Get ready for a paranormal angels & demons fantasy tale — but make it full of grit and darkness!
Today is my blog tour stop with MTMC Tours to talk about Shadow of Light by Molly E. Lee!! This is book 2 in the series, so I thought I’d review book one (Ember of Night) for us today, as a little intro and to get you hyped for Shadow of Light’s release 😍🙌🏻 on November 30th! (ps. Don’t forget to stop by my instagram page for the epic INTL giftcard giveaway.)
Ember of the Night (book 1) is about a teen from a broken home named Harley, who has had life so, so rough and is making the very best of it she can. Her life is about: survival and taking care of her 7-year-old little sister, Ray. She has zero time for anything else. With an abusive father, a body that feels weak and achey all the time, school to attend, and a full-time job at the deli, she’s absolutely flat out. But her 18th birthday is near and it doesn’t just mark her freedom from her horrible father. Harley’s world is about to implode in her face when she discovers angels and demons are real — and her blood is marked with power.
The story is packed with a lot of good ol’ paranormal tropes that we know and love: including the broody hot paranormal boy with a tragic past, the dashing and lovely guy best friend, the badass heroine with untapped powers, and an epic fight between good vs evil. It gave me such Shadowhunter vibes (especially the original Mortal Instruments series!) and I appreciated how utterly gritty it was. The book gets dark. It shows Harley’s abuse, but also how she it affects her psyche and decision making. I felt she ended up attracted to the Bad Boy™ because in a way it felt familiar and safe to her. She is a girl who fights tooth and nail to survive, who is all grit and knuckles and toughness. So her soul just meshed with Draven’s.
“Even an ember of night can be a beacon in the darkness.”
Also time to take a moment for Harley’s lovely relationship with her little sister, Ray! These two are so sweet and so so close. Harley would literally die for Ray. And while being 18 means she can leave her father’s house finally, she will never go without Ray. I did think Ray talked a little too maturely for a 7 year old? But she was still a cutie. They also have really sweet relationship with Harley’s boss from the deli, who basically looks out for them like they’re his daughters 🥺 I love it when books balance the hardcore action with really soft moments, and this one nails that.
The plot is packed with epic action scenes too! We have demons of every kind, but also a lot of mystery unravelling and sleuthing as Harley has to figure out why she’s #1 on the demons’ menu all of a sudden. With creatures wriggling their way out of hell, Harley needs to know why, and asap.
Relationship? We’ve got your spark-and-fire romance here, with Harley and Draven being like oil and match when together. They’re both tough people, so love and war is pretty much the same for them. Draven also has a TON of secrets and they’re still unspooling by the very last pages, so you’re constantly hungry for answers. There are lots of themes of brokenness and redemption too.
This is a gritty angels and demons tale full of passion and hellfire (literally) and a girl who won’t go down without a fight. Ember of Night is a punchy start to the series!
“Just because something is damaged doesn’t mean it isn’t beautiful. All things have value. Don’t let anyone tell you differently.”
Title: Shadow of Light (#2)
Author: Molly E Lee
Publication Date: November 30th, 2021
Genres: YA Paranormal, Urban Fantasy
Purchase a copy: Amazon | Book Depository | Indiebound | Blackwell’s | Barnes & Noble
Add on Goodreads
Perfect for fans of Brigid Kemmerer and Tracy Wolff, the second novel in Molly E. Lee’s angels-and-demons YA series will keep readers turning pages until the very end.
I just saved the boy I’m falling for from a gruesome death by a demon. And what does he have to say? I’m the key to opening the gates of Hell. I mean, a thank-you would’ve been nice. Or another scorching-hot, forbidden kiss. Either way, destiny will have to find someone else to torment, because I’m so done.
Or I was, until my little sister starts cackling exorcist-style and stares at me with eyes that aren’t hers. They’re Marid’s, the Greater Demon I just kicked back to the dark realm he came from. Possessing Ray whenever he wants is his ultimate revenge.
The only way to break the tether between them includes a road trip through Hell, aka the Ather. I quickly discover nothing is as it seems in this place. Yeah, there are realms of terror, greed, and desire, but there’s also peace, and a beauty I never knew existed…and it’s eerily familiar. With each obstacle we encounter, I slip a little further into the chaotic energy of my growing dark powers. And when an unexpected betrayal hits me square in the chest, I freefall into them.
Fate painted me as the monster of nightmares, and after this? Destiny is about to learn just how monstrous I can be.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Molly E. Lee is an author best known for her romance novels, the Grad Night series and the Love on the Edge series. Molly writes Adult and Young Adult contemporary featuring strong female heroines who are unafraid to challenge their male counterparts, yet still vulnerable enough to have love sneak up on them. In addition to being a military spouse and mother of two + one stubborn English Bulldog, Molly loves watching storms from her back porch at her Midwest home, and digging for treasures in antique stores. Website | Instagram | Twitter | Goodreads
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