Queene of Light by J. Armintrout

I have to say I had mixed feelings about Queene of Light, which is the first book in the new Lightworld/Darkworld series by Jennifer Armintrout.

In a time not long from now, the veil between fantasy and reality is ripped asunder—creatures of myth and fairy tale spill into the mortal world. Enchanted yet horrified, humans force the magical beings Underground, to colonize the sewers and abandoned subway tunnels beneath their glittering cities.

But even magic folk cannot dwell in harmony, and soon two Worlds emerge: the Lightworld, home to faeries, dragons and dwarves; and the Darkworld, where vampires, werewolves, angels and demons lurk.

Now, in the dank and shadowy place between Lightworld and Darkworld, a transformation is about to begin….

Ayla, a half faery, half human assassin, is stalked by Malachi, a Death Angel tasked with harvesting mortal souls. They clash. Immortality evaporates, forging a bond neither may survive. And in the face of unbridled ambitions and untested loyalties, an ominous prophecy is revealed that will shake the Worlds.

I love how there are two different worlds. The Lightworld, which is home to faeries, dragons, and dwarves; and then the Darkworld (which name fits them perfectly) is the home to the more sinister creatures, such as vampires, werewolves, death angels, and demons.

Ayla was so different from most faeries in other novels. She wasn’t sweet and innocent like many are, she was a kick butt, take names later, kind of girl. I found Ayla refreshing and enthralling. I enjoyed that she was the only assassin who was part faery and part human. It gave a flare to the story, that it might not have had otherwise. Being part human, Ayla was not accepted by Mabb the Queen of the Lightworld and that made her try harder to prove herself.

I liked the love interest that Garret, the Queen’s brother, had for Ayla. I found it interesting that it was somewhat one sided, but I was glad that Ayla did not further the relationship with Garret only to further her career. That gave more creditability to Ayla as a character.

On the other hand, the Death Angel Malachi, wasn’t as interesting as Ayla. I found him to be lacking something, but I really couldn’t put my finger on.  With that said, this is the first novel I have read with any death angels in it and I thought it was an interesting twist.

I would have to say that one of my favorite parts was after Ayla caused Malachi to fall from grace, where if they wanted to survive, then they would have to depend on each other. I enjoy when two enemies are able to set aside their differences to be able to work together, at least for the time. However, the romance between Ayla and Malachi did not seem to have the solid ground that relationships need, and it wasn’t because of them being so different. For their relationship to be believable, I needed to know more about what was going on in their heads and more details.

One thing I didn’t care for much was that Queene of Light took place in the sewers, where the fae have made their homes. I couldn’t help but think about how dirty and nasty that would be, but I am a girly girl and hate to get dirty. However, sadly this did take away from the storyline for me, at least to a point.

If you can stick with the story and don’t mind two-dimensional characters, Queene of Light is an adventure into a dark fantasy world, that you won’t forget. The idea behind Queene of Light is interesting and definitely worth a try.

Read Order:
Queene of Light
Child of Darkness
Veil of Shadows

Also reviewed by:
Darque Reviews
Parajunkee’s View
Falling Off the Shelf
JoJo’s Book Corner
Yankee Romance Reviewers