Lightlark - Alex Aster

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. (link)

Review: 2/5

I meh this book; I didn’t like it enough to love it, or want to read the next one. Honestly, I thought it was pretty overhyped. I also saw INSANE similarities to A Court of Thorns and Roses, which… is 7 years Lightlark’s senior. I mean ACOTAR was published in 2015 while Lightlark was published in 2022? Yikes. Listen, I’ve read a LOT of fantasy books this year (Fourth Wing, A Court of Thorns and Roses, Throne of Glass, A Far Wilder Magic, Game of Thrones…) and none of them have given me that vibe that they relied on another book's success to have their own. Let's compare the two, shall we? (Spoilers ahead for both books!)

First, the obviousness of fantasy; I believe there is an importance of individuality when it comes to writing and reading fantasy books. Second, the obvious love triangle between the “light” guy (Tamlin/Oro) and the “dark” guy (Rhysand/Grim). Third, the riddle. Fourth, the “courts” and “isles”. Fifth, the idea that “oh if I (a young girl who has always provided for her family) doesn’t complete this task, everyone in the land is doomed to be cursed forever. Sixth, big plot twist of someone being behind the curse that is not introduced until they are revealed: Amarantha/Aurora… There's a big ball where something crazy happens with a love interest. Transfer of powers between true lovers. I MEAN COME ON?? There's no originality, and that’s what upset me the most I think.

While I didn't like this book because I was having deja vu the entire time, I can appreciate it in a way. I hope this book provides a good introduction to fantasy for some new readers, as ACOTAR did for me. However, I think it’s a shame that I couldn’t like this book separately from liking ACOTAR as well. I hope people who have never read anything in fantasy can be fans of this (while I do think that’s primarily the target market for this book) because once they get to Sarah J Maas, they will fall HARD in love with her art… I would dare say Lightlark is a stepping stone into fantasy. But honestly, I really recommend not wasting your time if you could just go straight to ACOTAR…

I hope for Alex Aster that her newer books in the series will be better and more original, as well as having less plot holes. However, she has lost me as a reader, and I had high hopes for this book!

This playlist was hard to create since I had no connection to the book, but I did it regardless. Alas, I have a niche to stay on top of. Here it is!

Spotify: LINK