I received an ALC from NetGalley for this book and so began my mental and emotional spiral back into the world of Lightlark. This was intense and I was screaming by the end. (Mentally screaming as I am demure.) We begin this book right at the end of the second book with Isla in Nightshade with Grim. (This series’ shadow daddy.) At the end of the last book, she chooses to end the war and go back with Grim. Oro is heartbroken and left behind and my heart was crushed for Golden Boy. The initial parts of this book had me frustrated with her decision-making as I felt like she wasn’t understanding basic things and making dumb mistakes. I also felt like travel and magic systems were not making sense. She was frustrated with herself as well as she had her memories returned to her and she had to balance a heart that loved two men. Frankly, I’m still not sure what team I’m on as both are excellent. Isla, pick a man and stop with this!

The story begins with a conflict regarding magical storms that were destroying Nightshade and Grim and Isla’s work in investigating it. I didn’t care for this storyline and am still wondering how it fits in the larger narrative. I get it but it was odd with the tunnels, the bells, and the singing bird. Isla also finds her dark side and that was very interesting. Having her do things on her own without any man is needed and I need more of that for her. I wish however she finds a good female, non-animal friend who won’t backstab her.

Now, while there was a slow start the book did pick up the pace with a good villain, twists, betrayals, and plotting that I had not expected. All memories of the slow beginning were forgotten by the wild ending. Luckily, two books from this series come out next year so I won’t be waiting too long.

I did enjoy the audiobook’s narrator, Suzy Jackson, quite a bit for the voice of Isla but I did not like her male voices for Grim and Oro. I think a dual narration with a male voice would have been better.

The ending was amazing, but unfortunately book itself felt wandering and aimless for the first 70 percent of the novel. I also wish we got more of Oro, just to give more of a balance to the love triangle.


Thank you NetGalley for gifting me this book!

Overall an enjoyable listen. I did notice a few pronunciation inconsistencies in the audiobook, where a word would be pronounced differently from one sentence to the next. As far as the story, pros were that I felt it was well paced and we saw a lot more of Grim and learned more of Isla’s backstory. Cons were the character development felt limited and the magic system and world building felt a little vague.

I don’t even know where to start. Tbh, I went into this with low expectations and even those weren’t met.
It’s very obvious this series was originally slated as a YA, low level fantasy. I get that. Even so, it’s so poorly done I could barely get through it.
The world building? Not great.
Magic system? Confusing as hell.
Character development? Lol who?
Plot? What’s that?

ISLA: (Infuriatingly pronounced “Eyez-luh.”) Our FMC born without powers, surprise! She has all the powers! (God I’m getting sick of this trope). I really hoped Skyshade would build on her background to make her a more likable character. Unfortunately, she had the character development of a wet sponge growing mold - predictable, kinda gross, makes you wanna throw it in the trash by the end.
She has zero loyalty to the only two characters who have ever loved her. She does nothing but feel sorry for herself and the fate she’s been given. Infuriating.

Grim: One of two MMC/love interests. Grim honestly carries this entire series on his strong muscly back. All 1.75 stars of it. If you’ve read about one broody, morally grey MMC who is all “touch her and 💀,” you’ve read about Grim. It’s such a stereotype. Don’t get me wrong, it’s one of my favorite stereotypes, but there’s nothing special here. It’s boring and overdone.

Oro: (also infuriatingly pronounced “Are-Oh”) I assume he’s supposed to be the light, morally good opposite to Grim’s dark, morally grey? However his character really has no business in these books past Lightlark. He was on page in Skyshade for like 10 pages and half of that was Isla’s dreams of the past. I really wanted to like Oro. I feel like he got the short end of the character development stick.

Speaking of sticks, CAN WE PLEASE TALK ABOUT THE STUPID “STARSTICK?!” Like Aster, come on, “starstick?!?” That’s the best you can do? My brain pictures something between a fairy godmother’s wand with a little glittery star and streamers at the end and Dr. Who’s Sonic Screwdriver. This thing has such immense power and our girl Isla just forgets where she left it like it’s keys to a 1997 Honda Civic.

Anywho, I really wish this book was more of a prequel and less of a continuation of the first two books. When I say it immediately picks up from Nightbane, it’s IMMEDIATE. There is no introduction to help the reader remember what happened in a book that came out more than a year ago.
I would have loved if book 3 was a prequel throwback to when Isla and Grim met/were married before the Centennial. The random flashbacks are not enough for me and it makes the writing so disjointed.

Overall thoughts? A swing and a miss.

I really struggled with this one. I feel like so much happened but at the same time.. nothing at all happened.

This should’ve been a trilogy at best, but we have another cliffhanger. Isla is all over the place. Grim POV would’ve been great.

This book was my most anticipated read for 2024 and it did not disappoint! This book picks up right where book 2 left off. I love how this book explores more of the love between Grim and Isla because I feel like we hadn’t really gotten much other than history up until this point. I could really feel the conflicting between Grim and Oro in this book. I also feel conflicted on who is the right choice! I also love how we see Isla become her own person and make her own choices without others in Skyshade! I will definitely be reading this a second, third, and fourth time!

