**I RECEIVED A FREE ARC OF THE AUDIOBOOK FROM NETGALLEY. THANK YOU A TON. THIS HAS NOT IMPACTED MY REVIEW IN ANY WAY, SHAPE OR FORM. **

*NO MAJOR SPOILERS WERE HARMED IN THE MAKING OF THIS REVIEW**

"If choosing you over the world is wrong, then please consider me a villain. if waging a battle for one woman is a crime, consider me a criminal, if loving you if my downfall, consider me already on my knees. "

Well well well, guess who has two thumbs and was dragged back into the clutches of Ms. Aster's surprisingly addicting love triangle, and world. Me. Yes, that is right. I read this book solely because I could not live with unanswered questions regarding the prior book. I honestly think it has been a hot minute since a book has stayed with for so long, then I desperately needed to know how it supposedly is resolved. Aster's characters are just captivating in a way I cannot explain. Sure, her writing and the story is not her strong suit, but where the characters and where mysteries and surprises are intertwined? BAM, they snatch you up by their claws and do not let you go until you beg for mercy. And not. even. then.

I am so grateful i was able to experience this as an audiobook. it really elevated my enjoyment of the book, and the series. Perhaps if I had read these exclusively as audios, I might of rated my inital readings differently. But regardless, I went into this book thinking I would get my answers, then get out. And well...those expectations were shattered. Like...man, there better be another book. Because once again, Aster is a mastermind at those small hooks that keep you trapped into the story and release you only when they say so. My goodness...it is going to be a long wait. Aster better be be ready when the world reads this book.

Like so many others, I was biting at the bit to see who would prevail, Oro or Grim, and well, even Isla is still wondering that herself. Sighs...this is worse than Katniss with peeta and gale. Even feyre made up her mind pretty quickly, tbh. I understand why she has a connection with oro, he was warmth and safety, blah blah. And with Grimm, is he dashing, he is wild, he is life......and he is death. He is everything and so much more. But why cant she see that?

That is primarily Isla in this book. Amidst more small side quests, mysteries, and just dwaddling around, she is in angst over two men, while also giving herself to...two men. She do be strange. But I do like the new side of her that is evolving. She may have some fight and strength left in her. It will be interesting to see how it plays out when she does not have hormones at the forefront of her brain.

Guess it shall be up to the next book for her to make up her mind. Please for the love of everything, just choose grimm.

Remember, this is all my opinion. if you want your own, read the book when it releases!

Skyshade is the ACOWAR of the Lightlark series. So much of the world and Isla’s ability is opened up to readers like never before, and the action is brutal and intense. The romance is fire, but no more steamy than the previous books. The ending is absolutely brutal.

The way this book came after my heart and absolutely SHREDDED it is not okay. The prose at the beginning and end of this book is absolutely beautiful. The book immediately draws you in and will have you kicking and giggling your feet. Similarly the last third of the book will do the same and then leave you in gut wrenching devastation. The middle third of the book, however, albeit action packed, does not live up to the standard set by the beginning and end of this book.

There is not too much more I can say while keeping this spoiler free. I will say, I truly hope this is not the last of the Lightlark series. In the meantime to get past this devastating end, I will be telling myself everyone works together and it will all be okay.

2.5 stars rounded up. Spoilers ahead, but first thank you NetGalley and Amylet books for providing me with an ALC of this book! My journey in this series found me loving book one, book two had me semi confused but intrigued especially given the ending cliffhanger, and now Skyshade, which I thought was the final book (?), simoly gave a lot of whiplash. I could not a follow or understand a single action or thought by Isla. I get it, her heart is divided, but my goodness, she couldn't stick to one path or feeling. Every chapter seemed to bring a new twist to the story, and I felt it was too much. I would have enjoyed a smoother overarching journey both emotionally and from thr aspect of the story. The ending was giving Divergent vibes, and if this is truly the last book I can't say I'm thrilled with it.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC!
Skyshade is by far the best book in this series thus far, even though I spent about half of it pissed off at Isla and yelling at how she treated Grim.
Grim is a top tier shadow daddy and surpasses Oro to an insane extent. This ending was crazy and while I feel like she could’ve wrapped the series up if this played out a little different, I’m not mad that there will clearly be another one. Although, I do feel like this could have the tendency to be a series too dragged on if the author isn’t careful

3.5 stars. Rounding up.
Thank you to Netgalley and RB Media for an early audiobook copy of Skyshade.

