Alex Aster’s LightLark Saga series currently consists of Lightlark and Nightbane, with the third book, Skyshade, coming out next month. After seeing all the controversy about these books, I was curious to read them myself.
The premise looked intriguing, which initially piqued my interest. Essentially, every century, an island known as Lightlark emerges for an event called the Centennial—a sort of tournament. For 100 days, the six rulers from different realms must collaborate to fulfill a prophecy and lift their unique curses. Each realm is burdened by its own dark curse, and it took me about half the book to fully understand them. The characters have complex motivations and I find that all the characters exist in a morally gray area, making it difficult to determine who is truly good or bad.
The first book ends with a surprising plot twist that compels you to read the second book to uncover what happens next. The sequel is filled with even more significant twists and another shocking cliffhanger.
Will I read the third book? Yes. I want to see how the characters evolve and what new plot twists might arise. Do I get some of the criticisms? Yes, I can see why the juvenile writing style and the plot that jumps around would not resonate with everyone.
Personally, I prefer stories that are well-crafted with rich character development, so this won’t make it on my forever favorites list but here is why readers say they love it:
-A fun fantasy book to read
-Massive plot twists
-Easy read and enjoyable
-emotional center of the story rooted in friendship
-interesting magical realm system
Romance/spice: This was marketed as YA but the scenes gradually got more intense as the books progressed. After finishing both books, with the assumption that the third book will continue to build on the first two, I would say this series falls into the low spice category
Captivating storyline: It was confusing at first, but as the story progressed, I became curious about where it was headed.
Favorite quote:
“I’ve been stabbed a thousand times . . . but none of that hurts more than hearing you say goodbye.”