Dark Light of Day

Sep 26, 2012 Angela rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: urban-fantasy, dnf, read-in-2012, reviewed-for-fiction-vixen

Review originally posted at http://www.fictionvixen.com/review-da...

From the blurb:

Armageddon is over. The demons won. And yet somehow…the world has continued. Survivors worship patron demons under a draconian system of tributes and rules. These laws keep the demons from warring among themselves, the world from slipping back into chaos.
Noon Onyx grew up on the banks of the river Lethe, daughter of a prominent politician, and a descendant of Lucifer’s warlords. Noon has a secret—she was born wit

...more Review originally posted at http://www.fictionvixen.com/review-da...

From the blurb:

Armageddon is over. The demons won. And yet somehow…the world has continued. Survivors worship patron demons under a draconian system of tributes and rules. These laws keep the demons from warring among themselves, the world from slipping back into chaos.
Noon Onyx grew up on the banks of the river Lethe, daughter of a prominent politician, and a descendant of Lucifer’s warlords. Noon has a secret—she was born with waning magic, the dark, destructive, fiery power that is used to control demons and maintain the delicate peace among them. But a woman with waning magic is unheard of and some will consider her an abomination.
Noon is summoned to attend St. Lucifer’s, a school of demon law. She must decide whether to declare her powers there…or attempt to continue hiding them, knowing the price for doing so may be death. And once she meets the forbiddingly powerful Ari Carmine—who suspects Noon is harboring magic as deadly as his own—Noon realizes there may be more at stake than just her life.

It’s a very rare thing for me not to push through and finish a book once I start. I have this compulsion to at least get through to the end even if it takes me forever. I tried and tried with Dark Light of Day. When after three days I had only completed the first 30% I just had to admit defeat and lay it down for good.

I don’t want to give the impression that this is a badly written book, it’s not, it’s just a little tedious and boring. The first 20% has a huge info dump that had me wishing I had notes from the author to get through it, I kept having to stop and think every time different terms came up. This world is set up after Armageddon where the side of Lucifer won against the side of Christ, every person, demon, angel, town, etc. has a made up name and I will admit it got a little confusing. Once Noon, the heroine, headed off to school we start to get into class names and what they teach in each class and in my head I was thinking “OMG, enough!”

I was also a little surprised that Noon was younger. Even though I had read the blurb before I asked to review I was a little taken aback at how young she seems in the story. This book kind of reminded me a bit of Twilight/Harry Potter. Sort of a mixture of both. I had the thought that this might appeal to more of a younger crowd. It didn’t have that gritty, adult urban fantasy feel to it that I expected.

The story its’ self just seemed to move too slowly for me, even the scenes that were supposed to be more intense didn’t hold my interest. I am sure there will be quite a few people enchanted with this new urban fantasy world, it just wasn’t for me.

Rating: DNF

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Dec 28, 2012 Paradoxical rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012-reading-list, books-otherwise

The premise of Dark Light of Day is pretty fascinating. Armageddon happened, but the world didn't end. Lucifer won, but he's greatly weakened and hasn't been seen since the final battle. People live their lives worshiping demons, but it is both as prominent and not as prominent as you may think. It's a bit hard to describe, actually. People, basically, live like they have always lived, but there is now magic and new laws that curb demons and give everything structure.

Noon is the only female born...more The premise of Dark Light of Day is pretty fascinating. Armageddon happened, but the world didn't end. Lucifer won, but he's greatly weakened and hasn't been seen since the final battle. People live their lives worshiping demons, but it is both as prominent and not as prominent as you may think. It's a bit hard to describe, actually. People, basically, live like they have always lived, but there is now magic and new laws that curb demons and give everything structure.

Noon is the only female born with waning magic--magic that destroys. Her twin, Night, is born with waxing magic--magic that heals. Noon desperately hates what she is, and a childhood friend of hers, Peter, is seeking a way to reverse her waning magic and turn it into waxing magic. In the meantime Noon attends the prestigious St. Lucifer's, which is a school for demonic law.

