This has all the beats of something that SHOULD hit all the major YA blockbuster buttons, but the details fail to match the grand ideas. It was about being a feared leader who commits despicable acts, without actually showing why this person should be feared. It was about the grand notion of how powerful love is, without actually making the characters believably fall in love. It really felt like the book was merely grand concepts and ideas, rather than about the characters populating this fantasy world. You’d think they’d spend more time on solving the riddle than going shopping! The plot is essentially all based on the worldbuilding.

If the curses aren’t lifted this time (the rulers have all failed the past 4 times), basically everyone in every realm dies. They only get a change at this once every 100 years for vague reasons. It’s six rulers trying to solve a riddle in a prophecy (that is so well known people have it memorized), and they basically waste 50 of their allotted 100 days by participating in very tame “demonstrations” of their abilities, and throwing balls. There’s a single “spicy” scene, and there’s no game. I’m also always a sucker for “dangerous games.” I’ve seen this billed as a spicy Hunger Games. The worldbuilding is creative, the characters are varied, and the concept of six realms all being cursed was intriguing.

The biggest flaw of this book is the execution. I don’t think I would have lasted long if I were reading the ebook, but Suzy Jackson’s reading kept me hooked into the story. First and foremost, the narrator is excellent. All I knew was that it had blown up on TikTok and was being made into a movie. I knew very little about this book’s origins before I started reading it. To survive, Isla must lie, cheat, and betray.even as love complicates everything.įilled with secrets, deception, romance, and twists worthy of the darkest thrillers, Lightlark is a must-hear for fans of legendary fantasy writers Marie Lu, Marissa Meyer, and Leigh Bardugo. They are feared and despised, and are counting on Isla to end their suffering by succeeding at the Centennial. Isla Crown is the young ruler of Wildling-a realm of temptresses cursed to kill anyone they fall in love with. To destroy the curses, one ruler must die. The Centennial offers the six rulers one final chance to break the curses that have plagued their realms for centuries. The invitation is a summons-a call to embrace victory and ruin, baubles and blood. #BookTok phenomenon and award-winning author Alex Aster delivers listeners a masterfully written, utterly gripping YA fantasy novel.Įvery 100 years, the island of Lightlark appears to host the Centennial, a deadly game that only the rulers of six realms are invited to play.

Lightlark book summary