skipping the entirety of their training arc left the time jump a bit lackluster, they went from strangers to best friend sin the flip of a page and there was no time to truly connect with the characters for me.
I am intrested in continuing the series to see where the story leads to!
This book is advertised as YA, but I definitely think it's more for the younger side of YA.

When I heard people describing the Light that Blinds Us as Percy Jackson meets Legendborn, I was intrigued. However, disclaimer, I have read neither of these. Both have a huge fan base and were things I wanted to get into. Sadly, I found the light that blinds us just didn't keep me gripped. I really enjoyed the beginning, it was dark and atmospheric. It made me question where this was going to go and I liked that. Moving to the present day, I found myself losing that excitment. I made it to just over 50% before I called time as it not being quite the story for me. There is nothing I would particularly critique about the writing except perhaps the pacing. I wish all the best for Andy as I've enjoyed watching his content on social media. I will continue to follow his journey and perhaps will find a future project more inline with my taste as I think I was not the target audience on this occasion.

*ARC received from Netgalley - all opinions are my own*

TLDR: It’s not you (the light that blinds us), it’s me. A fab story and world for anyone who loves their YA fiction! I don’t think many would be disappointed in this book and believe it could become the new popular world/ series!

While my rating wasn’t the highest, I just want to preface the review by saying I’ve been falling out of love with YA for a while and think it’s finally time to move on and accept my tastes are different now. Had I read The Light That Blinds Us as a teenager or even in my early 20’s (I’m late 20’s now) it would have gotten at least a 4 star review I would imagine.

Andy Darcy Theo has done a great job with his world-building and story-telling and I’m thoroughly impressed for this being his debut book. The characters are distinct and fleshed out and there is a very real yet well handled look at mental illness which is hard to find, and even harder to find it be executed well.

I’ve only given it 3 stars for my own gripes with YA, which are how young the characters act which came off as annoying quite a bit, especially the way the two MMC joked and fought. Also wasn’t a fan of the pacing but again, it’s a well written YA book and I’ve clearly just lost the love for the genre. It's definitely me and not you TLTBU!

TLTBU is a masterpiece. You can tell how much love, detail and planning has gone into this. I was up late multiple times, utterly obsessed with reading it. I was so sad when I got to the end of the book, purely because I didn’t want it to end.

Andy’s writing pulls you in, TLTBU reminds me of all the great YA Fantasy series I read when I was younger, except this one blows all the other out of the water. I just know this book is going to be a big hit and that young readers (and readers such as myself) will appreciate this for many years to come.

Alexis, Demi, and their newfound friends are exciting to read about, this book is full of high stakes, an epic quest, tension and a really awesome magic system. TLTBU has a strong element of found family and I am so here for it. I love the joining of the Elementals, they all come together to find the light even in the darkest of times.

If you needed a little sign to pick The Light That Blinds Us up, please take this as one! From the first page this book had me in a chokehold.

This is easily my top book from this year so far, I really enjoyed every second of it – and now that I finally have a physical copy, I’ll be rereading it ASAP.

I finished this last week and I needed to spend a few days processing my thoughts, because I wanted to give it the consideration it deserves!

As a debut novel, The Light That Blinds Us is simply incredible. I’ve followed Andy’s author journey online for a while now so getting the chance to read the finished book early feels super special (thank you to Netgalley for the ARC). Andy absolutely deserves every morsel of recognition for his efforts.

It’s clear that Andy has spent a huge amount of time and energy mapping out each aspect of the storyline, researching mythology and constructing the locations to create this vibrant world that feels so immersive - which is exactly what you need from a fantasy book! I especially loved the chapter heading ‘words’ and how they related to each chapter.

The main characters and their development were so amazing you can’t help but love each of them. Their personalities are very different from each other but as the story progresses it was so lovely to see them open up to each other as they overcame their own personal struggles and worked together as a team.

The themes of the book have been frequently described as Legendborn meets Percy Jackson,but as I’ve not read either of those series I can’t confirm how accurate that is. However, I will say that the trials and adventures reminds me of the BeastQuest series and the nature based magic system is very similar to a lot of fantasy novels but for me it had similar vibes to the Avatar series.

Whilst this structure of the book includes some familiar aspects (MC discovers they have powers, a mentor figure takes them under their wing, they go on a quest to save the world from a villain, etc) it wasn’t too predictable and there are plenty of twists and turns to keep me interested. The pace is quite fast but it didn’t feel overwhelming. Whilst the tone feels quite serious and dark in places, the tension and high stakes were often offset with great humour and more lighthearted scenes.

There were lots of lovely one liner/statements that are so thought provoking when it comes to dealing with anxiety and MH so I wouldn’t be surprised if this became a comfort read for a lot of readers. For those wanting to getting into reading fantasy, but not the super romantic kind, this is a fantastic introduction to the genre!

✨ NetGalley ARC Review ✨
Release Date: 25th April 2024

📚 The Light That Blinds Us is Percy Jackson meets the Fantastic Four. Alexis Childhood is haunted by hallucinations of the Shadow Man the only thing that brings him comfort is a blue amulet he's had since before he could remember. His visions are now gone.

But a school trip to Stonehenge changes everything. He is unites with three other teens who have similar amulets and they are plunged into a hidden world of powerful elementals. There is more to Alexis dark past as they venture on a quest to save the world facing tests of live, loss and loyalty.

📖 Review:
I absolutely loved this, I enjoyed every second and I wish I had had this book growing up. This is a fast-paced rollercoaster of a book and I didn't wanna get off.

Firstly I adore how mental-health is weaved although this book. It was handled with care and respect, you can tell Andy has put alot into this representation. And it was done so well.

I loved the characters, they were well-freshed out. Each character felt like individuals and they had fantastic chemistry and banter.

The world building was excellent and I had a real sense of where we were and the plot into was so twisty and fun. I was hooked from the prologue. It's exactly the kind of YA I love. There was something was nostalgic in reading this. I can't wait to read the next book.