** I highly recommend re-reading Nightbane as this book jumps RIGHT in from the ending of the second book**

This was one of my most anticipated books of the year having loved the first 2!
Overall this book was fast-paced, fun and full of twists and turns.

The love triangle part of this book I don't feel like was the central focus and it was more plot driven with the romance aspect being secondary to the fantasy quest. I was totally okay with this as there was SO MUCH going on!

Overall, I thought this book was great - the ending thought felt SO RUSHED and I was confused at some components on how certain jumps in the story line were made (which might have been that I need to reread book 2 then go into book 3!).

MINOR SPOILER BELOW:
This book is also not the end of this series I don't believe as it ended on another big ending that, while could be a finale, seems like this is a To Be Continued

Ummmmm Alex😭 I thought this was the last book in the series… how do I live knowing that I listened to this early and it really ended like that. As always I’m team Grim through and through. I love this series and I’m devastated in the best way. Also the narrator for this audiobook was amazing!

**Rating: ★★★★★ (5/5)**

Skyshade by Alex Aster is a breathtaking, atmospheric fantasy that grips you from the very first page. The world-building is nothing short of brilliant—richly detailed and imaginative, with a perfect blend of magic, intrigue, and danger. Aster's writing paints a vivid landscape where every corner of the world feels alive, from the shadowed skies to the unique cultures and complex political dynamics.

The characters are multi-dimensional, with strong, relatable motivations, and their growth throughout the story is both compelling and rewarding. The protagonist, with her determination and vulnerability, is someone readers will root for from beginning to end. The romance, though not the primary focus, is subtle and beautifully woven into the larger narrative, adding an extra layer of depth to the emotional stakes.

The plot is fast-paced and filled with twists, turning familiar tropes on their head while still providing the satisfying tension and high stakes that make fantasy so addictive. The twists in the story are unexpected but well-earned, leaving you on the edge of your seat and eager for the next installment.

Overall, Skyshade is a captivating start to what promises to be an unforgettable series. It’s a perfect blend of high fantasy, character depth, and action, making it a must-read for fans of the genre. Highly recommended!

Alex did it again and wrote a masterpiece.This book was amazing and I really enjoyed reading it. Definitely had some twists in there, that make it such a great read. Had some spice scenes. I cant wait for others to enjoy this book.

was so PUMPED to get an audio ARC for this book as l was dying to know what happened next after Nightbane.
Overall, I really liked this book and finished it in about 2.5 days even with working full time. I think the story content, writing style, and audio narration were fantastic and exactly why this book deserves 4 stars. The only complaint I have which lost it one star, is the pacing. The first 70% of the book was super interesting and things happened but it left me wondering where it was going because SO MUCH was jam packed into the last 30%.
There was a point where I had to rewind and go back to figure out what was happening because it was so rushed and dense. Other than this one issue, I thoroughly enjoyed it and look forward to any other books in the series.

This 3rd book in the series was everything I was hoping for. There was plenty of twists and turns. Moments of true shock that I was not expecting. Isla is the type of FMC that you can’t help but love. No matter what she does, even if her actions are a bit questionable and her morals are a bit gray at times, you truly understand where she is coming from. Even though she has been betrayed, she still wants to do good and you can see that her heart is in the right place.

The love triangle between Grim and Oro is both heartwarming and gut wrenching all at the same time. I truly didn’t know who I wanted her to pick and I still don't. Her heart is split in two and so is mine. I love them both. There were moments where I was gasping in surprise when secrets were revealed. And the ending!!! I hope there is another book because I need more. What happens next??? This was a great book.

The narrator was great and displayed the emotions of the characters. I didn’t feel like the story dragged on. The narrator did a great job of making you feel like you were in the book. The narrator also did a good job in being able to tell which character was speaking. She did a great job in bringing this book to life.

Thank you for letting me have an ARC copy!

I really enjoyed this audiobook! For me I love listening to fantasy books, I feel it helps me keep up with the events and characters. I personally love a good love triangle trope but I feel as though this one there is a very obvious favorite. Not that it's a bad thing but I feel as though it was played up so much as a love triangle I wasn't expecting it to be so clear the "favorite". I loved the narrator, pacing for the storyline and I cannot wait to see what comes next after the cliffhanger ending!!

I am so excited I got this advanced copy of the audiobook. It was amazing. Suzy Jackson is such a great narrator. I enjoyed Lightlark and Nightbane but I think Skyshade is better than both of them. I finished the book in a day and then went back and reread about half of it the next day. Grim is perfection and we stan a man who isn't afraid to apologize for his mistakes. I don't know how I'll survive waiting for the next book.

