The Light Devoured

by Ashley Hintermeyer

A ruthless but alluring Queen forms an unlikely partnership with a mysterious, handsome rebel to save the kingdom she’s callously ruled for three hundred years from the advancing Darkness, a force with powers even greater than her own.

Three hundred years ago, Elayce lost everything to the Darkness.

Since then, she has ruled Aerash with an iron fist and her Goddess-blessed magic, determined to strengthen her reign until no one is left standing in her way. Squashing misguided rebellions is nothing new to Elayce, but she falters when she meets a mysterious rebel with an impossibly familiar face.

When the Darkness returns to finish what he started, Elayce craves one revenge. But with her kingdom fractured by rebellion and betrayal, Elayce realizes she isn’t strong enough to win the war using her magic alone. She makes a deal with the handsome she will share pieces of her long-buried past in exchange for his help. But Elayce has been guarded for too long, and if she is not careful, she may give away more than she bargained for–including the chance to save her kingdom.

318 pages, Paperback

Published March 3, 2026

Reviews

[Jada Risberg · Rating 5 out of 5]

As someone who is newer to Romantasy as a genre (having only read big popular series like ACOTAR, Fourth Wing, The Plated Prisoner, Trial of the Sun Queen, etc.) I was blown away by how much world building and plot Ashley was able to get into one book. She proved to me that Romantasy stand alones can exist and they can be just as amazing. I love the concept, the characters, the action, the smut!! I first read this book January 3rd 2025 and was in a book hangover the rest of the year. I read it again in December 2025 because every other book was just feeling like a let down.

I am lucky that I know Ashley personally and got an early read. I am so excited that everyone I have been raving about this book to can finally read it too!

[Hannah Glenn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the unique angle this story takes by diving into a villain’s origin story. It was refreshing to see a narrative that explores how someone becomes who they are!

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Immediately felt transported to the world of Aerash!! I enjoyed unraveling the layers of Elayce throughout the story!!

[shannon (books by the glass) · Rating 5 out of 5]

firstly, I cannot believe I’m writing a book review for my best friend’s debut novel - this is such a surreal experience & I’m so proud of ashley for following her dreams!! 🥹

I tend to be very critical of romantasy novels, but from the very start, I was hooked into elayce’s story! it takes a lot to not have obvious influences from other fantasy novels, and I never felt that once!

elayce is PERFECTLY written, especially for someone like me who loves villains and morally grey characters. her journey unfolds over the course of the story, allowing the reader to delve deeper into her mind and discover how her true villainous nature was made 👀 and chat, I was here for all of her rights AND wrongs!!

vaaren, on the other hand, was the perfect counterbalance to the arc, adding in a hero with a confusing past and equally distorted future - and can I just say the chemistry was off the charts!

it’s rare to see a stand alone romantasy novel that doesn’t make the reader commit to a 3+ part series, and I felt that ashley did a great job creating a full-circle arc for the characters in a single book! I cannot hype up this book enough y’all ❤️‍🔥

rating: 5 stars
wine pairing: tavel rosé

[Mary Kolell-Hutter · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this! Not bad for a debut romantasy. Also the cover is just stunning.

[꧁Brutally Honest꧂ · Rating 1 out of 5]

How could such an interesting and unique plot be so god damn boring. Seriously, what was the plot? What was the damn point??? I thought I was going to finally get a truly evilish queen/FC but instead we got boring and bland. Even the sex scenes were god awful and bland. The worst was the MC because he was just a memory of an old love so everything he did was in the shadow of that old love. He was basically there for the sake of being the angel on the right shoulder. The moral dilemma.

Man I wanted so badly to love this.

[Kiersten Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was excited to read this debut novel from a fellow Wisconsinite!
I really loved that it didn’t resemble any other fantasy books that I’ve read thus far. Also the fact that the fmc was and admitted to being the villain was a nice change of pace!
I would say this is more of a high fantasy story with a romance subplot. So if that’s what you are looking for, you’re in for a great read!

[Julianna · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars