Gloom's Light

by B.L. Parker

When Amelia is offered up to the Sun God as a sacrifice, she did not think she would end up trying to save the people who sacrificed her.
Amelia is an outcast in her small closed community, Woodmere. Being unwed and unable to control her destructive powers makes her useless in the leader’s eyes. Still, nothing could prepare her when he drugs her and offers her up as a sacrifice to their Sun Ever.

Gloom, the Forest Ever, takes his job very seriously. So, when strange symbols start appearing in both his and the humans' realm, he takes it upon himself to investigate. Finding a woman, bound and using powers he hasn't seen for over a hundred years sends him on a course he could never have imagined.
Can Amelia harness her powers, and help Gloom to trust, so they can work together to find the betrayer in the city, or will this evil rise and spread and consume them all?Gloom’s Light is the first book in The Evers series, a young adult, fantasy romance series. With slow burn romance, long forgotten evils rising and powers emerging, these books are sure to be a favourite.

313 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 14, 2024

Reviews

[Hayley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received an ARC copy of this novel in return for an honest review.

I thought for a debut YA novel that this was a fun read! I enjoyed learning about each Ever’s magic and hope so see more of their realms as the series continues.

My only “complaint” would be that there’s more telling than showing when it comes to characters emotions. It felt like a bit of a barrier to relating and emotionally empathizing with the characters. That way the emotionally climactic moments in the book could pack a bigger punch.

Thank you for the opportunity to be an ARC reader! I look forward to reading more and wish you the best of luck on your author journey ♥️

[Michelle Bergeron · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was chosen for the ARC of book 2 of this series, so of course I had to read the first book!
This is a Dual POV, mythical/fantasy/romance vibe. There is Amelia, who is a human girl and Gloom, an “Ever”, who has some magical abilities and has lived for centuries. They must come together to fight against evil and while doing so, they fall in love. It is very unique compared to other popular books in this genre. I really enjoyed it. I cannot wait to read the next in the series and where BL Parker takes us.

[Kez Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an enjoyable and intriguing debut YA fantasy. It has a mythological feel to it with Old God's being worshipped, threats of ancient evil, and a variety of magical beings including dryads, gnomes and hags.
Told from dual POV it follows Amelia - a mysterious and outcast human with curious abilities, and Gloom - one of the Ever God's and protector of the Forest.
They are drawn together on a journey of growth, desire and fate, to understand and train dangerous magic, find the traitor and stop a growing evil.
Includes trauma, betrayals, conflicts, building romance, magic, cults, and a looming darkness. Looking forward to seeing this series develop.

Honest and Voluntary ARC review

[Emma Peters · Rating 5 out of 5]

Glooms Light is a debut YA novel following the dual POV of Amelia — a fiery young human from an isolated village in the woods who wields mysterious powers — and Gloom — the forest Ever, a grumpy god who is on the hunt for the person responsible for kidnapping his people.
Set in a mythic fantasy world filled with gnomes, dryads and witches, the world building was a real strong point for me with this book. I felt as if the author sucked me right into her universe full of glowing fairy lights and mushroom lined footpaths.
There’s slow burn romance, funny banter and lots of adventure. I’m excited to see where this series goes!

[Jaclyn B. · Rating 4 out of 5]

There were a lot of things that I really enjoyed about this book.

Amelia was raised in small village in the woods, where the old ways are cherished. Matthew, the village leader, is cruel and keeps strict rules. When Amelia is cornered and panics, a dark power rots the produce they've set aside to offer to Awe, one of the Evers, as a yearly sacrifice. Enraged, Matthew binds Amelia and drags her out, to be offered in place of the sacrifice.

Investigating a string of strange sitings, Gloom, the Ever in charge of protecting the forest, comes across Amelia. He knows where her strange power originates, and thinks she might be helpful in the upcoming conflict.

While we didn't get to learn as much about them as I would have liked, I did like what we learned about the different Evers. Not quite Gods, though they are graced with a nearly immortal life, each Ever is tied to an aspect or area of protection.

Gloom is the youngest, and when some of his siblings arrive, you definitely can feel that dynamic.

I wish we did get to see a bit more of the training between Gloom and Amelia. Running the town of Toleran, as well as many other tasks keeps Gloom occupied, and so in the interim Amelia is set to work as an assistant for him. This leads to learning more about Amelia's power getting overlooked, and Amelia herself often thinks of running away instead of learning to master her power, which she's often viewed as a curse.

There's a slow middle section, part of it worldbuilding, part of it characters miscommunicating, and part leading to our main conflict. A bit of it feels unnecessary, but for the most part it has its place.

Once we get into the meat of the story, things move rather quickly. We find out who's been behind the signs in the forest, as well as people disappearing from Toleran. With their first sign to where they've been taken, a group sets out, including a few of Gloom's siblings, Amelia, and trusted warriors.

