Queene of Light is the first book in Jennifer Armintrout’s new series Lightworld/Darkworld. This time she focuses more on Fae creatures and the Faery Court than vampires, however (which suits me fine).

The book begins with Ayla in the middle of an assignment tracking a werewolf through a disgusting, stinky sewer. Armintrout does a very good job of setting atmosphere throughout the entire book—from the dank, dreary, and stench-ridden Darkworld to the only slightly better-off Lightworld—visually. Actually, I thought I could smell the sewers that are Ayla’s home at one point.

The world Armintrout builds is just this side of desperately bleak. Between the denizens of the Lightworld (who seek to re-take the above from humans by any means necessary) and the inhabitants of the Darkworld (who at least don’t want to eradicate humanity, but are nasty critters in a multitude of other ways), hope seems to be as foreign as sunlight. Selfishness, greed, violence, hatred...these emotions drive most of the characters’ actions.

Ayla and Malachi's relationship begins rocky, continues to be pretty rocky and manages to smooth out just enough so that they're not at each other's throats, at least. They don't go from enemies to "'Oh, my God, I love you!" quickly (thank goodness). In fact, Malachi spends a good deal of his time away from Ayla devising ways to kill her with his bare hands, and Ayla alternately hates him and feels guilty over his condition.

My favorite character, hands down, is Keller. He is a Bio-Mech (a human that believes that a body's everything can be easily interchangeable with mechanical parts...pretty much a cyborg, but seems to be more a way of life/belief) and helps Malachi out. He’s just plain fun—takes the world as it is and makes something from it. I wouldn’t say he’s an optimist, but he’s a good deal happier than almost every other character we meet.

A good start to the series, I’m eager to find out the consequences of the final chapter and see where the future shall bring Ayla (nowhere comfortable and happy, I’m willing to bet). ( )

Loved this book. I cannot wait to read the next one. The characters are awesome and you really want to know what is going to happen with them. The evil person doesn't seem evil in the beginning, but when they turn evil it is hold on tight for the rest of the book. Awesome read. ( )

Wow, was exactly what I was thinking after I closed the cover of this book. I wasn't expecting much; I honestly admit, because I heard some so-so reviews, they were completely wrong. I dived into this book head first and it gave me the literary oxygen my body needed...there are twists and turns, a few bumps-but easily handled-and it was smooth gliding until the end. I did get a bit of Gothic feel from this book, just like Jennifer Armintrout's Turning series...there is some Gothic feel to that series as well, but I didn't mind at all. Ms. Armintrout took this series to a whole level about her Turning series...completely, there was some stumbling at the beginning, I had to take time to let my brain process the new world, there was a bit too much fact pushed on the brain to start, but once I got the world's "condition", everything just clicked. I love her characters as well, it's truly like they are completely disgusted by one another yet they are driven by a force they don't comprehend, and they fight a bit for it and then everything works out. Ayla's character is a strong one as well...she is a warrior and knows what she wants for herself and isn't afraid to go after it. This book was a truly enjoyable read, I already have Child of Darkness in my TBR pile. Can't wait. ( )

I always have mixed feelings after reading Armintrouts books, mostly I am sitting trying to figure out how I would rate the books. Honestly, I wish she had spent more time with the characters like an extra 100 pages indeed. I felt like I really could imagine walking in their world with them, but I tried to imagine their faces and their appearance it was as if seeing characters with blurred faces. However, the books were indeed good they were not poorly written in that sense but left wondering what those characters look like fully and feel. ( )

The fantasy worlds of light and dark collide in Jennifer Armintrout's new series, Lightworld/Darkworld. In Queene of Light, readers are introduced to Ayla, a promising member of the Assassin's Guild, who is plagued by being half-Faery and half-Human. Ayla is stalked by a Death Angel named Malachi, who is tasked with harvesting human souls and later clashes with her in a clash of light and dark.

Queene of Light is an interesting new fantasy novel set in a world of Faeries, magical creatures and other things that go bump in the night. Armintrout has woven a gritty, fascinating world where the forces of light and dark are physical forces and the tension between them is elevating. Her writing flows easily and keeps the plot moving, plus there are plenty of twists and turns as the characters start to learn the truth about the Lightworld and Darkworld.

While a good story, the characters feel a little cardboard and just weren't compelling to me. I ended up reading to the end because I wanted to see more of the world and what would happen-not because I cared about what would happen to the characters. I haven't read any of Armintrout's novels before, so I'm not sure how this one compares, but I do see strong potential for future novels in the series. Armintrout's world is lush and filled with possibilities, but it just doesn't feel like she's quite there yet with Queene of Light.

This is a good novel for fans of adult fantasy romance that are looking for a great new fantasy world and a fun, entertaining ride. ( )