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A review by spaceonthebookcase
Skyshade by Alex Aster
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
2.25
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When I first started reading Lightlark, I either assumed or was told that this series was meant to be a trilogy. When I found out Skyshade wasn’t the end of the series, I almost didn’t pick it up out of frustration. At this point, the series feels like a money grab, especially after author Alex Aster announced two full-length Lightlark books coming in 2025. Girl, maybe you should focus on fleshing out the series and fixing its plot holes first.
Where to begin? Oh, right—the cave. There’s a difference between a love triangle and cheating, and I feel Alex Aster is blurring the lines in a way that’s hard to come back from as a reader. Love triangles, though not my favorite, can serve a purpose when written well, adding depth to the story. In Skyshade, however, the love triangle feels pointless. I don’t understand why Oro is still part of the conversation when most of the book focuses on Grim and Isla rebuilding their relationship and Isla publicly choosing Grim. This is starting to feel very Twilight—and not in a good way—where the love triangle was only maintained so Jacob could imprint on a baby. Unless Isla ends up with Grim, the love triangle makes no sense. Beyond marketing and fan love for Oro, there’s no real substance here.
Another issue I had with Skyshade is how conveniently problems arise and are then magically resolved. There’s little world-building, no meaningful character development, and overall, a lack of depth. While we did get some answers about Isla’s background and past, everything beyond that point felt far too simplistic.
I’ve already invested in three books, so I’ll finish the series—even if it means hate-reading the rest. Grim has so many amazing lines in Skyshade, and Isla is deserving of none of them. I find it hard to envision any kind of redemption arc for Isla. Her indecisive internal monologue and the cave scene with Oro will be a mountain to overcome.