Absolutely loved this installment in the series! That cliffhanger was brutal though. Can't wait for the next book!!

⭐️⭐️⭐️✨️ - 3,5 stars

"If waging a war for one woman is a crime, then please do consider me a criminal.
If killing thousands to keep you alive is wrong, then consider me a villain.
If loving you this much is my downfall then consider me already on my knees."

This was my least favorite book in the series so far. I’ve rated Lightlark 3.75 stars and Nightbane 4.25 stars.
I always tought this was going to be a triology and was excited for the last and final part. When I heard that early ARC readers found out it was not the final book, I was a little concerned. I was afraid the story and the love triangle were going to be a little dragged.
I still went in excited but unfortunately this was exactly how this book felt to me, a little dragged.
There were a lot of side quests and the plot was all over the place, this made me sometimes a bit confused.

The twists and turns in this book were really great.
I also understand why Isla likes these both man but I will be forever team Grim. The things this man says and does 🫠🫠. I think if it wasn't for him, this book got a half star less.
At this point I have a feeling that we might get a 'why choose' situation in the next book.
Imagine Isla on the throne with these two powerful men at her sides. 🔥
There were also some open door spicy scènes, so I guess these books are no longer YA 👀.

Overall I still enjoyed this book just had higher expectations.

I listened to the audiobook on the NetGalley app.
The narrator's voice was really nice to listen to.
I want to thank NetGalley gifting me this ARC.

"You said you I don't know what love is.
But I do...
I know it means us being infinite.
It means our fates being tied together regardless of where we are whether we live or die.
I'm not sure of much in this world Isla, but I'm sure of this. My love for you doesn't know reason, its doesn't know limit, it doesn't know death.
In every universe, in every timeline I'm yours and you are mine."

This series is my first read from the author's work and I absolutely fell in love with her writing style. This is the third and the final installment in the series and it was as impressive as the previous parts of this series.
The characters are mesmerizing and the amazing plotline kept me hooked to the series from the beginning till the very end of this book.

(2.5) I'm a bit perplexed, I was under the impression this was to be a trilogy but the way this ends doesn't make it seem that way? The way this was paced I was so confused as to how it could possibly wrap up but well... if there so more books then that would make the pacing make sense. But for me, this book just didn't feel necessary. Beyond the last 20%, I just felt like nothing was really happening. And maybe this is a bit of a spoiler but I am so over the love triangle. It just felt cruel in this one. I'm not sure I'll continue with the series. I liked the writing and I really enjoyed book 1 but I'm losing steam.

The narration was good although the male narration isn't what I expected.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher.

I just caught up with all of Lightlark and I must admit (reluctantly) that I’m still not convinced, The pacing of this addition to the saga, fit the same mold as the others. As always, I love Grim: He’s a well crafted flawed character. His feuding dark and light is so relatable even if he is fantastical. When he’s on the page, the story flows easily. Grim is a book boyfriend through and through.

There was a lot happening in the story and at the end of the day, all I wanted was to see more Grim! I am also over the love triangle. It was never my favorite but I hoped it would dwindle. Plus it always feels like the triangle comes back just when you’ve forgotten about it. I also thought this book was going to be the last and it would tie up the storyline. I feel a little lost not having a conclusion. Grim definitely carries this book, and if you’re a Grim girly, you’ll remain one. I feel a desire to continue the series just for him.

The audiobook was a little odd for me . The female parts were fine, but when the whispery male voice started, It just didn’t match the characters in my head. It made me picture weaker male characters and I could almost feel my brain resetting the tone I heard when I thought it didn’t match the character in that moment.

The book was complicated and my emotions were everywhere and nowhere at once.

This felt like an unnecessary entry into the Lightlark universe, which is now being dragged out into five books. Three would have been better. The audio narration was well done and enjoyable.

Absolutely loved this book! I feel like it continues the love triangle while giving us more insight to Isla.

Im a reader with a sick fascination for intense cliff hangers that dont allow me to sleep at night. If youre anything like me then youll love this book along with the series. Alex Aster has pulled at our heartstrings (and sanity) once again with this gem of a book. I read this book in ONE day. 13-15 hours later and I cant stop thinking about the next book in the series that is to come. We get to see our amazing characters; Oro, Isla, and our ultimate morally grey bae- GRIM!! We get some enticing yet tastefully written romance scenes that just are bursting at the seams with tension. The love triangle continues in this epic series and we the reader are left bereft as our favorite boys witness the ultimate sacrifice. We keep thinking Grim is endgame, but is he really?? We see the love and relationship that Isla and Oro continue to have in this book and we also get introduced to some crazy new powerful characters!! This book is a must read if you love: love triangles, dark shadow daddies, dragons, animal companions, puzzles and quests! You will not regret reading this series. I wish I could re read this series as if it were my first time....WARNING: you will absolutely cry.

Quick easy audio. Overall ok. Still hoping that the plot improves. Feels rushed. I enjoyed the first two books. Now that there will be more in the series I’m hoping for more of a Hail Mary.

I absolutely love this series. Skyshade was addictive, made me laugh, had me gasping like a fish and freaking all the way out. I loved the narration. It wasn’t boring or hard to listen to, it was well done. I enjoyed this book a lot. Definitely recommend.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! It was a wonderful third book to the series and helped to advance the plot and develop the characters and their relationships with one another. I was at times frustrated that Isla kept not “choosing” between Oro and Grim, but I always try to remind myself that no main character is perfect (and honestly most people hate when they are). What did throw me was that I thought the series was a trilogy, so to be left on a cliffhanger was unexpected.

