Lightlark
- Downloads：7322
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-07-22 00:16:58
- Update Date：2025-09-23
- Status：finish
- Author：Alex Aster
- ISBN：1419760866
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
Welcome to the Centennial。
Every 100 years， the island of Lightlark appears to host the Centennial， a deadly game that only the rulers of six realms are invited to play。 The invitation is a summons—a call to embrace victory and ruin， baubles and blood。 The Centennial offers the six rulers one final chance to break the curses that have plagued their realms for centuries。 Each ruler has something to hide。 Each realm’s curse is uniquely wicked。 To destroy the curses， one ruler must die。
Isla Crown is the young ruler of Wildling—a realm of temptresses cursed to kill anyone they fall in love with。 They are feared and despised， and are counting on Isla to end their suffering by succeeding at the Centennial。
To survive， Isla must lie， cheat， and betray…even as love complicates everything。
Every 100 years， the island of Lightlark appears to host the Centennial， a deadly game that only the rulers of six realms are invited to play。 The invitation is a summons—a call to embrace victory and ruin， baubles and blood。 The Centennial offers the six rulers one final chance to break the curses that have plagued their realms for centuries。 Each ruler has something to hide。 Each realm’s curse is uniquely wicked。 To destroy the curses， one ruler must die。
Isla Crown is the young ruler of Wildling—a realm of temptresses cursed to kill anyone they fall in love with。 They are feared and despised， and are counting on Isla to end their suffering by succeeding at the Centennial。
To survive， Isla must lie， cheat， and betray…even as love complicates everything。
Reviews
dee
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 thank you abrams for the arc， this was absolutely INSANE。 to begin with， in all honestly， i was confused on the premise of the entire novel and the whole curse and different realms and such， and didn’t quite understand how it all worked but after reading and reading， it all started to make sense and blend together。 the plot was AMAZING。 alex did a wonderful job building up the storyline and her characters because let me tell you， i fell in love with the characters， oro and grim to be super speci thank you abrams for the arc， this was absolutely INSANE。 to begin with， in all honestly， i was confused on the premise of the entire novel and the whole curse and different realms and such， and didn’t quite understand how it all worked but after reading and reading， it all started to make sense and blend together。 the plot was AMAZING。 alex did a wonderful job building up the storyline and her characters because let me tell you， i fell in love with the characters， oro and grim to be super specific。 i absolutely loved islas dynamic with them， especially the king CAUSE GOD， it was perfectly written。 isla was a badass， i loved her and she was just an amazing mc that took shit from no one。 the plot was unique， and i loved how alex just continually reeled you in chapter after chapter， making it EXTREMELY different to want to put down。 like the ending made me pause， look at a wall， and take a deep breath。 like WHY？ HOW？sorry to tell you guys but i know grim is supposed to be the “villain” love interest but i gotta tell you， my heart is for oro i love that man too much。 the entire time they worked together i just KNEW he was falling for her and those little moments？？ i ship them with my entire being。 like i am so happy they had a happy ending pls pls pls i need them together pls dont let anything happen to them even tho technically grim is the love interest and oro will most likely do something to betray isla resulting in her going to grim BUT LET A GIRL DREAMthe plot twist was one i kinda anticipated because in all honestly， the one who betrays you is always the supposed best friend。 but alex switched it up to surprise you even more and you sit there thinking “i guess i didn’t figure it out！” super super amazing！ i will be sitting still waiting for the second book because i will never know peace。 literally 。。。more
Kilikina
，
Not this book already being labeled as a "booktok sensation"。。。 💀 can we please stop using that phrase for good？ Especially for books that aren't even out yet？！The description for this sounds awesome， but the skeptic in me already knows this probably won't be great。 I hope to be proven wrong， but I'm not hopeful given the track record of really hyped up books before publication that end up being bad。 （I also heard this has multiple love triangles， so now I'm infinitely less excited。） Not this book already being labeled as a "booktok sensation"。。。 💀 can we please stop using that phrase for good？ Especially for books that aren't even out yet？！The description for this sounds awesome， but the skeptic in me already knows this probably won't be great。 I hope to be proven wrong， but I'm not hopeful given the track record of really hyped up books before publication that end up being bad。 （I also heard this has multiple love triangles， so now I'm infinitely less excited。） 。。。more