This book was exactly what I needed at exactly the right time!
I went into this series with no expectations and to be quite honest, I'm glad I did. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Listen, is it a literature masterpiece? No. But it's a hell of a good time !
In the last book, we got all the Oro time. Yay for team oro!...
In this book, we get all the Grimm time our little hearts desire. Because I'm a proud Grimm girly through and through. He's tall, dark haired and morally gray. And enemies-to-lovers is one of my favorite tropes! Also, Grimm is the king of "who did this to you ?!" trope and we get that in Skyshade too!
There's betrayal, love and trials & tribulations. Our knowledge of lightlark expands in this installment. We get to see more of nightshade. The side characters get a little deeper. If I had to make one note on this series, it would be that the side characters need a little more depth. Like, I could live without them.
But good news is that there's animal companions!! And i LOVE that!
Anyway, the plot itself is a unique concept. I had the best time reading this and I'd recommend it to anyone who wants some light romantasy without a lot of spice.

I received an arc of Skyshade for my honest review. Thanks, netgalley and Alex Aster!

3.5 upped to 4 stars

I had to really sit after I finished and think about how I felt overall about this third book. I was excited to see what came next. Though I do feel like a lot happens and is uncovered , I similarly feel like not much happened until the very end. There were some moments during the audiobook that I had to pause and rewind thinking I missed a moment , a transition, but I never did. Some moments just seem to jump forward and it would throw me off a bit.

Isla continues to struggle with accepting who she is, loving both men and uncovering her path & and the fast approaching prophecies. I did truly enjoy when we would get past information discovered .

I enjoyed the story overall and cannot wait for the next installment.

I read Skyshade so you don’t have to 🥴

***This review contains spoilers***

Was it good? No.
Did I have a good time? No.
Will I be continuing the series (that’s right, there’s more)? No.
Did we get the answer to the one and only question everyone wants to know? NO!!!

I don’t even know where to start. Tbh, I went into this with low expectations and even those weren’t met.
It’s very obvious this series was originally slated as a YA, low level fantasy. I get that. Even so, it’s so poorly done I could barely get through it.
The world building? Not great.
Magic system? Confusing as hell.
Character development? Lol who?
Plot? What’s that?

ISLA: (Infuriatingly pronounced “Eyez-luh.”) Our FMC born without powers, surprise! She has all the powers! (God I’m getting sick of this trope). I really hoped Skyshade would build on her background to make her a more likable character. Unfortunately, she had the character development of a wet sponge growing mold - predictable, kinda gross, makes you wanna throw it in the trash by the end.
She has zero loyalty to the only two characters who have ever loved her. She does nothing but feel sorry for herself and the fate she’s been given. Infuriating.

Grim: One of two MMC/love interests. Grim honestly carries this entire series on his strong muscly back. All 1.75 stars of it. If you’ve read about one broody, morally grey MMC who is all “touch her and 💀,” you’ve read about Grim. It’s such a stereotype. Don’t get me wrong, it’s one of my favorite stereotypes, but there’s nothing special here. It’s boring and overdone.

Oro: (also infuriatingly pronounced “Are-Oh”) I assume he’s supposed to be the light, morally good opposite to Grim’s dark, morally grey? However his character really has no business in these books past Lightlark. He was on page in Skyshade for like 10 pages and half of that was Isla’s dreams of the past. I really wanted to like Oro. I feel like he got the short end of the character development stick.

Speaking of sticks, CAN WE PLEASE TALK ABOUT THE STUPID “STARSTICK?!” Like Aster, come on, “starstick?!?” That’s the best you can do? My brain pictures something between a fairy godmother’s wand with a little glittery star and streamers at the end and Dr. Who’s Sonic Screwdriver. This thing has such immense power and our girl Isla just forgets where she left it like it’s keys to a 1997 Honda Civic.

Anywho, I really wish this book was more of a prequel and less of a continuation of the first two books. When I say it immediately picks up from Nightbane, it’s IMMEDIATE. There is no introduction to help the reader remember what happened in a book that came out more than a year ago.
I would have loved if book 3 was a prequel throwback to when Isla and Grim met/were married before the Centennial. The random flashbacks are not enough for me and it makes the writing so disjointed.

Overall thoughts? A swing and a miss. Three strikes, you’re out, Lightlark. Sorry 🫤.

This audio was well done! I loved the book just like the other 2. With this one I feel like we got to know Isla a little more and got to see some of where she came from with more details that we didn’t have in the others. I love Grim and Oro but I’m definitely a Grim girlie!! But honestly im over the so called “love triangle”.

So this book picks up pretty directly where the last one ended... with that being said, I wish I had done a re-read before diving into this one. It's been months since I read the last book in the series and so I definitely could've used a solid refresher. There were handful of times in the first 25% or so of this book that I was a bit confused because I had forgotten details that were mentioned in the last book.

This has the twists and turns that we all know and love from Alex Aster along with fast paced action scenes, wonderful banter, and a surprising amount of spice for a YA novel.