The book is focused on Noon's time in St. Lucifer's, and is inundated with what she's learning and how difficult her classes are, as well as encounters with Ari, a fellow student with waning magic. It very much feels like a college except for the intense focus on demonic law. The book is laid out pretty much like that as well, with a lot about Noon's classes and her friends, but very little actual action. You get a sprinkling of plot here or there, but a lot of it is tied up in Noon's self hatred and her push and pull relationship with Ari.

Noon's hatred of her magic and how much she wishes that it was waxing magic drives me over the edge sometimes. I wanted her to accept herself a lot faster. I wanted her to live with what she was because that is what she was given. It just endlessly irritated me how she kept whining, how she kept not working on her magic and instead just kept trying to suppress it. Her brother, you find out early on, accepted his waxing magic, but Noon kept resisting.

Her relationship with Ari is much the same as her relationship with her magic. There's this push and pull between them that's electric, but the way Noon keeps running away from him and what he represents... well. So much frustration.

I feel like this could have been a lot better. It's a bit dry in places, but in other spots it's exciting (when Ari and Noon interact with one another [ignoring the times where Noon is torn over her feelings for Ari] for example). Unfortunately, the dry spots outweigh the good ones. It's also not a book to read if you're in any way unable to keep in mind that this book is fiction and that religion is just a tool for the book. If you're sensitive to religious themes like this, then, well, avoid. But, honestly, just reading the book blurb should tell you whether or not you think you'd be all right with the book.

It's not badly written. I just wish that I could have liked everyone more, that the plot could be a bit more exciting (because even the end fell kind of flat for me). So much of the book is tied up in law, but, contrarily, the case that Noon works on mainly ends up with her throwing magic around. It's frustrating. And Noon's so twisted up in herself that I basically wanted to just kick her. The major theme of the book is Noon accepting herself and what she is, but the journey there is like pulling teeth. Hopefully the next book will be better because this one mostly made me aggravated. 2 stars.(less)

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Nov 11, 2012 Raye rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I really liked hee take on the great battle and what happens after. She not only set a whole different world but she also made a curriculum that the people study. It was very in depth and you feel like they really are learning to become something in life not just "oh they had to learn this and that because of this" it felt real how she wrote. Now that you seem confused, let me explain. Armagededon has happened and the demons won. Life has gone on. Noon the main character has waning magic, which...more

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Oct 29, 2012 Vikki rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Review:
First Line: 'The wind whipping across my face made it feel like I'd just scrubbed with camphor and bits of glass.'
Dark Light of Day is set in the country of Halja, and it was here that the war between Lucifer's army and the Saviour's army was fought. Only this time...good didn't win. But it has been 2,000 years since that fateful battle has fought and the people of Halja have moved on and leant to live with the demon next door. I find this concept fascinating, I honestly don't think I've...more Review:
First Line: 'The wind whipping across my face made it feel like I'd just scrubbed with camphor and bits of glass.'
Dark Light of Day is set in the country of Halja, and it was here that the war between Lucifer's army and the Saviour's army was fought. Only this time...good didn't win. But it has been 2,000 years since that fateful battle has fought and the people of Halja have moved on and leant to live with the demon next door. I find this concept fascinating, I honestly don't think I've ever read anything where the war is over and the evil side won...end of. That's what drew me to this book in the first place. The concept brilliant and the world building that Jill Archer uses is amazing, the powers of those with Waxing and Waning magic (which if I tried to describe would probably just confuse people but in context to the book, works really well) are amazingly detailed and just bring the whole book into another level of reality. I have to say that I didn't really get much of a sense of time, as in due to the vast differences between their world and ours...the magic...the names for things...I couldn't really pinpoint a time in out history where this setting would fit. And I like that, discovering an entirely new way of thinking and order is pretty cool for me so I enjoyed just learning the world Noon and others like her inhabit.

