*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!

I totally thought this was the last book in the series, but from how abrupt that ending was it's clearly not!!

I had an audio ARC (thanks to Recorded Books and NetGalley!) and the way I loudly gasped when the narrator said the end after that last jarring line 🤯 I was not prepared.

Definitely going to have to read my Kindle copy once the release date arrives because I need to confirm that this is truly how this book ends 😭

We learned so much more about their lands, Isla, and her relationships in this one. I was so focused the entire time and didn't want to pull away. Grim and Oro are both great in their own ways imo, I truly don't hate either of them and that's what makes everything all the more heart wrenching. I can't say more or I'm totally going to spoil it. I seem to be much more speechless when I really love a book.

YA romantasy is my kryptonite apparently 🤷🏼‍♀️ and I'm totally okay with it. If you haven't read this series yet please start ASAP because wowowowow!

I was so excitied to finally hear more of Isla, Grimm and Oro. This was Isla's villain era and I am here for it. But the ending was another major cliff hangar or was that the end? I hope there is a book 4 coming because woah that cant be how it ends. I laughed, I cried, and enjoyed the story.

This book was easily ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
One of my most anticipated reads this year. The way Alex Aster wrote this trilogy has me longing for MORE of this world and their stories!
The love triangle isn’t the main focus and it is so refreshing to read something that has a romance SUB PLOT. Key word: sub. The romance is a nice balance but not overwhelming and there’s more about the world and adventures around Lightlark.
The way Alex put in components of suspense for most characters while we’re still getting to know them is phenomenal. One of my favorite trilogies I’ve read EVER.
Thank you to NetGalley, RB Media and Alex Aster for providing me with this ARC for my honest review.

Alex, you have some explaining to do! I finished my ARC audio copy of Skyshade this morning and now I don’t know how to get through my work day. I need the rest of you to get this and finish it so we can talk about it. I HAVE QUESTIONS!

She would either end the world or save it.

“She had told him about the prophecy, she trusted him. The pain twisted in his gut like a sword.”

The realization of how much she loves both of them.

Isla is a bad ass!

Just finished the advanced reader audiobook and I. Am. Shooketh. Firstly, a big thank you to NetGalley and Amulet Books for allowing me the opportunity to be an advanced reader/listener to the Skyshade release.

Now, when I say this book will leave you questioning all the things but in a fun way… I mean it. I thought this series was to be a trilogy, but if that wasn’t a cliffhanger of an ending I don’t know what is. I am not going to spoil any of the details, but my jaw hit the earth’s core. Am I the only one who thought this was a trilogy? I see what you did there Alex Aster, you sneaky sneak, and I’m not mad about it.

I think it is exceedingly hard to keep momentum through a fantasy series. I’ve read over 350 books now in 2024 and the majority of them have been fantasies or fantasy series; so, when I say Skyshade holds its own in this already memorable series, I mean it. The characters keep the things you already loved about them, but somehow make you love and root for them even more as the tale unfolds.

The love triangle still stands, but while the plot from Nightbane was very Oro-centric, this book picks up right where that book left off and you get to have time with our dark and broody Grim, once again.

There are a lot of plot twists and turns throughout this book and it will have you guessing at what comes next and who is on the side of good vs. evil until the bitter end. Isla really comes into her own and discovers herself in this book, which is both painful and beautiful to experience.

This book makes you feel all the things, but it also has the same charm and wit that we’ve grown accustomed to with Aster. I’ll give you one of my favorite lines from Skyshade that is not a spoiler, but gives you a sense of what I mean….

“I love chocolate in a way that is probably concerning.”

Well, I love this world, characters, series, and book in a way that is probably concerning too. Suzy Jackson did a phenomenal job in narrating this audiobook, just as she did books 1&2. She really does an awesome job making you experience each character. Kudos. I listen to A LOT of audiobooks and not all narrators are created equal.

I think everyone who enjoyed Lightlark and Nightbane will also really dig Skyshade…. But be prepared to have your mind blown 🤯.

Thank you again for the opportunity to advance listen/read Skyshade. It was a privilege. ❤️📚

Skyshade
***ARC thanks to NetGalley and RBmedia ***

Skyshade picks up right after the disastrous conclusion of book 2, Nightbane. Isla awakens on Nightshade with Grim and she is broken and confused. She battles her two hearts, attempting to push away Grim’s affections (and her conflicting feelings) while longing for Oro, willing to do anything to save him and Lightlark. She is fearful of her power and desperate to understand the prophecy. She seeks answers to her destiny and as the storms intensify, it’s clear a greater evil looms and that she holds the fate of the world in her hands. Annnnnd, we all want to know, who the heck is she going to choose?!

