Title: White Lights
Series: White Lights
Author: Lauren Kate
Release Date: June 9, 2026
#1 New York Times bestselling author Lauren Kate, whose Fallen series has over 10 million copies in print and has sold over 11 million copies of her novels around the world, is returning to the romantasy world of angels that's perfect for Fallen fans and new audiences alike.
When mysterious Rafe de la Cruz rolls into Desdemona’s life to recruit her to the elite film school Acheron, Dez has no reason to trust him—and no other option. A violent attack has just put her brother in the hospital…and Dez is the only suspect. Guilt-ridden and grieving, she finds herself running from the law to chase her longtime dream of making movies, at a school she’s never heard of. Soon, she’s dropped into Acheron’s cutthroat world of seductive intrigue, power on an otherworldly scale, and deadly competition.
Acheron may seem like the ticket to a future Dez has always wanted, but as she delves deeper into the secret work being done there, she finds herself trapped in an existential conflict on a cosmic scale—with more than her heart on the line.
White Lights follows Desxemona as she is thrust into a elite school full of secrets & intrigue, a deadly competition, and the otherworldly.
After her family's restaurant was robbed and her brother was attacked, putting him in the hospital, Dez was the only suspect. Without any other options she accepts help from a mysterious recruit Rafe who whisks her away to a elite secret film school Archeron. While, filmmaking is her life long dream and Archeron may seem like the ticket to the future Dez has always dreamed of, she begins uncovering secrets that may spell disaster.
I was so excited to dive into White Lights. I loved the Fallen novels by Lauren Kate & have read them numerous times and I jumped when I heard she was writing another angel story.
I enjoyed the intrigue of the story. & The feeling of nostalgia of reading another Lauren Kate angel novel, her Fallen series was what started my love for YA paranormal romances back in the day and it snowballed from there, so I was ready to dive into a new book from her!
I did enjoy some of the banter between Rafe & Dez but overall their relationship was a bit back and forth. It was enemies to lovers ish - not quite enemies in the sense but there was some push and pull between them.
Some of the beginning was a little chaotic and I couldn't focus as well on the story at first, but it does pick up later on. And while it was a more adult (new adult) novel - it was written with the ease of a YA story. It was a love triangle - which I usually love - but I was just hung up on why, after only meeting the secondary MMC once for a few hours, why their was such a strong instant connection between them and it threw me off a bit.
I wanted to love this book, and had such high hopes for it, but there was just a few too many drawbacks that didn't let me love it like I wanted to. I'm still intrigued for the overall story and the possible potential to see where it leads, but I have mixed feelings over this first book.
But just because I personally didn't love it - doesn't mean you won't love it. Like I said there was secrets & intrigue, & an interesting premise. It could just be me up in my head, over the nostalgia of the Fallen series.
3.5 ⭐ out of 5 ⭐.
2 🌶️ out of 5🌶️.
Tropes:
- NA
- urban fantasy / paranormal romance
- dark academia
- secret identity
- love triangle
- he mentors her
- enemies to lovers (ish)
- Deadly competition
Trigger Warnings:
• blood/gore/injury
• violence
• death
• sexual content
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Lauren Kate is the #1 New York Times and #1 internationally bestselling author whose novels include the Fallen series, which was made into a major motion picture as well as an Emmy-nominated TV series. Her new series, White Lights, will publish in the summer of 2026. Lauren’s books have been featured on Jeopardy, parodied by the Simpsons, translated into more than thirty languages, and have sold over eleven million copies worldwide. She lives in Los Angeles with her family.
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