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3.97 AVERAGE
3.97 AVERAGE
I couldn't get through more than the first chapter, I was younger when I read the first book so I assume that was how I missed all the plot holes and dodgy characters and world building in the first book. This second book opened my eyes to all that, when I started it I though that surely the first one wasn't like this, but I went back and it was. It reads most like a poorly edited wattpad fic and I honestly think that if the author had worked with a better editing team and taken a few more years to hone her writing and world building, that these books could have been better than what they are, as it is it's honestly not worth buying. I see some great ideas in this book, but the presentation is trash.
adventurous
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Okay, I thought Lightlark was good… this book? I literally screamed when I turned the last page. I honestly didn’t know which way the final battle would go. The fact that Isla married Grim???? What does it mean????? I was always kinda rooting for them but I couldn’t tell why their chemistry was so strong. So does this mean they’ll both rule the new world?? Will they keep their powers? Will Isla’s life still be bound to Grim? I have SO MANY questions and currently no answers. This is the best book I’ve read in a long time!!
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
fast-paced
Loveable characters:
Yes
I‰ЫЄm in mourning. No one speak to me until November 2024.
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Parts of this book were frustrating, especially the female lead. It took a lot longer for me to stay tuned in to listening to the audiobook
In hindsight, I don't know why I read the second book of this series when the first one was just so painfully mediocre, but I did, and I am worse for it.
This book suffers heavily due to the inadequacies of the first novel. When reading a fantasy series, I think the most important element, presumably more so than other genres, is the worldbuilding. Unfortunately, Aster did next to none of it in the first book. Had Lightlark been a standalone, she might've gotten away with it. But then deciding to continue a series without the proper foundation to build the story makes for the mess that is Nightbane. Two books in, and I am still asking origin story questions, like where did this world come from? where did these powers come from? why did certain lands split off but not others? why did they create a monarchy system in the first place? what was the world like before the curses existed? why do certain prejudices and stereotypes exist against certain realms (and why did Aster choose to lean into some pretty problematic ones)? And to those who say that stuff isn't important, or you can get through the book without knowing this information, I counter, saying: if you are going to write a fantasy novel, and create a new, unfamiliar power system, and have prophecies, and oracles, and curses, and wars, and rulers, and beasts, and mythical creatures, stop assuming your readers are dumb and give them backstory and substance.
Again, because the worldbuilding is so lackluster in the first book, the main problem or conflict that arises in the second book really doesn't make sense. We're supposed to be following the characters on Lightlark that are preparing for war against the Nightshade, but we don't know why Grim is waging war, and that, for me, already makes him unbearable as a love interest and villain. How am I supposed to root for or against a character when I don't even understand their motivations?
That leads to another big problem with all the characters in the story: I don't know what's motivating them. I honestly don't know much about them besides the fact that they're supremely overpowered and don't deal with any of the traumatic events they go through, especially Isla. I wouldn't be surprised if they don't know what's motivating them. It's so frustrating to read hundreds of pages about characters where the author is steadily trying to convince me of something that is not believable, i.e., the romances, the lore of Lightlark, the placidness of the citizens of the realms. Like, holy shit, you would think after 500 years of curses not being able to be broken and everyday people being gravely affected yet having nothing to do with the curses in the first place, the rebellion would've been talked about sooner?
But concerning the main characters, Aster fails to realize that in all the muddled plot points and random story-saving magic and tricks and rules that she creates and breaks on a whim, she forgets to create characters I actually care about. It's been two books, and I find myself not continuing to read the third novel because I literally couldn't care less about Oro, Isla, and Grim. There is not even a single side character with enough backstory to keep me reading this book, and apathy for characters is worse than contempt on almost every level.
I will also say that Aster is quite bold in comparing this series to The Hunger Games. At the risk of sounding rude, it's genuinely an insult to Suzanne Collins and the masterclass in writing that is one of the greatest pieces of YA prose written. THG deals with themes of class, discrimination, capitalism, war, loss, youth, identity, and an oppressive government, all while tying in a compelling love triangle that, while not the main point, adds to the themes listed above!! I couldn't even tell you a theme that existed within Aster's writing, which is so unfortunate because she could have gone so many interesting routes here.
