Grim

Lightlark

by Alex Aster

A new romantasy novella written from the perspective of Grim, from #1 New York Times –bestselling author and #BookTok sensation Alex Aster

True love knows no bounds.

This novella—told from Grim’s perspective—gives listeners insight into his the motivations and events that cemented his fate as Isla’s eventual love interest. It includes key moments from the ruler’s love story with Isla, told in his own voice.

Grim is certain to thrill listeners and test allegiances, leaving new and longtime fans second-guessing who they’re rooting for in the breathtaking battle for Isla’s heart.

Genres: Fantasy, Romantasy, Audiobook, Romance, Young Adult, Enemies To Lovers

12 pages, Audible Audio

Published November 18, 2025

Reviews

[Eden · Rating 5 out of 5]

“ Call me a villain. Call me a monster.
Just let me call you mine. “


I’m dead. I’m actually dead. This is the greatest piece of literature I’ve ever read.

Grim’s yearning and soul shattering longing in this book cannot compare to any other.

I feel like I’m betraying all of my other book boyfriends but OH MY LORD! The way Grim thinks about Isla is just *chefs kiss*

Don’t even get me started on the way he TALKS to her.

“No, heart, I don’t love you. I live for you. I destroy for you. I die for you. My every thought and emotion revolve around you. You are my sun, my moon, my gravity, my eternity.”

I feel like that quote proves my point.

Five stars. It’s going to be actual torture waiting for the next book.

[dak ⋆.˚ ☾ .⭒˚ · Rating 3 out of 5]

𝖌𝖗𝖎𝖒 🖤 🥀 🐦‍⬛ 🌒

🎧 + 📖 જ⁀➴ 3⭐️

“𝙄 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙘𝙝𝙤𝙤𝙨𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙡𝙙, 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮 𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙡𝙚 𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚. 𝘾𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙢𝙚 𝙖 𝙫𝙞𝙡𝙡𝙖𝙞𝙣. 𝘾𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙢𝙚 𝙖 𝙢𝙤𝙣𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙧. 𝙅𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙡𝙚𝙩 𝙢𝙚 𝙘𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙚.”

my emo king i love you. the yearning UGHHH. i s2g isla if you don’t pick this man in crowtide im going to lose my mind.

✨team grim 4 ever✨

➵ “𝘔𝘺 𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘯𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘭𝘪𝘵 𝘢 𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘤𝘩. 𝘕𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦, 𝘐’𝘭𝘭 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘹𝘵 𝘰𝘯𝘦. 𝘐’𝘭𝘭 𝘢𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶. 𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘐 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘦 𝘦𝘹𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘶𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘥. 𝘓𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘴𝘬𝘺, 𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘯𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘦. 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘦.” ➴

➵ “𝘕𝘰, 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵, 𝘐 𝘥𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶. 𝘐 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶. 𝘐 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶. 𝘐 𝘥𝘪𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶. 𝘔𝘺 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘰𝘭𝘷𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶. 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘴𝘶𝘯, 𝘮𝘺 𝘮𝘰𝘰𝘯, 𝘮𝘺 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘵𝘺, 𝘮𝘺 𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘺.” ➴

as always anthony palmini🥵 alex aster did her big one with that casting!!!

[alix flora 🌙 · Rating 4 out of 5]

This just kinda instilled in me that grim is gonna fr die in crowntide 🤔 it’s a fitting ending for him, he got an entire love story with Isla already yanno. Plus I want more orooo plz 🙏🏻

also a bit disappointed we didn’t get to see grim all jealous of oro and Isla but him jealous of like ten diff randos

[Jordan Miner · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5☆ how can you not be team grim?

(placeholder rating bc it’s a novella)

[Aves · Rating 5 out of 5]

I. LOVE. GRIM. I will forever be on team grim and I loved his backstory so much

[Heathers_readss · Rating 5 out of 5]

I do love Oro but how can you not be team Grim especially after reading his POV 😭😭😭

[Emma Bjorkman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Grim is kinda freakin me out a lil bit. He’s kinda really weird in a freaky kinda way if ya know what I’m sayin. Also literally why Isla. I’m convinced these dudes only like her cause she’s hot. But you do you ig.

[Caitlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Why did I love this more then the actual series?? Grim the pathetic man you are my god I loved this so much. 😱 🤯

[Keira · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’m glad this was borrowed via Libby, if I had paid for this I would have been extremely frustrated. I’m a Grim stan, but there wasn’t much original material in here. I was hoping for more backstory or behind the scenes not just extra angsty sexual tension.

