It’s no secret that I didn’t love Skyshade, the third book in Alex Aster’s Lightlark Saga, but at this point, I’ve spent many hours on this story, and I wanted to see whether the fourth book, Crowntide, could save a series that started with so much promise.
*This review contains spoilers for the first three books in the Lightlark Saga*
Isla is gone, and Grim and Oro are willing to do anything to get her back, including working together. It’s a seemingly impossible task.
The precious diamond around her neck is the only thing they can think of that would help, but of course, it went with her. The two men who love her so much will have to find another way.
Isla, having disappeared through a portal, is trapped in an entirely different world, with only a few days to save herself and kill her evil ancestor, or all of Lightlark will fall.
On their journeys, all three of them face treacherous trials, with new realms and new magic to contend with. These circumstances push all three of them to the brink, forcing them to test their love and confront their fates.
So the whole premise of this series is a love triangle, that at this point is such a wicked tangle that it’s become a mess. Two-thirds of these main characters are infuriating, and the other one is exactly the same as he was in the last book. The circumstances have changed a bit, but the characters remain stagnant.
Grim cares only for his wife. He’s a classic book boyfriend. Oro cares for both Isla and his people. He’s admirable, I guess. Isla cares about both of her dudes, but is mostly driven by redeeming herself for past mistakes, although the whole universe is apparently at stake here.
They’re all so selfish in their own ways, and only a little bit is romantic. It fundamentally does not work because it only inspires apathy.
The actual romantic moments, including but not limited to spice, are sparing. This is due to all the drama, which is fine, but this story could have been slightly redeemed with some top-notch spice, but it simply isn’t there in abundance. What is there is great, but it’s not enough.
For the first part of this book, I had to actively force myself to read it. I am unsure why I did this to myself. Despite the supposed action of the dramatic plot points that unfold, I found myself utterly bored.
Part of this is because almost every chapter of Crowntide ends in a dramatic moment, almost like a bunch of mini cliffhangers. It keeps the reader turning pages and keeps the plot moving, but after the first few, it starts to feel shallow and overdone. Especially when there is an amnesia plotline. Again.
What started out as an interesting series has taken on a cheap feel. Don’t get me wrong, there are some beautiful moments, but it just doesn’t come together into something that feels worth the time. I’m all for campy drama and salacious thrills, but all of this feels far-fetched and soap opera-esque, and unintentionally so.
Crowntide is a frustrating read. Parts of it are incredibly cheesy. It’s entirely unsatisfying. This series had so much potential, but took a sharp wrong turn.
At the end, I was once again surprised to find a cliffhanger. I’m truly shocked this series will continue to drag on. It is a tragedy. Please, for the love of all that is holy, let the next Lightlark book be the last.
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