Are you in your YA fantasy era? If you have come across our ACOTAR summary, or characters’ breakdown, then this post is for you because we are talking about Alex Aster’s Lightlark, BookTok’s favorite romantasy. Think about trials, betrayal, a young adult slow burn with a dark love interest, and a love triangle. Powerless fans, rise, and refresh your memory with Kai Azer’s best quotes.
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Make sure you have read our complete synopsis of Lightlark before you scroll down to our characters’ guide. You should definitely expect some spoilers there!
Six realms join forces on the Island of Lightlark every five hundred years to break the curses that plague their people. The rulers of the Sunlings, Moonlings, Skylings, Starlings, Nightshade, and the Wildlings attend the Centennial, a deadly game, with one goal; fulfill the prophecy and save their people. However, one realm has to perish, and one ruler needs to die. As the youngest ruler, Isla Crown is the easiest target. What’s more, she is powerless, a secret that will be the death of her if she is not cunning enough to cover her tracks. She needs to keep her wits to herself and her blades sharpened at all times. The key to survival is to trust no one!
However, as her initial plan to find an ancient relic and break the curses fails, she needs to put her faith in unexpected alliances.
King Oro has a plan; find the heart of the Lightlark Island and use its power to save the island from crumbling down. Due to the curses, the King’s energy is running out, and without him, Lightlark cannot be… He has to trust Isla, even if her very presence threatens him.
Isla works with Oro during the night and with Celeste during the day. Things get trickier when the ruler of Nightshade starts appearing in front of her—constantly. His aloof and at the same time intriguing demeanor makes Isla uneasy. What can he possibly want from her? Her steamy dreams of him confuse her even more, and she finds herself looking for him everywhere. Grimshaw, though, is dangerous, and the more she learns about him, the more frustrating he becomes.
Apart from this delicious love triangle, though, Isla will come across truths that would shatter the world as she knows it. Trust us when we say that by the end of the book, there is no single character that has not betrayed her—or at least looking to.
The ruler of the Wildlings has quite the backstory! Her parents died because of the Wildling curse that forbids the people to love. Isla believes that because of it, she was born powerless. However, she is her people’s only hope to break the curse, and her guardians, Terra and Poppy, trained her—hard—to do just that. From her weapons, to her seductive dresses, Isla is a threat to anyone who dares to come closer. The Wildlings are considered monsters, as they are doomed to feed on human hearts to survive. Wild, as their very name suggests…
Isla has nothing from her parents but a Starstick, an ancient relic that opens portals to the other realms. She often sneaks out from her golden cage to seek adventures. In one of those secret trips, she met and befriended Celeste, the ruler of Starling. Together, they come up with a plan to find the bondbreaker and try to break the curses of their realms, and then run away free.
As much as Isla wants to save her people, her young heart craves freedom, and love. She loves reading, and meeting new people, but she has learnt to put her own desires on the side for the greater good. She is loyal, smart, fierce, stubborn and devastatingly beautiful. Her singing voice can only match a siren’s, luring unaware sailors in, and condemning them to death.
Our shadow daddy in the Lightlark series rules the Nightshade, a realm that has been at war with the Sunlings before, and considered dangerous thanks to the dark powers its people wield. It is said that they come from nightmares themselves. However, due to the curse, they cannot go out at night…
Grim here attends the Centennial after long years of animosity, but no one can guess his true motives. One thing is made clear from the beginning; the Wildling ruler intrigues him.
He pops out of nowhere each time Isla needs some saving. And he never asks questions… Interesting. He is witty, teasing, and absolutely dangerous. As the slow burn between him and Isla reaches its peak, he gives Isla a pendant that she can pull each time she needs help. He is the kind of guy that would let the world burn for her. However, he has some shocking secrets of his own… What? Did you think this love would bloom unbothered? Not in this fantasy novel, dear bookworm. Wait until you start reading Skyshade, the third book in the Lightlark saga.