♥Milica♥
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IT'S GOING TO BE A MOVIE ADAPTATION WITH THE PRODUCERS OF TWILIGHT？？？ INSTANT ADD TO MY TBR。 IT'S GOING TO BE A MOVIE ADAPTATION WITH THE PRODUCERS OF TWILIGHT？？？ INSTANT ADD TO MY TBR。 。。。more
Eros ViDemantay
，
I got an ARC for this at YALLWEST and finished the book about two weeks ago。 I had to let the book simmer in my mind before writing a full review。The first thing I can say about this book is that the twists in Lightlark are impressive。 No spoilers here， but the twists were shocking enough to make me put down the book and stare at the wall for minutes。 Well done， Alex Aster。 My head was reeling。Another positive thing if this book is the pace: it’s really fast。 Only one chapter in this entire book I got an ARC for this at YALLWEST and finished the book about two weeks ago。 I had to let the book simmer in my mind before writing a full review。The first thing I can say about this book is that the twists in Lightlark are impressive。 No spoilers here， but the twists were shocking enough to make me put down the book and stare at the wall for minutes。 Well done， Alex Aster。 My head was reeling。Another positive thing if this book is the pace: it’s really fast。 Only one chapter in this entire book fully takes place outside of the island of Lightlark， and from the moment you open Lightlark， you hit the ground running。 Details are thrown in your face， characters are introduced， and motivations and grudges are set up。 Aster does not waste a single moment setting up more plot， and more clues。 Some people may like to take a slower pace， but for those who like fast action and drama， this is for you。The romance is this book is not great or terrible， but Aster certainly doesn’t make it the focus of the book。 Since the publishers are keeping plot details or names to a minimum， I won’t reveal any names， but just know that while there is tension， it isn’t distracting you from the main plot…。…。which is never too dull because Aster weaves in mystery （the occasional trial…。 or murder） to keep things interesting。 Sometimes some beats of the book do falter， but not before picking right back up again。 The characters are all fleshed out well enough， with each having their own solid personality and traits。 Isla， our main character， is interesting enough and has plenty of likeabilities （and naivete） to keep you engaged throughout the book。 People are definitely going to have their favorites and their least favorites。If I could change one thing about this book？ The writing and prose sometimes feel odd。 Aster can start sentences with “And” or “But” which can really break the flow between sentences。 Other times， its' because the sentences are broken up by the occasional odd paragraph break。 Because this is Aster's debut YA novel， I won't judge this too hard， as authors often take several books to find their writing style， but just be aware that it can be noticeable at some points。Overall， Lightlark is a great book that really keeps you on your toes。 If you are on the fence about buying it I would just say to go for it， and support someone from BookTok！ It’s super satisfying to see Alex Aster follow her dreams and reap success。 。。。more
Ayesha the Great （Happier Than Ever）
，
Prolly gonna convince my sister to loan me her copy because even though I don't give a flying fuck about this I wanna be in on the hype。 Prolly gonna convince my sister to loan me her copy because even though I don't give a flying fuck about this I wanna be in on the hype。 。。。more
J。E。
，
The hype for Alex Aster's novel LightLark had me hoping to receive an ARC， so when my copy arrived （yeah！） I devoured it。 Well suited for the YA crowd， this first volume in a projected series introduces us to Ilsa Crown， ruler of the Wildlings， an island that only appears once every hundred years， and a competition to unlock a curse that will result in the death of one of the six rulers。 As if that isn't enough to create conflict， Ilsa comes to the competition unable to use any of her storied po The hype for Alex Aster's novel LightLark had me hoping to receive an ARC， so when my copy arrived （yeah！） I devoured it。 Well suited for the YA crowd， this first volume in a projected series introduces us to Ilsa Crown， ruler of the Wildlings， an island that only appears once every hundred years， and a competition to unlock a curse that will result in the death of one of the six rulers。 As if that isn't enough to create conflict， Ilsa comes to the competition unable to use any of her storied powers and under the caveat that to fall in love is also a death sentence。 Lots of secrets， a surprise love interest， and a cliff-hanger ending。 For fans of fantasy with a dark vein， Aster's new work will add a new favorite to their lists。 How long must I wait for the next installment？ Spoiler alert of sorts。 My only concern is that Ilsa is rescued rather often by others。 I would prefer to watch her disentangle herself from the life-threatening events， further proof of her right to the Wildling crown。 。。。more
