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Of Dark And Bright
"I AM INEVITABLE"
She's a woman with untold power.
He's the man who would burn the world for her.
Fate will bring them together—but love could tear them apart.
Neve D'aeth is an assassin with a past shrouded in mystery and deadly secrets that could destroy the very world she's trying to save.
Killian Grey is a warrior seeking redemption. With nothing left to lose, he chooses to follow his gut instead of orders for the first time in his life.After five years in prison, Killian emerges a broken man, haunted by the loss of his family. Tasked with enforcing justice for Eodia’s ruthless Highborns, his path crosses with Neve, a legendary assassin of the Maere, sworn to uphold the balance between gods and men.
Drawn into her perilous quest, Killian discovers ancient truths about his bloodline and an inheritance he never imagined. As dark magic stirs and hidden forces rise, their unlikely alliance sparks passion, defies destiny, and ignites a battle for survival.
Will redemption and love triumph, or will sacrifice be their only salvation? Of Dark and Bright is a spellbinding tale of power, destiny, and the unbreakable bonds forged in the shadows of war.
She's a woman with untold power.
He's the man who would burn the world for her.
Fate will bring them together—but love could tear them apart.
Neve D'aeth is an assassin with a past shrouded in mystery and deadly secrets that could destroy the very world she's trying to save.
Killian Grey is a warrior seeking redemption. With nothing left to lose, he chooses to follow his gut instead of orders for the first time in his life.After five years in prison, Killian emerges a broken man, haunted by the loss of his family. Tasked with enforcing justice for Eodia’s ruthless Highborns, his path crosses with Neve, a legendary assassin of the Maere, sworn to uphold the balance between gods and men.
Drawn into her perilous quest, Killian discovers ancient truths about his bloodline and an inheritance he never imagined. As dark magic stirs and hidden forces rise, their unlikely alliance sparks passion, defies destiny, and ignites a battle for survival.
Will redemption and love triumph, or will sacrifice be their only salvation? Of Dark and Bright is a spellbinding tale of power, destiny, and the unbreakable bonds forged in the shadows of war.
564 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 14, 2025
73 people are currently reading
1168 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
April 29, 2025
2.5 stars rounded down and DNF at 42%.
I discovered this book via a Facebook ad, caught the preview, thought the preview read surprisingly great for a fantasy book advertised on Facebook (if you know what I mean), and bought the whole thing. (Other than Fourth Wing, I've never been sold on a book solely discovered through a Facebook ad before, so this all seemed wonderfully promising so far).
And then, almost halfway through, I am sadly bored.
THE GOOD
The writing is good. At the risk of generalizing in a snobby way, many debut fantasy authors think they can write...only to bank on the popularity of BookTok tropes to sell their books in what would otherwise be impressive fan fiction writing. Mandy Bex, on the other hand, can write, and she can write beautifully.
THE MEH
1) What unfortunately got me was the blandness of the characters, particularly Neve and Killian. I could not find anything likeable or relateable about Neve, and halfway through the book I found Killian a bit of a doormat.
Neve is...invincible. Untouchable. She's cool and cold and distant and beautiful and deadly. Killian doesn't lead her anywhere -- she lets Killian lead her or direct her. When there's a scuffle, Neve gets a few nonconsequential surface wounds...because of course, she's just that good at everything. She doesn't show doubt, fear, insecurity, or any other noticeable flaw. In short, she's today's literary caricature of strong, independent women in fantasy novels.
2) The author described the romance dynamic as "yearning." I didn't know what that meant, but a picture of Anthony Bridgerton from the Netflix series accompanied her social post, so I was 100% ready for anythingJonathan Bailey Anthony Bridgerton...
...except I suppose my reaction to "yearning" was to view Killian as a pitiable doormat whose main purpose is to highlight Neve's other-wordly perfection. Apart from Neve, we know little about his character or personality other than he tragically lost his family and spent five years in prison, and that he was respected among his crew. After that, he lives to augment Neve's character -- despite her giving him only occasional, topical glimpses of actual affection or fondness for him -- and midway through the book we still hadn't learned anything about him that was compelling or uniquely him.
