I wanted to like this book. I really really wanted to like it. And I just didnt. It reads much more middlegrade than YA and the story was unfortunatley weak with too many similarities to big franchises that did it better. Steal like an artist...sure but not a blatant Pandora copy the year Avatar comes out, or literally giving your male lead every power Rhysand from A Court of Thorns and Roses held. It was okay. I didn't find myself connecting with the lead at all. She was so weirdly passive? How is it that she leaves her room with no connection to it but always returns if she's under constant gaurd without anyone noticing? And that was just the first chapter the plotholes kept growing. I'm sorry. I truly wanted to love it, I just didnt.

This was the gift with purchase sneak peek. I read it the entire book on my vacation. Even tho it’s been out awhile I don’t want to give spoilers so I’ll just say I was confused by the flip flop at the end. It’s not a bad book but not one I would read again

I am giving a review on the book as a whole rather than the pages alone.
I did really like the book, I read it in a day - I was engrossed and wanted to learn more.
My one complaint is I’m hoping we learn more about the world, there was a lot that felt incomplete to me and there was a lot I felt like needed more answers than we were given.
I am looking forward to reading book 2!

I received this sampler as part of the pre-order promotion. I enjoyed reading it and it made me excited to read the whole book when it actually came out. I liked the book, but the ending (in terms of the love interests) kind of seemed like it came out of nowhere.

This book has all the potential to be the next YA hit. The concept of the curses was very intriguing, and the limitations around those were brilliant. I do wish it was explored a bit more. Isla shouldn't be able to beat people ten times her age due to sheer will alone. She seemed too perfect and lost only when she didn't find something. Until the last 10% of the book, there was no real obstacle or low moment. It was clear that the midsection was all leading towards a big reveal. I didn't see the reveal coming, and it was cleverly done. Curious to see what is in store for book two. For a comp to Thunder games, it needs more action, less searching around and more consequences for actions.

This sample offered a fascinating glance into Lightlark. I enjoyed many of the scenes with Grim, and the relationship with Celeste was adorable. The beginning is slow, but the world is unique.

this was a HIGHLY anticipated book for me & l'm getting the feeling that there are a lot of people who are weary after seeing so much go down on social media surrounding lightlark. I want to start off by saying, like with any book, take every review with a grain of salt. what one person might love, you might not, and that's ok! and vice versa!
there are things about this book that I really loved and some things I didn't- BUT pls read all the way through if you really want my 2 cents
things I loved:
* the world & premise behind the characters
* our fmc isn't necessarily "the chosen one" with insane amount of power
* the story wasn't what it seemed & I loved that it kept me on my toes
* THE BONUS GRIM SCENE IN THE B&N EDITION
things I didn't love:
* I felt that the intricate plot overshadowed the characters who lacked chemistry at times
* the writing style & word choices at times just weren't my favorite
* up until 80% I would have rated it 3, but the
last bit added a lot more depth

I CAN PROMISE YOU- the last 100ish pages of this book will COMPLETELY change the whole book. if you don't have the b&n edition, you NEED to get your hands on the extra grim scene because it adds SO MUCH depth to the story & characters. like- cardan's letters level of significance.
with all of that being said, I really REALLY get the vibes that this is going to be an acotar situation-let me explain. we all know that acotar (book 1) is the worst in the series. BUT! it sets up so much and is necessary in giving us the MASTERPIECES that are acomaf and acowar. HEAR ME OUT- I have a feeling this is going to be like that. I feel it in my bones. I feel it in the shivers of my timbers. rating: ww 15
(the first 80% was 3 for me, the last 20% added a half, the bonus chapter added a half)
OK that's it. that's the review. go buy lightlark and see for yourself! or don't. up to u besties.

I reviewed the entire book online, however I will say that the book felt like a stereotypical YA fantasy, if you like them you'd probably like this.

I really enjoyed this book! The story was really good and I loved the characters! I hope to read more by this author in the future.
Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and to the author for the ARC!

(This was my review for the full ARC I received)

Lightlark is about an island that appears once every 100 years to host a game that gives 6 “rulers of realm” a chance to break their deadly curses. For this to happen, one of the rulers must die, and for her to survive, Isla Crown must lie, cheat, and betray, even as love complicates everything. Before Lightlark, I had not read a fantasy book in months, let alone finished one in just a couple of days. This book reminded me of why I fell in love with the fantasy genre in the first place and I cannot recommend it enough! It has the ideal balance of romance, worldbuilding, mystery, and pacing that makes it perfect for both “experienced” fantasy readers as well as people just getting into the genre. This book kept me up reading into the late hours of the night and putting it down was virtually impossible. I have never read a book with as many and as brilliant plot twists as this one and it was so much fun trying- and failing- to guess them all! All of Aster’s characters are so multidimensional and when she says they all have secrets, she means it! I can also confirm that the cover is not lying when it says characters will “LIE. CHEAT. BETRAY.” I want to add for the people reading because of the quotes/ themes/ tropes that they’ve heard Aster post about that they are all in the final book. There is a lot going on, and those quotes might not be as large a part of the story as people expect, but Aster was true to her word and included them all. I will be recommending this book to everyone I know, and I’m honestly so thankful I found it! Lightlark is out now and you can get your copy anywhere books are sold!

A fun 6 chapter intro to the book Lightlark.
So far I'm interested in the characters and their curses and how the competition will go. It is fast paced and I'm looking forward to reading the rest.

This book was an interesting mishmash of many YA themes; it held some of the Red Queen excitement, some Hunger Games dystopian formatting, and some of the quirkiness of character development from Shatter Me. In many ways, it was a successful amalgamation. But that is also it's problem. The book doesn't do enough to be unique and separate from the series that flood this genre. Overall, a good first book for the author but am interested to see if they can further develop their own unique voice. 3.75/5.

I preordered Lightlark simply because of the descriptions on tik toks and then the beautiful page overlays. After reading this sampler, I'm so excited to read the rest of the book after this and excited for my preorder overlays!

Absolutely not, I’m not gonna even waste my time on giving a review for this monstrosity of a book.

All I will say is…. A F*CKING EGG?!

I received this teaser as a gift for preorder - loved the preview and definitely made me anticipate the book even more. Read the full book the day it came out and absolutely loved it!

I received a sneak peak of this book as a preorder incentive. I kept hearing about this book and was excited to preorder it. The cover is gorgeous and I look forward to reading the whole book!

This snippet of Lightlark gives a taste of what’s to come in the Realm of Lightlark itself. We are introduced to a few of the main characters, including our main heroine, Isla, the badass Wildling ruler who was born without powers. Her powerlessness won’t keep her from competing to win the games and earn her power to save her realm.

I enjoyed the prize for what it was, a little juvenile, but this is a YA book so that’s to be expected. I’m looking forward to reading the book in its entirety.

I was rather excited for this book after all the hype I had seen on TikTok. Getting the first few chapters early was also a nice bonus after preordering the book. However, this was... not what I was expecting. It felt childish, predictable, and the writing could have used another round of edits because the amount of objects, places, and settings that were described as a "thing" was far too much. It is highly unlikely that I continue with this series in the future.

I was so excited to read this book! Thank you so much for this sneak peak into what I know is going to be an amazing book! Reading this definitely enticed me to want to read more of this book when I get the physical copy! This book will definitely be ab perfect fall read!

i loved loved loved it. i will recommend this book to everyone!! I read the whole book and i NEED book 2 now. i still think about the ending and its been weeks.