In the second novel of the Lightlark saga by Alex Aster, we get to explore what happens to Isla now that the curses have been broken and she's discovered she has powers. Not to mention, how will Grim react to the choice that she has made. In this book, we deal with murder, blood, child abuse, injury detail, kidnapping, violence, and death.
We pick up Isla's story almost immediately after the end of Lightlark. The curses that have plagued the realms is now broken and the people have to rediscover how life was before the curses were laid. For Isla, she's got a lot going on. She has realized that she does have power after all, not just the power of the Wildling but of Nightshade as well. In addition, after draining "Celeste" of her power, Isla now holds the power of Starling too. She has to learn how to control her newfound powers, how to become a real ruler to Wildling and to Starling, and how to navigate her relationship with Oro. To make things worse, Grim is not handling heartbreak well and has declared war on all the other realms of Lightlark. Unless they want to join his forces, of course.
If you read my review of Lightlark, you'll know that I was not a fan. It felt rushed and the relationships seemed forced and unnatural. In this book, you get to unlock the memories that Grim took from Isla and unpack how their relationship started. It adds another layer of understanding and makes what seemed like an obsession on his part feel not as creepy. I did like this book more, the writing was not quite as bad, the plot was more well thought, and the characters seemed to have more sustenance. I did end up liking Grim quite a bit, but I still think Isla is an idiot who doesn't have any critical thinking skills and annoys me more often than not. The ending was confusing, although not as confusing as the first novel and this attempts to tie up some loose strings from Lightlark that didn't quite make sense. I believe the author tries to convey that Isla is having a depressive episode in the beginning of the book, but they do so poorly and the book gets better about halfway through.
I'm giving Nightshade by Alex Aster 3 stars out of 5. Spice level stays at .5. I continue to be underwhelmed by this series which has been lauded on TikTok and is now being made into a Netflix series. Although I did enjoy this book more than the first, let's hope that the trend continues for the final book, Skyshade, which releases this November.
For more from the author, see her website at https://www.asterverse.com/
Pairs well with the flaming blue blazer (but be careful when you're making it!) and some self reflection.
For a summary of all the books in the Lightlark saga, click here.
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