3) And that's all fine -- I can wait patiently for character-driven stories even when they're not romance-driven...but I would say this isn't even a plot-driven book. There's a cool plot in there, don't get me wrong, but it certainly doesn't drive the story as clearly as the characters seem meant to. And since the characters seemed dry and unrelateable...well...cue the boredom.
FINAL THOUGHTS
I think once the author gets picked up by a publisher and an editor sweeps in to make a few suggestions, this author's going to be great in the adult fantasy genre. That potential is there -- the writing just needs a few tweaks and nudges here and there.
Maybe I'll pick up again someday and try again?
I discovered this book via a Facebook ad, caught the preview, thought the preview read surprisingly great for a fantasy book advertised on Facebook (if you know what I mean), and bought the whole thing. (Other than Fourth Wing, I've never been sold on a book solely discovered through a Facebook ad before, so this all seemed wonderfully promising so far).
And then, almost halfway through, I am sadly bored.
THE GOOD
The writing is good. At the risk of generalizing in a snobby way, many debut fantasy authors think they can write...only to bank on the popularity of BookTok tropes to sell their books in what would otherwise be impressive fan fiction writing. Mandy Bex, on the other hand, can write, and she can write beautifully.
THE MEH
1) What unfortunately got me was the blandness of the characters, particularly Neve and Killian. I could not find anything likeable or relateable about Neve, and halfway through the book I found Killian a bit of a doormat.
Neve is...invincible. Untouchable. She's cool and cold and distant and beautiful and deadly. Killian doesn't lead her anywhere -- she lets Killian lead her or direct her. When there's a scuffle, Neve gets a few nonconsequential surface wounds...because of course, she's just that good at everything. She doesn't show doubt, fear, insecurity, or any other noticeable flaw. In short, she's today's literary caricature of strong, independent women in fantasy novels.
She was on the ground dusting herself off, gracefully she sat up from her prone position and looked up at him. His eyes desperately raked over her body, searching for injuries. He saw nothing of significance besides a claw mark that raked down the side of her neck onto her shoulder, but it wasn’t deep.
______
She sat on her bedroll and ran her hands over her body, feeling for injuries and lacerations. Neve found the rake of claw marks on the side of her neck and down her shoulder, and another across her belly. Aside from that, she was relatively unscathed.
2) The author described the romance dynamic as "yearning." I didn't know what that meant, but a picture of Anthony Bridgerton from the Netflix series accompanied her social post, so I was 100% ready for anything
...except I suppose my reaction to "yearning" was to view Killian as a pitiable doormat whose main purpose is to highlight Neve's other-wordly perfection. Apart from Neve, we know little about his character or personality other than he tragically lost his family and spent five years in prison, and that he was respected among his crew. After that, he lives to augment Neve's character -- despite her giving him only occasional, topical glimpses of actual affection or fondness for him -- and midway through the book we still hadn't learned anything about him that was compelling or uniquely him.
3) And that's all fine -- I can wait patiently for character-driven stories even when they're not romance-driven...but I would say this isn't even a plot-driven book. There's a cool plot in there, don't get me wrong, but it certainly doesn't drive the story as clearly as the characters seem meant to. And since the characters seemed dry and unrelateable...well...cue the boredom.
FINAL THOUGHTS
I think once the author gets picked up by a publisher and an editor sweeps in to make a few suggestions, this author's going to be great in the adult fantasy genre. That potential is there -- the writing just needs a few tweaks and nudges here and there.
Maybe I'll pick up again someday and try again?
February 27, 2025
4.75/5
This is the debut novel for Mandy Bex, and it is a goodie. The story follows the skilled warrior. Killian and the incredibly powerful woman, Neve. The story builds and is composed of action, mystery, flirtatious banter, and spice. The sole reasons for docking the rating are as follows:
1) There is A LOT of descriptions and metaphors, especially at the beginning of the book, which made it difficult to focus on what was actually happening.