Andrea
，
I absolutely adored this book。 It's a clever and unique concept that required a lot of world building， and I think Aster pulls it off in spades。 I am curious to see where she goes with the rest of the series， I'm hopeful that we'll see her dive into the romance of it all a bit more — I feel like if she lets herself really go there， this book could be as popular as ACOTAR。 I absolutely adored this book。 It's a clever and unique concept that required a lot of world building， and I think Aster pulls it off in spades。 I am curious to see where she goes with the rest of the series， I'm hopeful that we'll see her dive into the romance of it all a bit more — I feel like if she lets herself really go there， this book could be as popular as ACOTAR。 。。。more
chiara ⚔️
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I don't think I've ever anticipated a book that isn't in a series/isn't by an author I know before。 so this is my first ;） I don't think I've ever anticipated a book that isn't in a series/isn't by an author I know before。 so this is my first ;） 。。。more
Leslie H
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I knew since the moment this book was circulating on tiktok it would consume my thoughts。 So while I saw the opportunity to read the arc I took the chance。 This book is everything I could’ve wanted in a book and Alex Aster has done the dirty work in leaving me absolutely wrecked upon finishing it。 This book throws you for a loop and I have never felt such a whiplash until I read this book。 Alex Aster you have climbed up onto my top favorite authors and I can’t wait to read the next book。
Xoxo。Jess
，
4。5 out of 5 shinning stars！*This review does not contain any spoilers*I was completely taken away with this book。 I was fortunate （and sneaky） enough to have gotten my hands on an advanced copy of this book back in April at a YA book festival。 I am so very grateful to have been at the right place at the right time to be able to review this book months before it hits the shelves， so thank you universe for granting me the chance to do something I’ve always dreamed of！Now on the review！After readi 4。5 out of 5 shinning stars！*This review does not contain any spoilers*I was completely taken away with this book。 I was fortunate （and sneaky） enough to have gotten my hands on an advanced copy of this book back in April at a YA book festival。 I am so very grateful to have been at the right place at the right time to be able to review this book months before it hits the shelves， so thank you universe for granting me the chance to do something I’ve always dreamed of！Now on the review！After reading the summary I didn’t think I would like this book because I knew it would be high fantasy—by “high fantasy” I mean completely new world that is in no way connected to the real world （Earth）—which typically isn’t a genre I would pick out for myself， but I can definitively say that I thoroughly enjoyed this book after finishing it！The characters were the one consistent thing in this book that kept me reading。 I liked the plot， it was a little predictable， but the main six ruler completely captivated me。 The main character that the audience follows is Isla， who is the ruler of the Wildling realm。 She’s a fierce， strong， warrior who is determined to break the curse that has affected every realm for centuries now。 However， her biggest secret might be her downfall if she isn’t careful。 I instantly connected with Isla， and the other main characters of this story， and as you read on you just crave to learn more about their back stories。As formatting for this book goes， it is told in third-person。 The plot follows Isla and her interactions with other characters。 And I will say the first one-hundred pages are a little slow but this is due to the author， Alex Aster， showing the audience how her world works， etiquette， and introducing the plot/characters。 After you get past the first hundred pages， the book picks up its pace and I had a hard time putting it down once I got to that point because it’s just *that* good！I would love to say more， but I don’t want to give away prominent details or any spoilers。 But just know that I will be rereading this one at some point in the near future because I had a lot of fun being immersed into a new magical world。I think if you really like complex fantasy worlds， a love triangle， mind games， and mystery in a book then I really think you should give this one a read when it comes out in August。 I was very entertained by the plot and the characters that Alex Aster created， and I will definitely be picking up the sequel to this one when it comes out because I enjoyed the first book so much。Again， I am so thankful to have been able to give my honest review of this book in advance to it being in stores， and I look forward to more books by Alex Aster in the future :） 。。。more
Anika
，
I need more Grimmmmmmmmm
Lea Pearl
，
