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3.7 AVERAGE
3.7 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
tense
medium-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'd rate this book 3.75 stars. I was a little lost at first but I quickly got hooked.
When Isla and Oro first started looking for the heart I was a little bored, but once it became the main focus, it got very interesting.
At first I really liked Grim and got annoyed at how much time Isla was spending with Oro, but obviously that changed in the end.
The end had the BIGGEST plot twists ever. Like excuse me??? Celeste being Aurora and tricking Isla, Grim betraying Isla, Isla HAVING POWERS-it's too much.
When Isla and Oro first started looking for the heart I was a little bored, but once it became the main focus, it got very interesting.
At first I really liked Grim and got annoyed at how much time Isla was spending with Oro, but obviously that changed in the end.
The end had the BIGGEST plot twists ever. Like excuse me??? Celeste being Aurora and tricking Isla, Grim betraying Isla, Isla HAVING POWERS-it's too much.
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
3.0/5.0 Stars
The first 70% of this book took me ages to get through, which is definitely not normal for me. There wasn't much to complain about in terms of prose, but I just didn't find the plot or characters engaging. Isla herself fell a little flat-- it's repeated so many times in the narrative how strong & dangerous she is, but any time she finds herself in a crisis, one of the men swoop in to save the day (inevitably saving her life). It wouldn't be something to complain about if it happened once or twice, but it was a pretty consistent pattern. There are a few cringy moments in dialogue, but I liked it for the most part and think it would be funny to the right person.
I had settled initially on giving this book a two-star rating (not too bad, but it just wasn't for me) until the last fifty pages which were CRAZY. No spoilers, but there was just a lot of action and drama there, which I felt like the first 3/4 was lacking. Went from not even thinking about continuing the series to putting Nightbane on hold at the library-- willing to give it a chance!
Favorite Character: Oro
The first 70% of this book took me ages to get through, which is definitely not normal for me. There wasn't much to complain about in terms of prose, but I just didn't find the plot or characters engaging. Isla herself fell a little flat-- it's repeated so many times in the narrative how strong & dangerous she is, but any time she finds herself in a crisis, one of the men swoop in to save the day (inevitably saving her life). It wouldn't be something to complain about if it happened once or twice, but it was a pretty consistent pattern. There are a few cringy moments in dialogue, but I liked it for the most part and think it would be funny to the right person.
I had settled initially on giving this book a two-star rating (not too bad, but it just wasn't for me) until the last fifty pages which were CRAZY. No spoilers, but there was just a lot of action and drama there, which I felt like the first 3/4 was lacking. Went from not even thinking about continuing the series to putting Nightbane on hold at the library-- willing to give it a chance!
Favorite Character: Oro
"C’est à ce moment-là que j’ai compris que je t’aimais, avait-il confié. Quand la flèche t’a transpercé le cœur et qu’il aurait tout aussi bien pu s’agir du mien. »
Mais cette histoire et ce plot twist m'ont embarqué. J'ai mis du temps a lire ce livre à cause de mon emploi du temps chargé. Mais c'était vraiment génial.
Mais cette histoire et ce plot twist m'ont embarqué. J'ai mis du temps a lire ce livre à cause de mon emploi du temps chargé. Mais c'était vraiment génial.
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-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
adventurous
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I spent 90% of this book with my eyebrows raised and my trust issues waving red flags.
Lightlark drops you right into a beautifully imagined world with deadly stakes, curses, and something that felt like an attempt at a Caraval or Hunger Games type of competition. Needless to say, it did not hit the mark there. It didn't feel much like a competition like I think the author intended.
While the premise is chef's kiss, the execution left me with a lot of questions. Mostly: "Why is no on asking obvious questions?!" (Looking at you, Isla.)
Let's talk characters. Isla was, to quote this books favorite character description, foolish. The girl made some wild decisions and missed a lot of red flags.I clocked her guardians and Celeste as shady within two chapters, and surprise surprise, they were. Grim was interesting, but I could tell he was hiding a major bombshell of info right from the beginning. he was, and I totally expected it. But also, screw you, Grim. That was so messed up. His love for Isla seems very insufficient and almost like more of an obsession than a true love.