For one, it seemed at the beginning Isla was questioning what love was and why she loved Oro. That was great. After being locked in her room for 18-19 years, and then being lied to and "betrayed" multiple times, and learning more about her powers and family backstory, I would have been completely onboard for her to explore themes of love and what that meant to her, or her defining love for herself. Not covered at all. Instead, we get a lot of Isla being insatiably horny, which I am not here to slut shame, but one, it's a little uncomfortable to read about 500 year old men thirsting after an 18-19-year-old girl, and two, it's extremely uncomfortable that this book is marketed toward 12-18 year olds, because there are some scenes where Aster attempts to toe the line between adult themes and it being a YA book, and it's not handled well at all.
Ok, if not love, what about loss, and how it shapes a person? We know Isla lost who she thought was her best friend, and we learned she lost all her memories of a presumed love between her and Grim, and what about her lost childhood because of her guardians/captors? All those could be great themes worth exploring! Oh, I see, she's just gonna scream in her dead ex-best friend's room, destroy everything, and take a feather that never comes back in the book and not deal with any of these events? And she's gonna banish the only two people in her realm that knew her parents and knew her throughout childhood and could answer some of the most pressing questions she never deigns to ask? Right, ok, that's fine.
Ok, then what about fate? Aster wrote oracles and prophecies into the story, and those are the easiest storytelling devices used to relay themes of fate and destiny, and subverting what is supposedly bound to happen. Ah, I see, the oracle is pretty much only brought up twice in the novel, and no extra effort is made by anyone to try and interpret or even critically think about what it means? Got it.
I'm kind of tired writing this, and I'm starting to feel a little mean, but I guess if I could sum up my feelings about this series, I would say this is in desperate, desperate need of an editor who will tell Aster straight up, "Hey, this is bad. Don't include this. Write this out. Cut this down. Focus on this." That alone would fix 50% of the problems. It also feels weird that she's been working on this for 10 years, and it's this convoluted and shoddily written. I remember someone pointing out that a line read in the books that "she ran like she was running from something," and that alone, I think, perfectly encapsulates the general ethos of this current duology. Good luck to her to finish writing the (hopefully) last one, but I genuinely cannot partake in any more of this mess.
This book suffers heavily due to the inadequacies of the first novel. When reading a fantasy series, I think the most important element, presumably more so than other genres, is the worldbuilding. Unfortunately, Aster did next to none of it in the first book. Had Lightlark been a standalone, she might've gotten away with it. But then deciding to continue a series without the proper foundation to build the story makes for the mess that is Nightbane. Two books in, and I am still asking origin story questions, like where did this world come from? where did these powers come from? why did certain lands split off but not others? why did they create a monarchy system in the first place? what was the world like before the curses existed? why do certain prejudices and stereotypes exist against certain realms (and why did Aster choose to lean into some pretty problematic ones)? And to those who say that stuff isn't important, or you can get through the book without knowing this information, I counter, saying: if you are going to write a fantasy novel, and create a new, unfamiliar power system, and have prophecies, and oracles, and curses, and wars, and rulers, and beasts, and mythical creatures, stop assuming your readers are dumb and give them backstory and substance.
Again, because the worldbuilding is so lackluster in the first book, the main problem or conflict that arises in the second book really doesn't make sense. We're supposed to be following the characters on Lightlark that are preparing for war against the Nightshade, but we don't know why Grim is waging war, and that, for me, already makes him unbearable as a love interest and villain. How am I supposed to root for or against a character when I don't even understand their motivations?
