More on this book
Community
Kindle Notes & Highlights
starstick
And the fault was Isla’s.
Five hundred years before, each of the six realms—Wildling, Starling, Moonling, Skyling, Sunling, and Nightshade—were cursed, their strengths turned into their own personal poisons. Each curse was uniquely wicked. Wildlings’ was twofold. They were cursed to kill anyone they fell in love with—and to live exclusively on human hearts. They turned into terrifyingly beautiful monsters with the wicked power to seduce with a single look.
Every hundred years since the curses had been cast, the island of Lightlark appeared for just a hundred days, freed from its impassable storm. Rulers of each realm were invited to journey from the new lands they had settled after fleeing Lightlark, to try to break the curses binding each of their powers and the island itself. Every realm except for Nightshade, that was. Nightshades had the power to spin curses, making them prime suspects for having created them in the first place, though they denied it. This year, it seemed as though the Lightlark king was desperate.
Lightlark was a shining, cliffy thing.
The pieces that remained were Star Isle for the Starlings, Sky Isle for the Skylings, Moon Isle for the Moonlings, and Sun Isle for the Sunlings.
On Lightlark and beyond, love had a price. Falling deeply and truly in love meant forming a bond that gave a beloved complete access to one’s abilities. They could do whatever they wished with it. Wield it, reject it. Even steal it.
On the night of the curses, five hundred years before, all six rulers perished. Their power and responsibility were transferred to their heirs, and all of them except for the new king fled the island’s instability to create the newlands, hundreds of miles from the island and each other.
The castle was a curious child perched at the top of the mountain, leaning way too far over the edge.
It was just a yolky thing, halfway consumed by the horizon,
The gauzy white curtains blew back in the breeze, trailing her arms, falling against her bare knees, her toes. She crept out onto the balcony, the stone cold beneath her feet. Breathed in salt and brine.
Whyyyy so many commas
determined not to make a sound.
bondbreaker.
Literally so not creative in naming ANYTHING
was forced to have a child after the Centennial ended, as a better
a beautiful, gleaming thing.
Why describe everything as ‘thing’ ???
The gloves were crucial to getting inside them.
She just makes up something new every chapter that could have been mentioned earlier
The simple scrap of silk of a bodice.
Grim’s dark eyes flashed with amusement. “Careful, Hearteater,” he whispered, towering over her, standing far too close. “I might just give it to you.”
Not actual enemies to lovers. He’s liked her and her him since jumo
crisp gold letter
The paper she was handed was silver, sparkling.
Even inside, Isla could hear the snarl of the sea, desperately rising in curls toward its inhabitants.
Not even against rulers of realm.
carved into the base of a mountain.
Why did that make her want to get even closer to him?
She barely knows him. They’ve spent virtually no time together
“I was a ruler of realm.
“I gave it an honest effort,” he said. “But it turns out . . . I’m not that honest.”
It’s been like 5 minutes since he said they shouldn’t see each other
The sun was a running yolk, smearing gold and orange and red across the sky, as if desperate to leave its mark. The clouds were cotton dipped in pink dye.
Her hair was spotted with tiny diamonds that looked like stars that had been coaxed down from the galaxy just for the day.
A crown of flowers had been placed atop her own, bright red against her dark hair.
Still, they didn’t want anyone suspecting their alliance had predated the Centennial.
Why does this matter but being friends DURING the centennial does not
Isla remembered the sound she had fallen asleep to—Oro, laughing. And not meanly, the way he always had. She had never heard him truly laugh before. As she looked at him, she wondered if she really had imagined it. He was frowning as he studied the room. As if he regretted having agreed to step inside it.
Really hoping this is the real enemies to lovers relationship of this book
Isla knew the door wanted her to open it for a reason. Maybe this was it.
Even I knew from the moment she saw the vault her fucking star stick is the key
Oro looked remarkably like the marble statues on Moon Isle, his chest and arms muscled like a warrior, toned as sharply as a blade.
Yes. This is what I’m here for.
She wasn’t in her underwear, but only wearing scraps of fabric, she felt bare in front of him. Oro stood very still.
Yaasssss. I swear to god, if this isnt the endgame romance I’m burning this book. Ebook or not.
Something about his proximity, maybe, or his hands on her—or the blood she had lost, more likely—made her feel a little dizzy.
Oro slowly removed his hands from her bare skin. As soon as he did, she shivered, the cold rushing back. At that, he touched her again, this time against her knee.
Seriously this is way better than every single scene with Grim. WAY more tension and build up.
She straightened, willing her strange thoughts away, remembering why they were in the wretched palace in the first place. “Did you find it?” she asked, eyes wide. Desperate.
Okay so she knows she’s attracted to Grim but feels the same for Oro and can’t tell? Also suddenly had a thought. What if Grim is making her THINK she is attracted to him??
A library.
Why do I have a feeling Celeste is the one not to be trusted???
“Just someone trying to kill me.”
Was it Grim who spun the curses??? That would honestly make sense.
And something about it all was so familiar, like falling asleep, or humming to the rain, or breathing. Like she had already done it all a thousand times in her dreams.
Seriously!!! I’m getting creepy vibes from him! Like he’s conditioned her to be used to this relationship. Controlling her dreams and shit
None of her futures included the island. “Perhaps,” she said. But it was a lie. And because of his flair, Oro knew it.
Seriously so annoyed. Oro deserves to be the love interest.
From its shell emerged a shining, gold yolk. It rose from the ground in tandem with the sun rising from the horizon, just across the cliff.
“The full egg represented the moon,” she said, her voice hoarse from singing. “The
yolk . . . is the sun.” How many times had she thought the full moon looked like an egg? ...
This highlight has been truncated due to consecutive passage length restrictions.
But she wouldn’t choose it over Grim. Or anyone else she cared about.
Isla you dumb bitch
She shook the memories away with a scowl. All he cared about was his people and breaking the curses. He didn’t care about her.
WHY ARE YOU SO STUPID
a golden yolk just like the heart of Lightlark.
At this point it’s funny 😂
That was the moment I knew I loved you, he had said. When that arrow went through your heart, and it might as well have gone through mine.
Oro you are my saving grace to this book
Isla took a steadying breath before slipping her crown into the hole. Its every ridge clicked into place. She turned it, just the way she would a key.
The one thing I didn’t predict tbh lol
