The Ruthless Light
On sale
11th March 2027
Price: £24.99
Genre
Some baptisms are performed in blood . . .
Miracle worker Csilla has left the holy walled city of Silgard behind, hiding from the Church who are threatened by her existence. Unable to see suffering, Csilla uses her new divinity to heal the sick. But when word spreads of her powers, she finds herself reunited with the inquisitor-turned-sainted soldier Ilan, sent by the Incarnate to bring her to the frontlines of a holy war.
The Church fights against the Western territories, believing they can bring the creator god Asten back into the world. But their faith cannot stand against the Western army’s magically corrupted soldiers, or the disturbing miracles they find. Csilla believes the angels have returned – but to their enemy.
Ilan fights to protect Csilla from the worst of war, but when the Incarnate pushes her to become a symbol of the Church’s divine right, he is forced to watch as she is pulled into the violence. They soon realise the world is not as the Church taught it, the Incarnate cannot be trusted, and that no war is ever holy.
The Ruthless Light is the unforgettable, epic conclusion to The Brilliant Soul duology. This gothic tale is perfect for fans of Ava Reid, Rachel Gillig and Heba Al-Wasity.
PRAISE FOR THE FAITHFUL DARK
‘A TWISTY AND BEGUILING GOTHIC FANTASY’ AVA REID
‘INTRICATE, EXQUISITELY MACABRE, AND COMPLETELY UNFORGETTABLE’ ALLISON SAFT
‘KEPT ME GASPING FOR MORE’ KALIE REID
‘A STUNNING, TWISTING GOTHIC’ ANDREW JOSEPH WHITE
READERS LOVE BAUMER’S DARK WORLD . . .
‘Angels, demons, serial killers in a fantasy Vatican, so much beautifully written longing!’
‘Would recommend for lovers of Ava Reid, Leigh Bardugo and Katherine Arden’
‘I adored this book… It’s such a great blend of fantasy and mystery, with a slow-burn romance that I am DEEPLY obsessed with. Couldn’t stop thinking about it for weeks!’
Miracle worker Csilla has left the holy walled city of Silgard behind, hiding from the Church who are threatened by her existence. Unable to see suffering, Csilla uses her new divinity to heal the sick. But when word spreads of her powers, she finds herself reunited with the inquisitor-turned-sainted soldier Ilan, sent by the Incarnate to bring her to the frontlines of a holy war.
The Church fights against the Western territories, believing they can bring the creator god Asten back into the world. But their faith cannot stand against the Western army’s magically corrupted soldiers, or the disturbing miracles they find. Csilla believes the angels have returned – but to their enemy.
Ilan fights to protect Csilla from the worst of war, but when the Incarnate pushes her to become a symbol of the Church’s divine right, he is forced to watch as she is pulled into the violence. They soon realise the world is not as the Church taught it, the Incarnate cannot be trusted, and that no war is ever holy.
The Ruthless Light is the unforgettable, epic conclusion to The Brilliant Soul duology. This gothic tale is perfect for fans of Ava Reid, Rachel Gillig and Heba Al-Wasity.
PRAISE FOR THE FAITHFUL DARK
‘A TWISTY AND BEGUILING GOTHIC FANTASY’ AVA REID
‘INTRICATE, EXQUISITELY MACABRE, AND COMPLETELY UNFORGETTABLE’ ALLISON SAFT
‘KEPT ME GASPING FOR MORE’ KALIE REID
‘A STUNNING, TWISTING GOTHIC’ ANDREW JOSEPH WHITE
READERS LOVE BAUMER’S DARK WORLD . . .
‘Angels, demons, serial killers in a fantasy Vatican, so much beautifully written longing!’
‘Would recommend for lovers of Ava Reid, Leigh Bardugo and Katherine Arden’
‘I adored this book… It’s such a great blend of fantasy and mystery, with a slow-burn romance that I am DEEPLY obsessed with. Couldn’t stop thinking about it for weeks!’
Reviews
A truly spectacular conclusion to a genuinely singular duology; this book reminded me of precisely why I fell in love with fantasy in the first place. This story is a gothic revelation, sweeping and epic in proportion and yet singularly, intimately human in a way that only Baumer is capable of. Every gilded thread woven in the duology's first installment pays off here; The Ruthless Light delivers in every way. The dizzying heights and dangerous lows of religious ecstasy, faith beyond reason, and love in all its forms are found here in droves, and will certainly appeal to readers of Leigh Bardugo and Ava Reid. The Ruthless Light left me utterly breathless and misty-eyed; I sat down to read and found that I simply could not, and would not, move from my sofa until after the last page. I would move mountains for this story, and am absolutely certain that it will move Baumer's readers just as much. And the relief I felt at the culmination of the world's most deliciously agonising slow-burn cannot be overstated- talk about a hard-earned payoff! Baumer is a master craftsman, the queen of the simmering, intricate gothic fantasy. I am truly sad to be leaving this truly unique world, but I'm all the more thrilled at the idea that I can return to it time and time again.
Gothic and glorious, the Brilliant Soul duology is a cleverly built cathedral, set within an intricate world where faith, power and divinity intertwine, and the boundaries between the sacred and the profane begin to blur.
The Ruthless Light is the epic conclusion I was waiting for, where the grandeur and horror of a holy war meets the steady human determination of the people forced to fight it. With atmosphere thick enough to sink your teeth into and heartwrenching levels of longing, Cate Baumer is truly a master of her craft. I can't wait to read whatever she might write next!
