Isla finds herself with an animal companion, healing elixirs made from plants the Wildlings cannot grow, and encountering ancient creatures. Additionally, she hears of an ore that’s special and finds out she’s curse resistant.
Oro hosts the Centennial Summit for rulers from all of the other kingdoms and invites Isla as guest. Unfortunately Moonling Cleo is too bitchy to attend so sends someone else instead.
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Isla
Isla Crown, who rules over Lightlark (whose name I can barely pronounce), has spent her whole life being prepared for competition. Her tutors have given her lessons in sword fighting, archery, knife throwing, survival skills, endurance dueling wielding duel wielding dueling curse surviving seduction lockpicking lock picking and much more besides. As her mastery grows she finally is put forward to seduce Oro from another realm – while their plan remains mysterious at best!
Isla is also an extremely talented magician, though she keeps that fact a secret from everyone except her two tutors and maid, Ella. She often sneaks weapons into places like her corsetted tight dresses’ back pockets or hides it in her spine pocket (a reoccurring theme that actually makes sense). Though often miscalculating and making mistakes when using magic, she was skilled enough to beat Oro in dueling matches; Isla being both powerful yet powerless. She falls off her room’s balcony but beat him easily enough! Being both Nightshade/Wildling hybrid hybrid.
Lightlark’s plot centers on six rulers gathering for the Centennial Games. Each is bound by a curse they must break to save their kingdom, with one eventually dying as part of this quest. There are plenty of twists that may surprise or disappoint depending on your tolerance of certain tropes; Isla in particular is quite defined at the start, though plenty more character development follows as she gains skills that help her be useful as well as having great chemistry with her dark, vaguely villain-coded love interest – an exciting tale indeed.
Oro
Hermit with an elderly figure and relaxed posture who enjoys sparring to develop his Soul Power and receive gifts from Isla such as button shirts from them. His eccentric hermit character and affinity with his pet turtle may be inspired by Master Roshi from Dragon Ball; both features may explain why he wears something similar to what’s popularly worn as button-up karayushi crane shirts in Japan.
Isla Crown, Princess of the Wildlings, has been training since she turned nineteen. She excels at sword fighting, archery, knife throwing, sneaking survival endurance duel weilding fencing lockpicking pickpocketing seduction charming blending in and dancing; even having a special pocket on her spine to store starstick and weapons! Isla has been raised by her tutors with plans in mind to seduce Oro (King of Sunlings/Lightlark) to obtain all of their powers.
On her first attempt at seducing him, she is knocked unconscious with a spell and loses her sword; but is saved by Oro, a Wildling with powerful healing ability who exposes her powerlessness for good reasons: searching for it where only she can reach and monitoring her.
He has been watching her and knows she possesses the power to kill him and others of his royal lineage. But she has a plan: by pretending she has died and seducing other immortals in order to gain their secrets, she hopes that she can destroy Bondmaker and regain Star of Light – which are really all that matter for her anyway.
Celeste
Celeste is a straightforward 2D platformer where players run, jump and climb walls as well as using air dashes – nothing else needed except some strawberries and cassette tapes that serve to tempt players with optional challenges. Celeste fits into what is known as “masocore,” an emerging genre characterized by games which seem impossible to finish but which continue pushing players back after each death; such titles as Super Meat Boy, Spelunky and Trials belong in this subgenre of game development.
Celeste doesn’t break new ground, but it does manage to engage the player through its clever design and surprising script. Most of its story is told through Celeste’s internal monologue as she climbs her mountain; this serves as a constant reminder that your failures are solely your responsibility. Furthermore, Celeste touches upon depression and anxiety without ever becoming overwhelming or uncomfortable for players.
The gameplay in Into the Breach is solid, with each level offering some new environmental mechanics for players to master. From early on, they will explore abandoned cities, crumbling castles and haunted resorts each presenting its own set of obstacles to be overcome. As more complex levels progress they’ll feature moving platforms launching you across chasms or poison laced floors that require you to walk carefully over them in order to progress further.
