But I digress. Where were we? Right, the stupid demonstrations, the endless chapters of Isla's searching, and then Act 2 is where we have Isla paired up with Oro. You would think, the time they spend paired up would give insight into Oro's character. Nope. Nuh-uh, friends, his character is so bland. Having finally published her first novel, Alex Aster was feeling disheartened. The book had tanked during the pandemic and she had been dropped by her literary agent. Then, on 13 March 2021, she decided to take to TikTok, asking her followers if they would: “read a book about a cursed island that only appears once every 100 years to host a game that gives the six rulers of the realm a chance to break their curses.” One of the rulers must die, the short video revealed, “even as love complicates everything” for the heroine, Isla Crown. update: the overall star rating for this not-even-fully-released-yet book is killing me. i will still be reading (because i’m nosey). I feel like the author just made the rules very convoluted and hard to follow without the logic that we saw in the Hunger Games. For instance, in the Hunger Games, we understood that children were selected as a way to lower morale in the districts; in Lightlark, the rulers are selected...but they have been competing for 400 years (Isla is the youngest realm ruler while the others are like 500 years old lmao) so I don't get what's different about each time? In the Hunger Games, the competitors are sent to the Capitol; in Lightlark they are sent to Lightlark, the original realm with power, but also the King of Lightlark is cursed so does he also compete? In the Hunger Games, Katniss and Peeta meet with fashion designers to demonstrate how the Capitol demands pomp behind the tragic killing; in Lightlark, Isla has an appointment with the tailor...just because? I'm not sharing these parallels to demand the author make a carbon copy of the Hunger Games, but if you are gonna comp with such an iconic YA dystopia, you need to follow through. Nightbane was a very anticipated read for me and I am so so forever grateful I was sent a copy. Because nightbane did not only NOT DISAPPOINT, but also EXCEEDED my expectations.

Now onto the premise. There are six rulers of six different realms trying to break their curses by competing in a Centennial, a game that takes place on an island that only emerges every hundred years. Simple enough? No it isn't. Oro was not Tamlin'd (at least, not really in the way Tamlin was Tamlin'd). He has some screentime until maybe 40% of the book before it becomes the Grimshaw show.Then we have the world-building. It was non-existent. I was extremely confused the entire time. Lightlark is an island that only shows up every 100 years? But then people live on it? But then each magic line has its own island? But Lightlark and Nightshade are at war? Not sure why that is. And why were the curses placed? That doesn't make sense until the plot twist and reveal. There are no rules to the curses? What are all their powers?

I don’t really get too invested in most book romances, but since people always ask about them I will include some of that in my review. There is romance, plus a few popular tropes, though I feel like revealing the specific tropes may be considered a spoiler, so I will refrain. I think because the events are spread over several months the romance(s) don’t appear to be an insta-love situation but instead something that has developed organically. My understanding is that all of the characters involved are adults (some have a kind of Edward Cullen age thing going on), so though Aster doesn’t take it as far as she could, none of their interactions feel sanitized for a younger audience.Some of the book subscription boxes do sell individual titles. (Their subscription books are also fantastic, but I tend not to find a use for all the added merch they come with, so they’re not super cost effective in my case.) Some of the most popular subscription services include: this book was REPETITIVE. i thought i was listening to the same chapter SEVERAL times ffs. if i see the words "centennial" and "100 years" again istg- LIKE OKAY WE GET IT. it felt like i was studying for the book the way you study for a test, repeating everything until it's buried into your brain. im tired okay? i don't know what im saying either. at least im not saying stupid shit like "she glared at him meanly". HOW ELSE WOULD SHE GLARE AT HIM? CHEERFULLY??? KINDLY???? glaring itself is an act of meanness dear and if it's an oxymoron of some sort, you're overusing it <3 Miss girl was honestly very dumb, but she and Oro were the most interesting characters in this whole book. Then there’s the logistical issues, such as a half a dozen bridges connecting these islands made of rope (???) that people have to cross on foot (??????) and where exactly these foreign realms that people fled to actually are. And sorry Skylings, Imma let you finish, but your curse being that you can’t fly anymore when Starlings drop dead at 25 and Wildlings have to do cannibalism is absolutely INSANE. Maybe I missed the second part of their curse, but they seem kinda chill with the whole arrangement on the whole. The love interests. I have nothing else to say other than Grim is Rhysand from ACOTAR and Oro is Prince Maxon from the Selection if he was OP and had hella magic. That perfectly encapsulates both how their written and the extent of their dynamics. It's so reminiscent of ~other stuff~ it's difficult to see them as their own established characters, especially Grim. They're both like 500 years old and have a rivalry.