I had the opportunity to do an ARC read of Lucy’s most recent novel “Lady of Light and Death”, which is the sequel to “Lord of Shadow and Blood”.

This is a spoiler free post, only highlighting the vibes and feels of the novel.

The end of “Lord of Shadow and Blood” absolutely broke my heart, which was why I was so keen to get into my ARC read of “Lady of Light and Death” – which will be released 21st June, so add it to your calendar!

The sequel was a direct continuation of the first book, which meant that you were not missing much in between. What ever events had occurred behind closed doors, you get a summary of them as the story goes on. Lucy gives you a great view of how the world has changed since the first novel, moving into a contemporary gothic fantasy setting which did wonders for the development of the story. It made me so excited to keep reading!

The development of the characters from the first novel completely hit home, Adrianna’s trauma and healing process throughout the storyline was so relatable for me, I just wanted to cry! Xander on the other hand, his process what totally left-field to what I had expected, but as you found out what happened to him in-between the novels it made total sense why his character development took the turns it did. Lucy also did an amazing job building up the supporting characters, I was as invested in them as I was in Adrianna and Xander. Which made the surprising twists and turns even more heartbreaking when they happened.

The ending of the novel was amazing. No words for it. I couldn’t have seen it happening any other way, BUT the little surprise at the very end left me completely and utterly speechless! I did not see that coming at all, I was so surprised that my chest hurt. This is where the extra bit of background knowledge from “Tales of Daemonium” really came into play, if I didn’t read that before the sequel, I don’t think the ending would have hit me as hard as it did.

All-in-all, it was a fantastic read that kept me on the edge of my seat. I fell in love with all of the characters, which just increased the intensity of the read. Lucy really is a master story weaver, if you love dark gothic fantasy with a romantic storyline, this is totally for you.

RELEASE DATE: 21st June

Other novels in the Courts of Daemonium world:

• “Lord of Shadow and Blood”
• “Tales of Daemonium”