Skyshade (The Lightlark Saga Book 3) (The Lightlark Saga, 3) (Volume 3)

!!SPOILERS AHEAD!!I was so excited to dive into Skyshade, the third book in the Lightlark series, and it did not disappoint! I finished it in less than 24 hours!! This installment takes us back to Grim’s castle on Nightshade, where Isla is slowly regaining her lost memories—and with them, a complex love-hate relationship with Grim. She’s trying to come to terms with the fact that she’s his wife, a revelation that feels even more complicated because she had fallen for Oro. The emotional tension is intense as she navigates her feelings for both Grim and Oro, making the romance feel both thrilling and bittersweet.The story starts with a slower build, but once it hits the halfway point, the stakes rise dramatically. Isla discovers that a long-lost family member, once thought dead, has returned with a vengeance, threatening everything and everyone she cares about. This revelation leads to an epic buildup toward a battle against an army of undead, and Isla proves herself to be a fierce and resilient heroine, keeping secrets and making tough choices to protect her world.The romantic tension here was unexpectedly spicy, with a solid 3/5 on the spice scale, adding an intensity that kept me hooked. The romance balances well with the plot, enhancing Isla’s character without overshadowing the action.While the beginning was a bit slow, the action-packed second half made up for it, and the ending left me both surprised and excited. I guessed the cliffhanger twist a few chapters before it happened, but it was still satisfying. Isla’s journey into a portal leading to another universe sets up for a new direction, and I can’t wait to see where this twist takes her next.Overall, Skyshade is a thrilling continuation of the Lightlark series, with romance, high-stakes battles, and a cliffhanger that promises even more. I’m giving this one a strong 4.5 out of 5 stars.

4.25 (I may end up changing my rating because I’m a bit on the fence)Let me start off by saying that I really enjoyed reading this book. I was sucked in and ended up reading the whole book in about seven hours. I’m excited to see how everything plays out and that there are two more books in the series.That being said, the FMC, Isla, was a tad more annoying than usual in the constant back and forth with her feelings and decisions. I totally understand the confliction she had and while I myself share some of those same feelings, the way it came off was just a little much.I thought the story was easy to read/understand and I was able to imagine the settings and everything that was happening….up until the last 100ish pages when I found myself a bit confused on what exactly was going on and why some decisions where being made. I’m not sure if this is due to how it was written or if it’s a me thing.Side note: I think it would be cool if Alex Aster wrote a novella about the story of Isla’s mom and dad.

So I’m rating this a 3. I did enjoy the book but honestly something was missing for me. I think this book was definitely more fantasy driven than romance, also way more spicy than the other two. But even the fantasy was a bit messy. I feel like we were introduced to new things all at once and if I’m wrong then that doesn’t bode well for the series because I either forgot or I completely missed it.Personally I was one of the Oro girlies at first just because Grim pissed me off so much but this book did change my opinion on him quite a bit since the majority of it was his story with Isla. Grim did THE MOST for her.My favorite character is definitely lynx. Lmao but I think that’s my issue with this book because the minor characters made me feel so much more than the mains did. I can’t fully explain why because there was spice with both MMCs but honestly I’m a bit over the love triangle after that conclusion. It’s becoming a little grating for me and idk how it happened but I no longer care for either men 💀 she doesn’t deserve either.The beginning I liked. The back and forth and isla helping with the little town and feeding into her darkness def got me interested. I like seeing her as a bad ass and not whining 🤣 but the flip flopping like good god girl. I wouldn’t be surprised if the author is planning to make this series like a throuple. Which considering how much they hate each other idk it may be interesting but idk how she’d pull that off.The scenes with grim in the town I get was supposed to make me feel like they were getting to know each other better like it was supposed to be cute but it just felt awkward? And a bit boring.Oro coming in through the window had me HOWLING omg I loved that scene but I feel like that sped things up with her and Grim which did not make sense to me because it felt forced? Her being like oh yes everything will be good again w grim especially after seeing oro. I will admit her chemistry with grim is way more than with oro, especially after this book but I just don’t feel the love connection between any of them anymore.Basically the character development I felt in the other books with these men, kind of fell short in this one. Which sucks because it makes me feel like they are becoming more forgettable and they were big reasons why I was so intrigued in this series.Now I DID ENJOY the ending. The plot twists are good and the battle scenes are cool. I predicted the last part with the portal as soon as she got the armor but the way it went down and lynx bringing her to her family’s home for the letter filled my soul back up. I loved that, and I’m really interested to see how the future thing plays out, but I feel like I would have enjoyed hints or tidbits to some of the twists more along the way bc I had to reread parts due to a bit of an info dump.These books are entertainment. I hate saying this but it’s pretty much exactly what I normally expect from a “booktok” book and don’t get me wrong I do not mean that in a bad way, just more in a fun way. I will most likely read the next installment in the series and continue with it but it’s something entertaining, not necessarily something I’d reread and analyze a million times because of its depth. On the other hand - if it takes a while to come out, me reading the next book may end up not happening depending on how much u retain from these books bc I can’t see myself rereading at all.Alex Aster is writing good books and I am happy to be able to experience them, I just don’t know that I would gush over them either. I just feel like meh. Which is a bummer. Hopefully with the next books things come together more and we get more of the romance and better explanations in the skyres or whatever for the magic. I’m assuming she put everything in at the end to set up for book 4 so ya. We shall seeeeee

Amazing, what can I say- I love all the main characters! You feel like you are getting to know all these characters more and more and the world is interesting and enchanting. Loved it!

Was this book objectively well paced or well written? IMO no, there were several typos/grammatical errors and sooo many poorly worded phrases. The plot felt so slow at times. But did I devour it in under 48 hours? Yes 100% and I will count down the days until the 4th book. I feel like this book was really only for plot building for the next 2 books, and left us readers with more questions than answers. The ending is very much giving me crescent city flashbacks, but I’m curious where the next book will take us.