Book Review: Lightlark by Alex Aster

jolaineabad
Feb 12
4 min read

Updated: Mar 23

She might not have powers, but that didn't mean she was powerless.

YOUNG ADULT	YA. ROMANCE	YA.FANTASY
YA. ADVENTURE	YA. DYSTOPIAN	YA. SUSPENSE

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Start Date: 02/06/2026	End Date: 02/12/2026
Genres: Young Adult // Romance, Fantasy, Adventure	Format: Paperback // Audiobook
Pages: 409 pages	Rating: ★★★★★ (5 stars)

⚠️ Content Warnings ⚠️

This book contains:
- Violence & death (including killings during competitions)
- Deadly trials / survival games
- Blood and injury (non-graphic but present)
- Curses and suffering tied to magic
- Betrayal and deception
- Emotional manipulation
- High-stakes pressure and anxiety
- Romantic tension / love triangle elements
- Power imbalance and political conflict
💔 Tone note: The story has a dark, high-stakes atmosphere where characters are constantly in danger, and trust is fragile.

BOOK TROPE GUIDE

🏝️

Deadly Competition

🖤 Cursed Kingdoms

👑

Royalty

🔥

Love Triangle

🎭

Secrets & Hidden Identities

🗡️

Betrayal

💔 Enemies to Lovers

🌑 Morally Grey Characters

⚡

High Stakes

🧠 Strategic Mind Games

ABOUT THIS BOOK:

Deadly• Twisted• Addictive

Every hundred years, the island of Lightlark appears for only one hundred days to host a deadly game. The rulers of the six realms must participate to break their curses and win unique power.

Each realm carries a deadly and wicked curse, and every ruler has secrets to hide.

Isla Crown will do everything and anything to save her dying realm—even if it means lying, betraying, and cheating.

Did I enjoy the book? Yes / No / Unsure

Would I read this again? Yes / No / Unsure

Would I recommend this to a friend? Yes / No / Unsure

What did I like the most?

What I like about this book is that it isn’t romance-driven. It focuses more on the games, the characters, and the strategy behind everything. I mean, sure, there is romance—but it’s not like any other romantasy I’ve read. It was actually refreshing to read a romantasy without spicy scenes, yet it still felt just as romantic.

What I liked the least (and why)?

The only thing I hated about this book—it ended in a cliffhanger. The worst part is, my copy is hardcover, and the only version available in my country is paperback! It won’t look good on my bookshelf—I hate when that happens.

Favorite Character

Favorite character/s:

Isla Crown

Badass Grimshaw Malvere I liked him for a lot of reasons, but I didn't like how he betrayed Isla.

Oro Rey

THE MAN—no words, just perfection! 🔥💛

Ratings

Book Cover

★★★★★

Writing Style

★★★★★

Story & Plot

★★★★★

Characters

★★★★★

Favorite Quotes

You take the pain like a medicine. You swallow it down with a smile.

My Book Review ✎ᝰ.

I want to start with — it was never my intention to read this, but I saw a lot of good reviews on YouTube that made me pause and say — I have to read this and see what's the hype about!

Let me tell you — Ms. Alex Aster delivers, and I’m obsessed. To be honest — I still don’t know if I’m team Grim or Oro.

Diving into this book—I was expecting a heavy romance and spicy scenes—but that’s not the case.

The story focuses mostly on the games—not to mention, the world-building was easy to understand. It’s not very complicated—straightforward words and sentences are used, yet the story remains impactful.

While writing this book, I was hoping to not spoil it—crossing my fingers! But since you're already here let me give you a warning.

⚠️POSSIBLE SPOILER ALERT! DON'T SAY I DIDN'T WARN YOU⚠️

I want to talk about Isla’s realm first.

The curse they have is insane—you can’t fall in love, because if you do, either you’ll kill your lover or they’ll kill you. And in all honesty, in this kind of universe, it’s usually the women who fall first and are willing to sacrifice themselves—even if that means leaving their children with a complete stranger or a family member.

In some books, the main character might be mistreated—but that doesn’t happen here. Still, Isla has to start training at a very young age because: one, she doesn’t have powers yet, and two, she is the leader of her realm and required to join Lightlark. If she dies, her entire realm goes down with her—a very heavy responsibility for someone so young.

I had predictions at some parts of the book—but I already knew from the get-go that Celeste was going to betray everyone, especially Isla. She’s been her best friend her whole life, but something about her didn’t sit right with me—she looks innocent, but she smells fishy (not literally, of course).

The love triangle in this book is so unexpected at first—even after Oro and Isla were teamed up. I wasn’t expecting anything romantic between them, but then I slowly noticed how Oro’s attitude toward Isla was changing (based on how Alex Aster wrote it). At that point, I knew Oro was going to fall for Isla.

Grimshaw has one of the saddest love stories, honestly. Imagine watching the person you love slowly fall for someone else. Isla wasn’t exactly head-over-heels for Oro, but the rules in Lightlark say that if you truly fall in love, you can wield that person’s powers too.

As much as I want to spoil it here, I’ll hold back—I want you to experience it for yourself. Just know this: the twist is wiiiild.

Let me also talk about the writing—which I almost forgot. Like I said, there’s a lot to learn about this world, and Alex Aster wrote it really well. It’s not complicated like other fantasy books I’ve read—it’s surprisingly easy to understand.

This book is just so good—I honestly have nothing bad to say about it!

But with all that being said—this book is so good, and I totally get the hype! I love The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, and this one definitely gave me similar vibes.

So if you’re into deadly dystopian-style games, romance, a fast-paced plot, and shocking twists—this book is for you. I loved it!

In Lightlark, love isn’t just emotional—it’s deadly. Falling in love could cost you your life or the life of the person you love, which makes every connection feel dangerous and powerful at the same time.