This new and fantasy world while taking some time to get to grips with, never smothered me. It's one this I absolutely hate in a book when you can't just enjoy yourself because you have to keep stopping to connect the dots or flick back to some obscure reference 30 pages earlier to understand the part you just read. That seriously short circuits my temper, thankfully Jill Archer never triggered my famous annoyance :) DARK LIGHT OF DAY was just fun and enjoyable read to sink straight into!

So we've fast forwarded 2,000 years from the war, and meet Nouiomo Onyx, a 21 year old girl just about to start her first day at St Lucifer's academy. There's only one problem...Noon has Waning magic, and she's a girl. It's not really heard of in Halja so needless to say Noon feels like a freak. So much so that she is debating whether or not to declare her magic at the academy. There's one tiny problem though. If Noon does not declare her magic by a certain day of her 21st year...she can be put to death. I don't think Noon has ever really accepted who she is or the power her magic gives her. Her Waning magic causes death and destruction all around her, she can't walk into a garden without all the plant life dying before her eyes. Noon would give anything to have healing (Waxing) magic, like her mother and Night (her twin brother) but instead she's stuck with her father's legacy...and Noon will do all she can to alter her destiny.

While I generally liked Noon's character she does make some idiotic decisions ..mostly because she can't accept who she is. Noon's insistence that she would never fit in, never be looked upon as anything less than a freak leads to some horrible decision making but for the most part I did enjoy her character. Especially after she meets Ari. Earlier in the book we meet an Angel called Peter, who has lived next door to Noon for years, and I thought he would be the main romantic interest. However Peter appears to never really have accepted Noon as the woman she is. He is insistent on finding a spell to give Noon the Waxing (healing) magic she always believed she should have. Ari however, takes Noon for who she is, and I think his acceptance makes Noon believe in herself and her magic more than she ever has before. And I enjoyed watching Noon have mini revelations over the course of the book.

DARK LIGHT OF DAY is more along the adult lines...because yes, there is sex involved while not the most explicit sex scenes I've ever read, detail is there ;) though I imagine teens who are sort of getting used to the more adult content of some books would find it ok.

All in all, I think DARK LIGHT OF DAY is a new and interesting concept, I liked the characters and loved the world building. I certainly think I will be keeping a close eye on this series as it develops.

My Rating: 3.5/5(less)

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Oct 25, 2012 Craig Meyer rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book is terrible.
First if you are a Christian I urge you to stay away from this book. It will offend your religious beliefs. I don't consider myself a Bible thumping, go to church everyday type of individual, but the author writes of a world where the Savior (for Christians, that would be Jesus Christ)has been defeated by Lucifer. In this world Lucifer is made out to be a hero. Worshiping demons is acceptable. There's no conflict with this reality. The sacrifice of blood is considered an ac...more

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Feb 25, 2013 Sabina Bundgaard rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I read this book some time ago, but never got around to reviewing. Simply because time ran away from me. I really enjoyed this book. There where elements I didn’t like, but Jill Archer writes so amazingly, it was a minor thing. I could abstract from it without problem.

I need to explain a little about the world Jill created so you can follow.

Armageddon did happen and the Demons won. But life, although a bit different, still carried on.

There are two kinds of magic; the waning magic of the Maegeste...more I read this book some time ago, but never got around to reviewing. Simply because time ran away from me. I really enjoyed this book. There where elements I didn’t like, but Jill Archer writes so amazingly, it was a minor thing. I could abstract from it without problem.

I need to explain a little about the world Jill created so you can follow.

Armageddon did happen and the Demons won. But life, although a bit different, still carried on.

There are two kinds of magic; the waning magic of the Maegester (who control the demons) and the waxing magic of the Mederi (healing magic).Normally the magic are fixed with your gender. Waning magic for the males and waxing magic for the females.

