The Light That Blinds Us: The instant bestseller and YA TikTok sensation (Volume 1) Paperback – 25 April 2024

🩵The Light That Blinds Us🩵What an amazing, captivating, action packed story 🗡️This book had me laughing out loud, crying, giggling and squeaking with excitement 📖In this expertly crafted tale we follow Alexis who goes on a seemingly ordinary school trip, only to wind up being dragged into a magical world when visiting Stonehenge along with his best friend Demi and two strangers who I loved.The foursome are forced into a quest where a prophecy has foretold that they must gather four elemental gems in order to save their world from plunging into darkness and we get to see the kick ass battles they go through to get them.The personalities each of the characters have is unique and captivating, giving them their own lease of life and lovable qualities. Also, this story gives a very real perspective on mental illness which I think is very hard to find in most books and has been executed extremely well.This book has many beautiful quotes dotted throughout and I’m pretty sure I have one highlight per page 😄 And I loved the chapter titles being unusual words and the descriptions of what they meant 🥹This is a one of a kind action packed Y/A fantasy book that features a slow burn, friends to lovers, found family adventure in a phenomenally beautifully crafted world. I cannot wait to see the next adventure the Alpha team embark upon.Highly recommended book and one of my favourite reads of the year 😊Thank you to the author for bringing this wonderful world to life 🩵

The Light That Blinds Us by Andy Darcy Theo is a striking debut in the YA fantasy space, skillfully combining elemental magic, emotional complexity, and the heartwarming theme of found family.I bought this book when it was released last year, but since I was deep in my “romance era,” I didn’t feel the urge to read it right away. Safe to say—I’ve never regretted anything more.The story centers on Alexis Michaels, a teen tormented by past hallucinations of a figure known as the “Shadow Man.” Things take a dramatic turn during a school trip to Stonehenge, where Alexis and three other teens—Demi, Blaise, and Caeli—are pulled into a secret world of Elementals. Each of them wields a unique elemental power and is tasked with stopping an encroaching darkness that threatens to consume everything. As their journey unfolds, they face trials, unravel ancient prophecies, and uncover truths that change everything.One of my favorite aspects of this book was the found family dynamic. The friendships, the emotional bonds, and even the slow-burning romance were written in a way that felt real and earned—I could feel their growth right off the page. The book also bravely explores themes of mental health, with each character representing different emotional battles. These topics are handled with care, giving the story added depth.The elemental magic system—centered on water, earth, fire, and air—was fantastic and had major Avatar: The Last Airbender vibes. The action is fast-paced, the world immersive, and the dialogue sprinkled with humor that kept me engaged throughout.If I had to give one critique, it would be that some plot points felt a bit predictable and there were moments in the journey that bordered on repetitive. I also think we could’ve gone even deeper in certain places. Still, despite being targeted at a slightly younger audience, I thoroughly enjoyed it and honestly don’t get why that would be a reason to rate it lower. A great story is a great story, regardless of age range.All in all, I adored this book. It’s emotional, powerful, and packed with memorable quotes (which I’ll be listing at the end). It’s unlike anything I’ve read before—and I’ll be picking up the sequel ASAP.Favourite Quotes:‘If we spend our whole lives obsessed with what other people think of us, we’ll be too scared to do anything. I’m not living like that. I’ll burn brightly, whether they are there to see it or not.’‘What makes you different is what makes you special, Lexi.Light will always find a way through the darkness, and if you can’t find it, become it.’Light will always find a way through the darkness, and if you can’t find it, become it.’‘A single weed does not ruin a flower bed, daughter of my element, just as a single sin does not darken the purity of your soul. Do your duty and protect our earth.’‘Your emotions are fleeting my child,’ the Woman said, raising Caeli’s head with her powers. ‘Yet they are still your emotions. Feel them freely in the open air–do not bury them. Order and control is not our way.’I know I make a lot of jokes about being the strongest and the toughest. I also know that you see through that most of the time.’ Blaise shrugged, unable to sit still. ‘I know you’ve already got a brother, and that you may only be friends with me because you have to, but… I guess I’m saying that if you‘Your friends may have mellowed you, but always keep your spark alight. You were never meant to be contained.’That no matter how dark the day may fall, he should never forget the light of life, of friendship. The light that would free him even from the darkest depths of his own mind.

For me, personally, there were three different parts to this story. The beginning I was not a fan of. The prologue read like a form of horror novel but I stuck it out because I had heard SUCH good things about the story. And I am glad I did because the first 50% which absolutely blew my socks off. I loved it. Learning about all the characters and the worldbuilding. I loved that they were on a school trip and met two other random teenagers then got transported to a safe haven through stonehenge. However, the second half had a few pacing issues for me personally, which made it feel a little rushed, but I loved the characters by then and needed to know what happened.I think the author has a fantastic writing style that can easily grip you while also being super easy to read. Definitely will go down well with YA readers, especially those who liked Artemis Fowl and Percy Jackson. It got that epic fun adventurous feel to it we all seek when reading a book. It's one I will definitely be keeping on my shelf in the hopes that my daughter will end up loving to read as well.So, in a nutshell, it has wonderful worldbuilding, fantastic characters, training montages, elemental magic and quests. A recipe for a brilliant YA story.

Amazing book. A must read.

From the first few words, to the acknowledgements at the back.. this book had me hooked! I'm far from a Young Adult .. but the Young Adult inside me was in shock, was laughing, was crying, and was totally taken in by the characters, the environments, the storylines, the way the sentences were structured and how descriptive everything was! I even found myself dreaming of it because of how cleverly it has been put together!! I really do hope that this book gets turned into big screen material because the whole world needs to experience it. I pre-ordered this book last November and have been so excited for its release ... it didn't disappoint! Huge well done Andy and I'm looking forward to BOOK TWO!