Well， I really cannot wait for the next book。Everything gets tied up nicely during that second to last chapter then you turn the page to the last chapter and you're reminded that THIS IS A SERIES！ Fuck。Why do you do us like that？But anyway。。。Lightlark is a wildly enchanting ride！I was quickly swept away into this lush fantasy world full of twists and turns I did not see coming。。。literally none of them。 I was shocked every damn time the plot took a new twist。 Typically， I hate when characters are Well， I really cannot wait for the next book。Everything gets tied up nicely during that second to last chapter then you turn the page to the last chapter and you're reminded that THIS IS A SERIES！ Fuck。Why do you do us like that？But anyway。。。Lightlark is a wildly enchanting ride！I was quickly swept away into this lush fantasy world full of twists and turns I did not see coming。。。literally none of them。 I was shocked every damn time the plot took a new twist。 Typically， I hate when characters are very back and forth with their choices or intentions in a story， but somehow Alex Aster pulled it off without frustrating the crap out of me。。。these characters are like damn boomerangs so prepare yourself for a bit of whiplash :） Not everything is as it seems。I absolutely loved every single minute I spent reading this book。 I am thrilled it exists as I will be reading it over and over again。 I think everyone needs to give it a read at some point， you won't be disappointed！HUGE thank you to Amulet Books for the ARC to read and honestly review！ 。。。more
Nalini Agarwal
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I wish I could give this book 10 stars。 It will definitely be in the top three reads of the year， if it doesn’t take the #1 slot。 I am so thrilled I was able to read an arc。 The twists and turns in this novel are top notch - Aster keeps you on your toes。 There were multiple nights I had to force myself to stop reading because I needed to actually get sleep。My brain is still processing this novel and I know I’m about to enter one of the worst book hangovers ever。 I highly recommend you preorder t I wish I could give this book 10 stars。 It will definitely be in the top three reads of the year， if it doesn’t take the #1 slot。 I am so thrilled I was able to read an arc。 The twists and turns in this novel are top notch - Aster keeps you on your toes。 There were multiple nights I had to force myself to stop reading because I needed to actually get sleep。My brain is still processing this novel and I know I’m about to enter one of the worst book hangovers ever。 I highly recommend you preorder this book if you love YA/NA fantasy。 。。。more
Catrina
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Ordered from B&N
Gabriel
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OH MY GOD。 I cried， I screamed， I laughed， I gasped， I vomited， I threw myself down the stairs。 I have not read a fantasy book in over a year and this was literally the best fantasy book I’ve ever read。 I love fantasy。 But I just got stuck in contemporary。 The way the world building is set up in the book and the way Alex developed the backstories and plot so smoothly， and she did it in a way that made the story unfold before your eyes and I was endlessly entertained。 I was never bored and the on OH MY GOD。 I cried， I screamed， I laughed， I gasped， I vomited， I threw myself down the stairs。 I have not read a fantasy book in over a year and this was literally the best fantasy book I’ve ever read。 I love fantasy。 But I just got stuck in contemporary。 The way the world building is set up in the book and the way Alex developed the backstories and plot so smoothly， and she did it in a way that made the story unfold before your eyes and I was endlessly entertained。 I was never bored and the only reason it took me longer to read it was because of the change from contemporary to fantasy。 I absolutely loved the romance。 The characters’ motives， ambitions， goals and stories all flowed so beautifully together and this book could not have been more perfect。 I felt as if I was watching a movie at some points。 It was like I was IN THE BOOK。 And the plot twists！！ I don’t know how Alex so masterfully crafted such an amazing debut YA fantasy。 I gasped， screamed， and swooned， just like Chloe Gong’s， Marie Lu’s and Adam Silvera’s praise for Lightlark said I would。 I didn’t want it to end and so now I can’t wait for book 2。 I love this book so much， so thank you Pique Beyond for this ARC， and everyone go read Lightlark when it releases on August 23rd 2022！！！ ♾/5 。。。more
Ashley
，
This is as good as it's hyped up to be。 I received an ARC through work and started reading it the second I got home。 I finished it in less than 24 hours。 If you love complex characters， so many secrets and shocking twists， this is the book for you！ This is as good as it's hyped up to be。 I received an ARC through work and started reading it the second I got home。 I finished it in less than 24 hours。 If you love complex characters， so many secrets and shocking twists， this is the book for you！ 。。。more
Alexandra Rose
，