That leads to another big problem with all the characters in the story: I don't know what's motivating them. I honestly don't know much about them besides the fact that they're supremely overpowered and don't deal with any of the traumatic events they go through, especially Isla. I wouldn't be surprised if they don't know what's motivating them. It's so frustrating to read hundreds of pages about characters where the author is steadily trying to convince me of something that is not believable, i.e., the romances, the lore of Lightlark, the placidness of the citizens of the realms. Like, holy shit, you would think after 500 years of curses not being able to be broken and everyday people being gravely affected yet having nothing to do with the curses in the first place, the rebellion would've been talked about sooner?
But concerning the main characters, Aster fails to realize that in all the muddled plot points and random story-saving magic and tricks and rules that she creates and breaks on a whim, she forgets to create characters I actually care about. It's been two books, and I find myself not continuing to read the third novel because I literally couldn't care less about Oro, Isla, and Grim. There is not even a single side character with enough backstory to keep me reading this book, and apathy for characters is worse than contempt on almost every level.
I will also say that Aster is quite bold in comparing this series to The Hunger Games. At the risk of sounding rude, it's genuinely an insult to Suzanne Collins and the masterclass in writing that is one of the greatest pieces of YA prose written. THG deals with themes of class, discrimination, capitalism, war, loss, youth, identity, and an oppressive government, all while tying in a compelling love triangle that, while not the main point, adds to the themes listed above!! I couldn't even tell you a theme that existed within Aster's writing, which is so unfortunate because she could have gone so many interesting routes here.
For one, it seemed at the beginning Isla was questioning what love was and why she loved Oro. That was great. After being locked in her room for 18-19 years, and then being lied to and "betrayed" multiple times, and learning more about her powers and family backstory, I would have been completely onboard for her to explore themes of love and what that meant to her, or her defining love for herself. Not covered at all. Instead, we get a lot of Isla being insatiably horny, which I am not here to slut shame, but one, it's a little uncomfortable to read about 500 year old men thirsting after an 18-19-year-old girl, and two, it's extremely uncomfortable that this book is marketed toward 12-18 year olds, because there are some scenes where Aster attempts to toe the line between adult themes and it being a YA book, and it's not handled well at all.
Ok, if not love, what about loss, and how it shapes a person? We know Isla lost who she thought was her best friend, and we learned she lost all her memories of a presumed love between her and Grim, and what about her lost childhood because of her guardians/captors? All those could be great themes worth exploring! Oh, I see, she's just gonna scream in her dead ex-best friend's room, destroy everything, and take a feather that never comes back in the book and not deal with any of these events? And she's gonna banish the only two people in her realm that knew her parents and knew her throughout childhood and could answer some of the most pressing questions she never deigns to ask? Right, ok, that's fine.
Ok, then what about fate? Aster wrote oracles and prophecies into the story, and those are the easiest storytelling devices used to relay themes of fate and destiny, and subverting what is supposedly bound to happen. Ah, I see, the oracle is pretty much only brought up twice in the novel, and no extra effort is made by anyone to try and interpret or even critically think about what it means? Got it.
I'm kind of tired writing this, and I'm starting to feel a little mean, but I guess if I could sum up my feelings about this series, I would say this is in desperate, desperate need of an editor who will tell Aster straight up, "Hey, this is bad. Don't include this. Write this out. Cut this down. Focus on this." That alone would fix 50% of the problems. It also feels weird that she's been working on this for 10 years, and it's this convoluted and shoddily written. I remember someone pointing out that a line read in the books that "she ran like she was running from something," and that alone, I think, perfectly encapsulates the general ethos of this current duology. Good luck to her to finish writing the (hopefully) last one, but I genuinely cannot partake in any more of this mess.
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I absolutely demolished the second installment of the “Lightlark” series. Every page turn had me hooked. I will say, the ending cadences were a little predictable and I’m not going into the third book with as much enthusiasm as I went from 1 to 2, but I’m still excited to see where the story takes us. I do think I’ll be an Oro girly through and through- I’m kind of tired of the dark broody male love interest. It’s starting to get boring. But I’m open to seeing how Isla grows into her power, with Grim alongside her. We’ll see if he can actually redeem himself.
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated