Conclave made me do it

[dhampyresa]

I first got interested in Sophie Clark's "Cruel is the Light" because the cover is really pretty (art by Mona Finden, art direction by Ben Hughes). I wasn't going to read it because while the marketing said "enemies to lovers" the summary wasn't sound "enemy-ing" enough.

Then the Pope died.

And I thought I'd read a book sent mostly in Rome because I had no idea what to read next, fiction-wise.

Cruel is the Light is... Fine. It's fine. It indeed isn't enemies to lovers, it's more rivals to lovers forbidden love fake dating. The love story isn't unbelievable, anymore than any two week love story is. I guessed both that

from the summary

Jules was a demon

and

from early in the book

the Vatican's god was a demon

but not how those two tied together. There's one image I really liked and might draw at some point, idk. The demon/exorcist worldbuilding reminded me of the manga Claymore. Anyway. I don't regret reading it, but I wasn't going to read the sequel. I'd give it a 13/20. (Disclaimer: I read something like half of it while stuck on a stopped train.)

Then the Pope died.

Ok, in the book he's "Exorcist Primus". Point is they're going to be doing X-Treme Conclave next book and I am intrigued.

Comments

[conuly]

Okay, but that cover.

[dhampyresa]

YOU GET ME

[cornerofmadness]

that is a great cover (though those are definitely not my tropes)

[dhampyresa]

RIGHT???

[dolorosa_12]

Oooh, this sounds like my kind of tropey fun (although like you I would have preferred it to be real enemies-to-lovers; most authors always seem to chicken out in this regard and make them antagonists-/rivals-to-lovers).

[dhampyresa]

Is it really enemies to lovers if they don't try to kill each other at least once. Is it really.

Hope you enjoy the bok if you read it.