There were some things that felt a little rushed, including the relationship between Gloom and Amelia. While I wanted it to happen, I wish we would have gotten to see more little reactions between them along the way. Despite being unhappy with some parts, I still enjoyed the story overall. Rounded up from 3.5 stars.

I'm excited to see what happens next, even though we'll be following a new Ever. Hopefully we'll get to see many new faces, as well as old favorites.

I received an ARC through BookSirens, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[♡ A ♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gloom’s Light follows Amelia, an outcast in a cult who believes in Gods and simple life away from technology. Amelia has unruly, destructive powers that cause many problems for her. After an accident and misunderstanding, Amelia is offered as a sacrifice to the Sun God, Awe. When she attempts to escape, Gloom, the Forest Ever finds her and frees her. Gloom needs her magic. Strange symbols are appearing his realm and he believes she can help him save their worlds. With danger and betrayal lurking, Amelia is thrust into a terrifying plot.

If you’re a lover of the romantasy genre, this is definitely a book you’ll want to check out. I really enjoyed the setting and liked how Amelia was raised in a cult. It really added to her characterization in a great way. The concept of the Evers was really interesting and great take on magical beings in this genre. The plot moves pretty steadily with a couple slower moments, but still quite enjoyable. I liked the twists and action at the end—it was well done. I am interested in reading the sequel with how book one ended, and intrigued to learn more about the world and magic.

Amelia was a good main character. She’s great at propelling the plot forward while growing apart from her childhood. She went through a lot throughout her childhood and it was nice seeing how she thrived away from the cult. Gloom was a great love interest. Their relationship does happen more quickly than I prefer, but it was cute and sweet. They’re a good match for one another. There’s also a great cast of side characters that are all quite distinct.

Overall, if you love romantasy and ya books, this is definitely a book you’ll want to check out!

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Angela Brannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this romantasy from new author B. L. Parker. The story is a fresh take on the Gods and Mortals trope. The fmc Amelia grew up in a cult compound ruled by a sadistic and tyrannical leader. He hates her and the strange powers she manifests when she gets upset. After one mishap too many, he decides to sacrifice her to one of their gods, which are called Evers. However, the forest god Gloom finds her tied to the altar as the intended sacrifice for his brother, the sun Ever named Awe. Gloom takes her to his own realm to help her develop her powers and save her from Awe.

I loved the world building and the main plot. The conflict with a big evil who is trying to regain power and free himself from his prison is well thought out and makes a great read. I did not feel I could give this book 5 stars, though, because there are some glaring grammatical issues with comma placement. Also, the romance development was fairly mechanical as we are told they are developing feelings more so than being shown those feelings develop through character interaction. I would have loved to see some heartfelt interaction and building affection instead of the more businesslike interactions portrayed.

Despite these shortcomings, I really enjoyed the story and recommend it to fans of light, clean romantasy. I am looking forward to more from this author.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Simone · Rating 5 out of 5]

In a world where the God's still walk this earth, but their believers and worshipers are dwindling, Amelia lives in a village that devotes their whole existence to worshiping the God’s. But she does not fit in and her life has been a struggle since her grandmother died a few years back. Her having a strange power that she can’t control does not make it any easier. The leader of the village does not think highly of her and he will punish her any chance he gets. But she never thought he would go as far as he did by drugging her and sacrificing her to the Sun Ever.

But it was not the Sun Ever that found her, but Gloom the Forest Ever and he senses her powers and steals her from the Sun Ever. Ameila now finds herself in the world of the God’s as she tries to learn to control her power.
This story is about finding friendships, a place where you belong, and even the chance of love as they struggle to battle the evil that is rising and trying to find who within their city has betrayed them.

As a debut, this is a really good book with a lot of different magical races and creatures, not all of them good. And the characters battle for survival. I can’t wait for the continuing story of Amelia and Gloom.

[Dawn · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fun YA debut and it had fascinating elements of world-building, with different places in the world, looked after by an Ever. In particular, The City of Toleran sounded beautiful with the inter-connected tree-houses, bustling shops and loved the descriptions of glowing mushrooms providing light. Through the story, the POV switches between the MC Amelia and the Ever Gloom, offering both perspectives was a nice touch and I just wish we had more from Gloom's POV.

Whilst I liked the world-building and of course a grumpy demi-God, Amelia's growing bad choices throughout the book were used to drive the plot and that became a bit frustrating. Hoping in Book 2, Amelia matures and there are less rash decisions, without being thought through.

If you are looking for a quick, grumpy-sunshine YA fantasy, this is an enjoyable read!

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Adrianna Heaney-velu · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Gloom’s Light,” by B. L. Parker

There were a bunch of cool ideas and things in the book;
-Religious Cults and she was a sacrifice to the gods.
-Creatures; Fae, Elves, Druids, Witches, etc. and magic.
-They have advanced tech like social media.
-The mystery and weird symbols.
What I didn’t like was:
-Main FMC made the worst choices over and over again without any character growth to make up for it.
-Was predictable.

That said I do think book 2 will probably be better and more of my style with hopefully character growth and some world building already out of the way. 3 out of 5 stars.