[Shelby Gonzalez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh my god!!! I thought Oro was yearning… Grim baby… this is the POV that was needed. 1000 stars

[Tanya Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

Grim: Dueling Crowns Edition by Alex Asher is nothing short of phenomenal. From the first page, I was completely swept into this darkly beautiful world Alex has created — one brimming with tension, passion, and raw emotion. Every chapter felt like being pulled deeper into a story that refuses to let go, and by the end, I just sat there in awe.

What truly makes this book shine is the duality of its storytelling. The Oro side absolutely captivated me. I went into it thinking I knew who Oro was — cold, maybe even cruel — but Alex managed to peel back those layers with such subtlety and care. The way Oro’s story unfolds, the quiet strength beneath his surface, the moments of vulnerability… it all completely changed how I saw him. I wanted to be convinced he wasn’t as bad as I thought, and Alex delivered that in the most heartfelt and believable way.

Then there’s Grim — oh, Grim. I’ve adored him from the beginning, but this book made my love for him even stronger. Everything about his side of the story felt intense and alive — the emotions, the choices, the loyalty, the pain. Nothing here made me doubt him; if anything, it confirmed exactly why he has such a hold on my heart. Alex Asher has truly written Grim in a way that feels real — flawed yet magnetic, fierce yet tender. He’s the kind of character that lingers long after you close the book.

Alex Asher’s storytelling is simply exceptional. The prose is sharp and immersive, the pacing perfectly balanced between action and introspection, and the emotional beats land every single time. There’s a richness to this world and these characters that’s rare — it feels lived in, loved, and layered with meaning.

I honestly can’t praise this book enough. It’s powerful, passionate, and deeply satisfying. Alex Asher has outdone themselves yet again, and I’m counting the days until the next installment. If you want a story that will break your heart a little, make you believe in redemption, and remind you why you fell in love with fantasy in the first place — Grim: Dueling Crowns Edition is it.

[Emily Collins · Rating 2 out of 5]

Whatever I like the other guy

[Tohfaaa · Rating 4 out of 5]

4⭐
I wish this book is longer🫠🫠

[Jae Stanford-Gant · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 / 5 ⭐️ —

Fantastic, I’ll take 15 of them, thanks! Ohhhhhhhhhh this was fabulous for #teamgrim girlies, I am even more obsessed than I already was! How could you NOT be team grim? I don’t understand. Gah brb while I got reread my favorite quotes bc are you kidding me???

[Hayley Needs Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

I feel like just through the writing alone you can tell Alex Aster is team Grim. He's much more thought out and has more passion and personality, and more growth over Oro's character, I personally do think hes just the better love interest, and can give Isla more, despite his flaws, which he's working to fix for her anyway. He's defo my favourite anyway. TEAM GRIM.

[Kendall Tucker · Rating 4 out of 5]

great. Now i want to go back and read books 1-3 before reading the fourth book

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

They should all be written from Grim’s pov I said what I said

[Brielle Roll · Rating 4 out of 5]

This novella put me through it emotionally. I went into it fully thinking I had switched to Team Oro after Skyshade and Oro’s novella… and then Grim’s POV had to come along and mess with my head.

I’m not going to lie, the beginning gave me the ick. Grim’s devotion felt intense to the point of being uncomfortable, and I was getting real stalker vibes at first. I genuinely questioned my loyalty and wondered if I had romanticized him too much.

But then somewhere in the middle, everything shifted. Once I really sat with his perspective, his grief, and the depth of his love for Isla, I was completely undone. What initially felt obsessive started to read as infinite, consuming love…the kind that doesn’t know how to exist quietly. And suddenly I was infatuated with him all over again.

I still love Oro. I really do. He’s steady and devoted in his own way. But at the end of this, I can’t deny it anymore, Grim and Isla feel like endgame. Their connection is too deep, too painful, too fated to ignore. They are the true definition of opposites who actually have so many similarities. I should have trusted my gut about Grimshaw from the very beginning.

[Zoe ♡ · Rating 5 out of 5]

the yearning goes hardddd

"my entire world was night, and you lit a match. no matter what happens in this life, I'll find you in the next one. I'll always find you." ughhhhhhh

[Brittany · Rating 1 out of 5]

Grimm is basically emo. If I wanted a book about a guy whining, I would literally turn on reality TV.

[Samantha · Rating 5 out of 5]

I cried at the end. Honestly I don’t feel like it’s a surprise to read the way that Grim’s internal monologue speaks about Isla. The love he has for her RADIATES off the page. Oro is not even close to comparable. Hearing their love story from Grim’s perspective makes it even more special. Are there parts I wanted to see? Absolutely. I wanted to see when he realized Celeste was Aurora. I wanted to see the centennial from his perspective similar to that of Oro’s. I understand why we did not considering their initial love story happened beforehand, BUT given that Isla has fallen in love with him THRICE, I would have liked to see the way it unfolded for him during the centennial. Team Grim forever😭💛

[Ashley Galletti · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Call me a villain. Call me a monster. Just let me call you mine."