This is understandable for new authors. It's incredibly easy to fall into the "I've got to make this story feel beautifully luscious for when people read it" trap. I will note that the writing got better as the story went on, which I find incredibly encouraging.
2) Editorial errors. Character names are being spelled wrong (Sabina instead of Sabrina). Things like "is a a..." and "She asked, her smooth as caramel. "
While I recognize these are easy mistakes (and this is entirely personal preference) I do hope with the success of this book, the author is able to find beta readers with eyes for details or a more thorough editor.
Overall, this book is a fantastic read, and I truly look forward to Mandy's future projects.
This is the debut novel for Mandy Bex, and it is a goodie. The story follows the skilled warrior. Killian and the incredibly powerful woman, Neve. The story builds and is composed of action, mystery, flirtatious banter, and spice. The sole reasons for docking the rating are as follows:
1) There is A LOT of descriptions and metaphors, especially at the beginning of the book, which made it difficult to focus on what was actually happening.
This is understandable for new authors. It's incredibly easy to fall into the "I've got to make this story feel beautifully luscious for when people read it" trap. I will note that the writing got better as the story went on, which I find incredibly encouraging.
2) Editorial errors. Character names are being spelled wrong (Sabina instead of Sabrina). Things like "is a a..." and "She asked, her smooth as caramel. "
While I recognize these are easy mistakes (and this is entirely personal preference) I do hope with the success of this book, the author is able to find beta readers with eyes for details or a more thorough editor.
Overall, this book is a fantastic read, and I truly look forward to Mandy's future projects.
January 16, 2025
When Killian Grey, the seemingly undefeated yet broken MMC, that oozes loyalty with every step, first sees Neve D’Aeth, the secretive assassin FMC that’s a total baddie, his world stops. And so did mine. A new trope favorite unlocked within me: yearning, dear reader. Killian did not disappoint, he truly falls first.
Killian wants Neve so terribly, so completely, I almost wished he might never get his way. But the yearning never ends in this book, it grows and shifts. The longing is as much of the plot as everything else is. And soon, after multiple examples of the kind of loyalty and love she deserves, Neve falls too. She pines too.
The chemistry between them!
The spice is sweet and spicy!
The way I kicked my feet. The way I giggled when he described how much he wanted her. The way I got teary when she slowly realized she felt the same.
Plus magic and god powers, the most secrets and my oldest favorite trope, found family? I never stood a chance, I was smitten!
Congrats to Mandy Bex on an awesome debut but mostly congratulations to me for the yearning journey I’m about to embark on because I read this book! 🥂
Killian wants Neve so terribly, so completely, I almost wished he might never get his way. But the yearning never ends in this book, it grows and shifts. The longing is as much of the plot as everything else is. And soon, after multiple examples of the kind of loyalty and love she deserves, Neve falls too. She pines too.
The chemistry between them!
The spice is sweet and spicy!
The way I kicked my feet. The way I giggled when he described how much he wanted her. The way I got teary when she slowly realized she felt the same.
Plus magic and god powers, the most secrets and my oldest favorite trope, found family? I never stood a chance, I was smitten!
Congrats to Mandy Bex on an awesome debut but mostly congratulations to me for the yearning journey I’m about to embark on because I read this book! 🥂
May 16, 2025
3.5⭐️ I rounded up to 4 stars because this book had so much potential. For being a debut novel I would say it was well done for the most part.
The plot felt rushed yet slow in some spots and I would have loved to see more character development. It felt like they were thrown at us and then we we’re supposed to care about them. Getting to know them more would have helped me care a little more. With a little more development of characters and the plot this could have easily been a duology. I would have loved to spend more time on Killian and Neve’s friendship before it blossomed into romance as well as Neve’s friendships with Isolde, Sabrina, and Oliver.