So we have the magic users, the Angels, the Demons and all the regular people. Everybody (well, not the Angels, but everybody else) worship the Demons. There are different Demons depending on what you wish for and where you are. In all this there are rules to be uphold. Both from the worshippers and from the Demons. Believe it or not: Demons are BIG on rules. Nothing is more important than rules.

Noon and her twin brother Nocturno (Night by friends) are born into all this. Normally doesn’t exactly apply to these two. Their name is the opposite of their magic, and their mix up has caused embarrassment for their father, shame for their mother and endless grief for the twins. Nobody outside the family knows about the mix up, since (by law) you don’t have to declare your magic before your 21th birthday. Noon has delayed it as long as possible, hoping her best friend Peter (an Angel) can find a long lost Reversal Spell to undo the mix up.

When Night decides to declare his magic and join the Mederi, Noon choices are limited. And when her mother enrolls her into the St. Lucifer’s (a school for demon law), she knows she will have to make her choice. Quickly. Because trying to hide what she is from her newfound friends is difficult. Not to mention if she doesn’t declare before time is up, it will cost Noon the ultimate prize: her life.

Jill Archer has created a new and wonderful world and it was a joy to read about it. To dive in and imagine how the world would look after Armageddon if the Demons won.

I had a little trouble with relating to Noon and her struggle, but I could understand her battle with herself. Noon is born different, with waning magic instead of waxing. Because of the mix up (due to a choice her mother made when they were in her wound), Noon will never have children (she can’t be near a pregnant woman, due to the risk of stealing the child’s life), she will never be able to touch a flower without making it wither. Noon wants this – or so she believes. Noon’s struggle to both understand and accept who she is, is a rough journey down a very bumpy road.

On the other side there is Ari Carmine – a boy who knows exactly who he is, is proud of it and works hard to be better at what he does. The exact opposite of Noon, and yet very similar.

Can Ari make Noon understand the power and importance of accepting yourself before it’s too late?
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Oct 27, 2012 Jody rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Dark Light of Day has a book synopsis that caught my attention and wouldn't let go. It presents an intriguing and one-of-a-kind premise that offers a satisfying conclusion while leaving some strings undone for any future stories. I will admit that I didn't always understand what was going on but with Ms. Archer's talents it didn't bother me that I didn't get everything a 100%. What I DID enjoy was the sweetly sensual love story between the cooly confident assassin Ari and the unexpectedly powerf...more

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Oct 03, 2012 Turtles rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy-modern

I really enjoyed this book. The summary on the back leads you to believe that Armageddon happed, just happened, and demons won. But that was 2000 years ago and this book takes place in an alternate future, very much like today. The demon bit was very interesting and I think most people can appreciate the tongue-in-cheek of the premise of a law school for demons. In this book people are magical, human, angels or demons and all live together. Noon is a pretty girl with a big complex about her wani...more

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Oct 10, 2012 Suzanne the Mighty ~Satin Seductress~ rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: demons, lover-the-cover, mages-witches-magic-users, magic, urban-fantasy, angels, post-apocalyptic

2.5 Stars

The war between good and evil, angels and demons, god and Lucifer has been fought...and the demons won. It is now post apocalypse thousands of years later and human life has gone on and Noon Onyx, a descendent of one of Lucifer's warlords, is about to start law school. But Noon has a secret, born with the waning magic something that has the exclusive providence of men, she is a freak of nature and wants to change it to the live giving waxing magic that she should have been born with. Bu...more

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Sep 19, 2012 Sandy rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

DARK LIGHT OF DAY (Noon Onyx) by Jill Archer

Book blurb: Armageddon is over. The demons won. And yet somehow…the world has continued. Survivors worship patron demons under a draconian system of tributes and rules. These laws keep the demons from warring among themselves, the world from slipping back into chaos.
Noon Onyx grew up on the banks of the river Lethe, daughter of a prominent politician, and a descendant of Lucifer’s warlords. Noon has a secret—she was born with waning magic, the dark, de...more

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Oct 31, 2012 E_bookpushers rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: arc, fantasy, series, romance, reviewed

Joint Review with Has originally posted here: http://thebookpushers.com/2012/10/24/...

