Lightlark #1
Visit Alex Aster’s TikToc HERE.
Want to read all the scandalous details in The Damned? Check out the Spoiler Report.
Welcome to the Centennial.
Every 100 years, the island of Lightlark appears to host the Centennial, a deadly game that only the rulers of six realms are invited to play. The invitation is a summons- a call to embrace victory and ruin, baubles and blood.
The Centennial offers the six rulers one final chance to break the curses that have plagued their realms for centuries. Each ruler has something to hide. Each realm’s curse is uniquely wicked. To destroy the curses, one ruler must die.
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, betray…even as love complicates everything.
Isla is an incredibly relatable character no matter her level of naivete. Because she is young and has been sheltered her entire life, it’s almost laughable how much she doesn’t understand and, ultimately, how gullible she it. The entirety of the book felt as it it was Isla living her life in a world she thought she understood, and then the rest of reality.
It’s even a bit off putting as she runs around thinking she is the authority on insider knowledge. Maybe it is because I’m not within the target audience’s age range. Maybe it’s because I know better and immediately recognized the antagonist the moment they were introduced. Did it ruin the story for me as a whole? Not in the least.
Th world building is well done. The brief history lessons throughout the story are all appropriately placed and never drone on. I hate when books do that. Just give me enough to explain and entice, not bore me and put me to sleep. Alex did just that. Explain and entice, I mean. They even add to the scene most of the time.
The magic system is well done. Each realm is reminiscent of a Fae court, where every court has their own unique abilities, culture, lifestyle, and morals. It’s not overly complicated and stays consistent throughout the story.
With such a small cast it would have been nice to have included what became the ‘irrelevant’ characters a bit more. Some of the realm leaders turned into nothing more than a mention here and there.
Speaking of characters, Isla is supposed to be from a race of temptresses. Other than mentioning provocative clothing, that attribute was never played upon. True, she was never going to go through with the plan Poppy and Terra laid out for her. But she also wanted to stay under the radar. What better way to go unnoticed than to act completely out of character for your race? (Enter sarcasm here).
While she was treated as though all the other realms despised her, no one ever showed fear so much as disgust. Probably because no one believed her to be a temptress. Just a young, naive girl, whom they believe eats hearts. Which is what she comes off as most of the time; except for the heart eating. No one approached her as a temptress or really mentioned it much. Which I found odd since it was so highly emphasized in the publisher’s blurb.
I understand why so many things, and people, may not have gotten the page time they deserved – a lot happened. Because of that, everything seemed rushed and stinted.
But the plot and characters as a whole kept me engaged and turning the pages.
I wouldn’t classify the ending as a cliff hanger, but it was open-ended and clearly left a starting point for the next in the series. Honestly, if I wasn’t planning on continuing the series, which I absolutely plan on doing, I would feel satisfied. All of the major issues get resolved in a neat little package.
Personally, I want to know what happens with Grim.