I. Hate. Love. Triangles.

Anyway, I actually enjoyed this more than I thought I would. People complained it jumped all over the place, but there’s a lot going on so I think it has to do that just to keep the story going. The plot is pretty solid, entertaining, and easy to follow in my opinion. The love triangle is torturous, though. My least favorite bit of this book is absolutely her angsty I can’t pick attitude. If this was a why choose, it would be one thing. I do like that both men are tender and willing to help and listen to reason, but I hate that they’re put in that situation. I don’t want to see the prophecy fulfilled either.

The characters are the same we knew from older books, minus a few additions. I had a hunch who the traitor was, and I was close. The villains are literal evil from the main characters’ POVs, but I wonder if she doesn’t have a backstory that makes you see things differently. I’m more inclined to think she’s just evil. I AM super excited Isla has finally grasped she isn’t a little weakling, it took forever!

I’m terrified for the next book. I thought this was the last in the series, but once I found out it wasn’t, I was okay continuing because the other two didn’t leave on big cliffhangers. You can imagine my outrage when I got to the end.

The writing is easy to read and understand, her writing isn’t anything too fancy. The romance is steamy and descriptive, but not extra spicy or anything.

I’d give this 4⭐️ because it was a bit teenage angsty through the middle of the book, and it got on my last nerve. Many times I had to sit down the book just to get away from it. The action of the end redeems it though. I don’t see why people are bashing it, but I’ve never been one to let others options deter me from reading what I want.

So it seems this was extended at some point from a trilogy to be longer. That’s disappointing, but makes sense as to why the pacing seemed to drag along a bit. I wish it remained a trilogy. The ending was crazy though, so I imagine I’ll continue on.

The audiobook narrator was amazing! She does lots of voices and has a calm demeanor. I enjoyed her portrayal of the characters.

Isla discovers more about her powers in the second half of this book. Much about that is, of course, very conveniently timed. Overall, the pacing was much slower and it took me longer to get through this one.

What bothered me is Isla wore the power blocking bracelets for about half the book instead of training. She continued to be reckless and hurt people because she couldn't control her emotional outbursts. Overall, disappointed at the lack of character growth.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for my advanced audio copy!

Skyshade is another compelling novel to the the Lightlark saga. The last third of the book was fantastic as well as the relationships Alex Aster writes between Isla, Grim, and Oro. I felt Isla's character development as she both explored and fought against the darkest parts of herself in this book. Her action at the end of the book was a brilliant expression of her growth and selflessness.

I do wish the love triangle felt more balanced, particularly in this novel as well as Nightbane. I also felt that the first 2/3 of the book was slow-paced and included unnecessary side quests rather than focusing on the main plot. This series would have made a great trilogy, but it feels as if the story is being drug out, as two more books were recently announced in the series .

Specifically for the audiobook, I was extremely disappointed in the narrator's voice for Grim. It almost ruined my experience of the book, as the raspy, guttural voice did not represent his character at all .

Thank you to NetGalley, Alex Aster, and RBmedia for the ARC audio. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I think the real downfall of this book came when the decision was made to switch the series from a trilogy to a 5 book series. In doing so, I think it had Aster pulling at straws on how to fill the pages, and honestly, too many of them came up empty and devoid of any meaningful or impactful content. This whole book could have been distilled down significantly and still left room to wrap up the love triangle and finish up the main plot. I wish the decision had been made to say less with greater impact. Having read the first 3 books now I feel obligated to eventually finish the series, but my eagerness to continue has significantly dwindled after reading the 3rd installment. That’s not to say I hated the book entirely, there were elements I enjoyed, I just maintain that it should have stayed a trilogy and been concluded within this book.

Also, I haven’t found Isla to be a particularly lovable character and I think it’s hysterical that not 1 but 2 rulers are world-endingly in love with her. She, frankly, doesn’t deserve either of them.

Thanks for the audiobook!

The audiobook narration is amazing as always, but the same can't be said about the story. There comes a point where the love triangle needs to be resolved because the same things keep getting recycled over and over again. I love Grim and Isla together but I'm sick to my stomach when she's so indecisive between him and Oro it pains me. I just want them together with no inconveniences.

A fantastic continuation of the series. I love Alex Ater’s writing style and world building and can’t wait for the next books to come.

This is a okay book. The action in book three is fun to read and the story is progressing. But I am.having a hard time caring about any of the characters at all and just need this love triangle to end. I do want to read the next book based on how this one ended and hope it gets better.

This book let me down a bit in comparison to the other two in the series. It took me a long time to get through with how many times I stopped then restarted it. I kept just hoping it would pick up, but it didn't until almost the end. I felt like a lot of this book was just filler. While I still plan on reading the rest of the series, I'm not as excited about them after reading this one. Truly though I think this could have been wrapped up in this book, if the rest of the series are going to be full of fluff like this one was. Giving it 3 stars just because I've enjoyed the series as a whole so far.

okay maybe i’m the only one who actually likes this book, even enjoyed it more than nightbane (SNOOZE). probably because this book was 75% of isla and grim and not oro.

isla frustrates me SO BAD, but i think she’s meant to be so frustrating and not a super lovable fmc in this book.

so upsetting this series is no longer a trilogy and a fourth book was announced on release day. that’s so annoying.

i will absolutely read the 4th book though because i am very intrigued by isla’s flair (even though it makes her so overpowered now and i hope it doesn’t ruin the magic to it), and the new world she is traveling too.