I am over the moon that I got an audio ARC of this book. This series has been a wild ride for me. I first bought both books at the beginning of the year, hoping to read them back to back. When I started Lightlark, I hated it (this gets better, trust me). I watched too many videos about other books to which it can be compared. So, I set it aside and forgot about it. A few months later, I hated the constant trend of comparing one book to another popular book. I decided to pick up Lightlark again without the comparisons. I immediately fell in love. I read Lightlark and Nightbane in less than 24 hours after giving it a second chance. Since then, I have barely gotten Isla and Grim out of my head. (I'm team Grim, sue me).
Now, onto the juicy deets, everyone wants! Oh…. wait. You thought I was going to spoil this? Ha. No. Instead, I am strictly going to avoid any type of spoiler. I can't wait to see everyone's reactions when this comes out on 11/12.
Alex Aster does this in her writing where I feel absolute hatred and dread, wanting to know more while also loving the story. This book sent me on an ACTUAL rollercoaster. (This is where I am going to be so mean) Seeing Isla's journey in this story made me so happy. I have been wanting to know more about her parents and what happened. I was BAWLING my eyes out when she finally did. It was so emotional overall. She was hyper-reliant on other people in books 1 & 2, so seeing her being a little more independent was fantastic.
While there were some definite love triangle moments, the focus didn't feel like it was entirely on that. Something that I felt more than the others in this book was tension. The romance in this one took me for a wild ride, though, without being too much. Isla girl, you had me kicking my feet and giggling, though. Will I be talking about the ending? Nope. I need to heal. Mentally, physically, and spiritually. I was not prepared. You are not prepared. Would I say I hate Alex after this book? Probably. But in the most loving way possible.
Since this was an Audio ARC I received, I also wanted to talk about the narration. Suzy Jackson was the narrator for Skyshade (I believe she has done the narration for all three books). I loved this audiobook from the first moment I hit play. My ONE negative comment will be the voice the narrator used for Grim. I could not take anything that Grim was saying seriously. I am so sorry, and I feel bad for saying it, but the voice just sounded really weird.
As always, here's a moment to Alex: Thank you for releasing such a wonderful (you know what you did.) crazy (Can I send you my therapy bill now?) ride of a story. I am honored to have had a chance to listen to this before release. Thank you, too, to RB Media and Netgalley for providing me with this ARC copy.
Any hate on my review will be deleted and ignored. You don't have to read it if you don't like it. Taking the time to comment on your negative thoughts makes people scared to have a place to talk about the things they love. I will not be posting any content with spoilers in it until a few days AFTER release day on 11/12; check back. I will add a bit more to my review after that <3

I have no words. This series. This book. Wow. Just when you think there can't be a worse cliffhanger than the last book we are left with this... I am going to need a week to recover. I truly think Alex Aster's writing keeps getting better and better with every book. This world that she has created and formed is just incredible, especially with the added component in this book.

Another incredible installment to the Lightlark series, now I have to go back to waiting for the next book!

Thank you to NetGalley, Alex Aster, and the publisher for providing me with and ARC for honest review.

This is the third book in the Lightlark series. This book definitely made me feel things. Anger? yes. Happiness? Yes. This story continues on the brink of war and Isla struggles to make decisions that can affect everyone. We learn a lot about Isla's past and more about her parents also. I did enjoy how much we learn in regards to the lore. It is a really well thought out plot/storyline and there are some plot twists that did surprise me. I understand Isla's struggle about making the right decisions, because every action does in fact have a consequence. At times her decisions did seem almost impulsive or not well thought out. Her emotions did get the best of her at several points in this book which her guardians warned her about.

I found the first half of the book really slow, then the next 15% was heavy sexual tension, then went right back into the storyline. The jump between her hate for Grim to her love for Grim happened very quickly, and I would have liked to see some more development between the two before jumping right into being so infatuated with him.

The thing that I found most frustrating, was Isla's lack of ability to pick a romantic partner. She hates Grim so much mainly because of him betraying her and erasing her memories. However, Oro does something equally as bad in the second book. Yet she turns a blind eye to that and is so head over heels for Oro. She continuously goes back and forth throughout the book and is so "in love" with both men. While I do believe that she can have feelings for the two of them, the lengths that she describes her love for both of them is just unrealistic in my opinion. While everyone seems to be almost evenly split between the two love interests, I am team Grim. I think they have so much history and their bond is so strong compared to her and Oro. While I do believe that Oro truly does love Isla, I don't think Isla deserves him.