**ARC copy**Thesis: The story was completely compelling and the bones very strong。 The issue for me was in the world & character building。It is very clear this is Alex’s first novel。 She could’ve done with a strong editor coming in and helping to flesh out the world building a little more。 There was a lack of showing and a LOT of telling。 Threads were picked up and often lead nowhere。（（Also a few of the lead characters felt borrowed from ACOTAR in a way that was hard to ignore。））One thing that i **ARC copy**Thesis: The story was completely compelling and the bones very strong。 The issue for me was in the world & character building。It is very clear this is Alex’s first novel。 She could’ve done with a strong editor coming in and helping to flesh out the world building a little more。 There was a lack of showing and a LOT of telling。 Threads were picked up and often lead nowhere。（（Also a few of the lead characters felt borrowed from ACOTAR in a way that was hard to ignore。））One thing that is my YA pet peeve is when protagonists feel weak， or come across as unintelligent。 I found Isla to often be a frustrating main character， with her constant questionable decision making， therefore rendering her difficult to connect with。 IMO - This book is 4 months of work out from being a really strong debut。 So much potential… 。。。more
Crom
，
I really wanted to love this after following the author on TikTok from that initial video of her pitching the story， but I feel like everything just happened way too fast？ It was also all tell without much show， which made it difficult to connect with the character at all。 There was no grounding time; we were just thrust into the world and expected to figure it out。 Which can be totally fine， don't get me wrong。 But in this case， because everything was bogged down by so much tell， I really strug I really wanted to love this after following the author on TikTok from that initial video of her pitching the story， but I feel like everything just happened way too fast？ It was also all tell without much show， which made it difficult to connect with the character at all。 There was no grounding time; we were just thrust into the world and expected to figure it out。 Which can be totally fine， don't get me wrong。 But in this case， because everything was bogged down by so much tell， I really struggled to understand the world or connect with any of the characters or their motivations。 This was definitely a let down， and 3 stars feels generous。 But it's a fun idea and the author seems nice， so three stars it is 。。。more
Naomirose Mauro
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 What can I say I really enjoyed reading this book。 The way the author built the world describing each island and the powers of the rulers perfect。The characters development was so well written the fact that she threw all the BOMBS at us in the end just made my reading heart explode with excitement to find out the end。 Can’t wait to see what she dose with this story。 Also might read some of her other work。
Lyssa
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3。5 stars - I saw someone on TikTok say they enjoyed Lightlark more than ACoTaR which probably gave me expectations that ultimately let me down。 Lightlark is an enjoyable read; there’s action， there’s mystery， and there’s just enough romance thrown in to keep me invested。 However， this book was also a little to predictable for my tastes。 The big reveal of the villain was ruined for me because the second that character was introduced I could tell they had ulterior motives。 And that was the case f 3。5 stars - I saw someone on TikTok say they enjoyed Lightlark more than ACoTaR which probably gave me expectations that ultimately let me down。 Lightlark is an enjoyable read; there’s action， there’s mystery， and there’s just enough romance thrown in to keep me invested。 However， this book was also a little to predictable for my tastes。 The big reveal of the villain was ruined for me because the second that character was introduced I could tell they had ulterior motives。 And that was the case for several other “shocking” moments in this book。 I just had suspicions about certain events or characters that were most often proven correct。 This made the unfolding of Lightlark a little less enjoyable for me。 Despite that I will admit there were a few twists （2 that I can think of） that I didn’t see coming！ 。。。more
sberatelka。knih
，
Po delší době jsem narazila na příběh， který mi přišel originální。 Nejvíc na tom všem se mi líbil svět， který se skládá ze šesti různých říší。 Žijí na ní lidé s různými schopnostmi a kulturou， ale také s kletbami， které je nějak omezují nebo je dokonce zabíjí。 A pak je tu ostrov zvaný Lightlark， který se objevuje jednou za 100 let， na něm se schází vládci říší， spojí síly a snaží se zlomit své kletby。 Postavy jsou rozmanité， některé jsem si oblíbila， jiné nikoli。 Občas mi přišel děj zbytečně nat Po delší době jsem narazila na příběh， který mi přišel originální。 Nejvíc na tom všem se mi líbil svět， který se skládá ze šesti různých říší。 Žijí na ní lidé s různými schopnostmi a kulturou， ale také s kletbami， které je nějak omezují nebo je dokonce zabíjí。 