Title: Of Light and Darkness

Author: Shyane Leighton

Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult

Publisher: Parliament House

Format: ebook

Pages: 413

Rating: 3/5 stars

*Warning: mature content. Parents please be advised*

Synopsis (Goodreads):

A stunning debut that is a fiercely imaginative, multilayered dark fantasy for fans of The Bear and the Nightingale.

Raised among a secret society of Witches, Shifters, and Elves, human-born Charlotte Ruzikova finds that she is the freak in her world of magic and monsters. When she stands before an army of impossible obstacles, the likelihood of survival in this coming-of-age modern fairy tale is slim. After Charlotte captures the attention of the young Elven prince, her scorn results in an all-out war between light and darkness.

Charlotte knows no other home than the one nestled deep in the woods of the Czech Republic, where Witches draw spells of enchantment, Shifters throw tea parties, and Elves are the closest in kin. But as genocide and war threatens life as she knows it, Charlotte will fight for what she believes in…truth, bravery, and most importantly…love. Fighting with a coven of rogue monsters is tougher than it seems, but she will stop at nothing to save them…and she’ll do it before the sun comes up and light takes over forever.

Filled with Slavic folklore, Of Light and Darkness is the first part of an epic series not to be missed!.

Review:

Thank you very much to Parliament House Publishing for sending me a copy of this book for review.

I’m not really sure how to review this one as there were some things I liked and then one thing I really didn’t like, so I’m going to do my best to explain both. And just a warning that the part I don’t like might be a spoiler, but I feel the need to talk about it so please be warned.

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Ok, so this book is a fantasy novel that takes place in Eastern Europe. It has everything you could possibly want in a fantasy young adult book: vampires, fairies, talking old spiders, and the characters are really interesting. The plot moved at a good pace that I never felt a dip in engagement, and the world building was well done. The book centres on Charlotte, who is found as a child by the vampire, Valek, and then raised by him in the Occult City. She grows up knowing about all the different magical creatures, which is pretty cool.

Now you’re probably thinking that this sounds great, and trust me it does! When I first started reading the book I really got into it quick. But then Charlotte and Valek starting expressing feelings for each other, and then expressed their love for one another; and I mean like soulmates type love. That was too weird for me, as he was the one who raised her- is the father figure in her life. The fact that they fall in love was a bit too much for me to wrap my head around, which is sad because I think I would have loved this book if it wasn’t for that. I feel like most young adult novels need a love interest, so maybe this is the one that made the most sense? I’m not sure, but honestly it creeped me out! But I would encourage you to read the book yourself and form your own opinions, and then discuss it with me because I’m really curious how others feel about this!

Happy reading!