Lightlark (The Lightlark Saga Book 1)

Name: Lightlark (The Lightlark Saga Book 1)
SKU: 101588
Availability: InStock

4.3 | 11,729 ratings

Price: 9.25

Last update: 11-13-2024

About this item

A gripping, propulsive YA fantasy novel from award-winning author and social media superstar Alex Aster, “Lightlark is an ebullient, fast-paced fantasy with a beautifully rendered world that seethes with intrigue, romance and tension. I couldn't turn the pages fast enough” (#1 New York Times bestselling author Sabaa Tahir)

An Instant #1 New York Times Bestseller

Welcome to the Centennial.

Every hundred years, the island of Lightlark appears for only 100 days to host a deadly game, where the rulers of six realms fight to break their curses and win unparalleled power. Each ruler has something to hide. Each curse is uniquely wicked. To break them—and save themselves and their realms—one ruler must die.

To survive, Isla Crown must lie, cheat, and betray. Even as love complicates everything . . .

Includes Select Exclusive Excerpts from Nightbane, the Second Book in the Lightlark Saga

Lightlark, the instant #1 international bestseller

Reviews from Elle and author Sabaa Tahir

The stunning, must-have collector's edition of Lightlark

Top reviews from the United States

A. Burnett

I shouldn’t have listened to the haters on BookTok and waited to long, because this was great!

Reviewed in the United States on October 28, 2024

This was a whole vibe, and I loved it. I don’t understand all the hate about this book because it was written exceptionally well for a first time author. Some notable writing achievements: the plot developed the story rather than the writer using internal monologue to develop it. There was very little of the typical endless world building that most fantasies have. She gave a little, then let the rest of the world unfold along with the plot (which was perfect). And most importantly, she didn’t fall into typical lazy writing devices which are so prevalent with new fantasy authors, like using an unreliable narrator to fill an obvious plot hole, THANK THE GODS! So touché to Alex Astor for doing the dang thing!!

Now onto the book. It was definitely YA. The only spicy scene was fade to black. I normally like my books heavy on the spice but I was OK with this one being one ????️. This was fantasy with a romantic subplot. Like it was always there waiting in the background but never the main point of the story.

I adored both Grimm and Oro for different reasons. Grimm definitely gave Rhysand vibes, though his actions left me super salty. Oro was NOT Matt Donovan like some reviews have suggested. He was broken and dying and I think that impacted his personality a great deal in the first book. I’m excited to see how the romance plays out in the next book.

I adored Isla. She was two sides of a coin in nearly every aspect of her personality: strong and weak, skilled and unskilled, trusting and untrusting, ruthless and too compassionate. She was very relatable, and I loved that her personality wasn’t built around an MMC. She was truly her own person with her own agendas and struggles.

I enjoyed the plot a lot. Honestly the “competition” thing was a turn off when I was was hesitating to start the book, but once I got into it I didn’t mind. It wasn’t“hunger games” like I was expecting. It was more a series of demonstrations with a lot of scheming and plotting between. It wasn’t super high action. I did find the rules of the Centennial confusing but it sorted itself out in the end.

Overall I just really enjoyed the book.

Freddi

easy read

Reviewed in the United States on October 30, 2024

I never wanted to put this book down and the plot twist was killer! Can’t wait to read what happens next.

Devan F.

Addictive

Reviewed in the United States on September 9, 2024

This book was a delightful surprise. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it, although I believe there is room for improvement. The world Aster has created has great potential for further exploration and expansion. I felt that the curses affecting each realm were not fully explained, which left me with some unanswered questions. The story is narrated solely from Isla's perspective, which may have contributed to my limited understanding of certain aspects.

I understood that six rulers were participating in a Centennial, an opportunity to break curses that have plagued their realms for centuries. The stakes were high, and the tension was palpable. I found the pacing of the book to be excellent, keeping me engaged and eager to discover what would happen next.

While there is a romantic element in the story, it takes a secondary role to the main plot. The book is filled with mystery, deception, battles, quests, and betrayal. I was fully invested in the story and enjoyed all its elements, even though I predicted Isla's betrayer early on. The final revelation included unexpected twists that deviated from my original assumptions, leaving me intrigued and eager to learn more.

I liked Isla as a character, more so than I had anticipated. However, some parts of the plot felt rushed and disjointed, hindering the smooth flow and development of the story. Despite these minor issues, I am genuinely excited to read the second book in the series.

Alison Majors

Could have been great

Reviewed in the United States on July 28, 2024

*Contains Spoilers*

I want to give this 4 stars just for the world created in this book alone. However, I can't. If a book makes me consider DNFing at least 3 times, I can only give it 3 stars. This series could have possibly been on the same level as ACOTAR in terms of a fantastic new fantasy world and romance. But the writing left much (and I do mean much) to be desired.

The heroine is indecisive, quick to jump to conclusions, and annoying.

Grim, at times, gave me Edward Cullen vibes. So, blegh.

Oro was honestly one of the only well written characters in this series.

Characters seemed to just fade into the background while things were going on. There were times that, in the book, Grim would just disappear without any explanation or even a thought from the heroine about his whereabouts for days on end despite them being in a "relationship" of some sort.

There were quite a few scenes that made me cringe at the sheer cliche of it. Don't even get me started on how Isla can't seem to keep her mouth shut. About anything. The characters constantly keeping her in the dark about, well, everything, was super frustrating, but - this girl can't keep a secret to save her life. Literally. She thought her opening her mouth and directly questioning characters on things others have told her (while NAMING THEM as the info givers) made her this confident, powerful female. Ugh, kill me now. It wouldn't have been so bad if she hadn't constantly name dropped.

Things just seemed to fall into place without much effort or struggle. It was all very rushed.

Honestly, i'm just super disappointed. The concept this author imagined is great and made me really excited for this book. But it ended up flopping due to bad writing. It reads more like something i'd find on Wattpad 14 years ago - decent, but not great.

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