Darkness and Light by JA Belfield

Darkness & Light
JA Belfield
A Holloway Pack Story #1

Bite-sized Review
Darkness & Light is an enthralling read. Despite its relationship and character issues, I really enjoyed it, and I'll definitely read more in this series.

King-sized Review
*Contains extremely minor spoilers*

Married to a controlling, neurotic man, Jem is very aware of her place in life. Her days are routine, but her nights are filled with dreams of werewolves. Disturbed by the insistent calling of "Sean!" in her head, she's still surprised to meet the man from her dreams and visions in real life. He introduces her to a world she never imagined really existed. But dangers await her there as well.

Darkness & Light was a very absorbing read, perfect for my travel day. I lost track of the plane and was focused entirely on the story. It's just one of those books that you can't put down, and I'm very glad I read it.

However, whenever I did have to put the book down, I had a few issues with it. Jem and Sean's relationship didn't seem all that much healthier than Jem and Peter's, although it was definitely warmer and safer. For a lot of the book, I had the feeling Jem became the pack's housewife, though circumstances did improve toward the end. But something about Jem and Sean's relationship bothered me for a long time. I guess one of the reasons I dislike insta-love is that it severely decreases the chances of both partners being equals, and watching everyone hover around Jem trying to compensate for her vulnerability wasn't much fun. Happily, as I said, things did improve some by the end of the book.


I did like seeing Jem become more confident and willing to express herself during the course of the story. I was especially pleased that she was willing to fight with Sean, even though I kind of thought that making up five seconds later wasn't entirely believable.

For some reason I have difficulty accepting reincarnation (even in books about werewolves. Go figure.) So while it was an acceptable explanation for Sean and Jem's connection, I didn't really like it. Plus I'd much rather see an actual relationship develop, and regaining memories of a past life isn't really the same thing.

Even so, I did enjoy this book a lot and definitely recommend you give it a try.


Quality: Fair
Enjoyability: Excellent

GARS Score: 0.67 (4/2/5/4)
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Darkness & Light is similar to:
Cry Wolf by Patricia Briggs
Kitty and the Midnight Hour by Carrie Vaughn
Stray by Rachel Vincent