Lightlark is a fantasy mystery Following the young ruler Isla as she competes in the Centennial, a battle of rulers from the nations of Lightlark to save the island and break free from their curses. The rulers from each realm are all gifted with special abilities but due to their curses, they are left powerless. Isla is a ruler plagued by her own curse not from the island. Isla is powerless and must compete in the Centennial against the powerful rulers not only in an effort to save the island, and break her people free from her curse but also to break herself free of her own curse.
Lightlark is full of mystery, lost twists, betrayals, and underlying subplots, making the book very fun to read. The writing is very easy to follow which makes it quick and simple which is refreshing when you just want to curl up and read and relax. The plot is very deep and complex which is very entertaining but can sometimes be hard to follow especially toward the end of the book. The worldbuilding of this book goes into a lot of detail and in some parts makes it very easy to imagine the world exactly how Aster does.
The only problem I found with the book was that at times it was a bit too complex for the way it was written. Lightlark was Aster’s first book and I think that at points it shows. The plot had a lot of complex elements and darker topics however the writing used to portray these situations didn’t change along with the plot and it seemed more like a middle school interpretation rather than showcasing the complexity used in other ways throughout the book.
Overall I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I think this book is more geared towards younger YA lit readers however as an older YA reader I still found this book fun and entertaining however it lacked complexity of characters and any social commentary which is something I typically look for in my books.