Publisher: Ace
Publish Date: Out now
How we got this book: ARC from the publisher via NetGalley

Armageddon is over. The demons won. And yet somehow…the world has continued. Survivors worship patron demons under a draconian system of tributes and rules. These laws keep the demons from warring among themselves, and the world from slipping back into chaos.

Noon Onyx grew up on the banks of the river Lethe, the daughte...more

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Oct 01, 2012 Michelle rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Dark Light of Day is the first book in the Noon Onyx series by Jill Archer.

Blurb:

Armageddon is over. The demons won. And yet somehow...the world has continued. Survivors worship patron demons under a draconian system of tributes and rules. These laws keep the demons from warring among themselves, and the world from slipping back into chaos.

Noon Onyx grew up on the banks of the river Lethe, the daughter of a prominent politician, and a descendant of Lucifer's warlords. Noon has a secret: She was...more

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Oct 05, 2012 Lily (Lily Pond Reads) rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: first-reads, challenge-2012, paranormal, reviewed

I have received the book for free through Goodreads First Reads.

When I first started this book I didn't really know what to think. I have only read about one to two books before that featured demons and this one was a little different. The book is about a girl who is born with a magic that is unusual for women to carry. All her life she had been raised hating it and who she is until she attends St. Lucifer's law school and meets Ari, who pretty much helps her cope with who she is.

I really enjoye...more

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Oct 09, 2012 Lara rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-2012

It starts off with a very interesting premise: Armageddon is over. The demons won.

What it turns into is poorly written fanfic. These characters - the protagonist in particular - are all supposedly studying the law, post secondary school. Instead, they act about 15. Then, 2/3 of the way through the book, it becomes smut-filled. Around that time the editor stopped reading because it is filled with inconsistencies and repeated actions. (For example, in one paragraph the love interest puts a picture...more

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Oct 02, 2012 Stacy rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: from-publisher-author

I gave it 3.5 stars

Noon is considered an abomination. She was born with Waning magic which is extremely odd for a girl to possess. She has gone her whole life hiding her magic and wishing for the Waxing magic her twin Night was born with. Unfortunately it is time for her to declare her magic to the demons or she faces death.

To be 100% honest I started off being a bit bored with the first part of the book and some spots were a bit too slow for my liking. I didn't really get Noon or connect with...more

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Oct 15, 2012 Eric Townsend rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Dark Light of Day by Jill Archer is about a world where the apocalypse has already occurred and the demons actually won. Despite this change in power the way of life has barely been altered. In fact, it has been so long since Armageddon that the truth about much that happened in that war has been lost or forgotten. Enter Nouiomo Onyx, or Noon as she is better known, who has waning magic, something that no female was ever supposed to have. Some would shun her, or possibly much worse, if they knew...more Dark Light of Day by Jill Archer is about a world where the apocalypse has already occurred and the demons actually won. Despite this change in power the way of life has barely been altered. In fact, it has been so long since Armageddon that the truth about much that happened in that war has been lost or forgotten. Enter Nouiomo Onyx, or Noon as she is better known, who has waning magic, something that no female was ever supposed to have. Some would shun her, or possibly much worse, if they knew of her unique power so she is forced to hide it until she is accepted and forced to enroll in St. Lucifer's, a demon law school. There she must declare her special powers or risk death. Will she hide her powers and risk everything, and could there be a way for Noon to reverse them?

I loved that the author chose to have the demons win the war as it was a perspective I had never seen before, at least not where the world was intact and mostly unchanged afterward. I was easily able to connect with Noon and her plight as she dealt with being an oddity at best, an abomination at worst. As those of you who read my blog know, if the character development is excellent I can forgive anything, and though there wasn't much to forgive with Dark Light of Day the characters were superb for the most part and allowed me to dive into this new reality.

