ARC Review: Arclight

Title: Arclight
Author: Josin L. McQuein
Category/Genre: YA Sci-Fi, Fantasy
Expected Release: April 23rd

See it at Goodreads


No one crosses the wall of light . . . except for one girl who doesn’t remember who she is, where she came from, or how she survived. A harrowing, powerful debut thriller about finding yourself and protecting your future—no matter how short and uncertain it may be.

The Arclight is the last defense. The Fade can’t get in. Outside the Arclight’s border of high-powered beams is the Dark. And between the Light and the Dark is the Grey, a narrow, barren no-man’s-land. That’s where the rescue team finds Marina, a lone teenage girl with no memory of the horrors she faced or the family she lost. Marina is the only person who has ever survived an encounter with the Fade. She’s the first hope humanity has had in generations, but she could also be the catalyst for their final destruction. Because the Fade will stop at nothing to get her back. Marina knows it. Tobin, who’s determined to take his revenge on the Fade, knows it. Anne-Marie, who just wishes it were all over, knows it.

When one of the Fade infiltrates the Arclight and Marina recognizes it, she will begin to unlock secrets she didn’t even know she had. Who will Marina become? Who can she never be again?


Arclight left me feeling for the most part satisfied. It was a highly anticipated read, and I’m glad to say I wasn’t as disappointed as I tend to end up getting whenever it comes to most books like this.

I was drawn in from the start with the fast-paced action and unusual world. I did have a few nitpicks. Admittedly, it was confusing at times trying to figure out the Fades and the whole Dark/Gray thing. I also didn’t connect all the way with Marina, who just didn’t pop enough from the pages as a character for me. I wanted more backstory of this world and the characters though.

I really enjoyed how hard of a time I had putting it down. I just wanted to keep reading to find out what happened next. The descriptions and writing and pace all flowed well--and while there were some slow areas, I began devouring it after a certain Fade character enters into the book (fascinating!). There were also twists that pleasantly surprised me, which is hard to do in a lot of books nowadays so I was glad to get that. This was a memorable read for me, the world and unique story. I look forward to the next!