Lightlark (The Lightlark Saga Book 1) (Volume 1)

i want to begin this review by stating that many (not all) of the negative reviews i have seen are either from people who have not even finished the book, or people who were simply review-bombing it. putting everything aside that you may have heard or seen about it, i really enjoyed this book. yes, there were things that could've been better, such as the world-building and dialogue variety for the characters. however, this is the case with many books, which usually improves the more a writer writes over time. if i'm being honest, i did not have an issue with the slight lack of descriptors for characters' looks because tbh, the story matters more than what a character may look like. isla crown, our protagonist, has a lot of issues to overcome. she's a very strong character, but struggles with knowing who to trust, and who to avoid. as the rulers are pitted against one another to try and solve the riddle to break the curses, she grows into a person who is able to find herself and overcome her challenges. she's very smart, but tends to fall short most of the time and seem as if she is the opposite. it's okay isla, i still love you!! she must learn to form alliances, and avoid the discovery of her biggest secret. the story of Lightlark and the Centennial kept me turning page after page, always wanting to find out what the next twist will be. and i definitely was impressed and captivated by everything i read. *spoilers incoming* isla was born powerless, or so she thought... THE PLOT TWISTS!! absolutely amazing. alex aster really knows how to keep you on your toes throughout the story. i could never see some of the twists coming, and that made this book all the more worth the read to me. i think the biggest twist of all would have to be grim's "betrayal." let's talk about the love interests for a moment: typically, i am a huge hater of love triangles, BUT, this book really does it well. love interest #1: oro. oro is the King of Lightlark, and angry fellow who simply needs his walls broken down and to find someone who loves him for the person that he is. a ruler capable of anything and everything who must put on a brave and powerful face in public. he has many cute moments with isla, and she ultimately chooses him at the end of this book (which following the plot twists, makes sense.) oro is a character who you hate at the beginning, and gradually grows on you as the story progresses. love interest #2: grim. grimshaw, ruler of nightshade is full of mystery. he almost had a "relationship" with isla, but it fell through the cracks once she found out he had wiped her memories of them together prior to the Centennial. he wields shadows (my fav type of character), and will do anything to protect isla, and win her heart again. i cannot choose who i would rather she end up with, both are written really well so i wouldn't be angry regardless. grim has been my favorite throughout the book though, so i'm rooting for him in Nightbane (book #2). for what it was, this book really was an interesting and entertaining read. i think a lot of the times, people forget it's YA, and even the part that is not is something that has happened in other YA books too. YA doesn't necessarily equal no explicit content of any kind. i'm definitely excited to read Nightbane in November to continue isla's story!! <3

I’m being generous with 4 stars, because I completely agree with the reviews regarding the writing format and sentence structures, as well as the redundancy in descriptions. However, this is a young adults book so the writing format correlates with the audience intended. The world building is simple and straightforward, making the book an easy read which I finished in about 3 days. The characters lacked development and depth, while some of the plot twists were extremely predictable. That being said, I think the book will make a fantastic movie, and quality fantasy movies are far and few these days. I read the book with very little expectations and did find myself drawn to the created world including the problems that the main character was facing throughout the story. I wished there was a bit more action and less drama but that is a personal preference. I liked the book enough to give the characters a second chance at making bolder choices by buying the next edition. Overall, if you are looking for a light, fun read, with adolescent struggles that can remind you of your naive youth, then I would recommend this book to you.

First off, I am a sucker for a nicely embossed book beneath the book sleeve lol As for the contents of the book itself, I finished this book in 4 days!!! 400 or so pages lol I absolutely LOVED the book! I couldn’t put it down! It had a lot less romance than I expected but the parts that did really drew me in & it gave me an opportunity to get really invested in the Centennial and all of the different alliances and enemies and secrets being revealed throughout the game! Alex Aster emulated love, lust, fear, pain, and betrayal so vividly I felt every word as if I was living it myself! She didn’t skimp on the good stuff for the sake of romance which I liked! And it kept me looking forward to the reappearance of the love interest lol The book’s ending was so unexpected but, as much as I was hoping for a different outcome, I actually didn’t dislike the outcome at all and found that I actually agreed with it even though it wasn’t what I expected and I felt extremely satisfied with how the story wrapped up!!! I felt happy for Isla but heartbroken for other characters. It was a strange conflict of emotions but left lots of opportunities for new developments in the following book that already seem like they will be amazing story lines to follow this one!!! Lots of opportunities for revenge, love, maybe even more unexpected twists in the plot! I found myself dreaming of what could follow the story last night after finishing the book, so if that says anything about my feelings on it, it’s a positive message! It left me wanting more without leaving me frustrated and unsatisfied without another book to read immediately like so many authors rely on. I thoroughly enjoyed the story and am actually about to start it from the beginning to reread it knowing what happens at the end to see how my perspective on it changes lol I’m just not ready to leave the story for a new book series yet and I genuinely feel like it will leave me with a completely different perspective on the story!!! As for the drama surrounding the author, I am extremely tired of living in a culture where people are judging books based on the author’s history. Her upbringing, her business history, her family supposedly being well-off, etc has absolutely nothing to do with her ability as a writer! People need to stop leaving negative reviews of books they have not read to ruin authors that they think had a better opportunity than they do. The book is GOOD! Enjoy it for what it is and leave the author’s privileges or lack thereof out of it! I didn’t know any of this drama was happening before reading the book and frankly I am glad because I was able to enjoy the story without the internet interjecting it’s unnecessary and, in my opinion, petty and incorrect opinions on the book I have come to love so much!!! I can’t wait for the second book to be released! And I hope no one here misses out on this story because of a few petty reviewers on Goodreads that are taking opinions from tiktok and running with them. Give the book a try and see for yourself that it is a well-written and captivating story that will leave you looking forward to future releases! 😊

Lightlark is a fast-paced fantasy with an intriguing premise, but uneven execution. The idea of deadly games, cursed rulers, and a mysterious island is compelling, and it’s easy to see why the book gained so much buzz. However, the story doesn’t always live up to its potential.

Ainda não li, mas to super animada pra esse leitura. O livro chegou antes do planejado e super bem embalado!

Super excited to read this ! Was a good price and fast delivery. Disappointed though that it came in a bubble mailer with no other protection! Books should come in a box

Er zat een deuk in de rug van mijn boek, maar hij is prachtig

"Lightlark" mi ha sorpreso in positivo! La storia è davvero affascinante, con una trama che ti tiene incollato dalla prima all'ultima pagina. L'ambientazione magica dell'isola è ben costruita, e i personaggi, sebbene inizialmente sembrino stereotipati, diventano via via più complessi e interessanti. Mi è piaciuto il mix di mistero e azione, anche se alcune scelte della protagonista mi hanno lasciato un po' perplesso. Comunque, è un libro che mi ha coinvolto e che consiglio a chi cerca un fantasy avvincente e ricco di colpi di scena.

Story is mid but the book ....love it