Reviewed by Taylin
TITLE: The Light Within
SERIES: The Shadow & Light Duology #2
AUTHOR: T J Rose
PUBLISHER: Self-Published
LENGTH: Approximately 400 Pages
RELEASE DATE: November 15, 2024
BLURB:
Cinnamon ‘Cinn’ Saunders has learnt a lot since his arrival at the Aurelia Arcanum Institute of Esoteric Sciences.
He’s learnt he’s a shadowslipper, capable of moving between realms.
He’s learnt that he’s expected to be the solution to the ever-growing waves of deadly umbraphage attacks.
He’s learnt that cocky French men with pretty, punchable faces can be fun to kiss.
After Cinn’s explosive arrival into his world, Julien Montaigne has also learnt a lot.
His dead sister Béatrice was a member of the terrorist group, the Arcane Purifiers;
Béatrice may or may not have returned to them as the world’s ugliest cat;
English men with a fondness for beanie hats make him go weak at the knees.
Trouble is stirring, and Cinn, Julien, Darcy and Elliot are about to be caught in the cross-fire between the consortium and the Arcane Purifiers. As dangers circle like sharks, the four friends must unravel the threads of the mysteries they’re wrapped up in and choose which side of the war they belong to before their enemies close in.
This is the second half of the Shadow & Light Duology, and should be read after The Shadows Beyond.
REVIEW:
Disasters are multiplying, and the investigation into Beatrice’s death has uncovered an underground movement whose goals may not be as nefarious as initially expected. The intrepid quartet of Cinn, Julien, Elliot, and Darcy must decide who and what to fight for. But, as much as Julien loves Cinn, the need to protect overrides personal safety.
The Light Within is the second book of the Shadow & Light Duology. Book one, The Shadows Beyond, concentrated on worldbuilding and backstory. In contrast, this installment gives all the action, answers, and endings. It was an exceptional read that had me firmly in Julien’s corner, gave me the answers I sought, and tied it all up with a bow.
The story is told in the third person, primarily from the viewpoints of Cinn and Julien, with a bit of Elliot and Darcy. As already stated, most of the physical worldbuilding was dealt with in book one. However, the content of these pages was a more personal landscape. One aspect that irritated me in the first book and it continued into this one was Darcy. Considering that Darcy is supposed to be Julien’s friend, her view that whatever was wrong was always his fault was annoying – she rarely had something nice to say to him yet remained a loyal member of the quartet – it was the only unsolved mystery. Yes, Julien is flawed, but that made him relatable and perfect. He became my favorite character.
Julien is stuck between a rock and a hard place. Those around him judge him because of his family and wealth – yet Julien hates his father while is bound by family expectations. There are aspects of his life that he loves – others that he hates. Because of his life position and his family’s role in his world, Julien believes it is up to him to deal with the consequences. Not wanting to endanger those he loves – his actions are understandable, albeit questionable. This is where Cinn is adorable – he gets his man.
Other characters with important but relatively small roles in book one come into their own, proving they are not merely space savers.
The Light Within is the all-action – shadow coming into the light conclusion I hoped it would be.
RATING: 
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