The narrator did a wonderful job conveying emotion and she felt like a perfect choice for Isla.

I truly enjoyed this book. This book has such good world building and great ending to this series. I truly hope Alex will continue writing and create another world.

This definitely felt like a continuation of the series! I loved seeing Grim and Oro again. It also felt very much like a middle of the series book—not a lot of action until the end for a cliffhanger.

I got lots of Throne of Glass vibes from this book.

I wish the world was explained better and maybe I need to do a second read through to understand things better. There were some happy coincidences in solving problems.

There is too much spice to be considered YA—each book in the series has gotten spicier. I wish there was more of a focus on the actual relationships and chemistry vs banking on sexy scenes to sell the relationships.

The audio was great.. it pulled me in! Good differentiation between character voices.

First off, happy release day!
Secondly, UMMMMM…THAT ENDING IS CRIMINAL! I need the next book immediately.

Although this book wasn’t my favorite of the 3 so far, I do feel like it had some incredible revelations concerning Isla, her powers, and the fate of Lightlark.

I am a BIG Grim lover and am so glad we saw so much of him throughout the book, but I also hate that there is such a love triangle. I also wish Oro was more hateable, because his monologues are so good 😮‍💨

This book had the perfect amount of blood, war and spice! Although, is there ever really enough spice?? Grim forever 🖤

The audio was flawless as always!!!

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC audiobook in exchange for my honey review

This series gets better with each book. I have thoroughly enjoyed reading Isla's story, and I'm excited to see where the story goes from here. Sky shade had the perfect mix of spice/romantic tension and action, and there was never a point of boredom throughout the story.

*First off thank you to netgalley and RBmedia for allowing me to receive an ARC of this book.*

I was so lucky to be approved for the audiobook because Suzy Jackson is the narrator who I LOVE! She has a way of creating a beautiful flow when she reads that sweeps the listener in. She makes every part of the story connect so beautifully; I was excited to see it was her narrating this series!

This book has been one of my most anticipated reads of the year and it did NOT disappoint. Alex Aster has a way of drawing you in and keeping you in a chokehold.

This story has been unique since the beginning and it’s one of my favorite series ever. This book was supposed to finish off the series but luckily we got the announcement today that it won’t be the last!

The dynamic between Oro and Isla and Isla and Grim is sooooooooo good. It’s so hard to know who she’s going to choose or who I even want her to choose! I am so excited for the fourth book and novella, can’t wait until next year!

Go dammit Alex!!! (I’m not sure if that’s with love or anger). She did it again! Skyshade is chock full of adventure, twists, and (plus our fan) lots of lust. I was born a Grim Stan and will die a Grim Stan.

The Lightlark series has had me captivated since reading the first book. Alex Asher is able to create YA feel/storyline that leans towards NA and she executes very well.

Skyshade is the 3rd book in the series that, like the other 2, has a lot going on. At some points, it was a little much, and I had to pause and think about what was going on.

I was waiting for a jaw dropping ending like the previous books. Alex Asher is great twists, turns, and jaw dropping endings, but I didn’t get that feeling as much with this one. I read a lot of fantasy, so it can be hard to surprise me but she always seems to do it. The infamous love triangle.. I love Grimm and Oro, I have no idea how Alex Asher will pick who her End Game is.. my heart will be broke either way.

Overall, the writing style creates a fun exciting experience.

I was provided an audiobook Arc. The Narrorator, Suzy Jackson, also narrorated Lightlark and Nightbane. I enjoy listening to her, she is engaging and keeps your attention.

Thank you to NetGalley, RB Media and Alex Asher for this free ARC copy. This is my voluntary review and all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Where are my Grim girlies at? The third book in the Lightlark series is for them. After Nightbane, this novel raises the stakes even higher, plunging Isla into a brutal conflict where her own divided heart could be the key to saving—or destroying—the world.
Back in the brooding depths of Grim’s castle on Nightshade, Isla, still shaken from the battle and the devastating truths it revealed, is more aware than ever of the destructive force of her powers and determined to protect Lightlark at all costs. Torn between duty and desire, where each choice could mean the difference between the salvation or ruin of entire realms.
Grim and his world are the central pieces around which the action pivots this time. They face together new dangers and did I mention there is a dragon?
The audiobook adds another dimension to Skyshade, with the narrator delivering an immersive experience that heightens the drama and suspense of each twist and revelation. The narrator captures Isla’s internal conflicts, shifting between moments of quiet vulnerability and fierce resolve, while distinct character voices make the allies and enemies around her even more memorable.
The only fact that I didn't like is that Isla is darker than ever. Troubled, her soul swallowed by guilt and anger, she hunts and kills without remorse and makes choices that feel wrong.
Alex Aster’s world of dangerous alliances, cursed love, and a heart-wrenching prophecy make this a pulse-pounding read, especially in audio format. Isla races against time and her fate. Today is the release day for this book, so hurry and get it; it's worth it.

I really enjoyed this book. I thought it really picked up and was even better than the second. It had a great cliff hanger but was a great stopping point. I loved that it gave a lot of back story on her parents and history about the founders.