A pak je tu ostrov zvaný Lightlark， který se objevuje jednou za 100 let， na něm se schází vládci říší， spojí síly a snaží se zlomit své kletby。 Postavy jsou rozmanité， některé jsem si oblíbila， jiné nikoli。 Občas mi přišel děj zbytečně natahovaný， jindy bych zase uvítala více detailů a informací。 Nevadilo by mi méně popisů prostředí， za to bych uvítala větší náhled do hlav a minulosti ostatních postav。 Občas mě otravovalo zbytečné opakování informací， které už nám byly sděleny， ale opakování matka moudrosti， že？ Romantická linka byla okrajová a nenásilná， ke konci příběhu se z toho vyklubal milostný trojúhelník， který nesnáším。 Závěrečné kapitoly byly nabušené akcí a šokujícími zvraty。 Jedna z postav mi už od začátku neseděla， odhadla jsem ji správně， ale autorka mě překvapila ještě něčím extra。 Kniha skončila cliffhangerem a potřebovala bych další díl。 。。。more
Kirsten
，
I saw the authors success boom on TikTok and figured I’d buy into the preorder sale and got the first 5 chapters through NetGalley。 Man， was I so disappointed。 The 52 pages read more like a second draft rather than the final product， and is quite poorly written。 There’s so much info dumping yet I’m still fairly confused by the world building。 I felt like I was just reading and being told facts （that didn’t really make sense） rather than being told a story。 And don’t even get me started on the “v I saw the authors success boom on TikTok and figured I’d buy into the preorder sale and got the first 5 chapters through NetGalley。 Man， was I so disappointed。 The 52 pages read more like a second draft rather than the final product， and is quite poorly written。 There’s so much info dumping yet I’m still fairly confused by the world building。 I felt like I was just reading and being told facts （that didn’t really make sense） rather than being told a story。 And don’t even get me started on the “villian” GRIMSHAW （😂） from Nightshade （because of course）。 Lazy in my opinion。 I’m sure the younger YA readers will enjoy， but I was super disappointed and promptly cancelled my preorder。 。。。more
Marissa
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Firstly having won this as a prize I was very excited about reading it I have to say the book was phenomenal and I’m so mad at myself for not taking Jumping into it immediately it is an amazing book it is written so well and I enjoyed reading every moment of it and I can’t wait to read the next one cause I have a feeling this book was so good but it did not have any closure so I have a feeling there’s going to be another book。 Isla is a character that draws you in and doesn’t let you go so I hav Firstly having won this as a prize I was very excited about reading it I have to say the book was phenomenal and I’m so mad at myself for not taking Jumping into it immediately it is an amazing book it is written so well and I enjoyed reading every moment of it and I can’t wait to read the next one cause I have a feeling this book was so good but it did not have any closure so I have a feeling there’s going to be another book。 Isla is a character that draws you in and doesn’t let you go so I have to say this book is a five out of five I love it。 。。。more
Lisa MK
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I’m still all in my feels about this book and I need y’all to know。 Isla is the young Wildling ruler who must compete in the centennial that is held on an island， Lightlark， that only appears once every 100 years。 She’s competing to save her her people and everything she knows。 Unfortunately for Isla， five other rulers are competing for the same reason and one of them must die。You are absolutely not prepared for all the twists and turns this story takes。 One minute I felt like I had it figured o I’m still all in my feels about this book and I need y’all to know。 Isla is the young Wildling ruler who must compete in the centennial that is held on an island， Lightlark， that only appears once every 100 years。 She’s competing to save her her people and everything she knows。 Unfortunately for Isla， five other rulers are competing for the same reason and one of them must die。You are absolutely not prepared for all the twists and turns this story takes。 One minute I felt like I had it figured out and the next I didn’t know what to believe anymore。 And that ending。 What a gorgeous ending。 People are going to be talking about it for a very long time！ 。。。more
Mak
