As an avid fantasy reader, I can be picky when it comes to the genre - Smoke and Light met my expectations! From romance to suspense to plot twists, this book has it all. The main characters are easy to love and root for, and experiencing the romance in this book unfold was great. Khara is a dynamic character I instantly connected to. I cannot wait for book two of this series!! ( )

Smoke and Light was engaging to read even though I am not a young reader. The quest of the princess Khara to regain her memory has many plot twists that keep the reader guessing, while using just the right amount of foreshadowing to let us project the next step in Khara’s recovery. World building sand character development are strong and the plot moves well. Although Khara’s sudden shift of trust supported only by intuition seemed a little too easy, this book is a good start for the series. I enjoyed reading this novel and look forward to the opportunity to review the next book.
I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily submitting a review.

It seems interesting enough a girl engaged to a royal with a brain injury and no memory of any of it and a war with Rebels. I found some of it dragging until she at least got back to her fiance a few chapters in then you get more interesting reading! ( )

I really loved this book. One, it is told from the perspective of Khara, who is trying to 'ecover her memory on top of getting used to the responsibilities that come with being the almost-wife of the leader of a country at war instead of simply giving us all the answers, Ardis forces the reader to follow the preadcrumbs that Khara is slowly finding as well. And the relationships between the characters are well-written. It doesn't matter if it's a romantic or a platonic relationship; they feel authentic and real (even the ones that eventually are found out to be based on lies). I am super excited to see where this series goes next. This may be a longer book, but it is worth the time and energy ( )

I feel like Fantasy books are so hard to get right. The world building needs to be detailed and captivating, the story needs to be unique and exciting and the character need to be interesting… this book has it all. I was pleasantly surprised about this book.

I think the author has a really good writing style, it leans towards YA/tween style but it’s nice and flowing. The author does a great job of creating a picture in your head which really helps the story come to life. The author describes this book to be similar to the book Shatter Me and I definitely think so. The mystery within the fantasy story is so fun.

I will say this book was a bit slow and repetitive for me. The amount of conversations that were had about Khara’s headaches and how much Ramsey loves Khara was too many. I felt like this book would be really benefited with another 1 or maybe even 2 subplots. Something else small but important to follow.

The ending was really good, so much actions and the plot twists were very exciting, I just wish the middle had a bit more action. I love a good plot twist that you kinda see coming but it ends up being much more intense and complicated than you originally think. Absolutely loved Gage and Emila. ( )