The Dark Lost Within the Light | Lumos Book Tour Review

So… I had posted a thread:

Lumos Book Tours reached out, and I figured I’d give it a try! Sadly, this one didn’t quite work for me.

Layna was content with her ordinary life, but fate had other plans. Life as she knows it will never be the same. The Gods decide the time is right to use her power to control mankind. She is stuck between good and evil, right and wrong, but nothing is that simple. Alec is a guardian angel who devoted his existence to protecting Layna. He spends his days secretly watching over her, even though the attraction he feels is impossible to ignore. Knowing his feelings for Layna are forbidden, he tries to deny his desire. His views on what is right have changed, and he begins to question why he ever held back. Hades wants to mold Layna into the perfect weapon to use against the Gods. She is everything he hoped for and so much more. Hades, along with his most trusted demon, Sinclair, wants to help her gift grow while preventing others from using her. Layna is determined to make a difference while she is coming to terms with who she is and what she can do. Will the growing love they share get in the way or make her stronger?

The concept of blending several religious traditions and their legends has potential to be an intriguing plotline. Additionally, a romance with a guardian angel and his ward makes for a fresh and exciting dynamic.

Unfortunately, the prose of this novel was difficult for me to read. It relies heavily on telling as opposed to showing, and has a tendency to be needlessly wordy. I personally felt it lacked energy and emotion necessary to hold the reader’s attention. It’s possible that this could have been rectified with a few rounds of editing.

As for the plot, it seemed to leap forward or skip, causing confusion or logical gaps in the story. This issue could have certainly been fixed with a developmental editor, or even a beta reader.

In regards to the dialogue, I felt that it erred on the side of unnatural and stiff, though there were instances of believable conversations. Dialogue between the non-human characters was formal in a fitting way and sounded much more realistic than when Layna or other human characters spoke.

The spicy scenes often seemed out of place, happening at random and possibly too frequently to benefit the plot. They read a bit robotically and could have been improved with some word diversity and indirect language.

Similarly, the romance plot fell somewhat flat. The reader is being told that Alec and Layna are falling in love, but it can’t really be felt. The characters and their relationships are superficial and don’t give the reader a sense of depth.

Overall, I felt the book was flat and wasn’t able to hold the attention of its audience. 

Random bits:

Honestly, the most unrealistic part of this book isn’t that she has a guardian angel—it’s that she can afford to rent in the DC suburbs oh her salary. LOL

“Blinking away his own tears, Carter had to remind himself repeatedly to obey the traffic laws.” Who else’s tears would he be blinking away?

“Muscular abs” Of course they’re muscular, THEY ARE MUSCLES.

Here’s the Rub:

While I realize this is probably not the review everyone wanted me to give. I’ve done my best to give an honest and constructive review for this book.

---

This post contains affiliate links which earn me a commission at no additional cost to you.

• Instagram
• Threads
• Goodreads
• Bluesky
• YouTube