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As someone who was intrigued by the very first Lightlark-related tiktok showing up on my fyp， I have been excited to read this book for quite some time now。 Being so excited is also a little worrying， because there’s always the fear that the book won’t live up to expectations。 I’m pleased to say that， in the end， there was no need to worry。 Lightlark is everything I hoped it would be。 I won’t go as far as to say it’s a perfect book—there are times when the writing gets stocky， or the challenges As someone who was intrigued by the very first Lightlark-related tiktok showing up on my fyp， I have been excited to read this book for quite some time now。 Being so excited is also a little worrying， because there’s always the fear that the book won’t live up to expectations。 I’m pleased to say that， in the end， there was no need to worry。 Lightlark is everything I hoped it would be。 I won’t go as far as to say it’s a perfect book—there are times when the writing gets stocky， or the challenges get a little too improbable。 Luckily， the further it goes， the better it gets。 By the end， I was losing my mind a little with excitement， and the twists and turns had me more invested than I’ve been in a while。 I think Aster does a great job of straddling the line between predictability and unpredictability， where things don’t get unreasonably （and unenjoyably） crazy， but still keep you on your toes。 I like to have some ability to guess where things might be going， but also to be surprised。 It’s more fun that way。 There were times where some of the relationships across the book felt a little stilted， but I don’t think it was hard to get past that。 They got their bearings more as they went along， and they were ultimately （and wonderfully） overshadowed by the plot itself。 I think it’s fair to say that， while romance plays a part here， it’s not the core of the book。 （In this case， that’s a good thing！）Ultimately， I think the biggest strengths of Aster’s writing are the descriptions。 Every scene is set so beautifully， and all the imagery is detailed and alive in a way that I really enjoyed。 Each setting is distinct but still coherently tied to the others， and I appreciate that it all feels simple too。 It’s nice for once to have a fantasy book with names that are easy to follow and places that don’t get confusing。 It made Lightlark wonderfully easy to read。 I can only assume there will be a sequel here， and I really look forward to continuing with this excellent little universe。 So much happened， but it’s clear that there is so much more that can come。 I’m thrilled that I got to read an arc for this， and I can’t wait for it to come out into the world！（A small add-on: this is a YA book。 It often times reads like a YA book。 Some reviews online have been a little cruel in expecting it to read like an adult fantasy book， when that is not what it claims to be。 The main character is at times brash， and the stakes don’t always feel as high as they would in an adult fantasy book。 That is okay， and expected。 Know the genre going into it！） 。。。more
Evelyn Ly
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Blog || Instagram Warning: this book may cause some emotional damage， please prepare your hearts。 This young adult fantasy is sure to shock and awe readers。 It takes place on an island in a magical realm that is split into 6 kingdoms based on the ruler’s magical abilities。 The story is told in a third person omniscient point of view that follows our main character。 The style allows us to see into Isla’s train of thought while keeping the story line simpler to follow。 The main character， Isla， ha Blog || Instagram Warning: this book may cause some emotional damage， please prepare your hearts。 This young adult fantasy is sure to shock and awe readers。 It takes place on an island in a magical realm that is split into 6 kingdoms based on the ruler’s magical abilities。 The story is told in a third person omniscient point of view that follows our main character。 The style allows us to see into Isla’s train of thought while keeping the story line simpler to follow。 The main character， Isla， has to navigate a deadly competition against other rulers with more experience。 Isla is the ruler of the Wildings， those with the power to control nature and plants， and is very young， naive and rash。 She has been training all her life for this centennial but may not be as prepared as she thinks she is。 I felt like a lot of readers would relate to Isla， she has big dreams to see the world but has spent a lot of her life sheltered。 Additionally， she feels like an underdog， making the reader want to root for her to win in the end。 For the most part she is likable， but can be frustrating at times。 In addition to our main character， we have the other rulers: a dark and mysterious outcast， a paranoid king， an icey mean girl， a popular frat bro and another young ruler ally。 Each ruler is different and presents various challenges to Isla that she must face in order to figure out how to break the curse。 These various rulers did grow on me over time and were an interesting group to see interact with each other。 I enjoyed the magical world created by this book and how much growth the main character had。 I felt like there were enough twists and turns to keep me thoroughly entertained， but I was able to predict a few of the twists here and there。 I would rate this 4。5 stars （but rounded up） just because I have very mixed feelings about how the book ended （cannot share without spoiling）， but my heart is broken and I am still reeling from the ending。 I would recommend this to anyone looking for an easy fantasy read。 I would caution more seasoned fantasy readers to temper your expectations as some of the surprises may be easy for you to predict， but I loved the journey we were taken on as well as the interesting magical world/system created。 Check out the full review and picture on my Blog 。。。more
