Every century the rulers of Lightlark’s six realms come together to play a deadly game for the chance to break the curses each realm – and their inhabitants – have endured for 500 years. Each ruler has secrets and motives to hide, including Isla, one of the youngest of the rulers. The game is deadly by nature, but Isla’s secrets could get her killed faster than any competition. Who can she trust among the other rulers, especially when she knows she can’t trust anyone with her heart.

Another Hunger Games-like romantasy with a love triangle and some fun twists. Formulaic, sure, but a hoot nonetheless. It ends on a cliffhanger, so I’ll definitely be continuing with the series. ( )

I loved everything about this book. It kept me on my toes! On to book 2 asap ( )

One of my favorite YAs I’ve read this year. I didn’t want it to end! ( )

Lightlark (Lightlark, #1) by Alex Aster

The Island of Lightlark appers every onehundred years for the Centenial. The rulers of the six realms must fight to break the Curse and save their realms.

Each Curse is different, dangerous and created from all things evil. One ruler must die in order to save all of thier worlds.

Isla is one of the youngest rulers of all the realms and one of the most hated. She will fight with all of her might, lie and cheat if she must. Not knowing who is friend or foe makes this a challenge, as secrets are kept and loyalties tested.

The story moves at a steady pace with well developed (unique) characters. Attention to details, pulls you in deep. Suspesne, action, thrills, a splash of romance and didn't-see-that-coming moments. I was hooked from the first page.

Overall I found Lightlark enjoyable. I highly recommend to those who enjoy a great fantasy. I look forward to the next book in the series Nightbane. ( )

Representation: N/A
Trigger warnings: Death of people in the past, murder, blood depiction, physical assault and injury, building collapse
Score: Five points out of ten.
Find this review on The StoryGraph.

Oh, look, another BookTok book. I got this one alongside others from the library and after enjoying another novel, Lightlark seemed right up my alley. A high YA fantasy story? That sounds like an outstanding read. I finally picked it up and read Lightlark, but when I finished it, I was underwhelmed. Maybe Nightbane could be better.

It starts with the first character I see, Isla Crown, living in Wildling, one of the six realms, wanting to restore its glory after the curse plagued the world she resides in. She has an opportunity to do so when the central island, Lightlark, rises, allowing six rulers to fight to the death to remove their afflictions. There are so many flaws in Lightlark, I don't know where to begin. The pacing is too tedious and not engaging enough for me to continue reading. A typical edition would clock in at under 400 pages, but this one had over 700 due to the large print. I couldn't connect or relate to the characters. The worldbuilding isn't there; there's no explanation as to why the ordeals are there. If curse-affected Wildlings must kill their partners, how come Isla fell in love with someone without murdering him? The writing style is rudimentary (I get it. The author could've used that writing method to make Lightlark more accessible, but it juxtaposes the setting and the text would be better off as more eloquent prose.) Did I mention Lightlark copied The Hunger Games? To equate the former to authors like Marie Lu, Marissa Meyer and Leigh Bardugo would be an insult. By the time the narrative ended, I didn't care about anything in there anymore.

To summarise, Lightlark joins a long line of underwhelming, overrated and overhyped BookTok publications that did not live up to their promises, like A Winter's Promise and The Hazel Wood. ( )