There was one thing that kept Dark Light of Day from reaching its full potential, at least as I see it, and that was the lead male character Ari. I'm not a fan of the controlling, do-as-I-say type of male characters, especially when they are supposed to be appealing. It is that "appeal" he supposedly had that made the situation worse, he was practically irresistible and that included when he was putting on his dominant male act which I despised. Let me clarify, I don't have an issue with a strong male character whatsoever, but when it comes to them ordering people around, forbidding them to do certain things and on top of that it supposedly is a sexy thing for the female character? That's where I have a problem. Ari exhibited signs of uncontrolled jealousy, stalker-like tendencies and all before he really even knew Noon. Not cool.

Outside of Ari and his domineering I did enjoy the book. The plot had plenty of well executed twists and turns and even when it slowed down to cover some of the details in the classes at St. Lucifer's I never felt like I needed the pace to quicken. The scenery on the campus and the atmosphere that the author created was vivid and breathtaking, which I don't find is easily done. Having been on a beautiful college campus myself I could envision the different places that were depicted and never felt as if they were contrived. Oh, and without giving too much away, the battle scenes, oh how I loved them! They were exquisitely done. ^.^

I really enjoyed reading Dark Light of Day, and if it weren't for Ari's chauvinistic tendencies I easily would have given this an enthusiastic five star rating. With that nagging annoyance throughout the book, however, I will give it a very satisfied four. =)

Recommendation: Buy it now!
Rating: 4/5(less)

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Nov 21, 2012 Karen rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The concept was a really intriguing one, but in execution... eh. Except for the sex scenes, this felt far more like a YA novel to me than an adult fantasy (which sort of made the aforementioned sex scenes rather jarring). In a lot of ways, Noon *acts* like a teenager-- the blundering about, the overactive hormones, the stubborness, the moods. The romance between Noon and Ari happens kind of fast, as does Peter's descent into weird almost-bad-guy type. The solution of the mystery felt oddly... co...more

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Oct 19, 2012 Ruth rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: paperback, won, first-reads

I had a hard time at the start of the book. However once I got into it I had a hard time putting it down. Noon is trying to live her life but she is not sure where she fits. She is a female with waning magic. That is unheard of. Her magic can kill and she has never been trained to use it. Now she is at school and must declare her magic. She does now she has a boy (Ari) that wants to help her but is also falling for her. As Noon learns more about her magic and how to use it her best friend Peter...more

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Nov 08, 2012 Kt from A Book Obsession.. rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: hardcopy, received-for-review

Review originally posted on my blog: A Book Obsession..

Armageddon had come and gone with the demons being the victors. The survivors worship the demons through rituals and sacrifices in order to survive. The demons in turn are held under a very strict set of rules that keeps things from degenerating into death and chaos again. These rules are upheld by those with waning magic, which until recently was only seen in males. But Noon Onyx is the exception to that rule. For years she has tried to hid...more Review originally posted on my blog: A Book Obsession..

Armageddon had come and gone with the demons being the victors. The survivors worship the demons through rituals and sacrifices in order to survive. The demons in turn are held under a very strict set of rules that keeps things from degenerating into death and chaos again. These rules are upheld by those with waning magic, which until recently was only seen in males. But Noon Onyx is the exception to that rule. For years she has tried to hide her secret, but now that she is being forced to attend St. Lucifer's demon law school, she may not be able to hide for much longer. The deadline to declare her magic is looming around the corner and if she doesn't declare she will face deadly consequences.

Dark Light of Day was a rather frustrating read for me due to the incredible amount of obscure names for everything. There were just so many different odd names and titles for things that it became rather overwhelming and hard to follow. I realize that it isn't our world, so things would be different, but I just think things went a little too far in that aspect. I mean, every single thing had a odd name from the people, to the town, and all the different subjects in their school, and honestly my eyes started to cross rather early on. At first I tried to keep everyone and everything straight, but it soon became apparent that wasn't going to work so well and I wound up feeling rather detached from the story in general.