Ella
Alex Aster used TikTok to market her book Lightlark after being rejected by twelve publishers; her video went viral and earned a favorable reception from readers; eventually leading her to secure a seven-figure deal with Abrams Books and Universal for film rights.
The story follows Isla, Queen of the Wildlings. Once every hundred years for 100 days she appears on an island and gives rulers of six realms an opportunity to use its powers to overcome prophecies and curses imposed by its presence. Isla competes in this contest but her closely held secret is that she lacks any powers compared with the other competing rulers; this poses a formidable hurdle, making it hard to support someone without an obvious path out.
One of the most egregious elements of this novel is its tone, which seems disjointed from each other and disorganized. There is an incoherent mythology of magic and lore; however, most details regarding such topics as floating hearts that turn out to be eggs; whispering cemetery trees; or storms of trapped souls are only glimpsed here and there.
Prophecy itself is also problematic, failing to make any sense and creating many issues within its plot. For example, it states that both Nightshade and Sunling people will suffer mirror curses which could easily be alleviated by moving civil and military services underground or interior and restructuring them so as to escape both sun and dark affecting both of their home islands – something the plot unfortunately neglects to address.
The other characters in the novel remain underdeveloped as well. Isla’s tutors are limited to two brief scenes bookending the plot; her maid Ella serves food to Isla and silently tends to her needs; even Juniper, Isla’s information broker, remains mostly peripheral with occasional flashback scenes interrupting her service.
Juniper
Juniper is an evergreen shrub that thrives in zones 4-9, boasting needle-like leaves that make it a suitable option for xeriscaping and pruning. Junipers don’t require much water for growth; making them the ideal option for those living in arid climates that lack access to irrigation systems. They’re also great for use as low-growing ground covers in gardens or backyards to deter birds and deer from damaging your plants!
Isla and Oro’s kingdom is doomed. Their family lines are linked, so when one dies their powers pass to their heir; but leaving will destroy it all together. In order to break the curse Isla and Oro must engage in an adversarial game that pits each power against the other – Isla must play against Oro with both powers vying for supremacy in an impossible contest to see who wins out in battle – before participating in a dangerous tournament to test how they far they will go in battle.
Lightlark is a joyless and lifeless book, an uninspired amalgamation of every Island of Blood and Bone and Glass and Hearts to come out over the past five years with tropes and aesthetic boards as its foundation. A writer could have written it much faster by immersing themselves in tropes or performing an online search; yet for whatever reason this author spent so much effort creating it.
Conclusion
Lightlark by Alex Aster is a fantasy novel packed with tropes, twists, and elaborate lore. While the premise of rulers competing in the Centennial Games to save their kingdoms is intriguing, the execution suffers from inconsistent tone, disorganized world-building, and underdeveloped characters. Isla, the protagonist, shines with her hidden magic and skillset, but her journey often feels weighed down by contrived plot points and lackluster character interactions. Despite its flaws, Lightlark offers an action-packed, dramatic tale that may appeal to fans of fantasy romance and competition-based narratives. However, its reliance on familiar tropes and predictable elements may leave some readers wanting more originality and depth.
FAQs
1. What is Lightlark about?
Lightlark follows Isla Crown, ruler of the Wildlings, as she competes in the Centennial Games alongside five other rulers. The stakes are high: breaking the curses plaguing their kingdoms. As she navigates alliances, romance, and her hidden magic, Isla discovers secrets that could change everything.
2. Who are the main characters in Lightlark?
Key characters include Isla Crown, the protagonist; Oro, the King of the Sunlings; Cleo, the absent Moonling ruler; and other rulers from the remaining kingdoms. Supporting characters like Ella, Isla’s maid, and Juniper, an information broker, also play minor roles.
3. What are the main themes of the book?
The novel explores themes of sacrifice, deception, love, and the struggle for power. It also touches on identity and resilience as Isla hides her weaknesses while navigating a high-stakes competition.
4. Is Lightlark suitable for younger readers?
While Lightlark features fantasy elements and action, its romantic undertones and occasional violence may make it more suitable for older teens and adults.
5. Why has Lightlark received mixed reviews?
Criticism includes inconsistent tone, underdeveloped world-building, and over-reliance on common fantasy trope
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