Firstly, I want to touch on the fact that this is a very entertaining read (listen). The voice actor, Suzy Jackson, is a fantastic narrator and although male voices are always a tough sale with a feminine reader, it was done well.

This much anticipated sequel was satisfying -and frustrating - as only a story of an intense love triangle can be. Though not perfect and still decidedly YA in writing style and content (mostly!), it was still a solid read. It’s not deep or thought provoking, but essentially a light read of pure entertainment. Just what I needed!

The world building has improved and the romance took a little bit of a backseat to the story and that impressed me. (Don’t worry there’s still lots of steam!) I was happy to see more filled out characters, lore, and context but I still feel that it has a lot of room to grow.

Our MC Isla is not the most likable in my opinion. She’s of course beautiful and I think she is humanized on purpose to not be ‘perfect’ on the inside. That’s endearing but how it’s done rubs me the wrong way at times. I love that she just doesn’t seem to know how to give up and she’s desperately trying to redeem herself. I find myself irritated with how juvenile, illogical and lacking in confidence she is at times. By the end she is more confident and pieces might be falling into place.

As a side note, this was the first audiobook I’ve listened to of this series and I cannot stand the pronounciation of her name as Eyes-la. (Yes, I know that’s how the author meant it to sound but I just can’t).

Grim is his over protective possessive dark puppy-in-love self, with a heavy dash of slight her and die. He is desperate to make Isla happy and you can see how hard he tries. He’s still hot of course and makes you want her to choose him, what can I say.

Oro is his golden good boy wholesome love self that would do anything for Isla. He is utterly broken without her and desperate to have her back, and it pulls the heartstrings big time. He’s still hot and the ‘good guy’ and of course makes you want her to choose him, what can I say?

This book has lots of slow burn and tantalizing longing centered on looks and touches that stimulate desire, regular flash backs and direct allusions of spice. The spice is definitely written for young adults but the storyline is decidedly written for teens. The amount of semi-smut pushes the envelope for the teen audience in my opinion. Isla and her men are too horny and it shows regularly with noncommittal spiciness. There’s almost always some excuse or barrier to stop the spice, and not that I’m specifically looking for spice, it just became predictable and tedious for an adult reader as the YA label is on full display. However, there were spicy scenes where Isla fully takes charge of her sexuality and it was satisfying to see her make choices rather than avoiding them. Although there are few moderately explicit scenes, I have to mention this spice seems borderline at best for teens - but I sure liked it!

Now I do have a main complaint I’ve made with the other books in the series and this one is no different. I feel like the storyline jumps and doesn’t have great transitions. It is in the flavor of a writer still solidly honing their craft, and that’s okay.
Alex Aster has written a fantastic sequel and overall this was an entertaining read with room to mature. Of course we’re left wanting more with another cliffhanger. Here’s to book four!

I can honestly say I’m at a loss for words right now. I knew this was going to be good, but I was honestly not expecting it to be my favorite book of the series!

Isla really gave main character energy in this book, she was more confident, her powers were intriguing, and she is far from the timid, secluded girl we met in Lightlark. The world in this book was so well put together, and I feel like Alex really evolved with this book as well. Not that I didn’t love the first 2 books this one was just overall so much more well rounded. It was fast paced and there was truly no good stopping point to put this down.

The love triangle while definitely still there was not the main focus of the book, we got a lot more back story for Isla, lots of unanswered questions were answered. I loved the different characters we got, honestly I wish this book was even longer because Alex really just had me wanting more of even side characters, she really knows how to make you love them. The plot twists were done so well, they’re not anything I saw coming based on the last 2 books. I am so excited to see the world building Alex creates with the next book.

I honestly thought this was a trilogy so after the pain staking ending we got I don’t know whether I’m happy there will be more or devastated we have to wait. Alex truly put her whole entire authortussy into this book and I cannot wait to read the next book!