I have to be honest that I'm not the biggest fan of Noon. I realize that she's rather insecure due to the oddity of being the only female with her type of magic and that couldn't have been easy to grow up that way. However, she came off as rather petulant and immature which quickly grated on my nerves. Even though she was supposed to be in her early twenties, she came off as much younger and immature. In fact, I'm not really sure what the love interest saw in her, and as a result I had a hard time finding it to be realistic. From the start she had fears that he was only interested in her because she was an oddity, which was another source of her constant fussing. Even though it seemed like her worries were unfounded, in all honesty I would have found that to be more believable than the overwhelmingly quick love and mushy stuff on his behalf. Don't get me wrong, I'm not against fast moving love, but I have to actually care about both of the characters to believe in it.

In the end, I'm rather disappointed with Dark Light of Day, which is a shame since it had such an interesting premise and so much potential. That being said, I'm intrigued enough to give this series one more chance since by the end of this book, Noon did seem to start to make a turn around in her behavior and acceptance of who she is, so perhaps the next installment will be better.(less)

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Nov 04, 2012 Stephanie Ward rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: for-review, owned, will-trade, blog-tour

4.5 Stars

'Dark Light of Day' is the first book in a new urban fantasy series where the Apocalypse happened and the demons won. Now millenia afterwards, Noon Onyx is trying to hide her destructive magic from the world while she and her best friend Peter try to find a reversal spell. On top of this, Noon is forced to attend St. Lucifer's school of demon law. While there, she meets the seductive and dangerous Ari Carmine, who seems to be hiding secrets of his own. Will Noon be able to find the reve...more

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Nov 10, 2012 Jenna rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I thought the premise of this book, demons have won Armageddon, was interesting - especially since life goes on as normal for the most part. I agree with some reviewers that Noon didn't seem to act like a 21 year old - she seemed much younger in her naiveté of the real world.

Likes:
1. Premise
2. Noon and Ari dynamic
3. Pacing seemed okay, but there was a LOT that happened at the end.

Dislikes:
1. Noon's constant second guessing of herself, her magic and Ari
2. Peter annoyed me.

Overall, I will read the...more

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Nov 23, 2012 Readsalot81 rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: urban-fantasy

This reads like a YA. A really weak one. IIRC... the heroine is 21 years old. There are things I really enjoyed about the book. The author has a strong voice, the ideas of humans and demons interacting, having gone to war, and now the humans have to worship demons of their choosing is a unique twist on the plethora of demon books out there.

Noon Onyx is a 21 year old that's been born (or cursed depending on how you look at it) with the powers of waning magic. That's normally a power that's usuall...more This reads like a YA. A really weak one. IIRC... the heroine is 21 years old. There are things I really enjoyed about the book. The author has a strong voice, the ideas of humans and demons interacting, having gone to war, and now the humans have to worship demons of their choosing is a unique twist on the plethora of demon books out there.

Noon Onyx is a 21 year old that's been born (or cursed depending on how you look at it) with the powers of waning magic. That's normally a power that's usually associated with males instead of females. This is not discussed at length.. and left me wanting to know more about her family.

How she meets and develops a relationship with Ari Carmine is THE weakest and biggest part of the book. We first meet Ari when they're on a ferry together. Noon has been having her friend Peter help suppress her magic for years. But Ari can tell what she is immediately.. although this isn't revealed until later on in the book. Noon and Ari are both attending St. Lucifer's Academy where you're supposed to "declare" your magic and learn the ins & outs .. as well as learning more about the demon world. Now, Ari, being the good guy that he is, realizes what Noon is.. and decides to threaten or "declare" her since she will not do it herself. She storms off in a huff but later decides to forgive him.