M
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Thank you to Edelweiss and the publisher for this arc in exchange for an honest review。 I went into this book having seen reviews with high praise， and after finishing it， Lightlark did not disappoint！Centuries ago， a curse plagued 6 realms， each curse specific to the realm itself。 Isla， our MC， is the leader of the realm of the Wildlings， a realm majorly combined women， who have been long assumed to be wild temptresses。 Their curse？ Anyone they fall in love with will be killed （major bummer）。In Thank you to Edelweiss and the publisher for this arc in exchange for an honest review。 I went into this book having seen reviews with high praise， and after finishing it， Lightlark did not disappoint！Centuries ago， a curse plagued 6 realms， each curse specific to the realm itself。 Isla， our MC， is the leader of the realm of the Wildlings， a realm majorly combined women， who have been long assumed to be wild temptresses。 Their curse？ Anyone they fall in love with will be killed （major bummer）。In order to try and break the curses in each realm， there is a Centennial （think major parties， deadly trials， and showboating！） held on the island of Lightlark， where 6 magic-wielding rulers must come together to break the curses， but the cost of competing is dangerous。 Isla is keeping secrets， and entering the Centennial at a large disadvantage compared to the other rulers。 However， she doesn’t let this get in her way from trying her best to prove her worth to onlookers and her fellow rulers。 Attempting to show the people of the realms that she is more than what they think， she creates allies， enemies， and even attracts the affection of certain chacarters。Isla was an endearing MC who you wanted to root for， and while she is the youngest of the rulers （some of them are 100+ years old， with youthful appearances） and a tad naive， she just wants free herself and her people from their curse。While I really enjoyed this book， I feel like the trials at the Centennial itself should have been more fleshed out。 I felt like the characters spent most of their time hanging around one another instead of fighting it out。 I did however love the magic system and how it connected to the curses themselves。 There is a great deal of worldbuilding done in this book， but some plot felt a little thrown together for the sake of wrapping things up。This book has romance （upper YA I would say） and I really enjoyed the interactions between the romantic pairings。 There are quite a few tropes that I think YA and romance readers will enjoy， and I may feel a little nostalgic for past YA novels。I really loved the direction it took， and while some things felt predictable or totally thrown together at times， I still find this was my favourite YA novel I’ve read of 2022！I can’t wait to get my hands on book two。 。。。more
Denise Weintraut
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I'm grateful that I got to read an ARC of this novel provided by Amulet Books of Abrams。 This page-turner fantasy quickly grasped my attention and didn't let go。 The overall premise of a competition that takes place on an island that only appears every 100 years was a draw that led to a story with creative powers， lush world building， and action that kept me entranced。 The protagonist's character was well-developed， but I wish the secondary characters had been more developed even though that led I'm grateful that I got to read an ARC of this novel provided by Amulet Books of Abrams。 This page-turner fantasy quickly grasped my attention and didn't let go。 The overall premise of a competition that takes place on an island that only appears every 100 years was a draw that led to a story with creative powers， lush world building， and action that kept me entranced。 The protagonist's character was well-developed， but I wish the secondary characters had been more developed even though that led to some of the intrigue of the story。 There was a scene of intimacy that was more graphic even though it wasn't truly explicit， so I wouldn't recommend it for younger readers， but it would be fine for 8th grade and above。 Overall， this had strong fantasy elements， a troubling mystery， and plenty of plot action。 I look forward to the sequels！ Enjoy， my friends！ 。。。more
audrey
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Incredibly amazing world-building and plot that reminded me of “The Hunger Games” with added magic and wonder。 The ending had my jaw on the floor—truly did not see the plot twist coming！ Cannot wait to read the next one！
Haley Calvin
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I didn’t really know how to feel about it until like the May 100 pages and then it surprised me tbh
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Lightlark
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Lightlark&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Lightlark&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0