I was sent this book by the publisher in exchange for an honest review, and I couldn't put it down! The titular island of Lightlark appears every 100 years to host the deadly centennial, a chance for the rulers of the six realms to break the curses placed across their lands. The catch? One of them has to die. I really enjoyed this book, it really pulls you in with the concept and supplies you with enough plot twists and drama to stop you from putting it down. The structure of the centennial serves well for the story, giving characters time to develop and to build the world around them, without getting stale. Isla is a great protagonist, she's curious and determined to break the curse upon her realm, but remains empathetic towards the other rulers in the same position. The concept of the curses for each ruler and their lands are brilliantly done and you can see the strong motivations for each one. The romance was well done as well, its spread out across the book and isn't just dumped on you all at once. There is a bit of a love triangle, which I'm not always a fan of, but the chemistry between the characters made it work well and I found myself rooting for them in the end! Overall it was an enjoyable fantasy read that is full of dark magic and twists, and I am looking forward to the next instalment in the series!

Big thank you to the publisher for sending me a copy for an honest review. Six rulers, six curses and one chance to break them. We follow Isla Crown as she enters the centennial for the first time in hopes of restoring peace to her land and people. Firstly I’ll say I loved this book so much!! It’s nice and easy to digest, interesting and unique and has plenty of twists to keep a reader immersed. In terms of YA/NA fantasy romance it has everything it needs to be hugely popular and I would suggest any fans of the genre read it immediately. The romance was exceptional and kept the same pace as the rest of the plot which made me so happy as I cannot deal with insta-love. The chemistry between certain characters was amazing and the slow burn was ultimately one of my favourite things about the book. There are a few very well loved tropes written in here which I think Alex executed perfectly and I can confirm there is book boyfriend potential! If your looking for spice I would recommend starting this series as it’s definitely going to heat up as the story progresses! The world building was a slight grey area and I would of loved to read a bit more about the place or have a map to refer to so I’m hoping this develops over the series, however it didn’t put me off as it was still super enjoyable! There are quite a few characters in the story and some of them felt a bit 2D in some parts of the book but I think they may progress with the series. That being said, a lot of them were really good and worked well with the storyline. Friendship is a huge theme throughout the book which I loved and I feel is vital to Isla’s character arc. As for Isla, I loved her and her character development was really good. There was plenty of enjoyment in the book and I loved that Alex stayed away from the ‘chosen one’ trope. Overall, I’m super excited about this book and will definitely be recommending as soon as it hits the shelves!! Perfect for any fans of ACOTAR, FBAA and The Hunger Games.

I’ll admit it took a chapter or two to get me hooked on this book. But once I was oh gosh did I devour this book! I rooted for Isla the whole way. This book is teaming with secrets and intrigue that keep you guessing. Even if you’ve figured out one there’s always another twist around the corner. A dazzling world filled with interesting and unique lore. I can’t wait to read book two.

I loved this book, the worldbuilding, the riddle, the game, the twists EVERYTHING! I loved the relationship building between the characters. I loved the mystery and action all the adventure to the final goal. I couldn't help but link a certain song to this that I had playing everytime I was reading this 'My funny Valentine, Michael Buble' really gave me that doomed romance kind of vibe. I reccomend this book if you have strong immagination, I quite enjoyed this story and definitely deserves a movie adaptation!

Isla is a young, inexperienced leader who is raised to participate in the Centennial on Lightlark, an island that opens its doors once every 100 years for only 100 days. In that time the rulers from the 6 realms must work to fulfill the prophecy and break the curses plaguing their worlds. I really enjoyed it! Was it the best fantasy novel I’ve ever read? No. Would I have enjoyed a little more romancy? