Lightlark

Content Warning: This section of the guide contains discussion of racism.

Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.

1. How did your expectations of Lightlark compare to your reading experience? Did the novel deliver on its premise of a high-stakes fantasy competition with romantic elements?

2. How does Aster develop the magical system in Lightlark, particularly the relationship between each realm’s powers and their corresponding curses? Which realm’s magic-curse combination did you find most compelling and why?

3. Lightlark has been compared to The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins or James Dashner’s The Maze Runner because of its competition format and high stakes. How do these works differ in their approach to competition-based narratives, and which aspects of each did you find more effective?

Encourage readers to connect the book’s themes and characters with their personal experiences.

1. Isla struggles with balancing her duty to her people with her personal desires. Have you ever faced a conflict between responsibility to others and your own wishes? How did you navigate this tension?

2. Throughout the novel, characters must decide whether to trust others despite the risk of betrayal. When have you had to make a difficult decision about trusting someone, and what factors influenced your choice?

3. Isla discovers that much of what she was taught about herself is false. Have you ever experienced a moment where you had to reevaluate your understanding of yourself or your history? How did this revelation change you?

4. The curse of the Wildlings prevents them from experiencing love without deadly consequences. What would you sacrifice to protect your ability to love and form connections with others?

5. Isla’s guardians raised her with the belief that “sentimentality is selfish” (5). How has your upbringing shaped your view of emotions and their expression?

Examine the book’s relevance to societal issues, historical events, or cultural themes.

1. Lightlark shows societies divided by their magical abilities and physical characteristics. What parallels do you see between this fictional segregation and real-world divisions based on cultural, ethnic, or social differences?

2. The rulers in the novel have a duty to their lands that supersedes their personal happiness. How does this compare to expectations placed on leaders in our society? What responsibilities do you believe come with positions of power?

3. Lightlark gained popularity through BookTok but faced criticism when some readers felt the marketing didn’t match the content. How does the novel’s actual content compare to how you might have seen it presented or described in media? What expectations did you bring to your reading?

Dive into the book’s structure, characters, themes, and symbolism.

1. How does the love triangle between Isla, Grim, and Oro serve the larger themes of the novel? What does each relationship reveal about Isla’s character development?

2. The contrast of darkness and light appears throughout the novel in both literal and symbolic ways. How does this imagery contribute to character development and the resolution of the plot?

3. Aster uses multiple examples of betrayal throughout the narrative. What do these betrayals reveal about trust and relationships in the world of Lightlark?

4. The novel features several magical objects (the starstick, the bondbreaker, the heart of Lightlark). How do these objects drive the plot forward, and what symbolic significance do they hold?

5. Isla is repeatedly described as being trapped in a cage, both literally and metaphorically. How does this motif evolve throughout the novel, and what does it reveal about Isla’s journey?

6. The Centennial’s trials test different aspects of each ruler’s character, from Celeste’s fear mirror to Cleo’s ice swim. How do her specific challenges reveal important traits in Isla and contribute to her development throughout the story?

Encourage imaginative and creative connections to the book.

1. The bondbreaker in the novel requires a significant sacrifice of blood to break curses. What magical artifact would you design to address one of the problems in the story, and what would be its cost or limitation?

2. The ending of Lightlark sets up a sequel with several unresolved mysteries. What do you think lies behind the spiral door Isla unlocks at the end of the novel, and how might it change the course of the story?

3. Each realm in Lightlark has unique powers and corresponding curses. What kind of realm would you create for this world, what would its powers be, and what curse would balance those powers?

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