-Religious Cult, Human Sacrifice
-Magic
-Fae, Elves, Druid, Witches

Thank you for the free copy, Booksirens.

[Chaos · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5/5

For a debut novel, it's decent. There's a bit I didn't like, however, I'm not going to judge it as harshly. First off, I adore the overall tone and feel of the book. It's YA, but it made it that much better. I can see any younger teen picking this book up and loving it. So for that alone, it's a good book.

Now the stuff I don't really like adds up to be one big thing. What irritates me in books is when there is more telling than showing. For me, those big climactic scenes that should have had me at the edge of my seat didn't pack the same punch had it been a better build up.

Regardless of my feelings, this is a series and an author that I will continue to follow. I have a feeling that this authors books and writing will mature and grow as she writes more.

[Gloria Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gloom’s Light was such a pleasant surprise! I went in not knowing what to expect and quickly found myself hooked, eager to see how the story would unfold. While it didn’t feel high-stakes, the world-building was well-done and immersive without being overwhelming. The characters were likable and showed growth, which I appreciated. Some plot points were a bit predictable, but that didn’t take away from my enjoyment. The dialogue felt a little awkward at times, but it fit the YA vibe. Overall, it’s a refreshing addition to the fantasy genre—different in a good way. I really enjoyed it and will definitely continue the series. There’s so much potential for an amazing story to develop!

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Abigail · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting mix of fantasy and modern. The world definitely felt more fantasy and then they would talk about tablets and more modern conventions. Took some time to get used to it, but it made the setting more interesting.

Of the two perspectives, Gloom's was more interesting to me. Not to say, Amelia wasn't interesting, but it was frustrating to feel like she couldn't think through the consequences of an action before deciding to do exactly the opposite of what she was asked to do.

Some of her actions likely had to do with her upbringing and her desperation for freedom, but I can't say I connected with her well as a character.

Interested to see how the world develops and hoping that Amelia grows up some.

[Kristen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great intro to this YA saga! It was a lot of world building, but it was never boring or annoying because B L Parker creates such an enchanting world you catch yourself forgetting that you're reading and you just want to dive into that world! Loved watching Amelia come into her own and discovering that even though her powers were seen as a curse to some, they were a gift when she was finally where she belonged. Gloom was strong, but also had a soft side for his realm and of course Amelia so of course great character, but I would have liked more of his POV in the story (my only critique!).

Thank you to Booksirens and the author for the chance to read this book!

[Eilia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received an advance review copy for free from BookSirens, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This was an enjoyable story and a quick read, I'd give it overall 3.5 stars. It was entertaining and I enjoyed the fantasy world and Gloom who is one of the evers that cares over his realm. I just knocked a star +.5 off because there were some grammatical errors that became distracting and I guess the love story and plot could have been better developed. If you're looking for a quick romantasy read, go for it. It is entertaining and enjoyable overall.

[Joslyn Rosado · Rating 5 out of 5]

I couldn’t put this book down!! The connection between Amelia and Gloom is amazing, they were meant to be together. I need the next one in the series!! It ends on a cliffhanger, but I know the story will only get better. The action scenes were insane with showing how the magic that Amelia controls can destroy so much. I want to see where it continues to see the connection of her magic. Gloom is such a sweet and helpful Ever(half human, half god), he loves his people and is bound to protect them at all costs. I read this as an arc from booksirens.

[Niki · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars rounded up.

I like this debut! It's a nice, quick, romantasy read from a duel first person perspective. I enjoyed learning about the Evers (the demi-god like creatures) of the story, and the introduction of the saga plotline. I would have like some additional character development and world building, as the story seemed a bit "this happened, then this happened,' but that may come with time.

This is review is based on an ARC copy of the book. Thanks, BL!

[Tonia Rodriguez · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a good beginning for the evers. I like gloom. He's definitely my kind of hero. Good storyline with easily likeable or hateable characters. A little rough on some of the sentences but easily followable overall.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Esther · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story felt really original and interesting, I did have some trouble getting through the book as the writing style isn't something I'm used to and don't really like as well. Other than that, it was worth it to read and I do plan to read the second book in the series to continue the story!

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Jessica Hembree · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed Amelia and Gloom’s story. The blend of modern human world with mythical fantasy was well done. The building romance was nice, but I would have loved a few more moments showing the development. I loved the fantasy elements and the action of the story. It was an entertaining book.

[Nikki · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice slow burn with some lovely world building and characters you can warm too. I felt the ending was a little rushed but I'd definitely read another!

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily

[Emma Douglas · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book for an honest review.

What a refreshing ya fantasy. Duel POV from Amelia & Gloom, a human and an Ever who have to come together to fight evil. I loved this book, and I cannot wait to continue the series.

[Cleocutie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very interesting world and well done characters combine to make a book that keeps you interested until the end. Amelia has interesting powers and I love how she grew as she got away from the village where she was raised.