Thank you so much to NetGalley, RB media and Alex Aster for the opportunity to read this pre-release in exchange for my honest review

First let me say I read this book in a little over 24 hours and I can’t describe the range of emotions I experienced within that period of time. By the end I was left speechless. The author does such a great job capturing Islas mixed feelings over Oro and Grim I felt the conflict for her ! One minute I’m convinced I want to to pack my bags and go relax on a beach while while golden god Oro massages me with his sun warm hands. Then the next minute I’m swooning over Grims declaration of infinite love for his heart ripper, because deep down every woman wants a partner who is still going to love you if you become a crazed killer ripping the hearts out of evil men and earning the name “heart ripper” because if that is what makes her happy go for it.
This so far was my favorite book in the series. I was expecting this to be the end but I’m happy it seems we will have another book coming.
Thank you NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to RBMedia for providing me the audiobook as an ARC through NetGalley, in return for my honest opinion. In this third book of the Lightlark series, we pick up right where book 2 leaves off. A journey of lies, death, betrayal, and love. In the first two books, Isla goes on quests with the two men she falls in love with, but in this book she finally goes on her own quest to find a solution to an impossible prophecy. Which man will she choose to kill to save the lives of many?

I think this book does a good job in tying in other elements from the previous books to give us clearer answers to everything that has happened. Also, the progression of powers in this book sets up for an epic ending to come. Because there HAS to be another book with that cliffhanger.
I think my biggest gripe is the whiplash I get with Isla indecision between Oro and Grimm. It makes her come off as very selfish even though her main goal is to save as many lives as possible. We’re 3 books in and she can’t give make a choice with enough conviction to let one of them go. I don’t know how much more of that I can take.

⭐️⭐️⭐️
***I received a copy of this as an audio ARC via Netgalley for my honest review ***

- Fantasy - YA - Love triangle - Third in series -

While Lightlark and Nightbane had me in a chokehold needing to know what happens next, Skyshade fell a little short in comparison. It felt like we were jumping (or portaling if you will) from one place to the next and was a little larder to follow along than its predecessors. Now, this isn't to say I won't be pre-ordering and reading a fourth book in this series if it were to come out(I have not seen any announcements of a fouth as of yet). Throughout book 3 Isla is still torn between her feelings for both Grim and Oro (I myself have been and always was #teamgrim ) while trying to understand the Oracles final prophecy and still searching for a way to save her world. As with the first two, Aster leaves us on a major cliffhanger, leaving this series wide open for at least one more book.

#skyshade #netgalley #audioarc #arcreview #lightlark

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC review.

I honestly have no words. I listened to the last chapter twice to ensure that I was hearing it right and am still questioning my life choices. This was the wildest rollercoaster ride I have ever been on. It has you laughing, crying, annoyed at some characters and wanting to throw the book. I am seriously questioning everything. This is the final book in a series but I feel like Alex Aster just ripped my heart out stomped on it and gave it back to me. I feel like her response would be sorry about that.

Isla finds out so much about her that she tries to find ways to fix it. I feel this lead to the outcome of how everything ended. I am just so at a loss for words. EVERYONE needs to go get this book so they understand what I am going through.

My goodness, I don't have words. I started Skyshade, with a couple of hopes -- that this book would bring Isla another step closer to the only man who I think deserves her and two, that she would find her strength and self-confidence to handle all that is thrown at her. Lets' just say, I'm still full of hope but also full of a lot of questions! I thought this would be the conclusion, but in the brilliance of Alex Aster, she's left me hanging on again.

The world of Lightlark is so vast; the relationship dynamics, have me begging for more. I love that she writes in such a way, that I feel connected to the characters and invested in their emotions and lives. At times, I found myself sad and grieving along with Isla, then not a couple chapters later angry at Isla and begging that she go a different direction. ;) However, you cannot say that she's not relatable and strong. We got to see such fierceness in her, in Skyshade and I'm desperate for more of her and this love triangle in the future!

I have a list of quotes that shook me and will stay with me long after this read. I can't wait to share all the quotes that had my heart entangled!

You won't regret diving into this series!

Thank you, NetGalley and RB Media for providing me with this advanced copy and the chance to be emerged in Lightlarks' world all over again.

Thank you to NetGalley, Alex Aster, and the publisher for allowing me access to the audiobook.

I definitely should have re-read Nightbane. It would have made my experience better. Overall, I did enjoy Skyshade. It did feel like a different series. There was a lot more spice in this one. I did like how strong and vengeful Isla is. The audiobook was great! I would highly recommend it!

Alex does it again! This book was amazing. I was able to listen to the audiobook early and I am so grateful to have been able to. Thank you NetGalley for sending me the audio.