EXCUSE ME?! Grim has been and will always be my favorite in this series.

[Valarie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Until the end of time. 🖤

[Gabriela Schroer · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite book in the entire series!!!! NO ONE, I repeat NO ONE will ever make me hate this man!!!! Has he done wrong? Yea, absolutely. Is he a villain to some? Yeah, for sure. Do I give a fuck? No, not at all.

Only someone who has been loved so deeply like he does Isla, gets it. That’s my hot take. Bye!!!!

[lifeasmegs_ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Damn I loved that 😍😍 sorry Oro I’m #teamgrim all the way

[s · Rating 5 out of 5]

this sealed the deal that i am 100% team grim. i love him sm. his story with isla is so beautiful. i’m scared for the next book.

[Lilli · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some team Grim appreciation with some quotes.





"I wait to feel that hatred. It never arrives. We can pretend, though. She can pretend to hate me as long as she likes. She can scream how much she hates me as I worship her, every night. I don't mind. As long as all her feelings-her hatred, her desire, her love-are mine."

"As I'm pierced through a dozen times, all I can think is, I would gladly be your shield. I would gladly be your sword. I am your enemy... but I am also yours."

"I wonder if Isla would. I wonder if she would like to see my library. I've seen the dog-eared books she keeps in her bedroom. Perhaps she'd like more. She can have mine. She can have all of them."

"She takes my hand, and I'll never tire of it. Of her trust, that I'll bring her somewhere safe. A trust I don't deserve."

"You're dangerous. You are a curse. I want you anyway."

"But right now... I don't want to be alone. I want to die looking into piercing green eyes."

"Because around her... I feel, for the first time in centuries. I feel everything. And, for the first time, it doesn't seem like a bad thing."

"There's another emotion...
Jealousy.
Jealous of what?
It almost makes me laugh. If she could see my mind for even a moment, she would understand that she owns it, wholly and completely."

"She means eating my heart. Doesn't she know she already has it?"

"My hearteater is as stubborn and proud as I am."

"Now, even through the near-endless calls to the scar, I notice the pockets of beauty in my lands. And, when I see beautiful things, I have the urge to show them to her."

[Chloe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Grim.. the man you are. I loved this so much and absolutely ate it up. Getting to experience everything from his POV was what we needed.

I have too many quotes from this damn book...

" 'I want everything with you, Hearteater. I want marriage, I want children, I want to be standing next to you, holding your hand, at the end of the world.' My eyes burn with intensity, with feeling. 'I want to live endless lifetimes with you, because one isn't enough. Not for me. Not even close. If we live a thousand years - I'll want a million more. I'm selfish, I'm greedy, I want you for endless eternities. We are infinite, everything, everywhere, at the same time. And i want everything.'"

"'I don't love you.' 'That isn't strong enough a word. No, Heart, I don't love you. I live for you. I destroy for you. I die for you. MY every thought and emotion revolve around you. You are my sun, my moon, my gravity, my eternity.' "

"i don't ever want to live a single day with you, it wouldn't even be living."

"No, you are not something special to me. You are not something I want to love. You are something I want to ruin."

[Randi Besio · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted “falls first, falls harder.” What I got was a repetitive obsession loop. Grim’s inner world felt stuck on the same fixation without enough emotional nuance or believable reasons for why Isla is the person for him. The constant “nothing matters but her” mindset also flattened the stakes—without goals, values, or meaningful conflict outside the obsession, the romance didn’t feel earned. The concept is cool, but the character motivation and relationship development needed more depth.

What really lost me, though, was the whiplash in characterization. Early on, Grim is ruthless—killing people for seemingly no reason and showing zero remorse. Then once Isla enters the picture, his entire personality and the story’s themes shift to match his infatuation. But it doesn’t read like growth or redemption; it reads like the book asking me to overlook the brutality because of a tragic childhood. The vibe became very “feel sorry for me for my past, ignore what I’m doing now,” without the self-awareness, consequences, or accountability that would make a redemption arc land.

If you love intense, single-minded obsession romance, you might enjoy it. I just wanted devotion with depth—and a believable transformation if we’re supposed to root for him.

[Holly · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 ⭐️

Grim's novella totally missed the mark for me. When Alex Aster said read Oro's first for a better reading experience, I was hoping that meant we were going to get some insight into what the helly Grim was getting up to with Aurora, or what he was thinking in these last two books. But really all that this solidified for me is that Grim totally lusts over Isla... And that is all
Again, it was very copy and paste 🥲 devooo