The romance was definitely a rollercoaster. Insta-love with Grim came in fast and hot, and was incredibly off-putting.When I found out what he did to Isla it made more sense obviously, but as the reader in the dark with Isla, it was a little...icky??? Now I don't know who I'm supposed to root for.
Plot-wise, it was kind of a weird mix of predictable and convoluted. The pacing dragged for the first 70% and then absolutely sprinted through the final act. Like, Alex, girly, why are we dropping life-altering plot twists with 20 pages left in the book and NO TIME to fix anything????
That said, I'm invested enough in the world and magic system to keep going. I won't be rushing into book two, but I will be reading it...cautiously.
Lightlark drops you right into a beautifully imagined world with deadly stakes, curses, and something that felt like an attempt at a Caraval or Hunger Games type of competition. Needless to say, it did not hit the mark there. It didn't feel much like a competition like I think the author intended.
While the premise is chef's kiss, the execution left me with a lot of questions. Mostly: "Why is no on asking obvious questions?!" (Looking at you, Isla.)
Let's talk characters. Isla was, to quote this books favorite character description, foolish. The girl made some wild decisions and missed a lot of red flags.
The romance was definitely a rollercoaster. Insta-love with Grim came in fast and hot, and was incredibly off-putting.
Plot-wise, it was kind of a weird mix of predictable and convoluted. The pacing dragged for the first 70% and then absolutely sprinted through the final act. Like, Alex, girly, why are we dropping life-altering plot twists with 20 pages left in the book and NO TIME to fix anything????
That said, I'm invested enough in the world and magic system to keep going. I won't be rushing into book two, but I will be reading it...cautiously.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
I really enjoyed reading Lightlark! This book is full of secrets and mysteries and things your trying to figure out the entire time. It had me guessing who could be trusted, or who could not be trusted. There were so many unknowns I was trying to figure out. And crazy twists near the end that I didn't even see coming.
The romance in this book is a bit of a slow burn, which I like. And there is a bit of a love triangle. I definitely had one person that I was rooting for the whole time.
I do wish there was more world building in this story. I found myself wanting to know more about all the different realms. There was some info about the realms, but I wanted to go deeper into it and really learn more details about all the different realms and more about how the curses were affecting them. I also really would have liked to learn more about each of the rulers' powers and have each of the characters expanded upon more. I think it would have helped me have a better connection to the characters and helped me understand why they made some of the decisions that they made. Especially characters like Azul. The book didn't go much into him or his story and I wanted to know more. Maybe there will be more information like that in the next book, Nightbane.
And the fact that the main character Isla doesn't have powers, it leaves you wondering why? She should have powers, Her mother had powers, and everyone in her family had powers, but she doesn't. So that's one of the things in the book that you are wondering about and trying to figure out. You do find out eventually what's going on, but the lead up to it keeps you guessing and really makes you think along the way.
Overall, I really liked this book. It is a great YA fantasy if you are looking for something a little more light to read.
The romance in this book is a bit of a slow burn, which I like. And there is a bit of a love triangle. I definitely had one person that I was rooting for the whole time.
I do wish there was more world building in this story. I found myself wanting to know more about all the different realms. There was some info about the realms, but I wanted to go deeper into it and really learn more details about all the different realms and more about how the curses were affecting them. I also really would have liked to learn more about each of the rulers' powers and have each of the characters expanded upon more. I think it would have helped me have a better connection to the characters and helped me understand why they made some of the decisions that they made. Especially characters like Azul. The book didn't go much into him or his story and I wanted to know more. Maybe there will be more information like that in the next book, Nightbane.
And the fact that the main character Isla doesn't have powers, it leaves you wondering why? She should have powers, Her mother had powers, and everyone in her family had powers, but she doesn't. So that's one of the things in the book that you are wondering about and trying to figure out. You do find out eventually what's going on, but the lead up to it keeps you guessing and really makes you think along the way.
Overall, I really liked this book. It is a great YA fantasy if you are looking for something a little more light to read.