I won't lie, Isla can drive me insane. I get where all over her reasoning comes from. And frankly she doesn't deserve either Grim or Oro. But I will forever be team Grim. The devotion that he shows for her is the sort of unhinged love I gobble up! Oro is definitely a swoon worthy good guy, but I like my men morally grey.

The plot twists in the book were fantastic. I did not see Lark coming out of all of this. I truly thought her cousin was the betrayer. And poor Isla had some hard truths to swallow this book. But the darkness within her only has you rooting for her more. It makes her feel more approachable within the book. The cliffhanger at the end has me itching for the next book already!

***Spoilers



Mixed Feelings



I was so excited for this book, but I don’t like the direction it’s going. Isla was insufferable for most of the book. Keeping secrets from people she supposedly loved and refused to see that’s what brought on most of her problems in the first place. At this point I’d hope to see some character growth but there’s little. At every turn she seems to make the wrong choice and refuses to let anyone help her. Going to other random characters more often than she asks for help from those close to her.

This whole love triangle thing is also pretty disappointing at this point. Isla willingly married Grim again and she still wants another man. If this is to become a “why chose” then we should have had a warning from book one. Not everyone enjoys books where others are torn apart because one character keeps hurting them. Telling Oro she left to save him thinking that would make him hate her is so naive it’s laughable. Grim deserves so much more. My heart absolutely broke for him as he watch Isla pine for another man.

Much of the story of Lightlark is drowned out by the drama of the love triangle.




Thank you so much NetGalley for the audiobook of Skyshade.

Skyshade, the third book in the Lightlark series, picks up right where Nightbane (book 2) left off, which is GREAT because Nightbane ended with the CRAZIEST cliffhanger (and might I say, this book is no exception to that trend 👀)! I felt like Lightlark was a book that establish the love triangle between Oro and Grim, book 2 focused on Oro, and now book 3 kind of focuses on Grim BUT of course, there is still interactions between all three and just Isla and Oro. There is a lot of back and forth between the two BUT this book seems a little less about the romance BUT more about Isla's growth (into herself BUT ALSO into her powers!!!)! And speaking of romance, I would definitely say that this book is a little more new adult than young adult (like Lightlark)!🔥
A lot of people are expecting this book to have the Grim vs Oro decision and if I had to, I'd say that I'm not entirely sure that this decision is made yet in this book BUT I will continue to look forward to the big decision to be made in the future!👀
This audiobook was very well done too! Lightlark was one of my FAVORITE reads of 2022 so I was SO excited to get early access to the third book in the series! My preferred format for this book was an audiobook and I am so grateful to RB Audio for an early copy in exchange for an unbiased review!💖

Thank you RBmedia for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

I absolutely loved this book and found it to be such a fun fantasy/romantasy read. Isla is a strong female lead who has really come into her own throughout the series and I can’t wait to see where book 4 takes us! I think a lot of people will be happy about the relationship dynamic in this book (and probably some that won’t be hehe).

I had the pleasure of listening to this on audiobook and enjoyed Suzy Jackson’s narration. I would love to see a dramatized recording of this series in the future.

Sky shade is book 3 in Alex Aster’s Lightlark series. I went in thinking this was the last book in the series and it was going to clear up things and conclude the series, but getting closer to the end of the book and the crazy cliffhanger that left me speechless, definitely proved me wrong. Now I’m sitting here processing and I have so many more questions. I’m super excited to what’s going to happen in the next book.


Skyshade starts off where Nightbane book 2 left off, it was a little slower starting off for me personally, but the 40% mark it started picking up. There’s a few plot twists I wasn’t expecting it that really grabbed my attention. Closer to the end of the book the faster everything started to picking up. The action was fast paced, it had me locked in and then BAM it was the end of the book which ends with a cliffhanger. I had to listen to the last few chapters again to process what just happened. The last few chapters had me mind blown trying to process what had happened. Now I can’t wait for the next book and see what happens with the story and characters.

Also, the love triangle is still there but personally I don’t feel it is the main plot line of this book. Isla is more on a mission to figure out what she needs to do to save her people and loved ones without destroying everything. I know a lot of people are driven by the love triangle but I’m so glad this book is more geared toward the actual story line and Isla’s self discovery learning more about her past and what she is capable of and the adventure along the way!

This has been a pleasure to receive an arc of the audiobook of Skyshade from NetGalley and RBmedia. I’ve enjoyed listening to this audiobook to review, thank you so much!