i'm a simp for grim and this was clearly a book written for the grim girlies, thank you alex aster for the fan service i appreciated every second of those 32 pages we spent with grim on a winter vacay! \
as for the plot, i wish the pacing was slightly switched around those last hundred pages really went wild and some parts we super sped through but my love for these characters and my interest in the world truly clouds any judgement i have and maybe because this series is hated on so much i can't put myself in a place to critique as hard because i truly just have such a blast reading this series!

I hated this. It does not feel at all like a love triangle it just feels like cheating in disguise. Also just felt like Alex was throwing random plot twists in just to “keep it interesting” but it really just created chaos in a bad way. Will not continue this series and I was SO EXCITED for this book. Should have absolutely been kept a trilogy

I finished the Skyshade audiobook, and overall I’d give it 3.5 stars.
The narration was honestly one of the highlights for me—the voice acting really pulled me in and made the emotional beats stronger. Each character felt distinct, and I loved how the pacing shifted between the slower, more descriptive moments and the fast, action-packed scenes. Listening to it definitely made the world feel more alive.
As for the story, I had mixed feelings. I really enjoyed how Alex Aster expanded the world and added more depth to the lore. There were some great twists and reveals that kept me curious. At the same time, I found myself wanting a bit more consistency in the pacing—some parts dragged while others rushed by too quickly. The romance and betrayal themes were fun and dramatic and we are left on a cliffhanger (of course :-) )
In the end, Skyshade was entertaining and worth the listen, but it didn’t completely blow me away. If you loved Lightlark, I think you’ll still find a lot to enjoy here, especially in audio format—but for me, it landed right in the middle: good, not amazing.
⭐ 3.5/5 — solid sequel with great narration, but not quite a favorite.

Alex Aster is an author that there is not doubt on read her books. This one is perfect and loved the other books of the series and I’m so exited for more of her writing.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this arc.

It took me a while to get into this book, because it felt like the story was dragging. As I neared the end, the story grabbed me, and the cliffhanger has left me wanting the next installment in this series.

I loved the storytelling and vivid imagery, as well as the interactions with the different animals.

A story of betrayal and prophecy, the third book in this series creates drama like no other. Caught in a love triangle, while trying to save the world, isla is faced with impossible decisions in her personal life and as a leader.

I felt like more questions were left unanswered than answered. It wasn’t the best in the series so far. It felt thrown together. I enjoyed parts of it but overall didn’t enjoy it.

I was very disappointed by this book. I have been a long time follower of Aster’s since before book 1 was published and I don’t know if the publisher is making her drag the story out but I feel like we are just running in circles with the plot here. We want Grim, we want Oro, we want Grim, we want Oro, okay but what about the world ending problems you have? Some of which don’t really make sense because the backstory is not fully fleshed out.

On top of it all, thinking this was going to be a grand finale only to be left on another cliffhanger and then having to waiting until release day to get any answers was very upsetting and it very much left a bad taste in my mouth. I do not think I will be finishing the rest of the books in the series.

On the flip side, the interactions with the animals, especially the dragon, were cute and gave some unexpected insight into Oro and Isla’s relationship.

This ARC audiobook was provided to me for free from NetGalley in exchange for my honest thoughts and feelings about this book. I did not make any money from this review.

This was FABULOUS! Naturally, I am impatiently waiting for the next book- I assumed this would be the last one - it is not and boy is there a CLIFFHANGER. The story was very fast paced, and the angst! Now the real question is Grim or Oro?!!

I am loving this series so far. I’m not a big fantasy reader but this series made me change my mind. And the audiobooks are perfect! Highly recommend if you are trying to get into a romantasy series with tension & love triangles.

I'm glad I listened to this and didn't try to read it, because I think it might have got a lot more annoying. The narration was great, kept me hooked, added drama, tone, etc., I can't really make any complaints about that in itself. There were times I gasped, laughed out loud, rolled my eyes.. this made me realise that maybe I do like audiobooks after all.
The book itself however... oh my god just pick one. We all know Oro is going to die. We all know she's going to pick Grim. The dark 'villain' will win out every time in this genre. Just have it happen already. This should have been the end of this stupid love triangle. If you're going to drag out relationships for four books, your plot needs to be a lot stronger and more complex than this is. As an Oro girly I feel STRUNG ALONG. RELEASE ME.
At least it was sort of a fun read, but I'm still mad. I haven't decided if I'll read the next book when it comes out, but if I do, something INSANE better happen to justify it, and I don't mean Oro dying, because we all know that's going to happen.