Now hold the fort please. If some guy whom I'd met ONCE before on a boat decides to threaten or take away my decisions from me, my response isn't going to be storming away in an angry huff. I'm going to take the beat stick out and yell," IT'S CLOBBERING TIME!!!" before I start in on his dumb ass.

In lieu of actual character development, both Ari and Noon have demon marks which allows the other to know what the other is feeling/thinking. Because.. hey, conversations.. who cares? Let's introduce a supernatural solution that lets the characters just automatically know what's going on. Ari comes across as a manipulative bastard that thinks he knows what's best for Noon and acts accordingly. And Noon.. while occasionally expressing dismay, comes to accept this. She always submits to him, and boy howdy, did I get tired of watching this routine happen throughout the book.

I really have mixed feelings. The ideas are solid, if a bit overly detailed at times, the voice is strong.. but I didn't care a whit for the characters. The book reads quickly.. and the structure is there.. but I must express my hate for the idiocy of Noon. She doesn't resemble a 21 year old self sufficient heroine. She's a teenager. A YOUNG one.(less)

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Nov 21, 2012 Marie rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: giveaways, first-reads

I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads. This novel is an urban fantasy/romance, both genres I normally overlook. However, I entered this giveaway because I thought the premise was unique: Armageddon is over. The demons won. And yet somehow…the world has continued.

Jill Archer has created an interesting and unique world based upon Evil defeating Good. The story takes place millennia after Armageddon, and other than referencing that epic wars role in history, isn't detailed at...more

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Sep 27, 2012 Robin rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I wish this gave me an option for a 3 1/2. I liked it and would enjoy seeing, if this is continued, where they went from here. I really want to see what happens between Ari, Peter, and Noon. There is so much story there. I also want to see what Noon chooses to do. The only thing that slowed this book to me was some of the back story on the demons and places. Althrough they were needed, it seem to drag on a bit. Over all I still stand by my 3 - 3 1/2 stars and would read the second book.

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Nov 08, 2012 Mary rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

DARK LIGHT OF DAY is an intriguing take on life after Armageddon. Even though the demons won, there are still angels, there are still humans, there are still...lawyers. (Of course. How could we possibly expect to have the demons win and not overwhelm everyone where their evilness -- there *had* to be lawyers involved. Heh. Kidding, all my lawyer friends!)

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Oct 23, 2012 Has rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: e-arc, fantasy, urban-fantasy, hot-hero

Full review to be posted soon:

Solid entry to a new series, although I did find it difficult to get into the book in the beginning because of the slow pace, immature heroine who does redeem herself soon after and info-dumping. But because of the complicated world-building, I can understand why it needed to establish itself. I enjoyed the elements of a Coming of Age story which was very NAish with the College setting and a fun and sexy romance with a hero who is hawt! Will definitely pick up the n...more

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Dec 09, 2012 J. Lynne rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: apocalypse-dystopia, fantasy

This first novel in a series is definitely a keeper. While Noon can be slightly whiny at times, I absolutely adored her character. She was truly unique. I was delighted that Archer chose to resolve Noon's feelings regarding Peter and Ari by the end of the novel.

Archer's post-apocalyptic world is well thought out and engrossing. Looking forward to the next book in 2013 :)

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Oct 05, 2012 Hafiza rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Confusing world building.
Confusing terminology.
Unnecessary love triangle.
Heroine manages to vacillate between both love interests, and at times hurt both.
She was annoying, insecure, immature....
Ari was the redeeming character.

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Nov 05, 2012 Min rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

probably the only review where i can confidently say that the law school bit is quite realistic (regardless of subject matter), the romance unfortunately much less so. also not sure if my apathy is due entirely to ptsd flashbacks to law school.

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Oct 17, 2012 Alex Rapoport rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

It's probably more of a 3.5 stars. Has good characters, interesting plot, but tended to drag on at times. Certainly would read more from this author, the first book is often a first step.

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Dark Light of Day (Noon Onyx #1)

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