Cruel Is the Light (Sophie Clark, Penguin)

In a world both familiar to and hauntingly different from our own, the Vatican Empire has waged a centuries-long war with demons across Europe. After a series of unprecedented attacks in Italy and France, two unlikely allies must unravel a conspiracy that forces them to question everything they’ve ever known. Selene Alleva, a captain of the Vatican’s demon-hunting division and an Exorcist of the Second Class, has spent her life trying to escape her family’s dark past and prove she’s more than ‘the Butcher of Rome’. Jules Lacroix, a soldier in the Vatican military, has lost everyone he’s ever cared for and knows only isolation. Distrustful and wary of each other’s secrets when they first meet, they soon realise that with the world on the brink of destruction, they must rely on one another. In doing so, they discover that sometimes, the most unexpected of people become the greatest of allies. Sophie Clark’s debut is a fast-paced, alluring fantasy with immersive world-building, political intrigue and a sizzling enemies-to-lovers romance worthy of travelling to the depths of hell to save. Despite the chaos of the war, Clark takes her time introducing the protagonists, enriching their histories and building from the rocky foundations of their alliance to their epic love story. Although their slow-burn romance is, at times, unbearable (because you simply need them to kiss immediately), the end result is worth the wait. Recommended for readers aged 15+, Cruel Is the Light is perfect for fans of Leigh Bardugo, Cassandra Clare, and Laini Taylor.

Books+Publishing reviewer: Aurelia Orr is a freelance reviewer and bookseller at Readings Kids. Books+Publishing is Australia’s number-one source of pre-publication book reviews.

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