The “Lightlark” series by Alex Aster has been one of the most hated young adult fantasy series online since its original release on Aug. 23, 2022. It often receives many critiques and harsh opinions online. However, this series has its charms.
The first book in the series, “Lightlark,” centers around the Centennial, which is a deadly game that happens every 100 years where six rulers must fight to break their curses. Each ruler has different powers and curses. For example, one of the rulers is able to manipulate shadows, but they will perish if they get caught outside after nightfall.
To end these curses, one of the rulers must die. However, when a ruler dies, so do the people they rule over. The stakes are high, and losing is not an option.
Ruler of the Wildings, Isla, knows if the curses are not broken during this Centennial, then her people will die out before the next one happens. Yet, Isla has a disadvantage. She is powerless.
The high stakes of the trials and curses make this a very intriguing book and world. The trials themselves are very unique in comparison to other books like “The Hunger Games” by Suzanne Collins and “Serpent and the Wings of Night” by Carissa Broadbent. Unlike the beginnings of those two books, the first few trials aren’t necessarily deadly.
Instead, the trials begin as tests to determine who the strongest amongst the rulers is, which isn’t something typically seen within books with deadly games and trials. That is partly what makes this book so intriguing.
And with trials this deadly, there are bound to be people that play dirty. The betrayals in this book were absolutely jaw- dropping. Especially the ones at the end of “Lightlark.” They were simply so unpredictable that it made it easy to dive straight into the next book, “Nightbane.”
With the curses broken and war looming over her head, Isla is forced to master her new powers and face her past while trying to unite the realms in “Nightbane.” It was hard to believe that the series could get much better after “Lightlark,” but the second book was on an entirely different level.
“Nightbane” had plot twists just as astonishing as “Lightlark.” However, that is not the best part of “Nightbane.” Of course, plot twists are fun and interesting, but the best part of “Nightbane” is the deeper look provided into the characters.
The second book was able to bring much needed clarity to Isla’s past and character that wasn’t previously seen in “Lightlark.” This allows for a better connection to Isla as a character as well as a better understanding of the story after“Lightlark” left so many lose ends.
“Nightbane” also allowed for a love triangle to really grow roots in the story between Isla and two of the other rulers. This love triangle adds another layer of tension to a story that already has so many high stakes, making it easy to delve headfirst into it.
However, “Nightbane” has its drawbacks. At the start of the series, Isla had no powers, but now she has many. This means it could be very easy for her to simply become overpowered.
While she does need more training to fully grasp her powers, it makes the stakes less high because Isla can now easily win most fights. To keep it interesting, the things Isla are up against have to become much stronger than they were before.
For example, in the third book, “Skyshade,” Aster does a great job at keeping Isla’s strength in check by making Isla’s newest opponent something with much greater power than Isla. With two more books on the horizon for this series, it will be interesting to see how Aster keeps things interesting.