Overall I love this authors writing style; the prose is beautiful. She has a lot of potential and I will definitely read what she puts out next
The plot felt rushed yet slow in some spots and I would have loved to see more character development. It felt like they were thrown at us and then we we’re supposed to care about them. Getting to know them more would have helped me care a little more. With a little more development of characters and the plot this could have easily been a duology. I would have loved to spend more time on Killian and Neve’s friendship before it blossomed into romance as well as Neve’s friendships with Isolde, Sabrina, and Oliver.
Overall I love this authors writing style; the prose is beautiful. She has a lot of potential and I will definitely read what she puts out next
March 22, 2025
If I could O’d rate this a 3.5 or 3.75. I really wanted this book to be a four star but it just wasn’t quite there. The story line itself was super good and I loved that aspect about it. There were a few spots I didn’t particularly enjoy. There was a lot of repetitive dialogue. Like we get it, he is yours and you are his. There was waves where there would be a lot of swearing to the point where it was really annoying and kinda took away from what was actually happening. Side note, the editors need to go over the last like 10 chapters. There were a lot of typos and such.
Definitely worth the read if you’re into action and romance. Again, loved the storyline itself!
Definitely worth the read if you’re into action and romance. Again, loved the storyline itself!
February 9, 2025
What a debut.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. If you like Throne of Glass, you'll enjoy this book. It's like all books jammed into one!
You jump right into the story from the word go and it's a full on rollercoaster the entire book. With twists, turns, betrayals, yearning, a badass FMC with a golden retriever sidekick who could kill you it all makes for a great story. It's well written and has good world building.
I look forward to seeing what Mandy has next!
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. If you like Throne of Glass, you'll enjoy this book. It's like all books jammed into one!
You jump right into the story from the word go and it's a full on rollercoaster the entire book. With twists, turns, betrayals, yearning, a badass FMC with a golden retriever sidekick who could kill you it all makes for a great story. It's well written and has good world building.
I look forward to seeing what Mandy has next!
January 15, 2025
I was gifted an ARC of this book and adored it! It was an extremely quick read. Loved the characters and the journey they went on to get to the end. Neve is a badass and Killian is a cinnamon roll disguised as a grumpy lil man hahaha. Highly recommend. :)
July 22, 2025
This was everything I wanted in a standalone romantasy! Empowered, badass FMC, protective MMC (who falls first). The world building was just right and easy to follow. I honestly would follow lady nightmare into a second book. Kudos Mandy Bex, I hope this book gets all the love it deserves!
February 1, 2025
Great story from start to finish. Lots of action, in and out side of the bedroom. Killian is now who I aspire to be.
March 29, 2025
I honestly can’t believer this is the author’s first book. I really liked the writing and the characters were so good!
April 18, 2025
A thick book but so fast paced that I finished it in a couple days. Couldn’t put it down. This one is criminally under hyped!
August 26, 2025
solid romantasy
The whole story was good. I just found it a little hard to get into. It was lacking a bit for me. Overall I enjoyed it. Not too spicy.
The whole story was good. I just found it a little hard to get into. It was lacking a bit for me. Overall I enjoyed it. Not too spicy.
August 28, 2025
sad that its a stand alone because would’ve loved a book 2!
enjoyed the story & the love that blooms between Killian and Neve!
enjoyed the story & the love that blooms between Killian and Neve!
December 1, 2025
December book club pick. 3.5
February 3, 2025
2.5 - I think I was bored. But also it’s hard to get into a book after reading Onyx Storm 😂
March 1, 2025
A morally gray mmc who is loyal to a fault, a brutal warrior, and also cries a lot? And an fmc who is even more badass? Say less. Such an interesting story and a great debut novel!
May 23, 2025
I came across this book suggestion from Instagram.
There were a lot of things about this book that I really liked, but how it was written and put together just felt flat to me.
I kept wanting to like the female lead character, but towards the end it just felt flat.
The male character had a lot going for him, but then just became boring.
Not likely to keep this book.
There were a lot of things about this book that I really liked, but how it was written and put together just felt flat to me.
I kept wanting to like the female lead character, but towards the end it just felt flat.
The male character had a lot going for him, but then just became boring.
Not likely to keep this book.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews