Daphne McSharry was forever waiting for the summer as a child-an escape from a dreary Dublin council estate to the wild freedom of the coastal village Valentia, where she and her inseparable friends ran gloriously feral…

As an adult, Daphne hasn't returned to Valentia for nearly 20 years, nor seen the faces she once knew better than her own. Back then, an off-season visit that began with an invitation to test a tabletop RPG-one set in the secretive, cherished imaginary world they'd created as children.

Unbeknownst to them, they'd been playing not just with each other, but with something much stranger at the table, too…and each roll further tore apart the fabric of time and space, warping their perception and bleeding into the real world.

When Daphne's final turn was played, she made a choice she could not reverse-and her defiance had a terrible cost.

Now, the four remaining players must return to Valentia to face the secrets and betrayals of the past to decide who, if any of them, will be allowed to have a future.

Strange is the Light by Sarah Maria Griffin is dark and emotional, a powerhouse of a narrative that has language that is evocative and bonds that are compelling. I love both the queer representation with Daphne and Ronan but I also like that the story is about the bonds of friendship and how we change as we get older. I love the complicated relationships and the secrets that reside within all four of the friends.

Within the game and the island, the darkness of the narrative emerges but there are fantastical elements that are both beautiful and emotional. I love the truths that emerge and how the friendship between the four is tested, especially when something within the island decides it wants their emotions. I really like how the narrative slowly unspins the story of their summers and the game, unfolding the layers like an origami creature.

If you like dark and emotional stories of friendship and secrets with queer characters, Strange is the Light by Sarah Maria Griffin is an absorbing read, a powerful narrative and a fantastic horror rolled into one. I love how the friendships are complicated, messy and emotional. I also like how trauma compounds all the darkness within all four. I love both the beauty and the darkness within this book. It was incredible.

Rating: 5 out of 5 games ~~ Andrea Rittschof