Loved it and am rushing to read the next one now! Can’t wait to see how this plays out! Thai did a great job of building off the first book for me and setting up for the 3rd!

I’m clearly just a glutton for punishment. I do not understand why I continue to go back to this series. I’m still not over “star stick” and find the love triangle to be insane in this series. Every time you think Isla has done something semi-permanent to choose which love interest, she takes it back and flirts with the other. Grim is the better written love interest so I’m rooting for him.

I also thought this was the end of the series only to be met with another cliffhanger and Alex Aster announcing 9 billion more books.

Will I continue this series? Sadly, yes. I’m invested now. Do I recommend this series? Not even a little.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

This third book in the Lightlark series is honestly the best one yet, at this point we know the characters so well and the plot is really racking up in intensity. Our love triangle is still possibly the best thing about it but it’s hard to decide when the world building is so rich and well rounded. The betrayals and heartbreaks in these books are always so powerful and you never know who you can trust. I for one cannot wait for the next book in this series!

The audiobook was engaging and kept the reader paying attention to the story. The inflections of the reader was a wonderful addition to the story that added depth.

I loved this book but the story feels dragged on. Like we all know about the love triangle and we also know who she's going to choose, like it's so obvious.

Thank you to RB Media | Recordered Books and Netgalley for this ALC in exchange for an honest review.

Skyshade by Alex Aster is the third book in the Lightlark series and it was definitely not what I was expecting. Overall I really did enjoy this book. The first half was pretty amazing. The plot was engaging and had a good pace. I personally like her with Grim so I really enjoyed their time together. But the ending got really weird really fast. It seemed like there was one random plot twist after another. The ending felt incredibly rushed. So while this really wasn't my favorite book in this series, I still enjoyed it and want to find out what happens next. The audiobook narration was excellent. The narrator did a wonderful job bringing the characters and story to life.

In terms of the story: 3.5 stars for this book

The love triangle being drawn out was so frustrating but I did enjoy the spicy scenes. This book does end on a cliffhanger, so prepare for more books. I think this series so far has been interesting, but I’m just not the demographic for it. I am still interested in seeing who Isla ends up with but I don’t think I will be continuing on with this series.

As for the audiobook narration: I thoroughly enjoyed Suzy Jackson’s narration throughout the series. Five stars for the audiobook!

Thank you to NetGalley and RBmedia | Recorded Books for an Advanced Listener’s Copy (ALC) in exchange for my honest opinions/review.

I’m going to start off by saying that I did a soft DNF of this book (I got it as an ARC) because as I was reading it— getting further into the the story— it was announced that Skyshade was *not* to be the final book in a trilogy, but rather book 3 in a 5 (?) book series. This really put me off. The story was starting to get a bit tedious and repetitive, despite having a pretty interesting and engaging beginning. Then I find out that this love triangle is going to be stretched out over MORE than 3 books???? Honestly, I thought 3 was already pushing it. I liked Nightbane and had pretty high hopes for Skyshade… 😮‍💨

The plot came together and got a bit more interesting at the end… but that was after a million side quests, a lot of very redundant dialogue, and an unreal amount of “nicknames” for our FMC. Soooooooooo, kind of strong start?? decent ending??? exhausting middle.

Audiobook narration was nice— the narrator seems to have really found her comfort with the characters and various voices. Good performance.

Will I pick up the 4th? I mean, likely.

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for this audiobook!

First off let me say I do love this series so much. Probably one of my favorite in recent years.

I especially love Grim and Isla. And their scenes in this book were spectacular. Had me screaming and kicking my feet and giggling. They somehow managed to turn their scenes into a Christmas novel and I’m not complaining!

However I will say this novel did fall into a pitfall the previous books didn’t which is that the love triangle has outlived its purpose or entertainment value. It’s just frustrating at this point. I genuinely like Oro but I think it’s time to find a purpose for him outside of Isla and the love triangle. He has other friends and a kingdom to rule. I want to see more of Oro outside of Isla.

That being said I still really did enjoy the book and can’t wait for the next one. Alex is a master of plot twists!

And I want more of Grim and Isla with Winter vibes please!