The King of Lightlark, and ruler of the Sunlings, Oro has taken the throne after his older brother and heir was killed along with his betrothed Aurora. A twist of fate if you like… The most powerful man is a brooding, cold fellow, who has the world on his shoulders. And we can justify his grumpiness as he cannot walk during daytime and enjoy the sunlight, the main source of his energy. Yep, that’s the Sunling curse. As the King, though, he draws magic from every realm. The male version of Feyre Archeron.
He chooses to carry the burden alone and not take a bride, since there is this detail in his fantasy novel that wants magic to be shared between two lovers. And if Oro is to be seduced by anyone and give them access to his incredible power… Chaos. This lonely boy—some centuries old—has been trying to find the heart of Lightlark and reboot his powers, because he is slowly and painfully dying. And if the King dies… checkmate.
He needs to count on Isla’s Wildling powers to lead her to the heart. The joke is on him. He ends up falling in love with Isla, and inevitably giving her access to his source of power.
Celeste, the ruler of Sunlings, is competing in the Centennial for the first time like Isla. She is desperate to find the bondbreaker and free her people from maybe the most cruel of all curses. No Starling lives to celebrate their 26th birthday. Working closely with Isla, Celeste is the only one who knows her friend’s deadly secret. When she is poisoned by another ruler, Isla will bring the world to its knees to save her friend. It is her ride-or-die kind of friend. However, the most innocent faces hide the most devastating secrets…
Cleo is the ruler of the Moonlings, a very powerful realm whose people are famous for their strong navy. The curse that plagues them, though, is that every other full moon, the Moonlings lose their lives in the sea. Cleo is respected by her people, and she seems determined to win the Centennial and gain the power that is promised to the one who will solve the prophecy. She is snappy, aloof, and she seems to hate Isla on first sight. She is delighted when Oro chooses her over Isla at some point during the Centennial, indicating her strong competitive spirit. In Isla’s eyes, Cleo is the most likely to kill her. She even suspects that Cleo is the one who cast the curses in the first place.
The ruler of the Skylings leads a very progressive reign. His people vote for their ruler, and they participate in the decision-making process. He has participated in the Centennial a couple of times, and then he lost his husband. He looks peaceful and friendly, even offering Isla a walk around his realm, and using his magic to play music for her. Nevertheless, in this deadly game, nothing is as it seems. Due to the curse, he and his people have lost their ability to fly.
In hard copy, e-book, or even audiobook, Lightlark by Alex Aster has dominated our TikTok fyps, and we won’t lie; we totally understand the hype. Young adult romantasy at its best, this fantasy book will leave you breathless, frustrated, and broken—there are more books announced in the Lightlark book series.
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There are actually two love interests in Lightlark. A love triangle is formed between Isla, King Oro, and Grimshaw, the Nightshade ruler. Isla clearly seems drawn to Grim, but she actually comes pretty close to Oro during their search for the heart of Lightlark. By the final battle, Isla bonds with both of them, and gains access to their source of magic as they proclaim their true love for her. At the end of this book, Isla chooses to stay with Oro, but we will have more to see of Grim in Nightbane.
Isla Crown is born powerless, but as a Wildling she would be able to control nature, and communicate with animals. Also, the Wildlings are known for their alluring aura that can make anyone fall in love with them. Grimshaw Malvere wields the Nightshade powers; shadows, invisibility, cloning himself etc. His secret flair is to travel through space in mere seconds. Oro Rey can produce gold, just like King Midas. He can fly, produce heat, and he wields all the magic from the six realms as the King of Lightlark.
Nikki Sheryee insists that she’s “up to no good” whenever she’s in the company of books. Armed with a degree in English Language and Literature, she wields the power of words like a mischievous wizard. Her lifelong dream? To be the editor who sprinkles magic dust on manuscripts! To Nikki, a book is more alive than a caffeinated squirrel on roller skates. Readers nurture it, cuddle it, scold it, and occasionally challenge it to a duel! But in the end, a book does its own thing, pulling at our heartstrings and revealing our inner human-ness. Nikki’s favorite pastime? Well, it’s none other than the noble art of daydreaming! And she wears her daydreamer’s badge with pride, sharing this delightful delusion with the crème de la crème of her friends.