I will say that I enjoyed the first book more than the second, and the second more than the third. I think that the series is slowly declining and I truly hope that it picks back up in the fourth one and gives the impact that I am waiting for. This book ends on a cliffhanger, and I can't wait to see what Aster has in store for the next one!

Thank you to Netgalley, RBmedia, and Alex Aster for an ARC of this audiobook. This is my honest review of the book.

GUYS HOWWW! I’m actually in shock I need time to process and come back to the review but holysh**t this was all I ever needed ok sorry but not sorry Grim forever
I just have no words rn 5 outta 5 brain has turned to mush

Imagine my surprise when this WASNT THE LAST BOOK 😭

Wow, I have so many feelings about this book. I’ll start by saying that I love how the love triangle isn’t the main focus in this one, it’s very much on the back burner. After having two books that were very dedicated to each man, I was a little worried about this dragging out the romance.

I think I enjoyed this book more than the second - where I really lived for the flashbacks. There was so much action and plot in this story that I was amazed by!

That being said, I feel like I can’t even remember the main point of this story because there are now so many points and so many added layers to the adventure.

This next book is going to take us in a completely different direction, I can feel it!!

First off - thank you thank you thank you to NetGalley and RBmedia for the audio arc! I am a big audiobook girlie, and listened to lightlark and nightbane on audio so I was very excited to listen to number 3 on audio. I was unsure where they were going with this plot for a while, and it did seem kind of boring/mundane/monotonous at some points, but it did pick up in my opinion, and I'm a sucker for a big action sequence, which we definitely get in this third installment. Aster is also notorious for ending her books on a cliffhanger, and Skyshade is no exception. You can tell her writing has matured a bit and I'm enjoying the way she is fully fleshing out some of these characters. I will be excited to read her adult romance debut when it comes out in Summer 2025.

*thank you so much netgalley for this arc! (all thoughts are my own).*

➳ 2.5 ☆

skyshade is the third installment in the lightlark trilogy, and unfortunately this was the worst book thus far. this book picks up immediately after the events of nightbane. we continue to follow isla, grim, and oro, as they navigate this life of love, secrets, and perfidy. while this series has ended on cliffhangers—making the next book a direct continuation of the previous events—this novel emphasizes the cracks and extraneous side quests that are irrelevant to this overall story.

➺ isla : isla is our main character in this series. i was cognizant of what this story entailed especially, pertaining to her character. aster uses a lot of arbitrary plot devices for isla making her a weak lead. in this novel, she continues to explore a way to find a solution to the oracles prophecy, while continuing to lust after both grim & oro. isla was always a very incredulous character, but the jarring nature that was portrayed in this novel was by far the worst aspect of this book. there was not one ounce of inducement for isla's idiosyncrasy. isla has always been a self insert fantasy female lead, however, there was a lot of wasted potential here. she had good qualities to delve into, sadly nothing was explored and she remained the same after three books.

➺ grim : grim is one-half of the love triangle for this series. he was always written as the morally grey + villainous character who kills everyone just for the sake of fulfilling said archetype. while grim is the man i prefer, it does become blaring when the author clearly has favorites. she has always written this series through the scope of ⌞the villain gets the girl⌝ — putting grim on the forefront of this narrative. while there is nothing erroneous about using such facile plot devices, there is no need to market your novels as an “enchanting love triangle”, when the obvious choice has always been exalted. there was a lot of theatrical drama that was redundant and superfluous.

➺ oro : there will always be one character that receives the short end of the stick and this is oro. due to the fact that i am comprehensive that there are a lot of isla + oro shippers, i am unsure why aster did not allow them to go through any real development with each other. if there is a presented trope in which one girl has to choose between killing two of her so called love interests, there needs to be more of an indication and credence to this plot device. while oro is not mundane and futile, he has no genuine reason to be a part of these novels after book one. in addition, he was present in this novel for about ten minutes, and sadly was abrasive and useless the entire duration of his time on page. complete wasted potential on this part.

all in all, there is only so much repetition of comprehensible & stereotypical script that can be displayed. while i am aware this is YA, that does not warrant the novel to be banal and glib. i would recommend checking this out if you have read the first two, but aster herself seems to be unsure of her wants. this book somehow also ends with the potential of numerous sequels to follow.

This is an amazing and fitting end for the series!! Amazing! I look forward to more of Alex’s work and what she will do in the future. This series has been great!