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3.7 AVERAGE
3.7 AVERAGE
fast-paced
3.5/5⭐️
I realized after I started that this was meant for a younger audience haha, but I was still genuinely hooked. Pretty much just a mashup of every YA dystopian book but with magic.
The end had me distressed and i still don’t know how to feel about it.
I realized after I started that this was meant for a younger audience haha, but I was still genuinely hooked. Pretty much just a mashup of every YA dystopian book but with magic.
The end had me distressed and i still don’t know how to feel about it.
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
can there be too many twists?
Book 22 for 2024
Overall Rating 4.5/5
Most of the time in fantasy books the main trope is that the FMC doesn't know that she's royalty and has to go on a journey to find herself. This book starts with the FMC knowing that she is royalty and has to fight to defend herself and honor, which was a nice change in pace that I enjoyed. There were many themes, tropes and plenty of blatant symbolism that kept my attention throughout this book. The main idea of this book is that even if you believe and are told you are powerless, it is quite likely that there are other things about yourself that make you stronger than you believe, which I think is a great message. The FMC also had two "love interests" in this book which is always fun to play the guessing game of what is going to happen next. I also do have to say that I was satisfied when I was shocked at the ending, there were a few things that happened that I wasn't quite expecting, and a lot of scenes where I was cheering in my head. Overall, good fantasy book and I will be going to get the second book immediately.
Overall Rating 4.5/5
Most of the time in fantasy books the main trope is that the FMC doesn't know that she's royalty and has to go on a journey to find herself. This book starts with the FMC knowing that she is royalty and has to fight to defend herself and honor, which was a nice change in pace that I enjoyed. There were many themes, tropes and plenty of blatant symbolism that kept my attention throughout this book. The main idea of this book is that even if you believe and are told you are powerless, it is quite likely that there are other things about yourself that make you stronger than you believe, which I think is a great message. The FMC also had two "love interests" in this book which is always fun to play the guessing game of what is going to happen next. I also do have to say that I was satisfied when I was shocked at the ending, there were a few things that happened that I wasn't quite expecting, and a lot of scenes where I was cheering in my head. Overall, good fantasy book and I will be going to get the second book immediately.
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Such an amazing concept and a beautiful start to worldbuilding but it didn't feel complete. It felt like there were a lot of dots and some of them connected but not really well and I felt like a lot of the surprise came from the complete lack of information given to the audience. I don't mean to say Aster was supposed to tell us how it ended but I felt like there could've been more clues and foreshadowing. It didn't feel like this book was loved when it was made. It felt rushed. These don't seem like things that will be revealed in the next books either. The romance didn't do it for me either. It felt a little forced and based on loose excuses. I liked Oro more than Grim though. Maybe because he had more screentime & dimension to him than Grim did.
Also, Isla is terrible at everything that wasn't handed to her on a silver plate and it is infuriating. I wish they had leaned into her flaws more. The book felt like it was trying to PROVE that she had character development by going over all the ways she had changed since the start of the book but honestly, I didn't really feel much change at all. She was still naive, she was still falling in love without a second thought and I just wish she had more to her. All the characters were a little flat.
Some things I wish were addressed or expounded (&, in honesty, might be in the other books. I'm not going to read them):
The Vinderlands
The wild "beasts" in Lightlark that hate Wildings (I don't think they were refering to the vinderlands and ghosts??? Not really beastly???)
The politics of the Skylings (why are they the only ones that practice democracy? How does that affect their relationship with the Skyling ruler?)
The emotional/mental effects of the hearteater curse on the Wildling population (the pressure to build the quickly dwindling population while not falling in love)
Isla's greed
The public perception and response to the Centennial
The Magic system
Also, Isla is terrible at everything that wasn't handed to her on a silver plate and it is infuriating. I wish they had leaned into her flaws more. The book felt like it was trying to PROVE that she had character development by going over all the ways she had changed since the start of the book but honestly, I didn't really feel much change at all. She was still naive, she was still falling in love without a second thought and I just wish she had more to her. All the characters were a little flat.
Some things I wish were addressed or expounded (&, in honesty, might be in the other books. I'm not going to read them):
The wild "beasts" in Lightlark that hate Wildings (I don't think they were refering to the vinderlands and ghosts??? Not really beastly???)
The politics of the Skylings (why are they the only ones that practice democracy? How does that affect their relationship with the Skyling ruler?)
The emotional/mental effects of the hearteater curse on the Wildling population (the pressure to build the quickly dwindling population while not falling in love)
Isla's greed
The public perception and response to the Centennial
The Magic system
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cannibalism
Moderate: Sexual content, Toxic friendship
Minor: Stalking, Sexual harassment
The sexual harassment isn't painted as all that bad but it made me uncomfortable enough to mention. I skimmed over most of those parts.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I finally joined the Lightlark train, and I am so glad I did. This story started out very slow, but once it got going, I was hooked!
What I liked: I enjoyed the characters, for the most part, and every character felt like they had a true purpose for the story. I think the idea for the story is very original, and the plot twists at the end had my jaw on the floor!
What I didn’t like: It was kind of hard to get into the story because it felt so slow, and I found my mind wandering having to re-read many paragraphs. I know there was a lot of world-building that needed to happen, but it felt like it dragged on a bit until about halfway through the book.
What I liked: I enjoyed the characters, for the most part, and every character felt like they had a true purpose for the story. I think the idea for the story is very original, and the plot twists at the end had my jaw on the floor!
What I didn’t like: It was kind of hard to get into the story because it felt so slow, and I found my mind wandering having to re-read many paragraphs. I know there was a lot of world-building that needed to happen, but it felt like it dragged on a bit until about halfway through the book.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
a romantasy HATES to see me coming. the plot twists really got me and it was refreshing to have some unique world building. running to the second!!