Author: Axie Oh
Series: The Demon and the Light #2
Genre: Fantasy/Mythology/Romance
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Publication Date: October 21, 2025
Edition: 390 pages, Kindle Edition
Source: Library
Purchase: Amazon US | Barnes & Noble | BAM | Bookshop | Kobo | Powell's |
Synopsis:
The battle is over, but the war is just beginning...
With the help of her friends and allies, Ren managed to topple the General's insurrection, but the Floating World and its territories are still under threat of attack from the rival Volmaran Empire. And far worse, she was powerless to save Sunho from being overcome by the monstrous power in his blood. Now he's gone, transformed into a feral, deadly creature that doesn't even recognize her anymore, and her heart aches for the sweet boy she's grown to love.
But the escalating war will not pause for her grief. Seen by some as a heavenly savior and others merely a figurehead to be manipulated, Ren must use all her courage and cunning to survive the royal court's game long enough to find Sunho and bring him home before he loses himself to the Demon forever.
Final Fantasy meets Shadow and Bone in The Demon and the Light, the hotly anticipated follow-up to Axie Oh's The Floating World.
With the help of her friends and allies, Ren managed to topple the General's insurrection, but the Floating World and its territories are still under threat of attack from the rival Volmaran Empire. And far worse, she was powerless to save Sunho from being overcome by the monstrous power in his blood. Now he's gone, transformed into a feral, deadly creature that doesn't even recognize her anymore, and her heart aches for the sweet boy she's grown to love.
But the escalating war will not pause for her grief. Seen by some as a heavenly savior and others merely a figurehead to be manipulated, Ren must use all her courage and cunning to survive the royal court's game long enough to find Sunho and bring him home before he loses himself to the Demon forever.
Final Fantasy meets Shadow and Bone in The Demon and the Light, the hotly anticipated follow-up to Axie Oh's The Floating World.
****************
This was a decent ending to the series, I liked the character growth. I even liked the plot trajectory. But, it felt rushed. They find and "cure" Sunho very early in the book and very fast. This thing that was a big deal that the end of the first book was resolved so fast that I don't understand why it was treated like a problem.
This is the second duology I've read this year that makes think it should've either been expanded to a trilogy, or made into one longer book. There's parts that drag the tension to a standstill, that feel like "fluff" added in to make it two books, when it other parts could've been expanded to make it into three books. The are enough parts that could've been given more detail and expanded on. There's a whole ordeal with choosing Ren's personal guard, and the person her uncle wanted to be chosen wasn't and I thought it would matter more why exactly he wanted that person to be, but it was glossed over. Along with the rest of the plot beats introduced around her uncle. It was kind of resolved, but for the most part it felt like his roll was resolved off-page.
The ending was the part that felt the most rushed, the build up to fighting the Maiden made me think it was going to be a more serious fight, but it was over so fast I thought I missed it. I it was over so fast it left me underwhelmed.
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