This was a tough one to rate, and if Goodreads had halves it would be more of a 3.5. The characterization is stellar, let's get that right, every character is diverse and conflicted and struggling with their senses of identity, purpose, and Right and Wrong. A fantastic ensemble for a story about whether or not to respect status quo/dogma/natural order of things, or whether to revolutionize and redefine what the world can be.

HOWEVER... in the end, the different couples' plots and motivations boil down to about the same thing: Get the McGuffin, deny my feelings until I do. And the "plot" is contrived as all get out, most characters being sped through plot points by deus ex machina instead of their own agency. Prophecies (intentional visions, written, dreamed), riddle clues conveniently left in ancient ruins Indiana Jones style, secret societies and the right mysterious benefactor showing up just in the nick of time, the villain cutting a deal instead of murdering our heroes on the spot... our heroes were adrift in an OCEAN of conveniences that just /happened/ to push them all to shore. :/ Not very compelling to read about characters struggling with choices... who ultimately don't have to make many choices.

The last 30 pages of the book, especially, suffer two-fold: They are confusing, and they are slightly derivative. Which is, again, a BIG shame, because the ensemble is SO diverse, and the world is beautiful and inspiring and draws from real world Middle Eastern civilizations that don't get highlighted enough in fantasy... It is just a shame to take so much great representation, and funnel it down to a Marvel level Like vs Like laser battle. Realizing that a brave hero, a kind one, a smart one, and an ambitious one, were searching for a sword McGuffin, a chalice, a crown (which is totally not a diadem), and a rock on a silver chain - guys, this is Horcrux-hunting, this is Deathly Hallows... Or Infinity Stone hunting, or or or... And the McGuffins bestow Graces on non-magical people, so...why do all of our villains claim they need to hold our heroes hostage as human puppets in order to use the McGuffins? Why the extra step? Why the magic needs to be operated by proxy is never adequately explained. And if our heroes are so special...why aren't they strong enough to draw on the McGuffins' powers, multiply their own magic, and overthrow the villains? Because... love stays their hand? With ten pages to go, I watched the same people negotiate around and around, "No, take me instead!" and the villain just kept trading hero hostages for each other. He might as well have been refereeing a game of Red Rover, telling So and So to come on over, for all that who his hostage was mattered.

So, hey, a wonderful book for representation and adventurous fantasy... If you're willing to go along for the ride, it's exciting and heartfelt. But if, like me, you expect as much psychology from your villains as you do your heroes, you're going to be bummed by the ending - which, after all, is what this entire book is building towards: the convergence of players and McGuffins at the end which will trigger an apocalyptic event. You kind of...need to stick that landing...book... You can't promise The Apocalypse and then deliver The Monologuing Megalomaniac... Just my two cents :/.

EDIT: Also, the title and cover art make no sense! XD The deity that gets unleashed is a being of Light... It's as the LIGHT rises, guys. That should be a bright white hand on the cover XD.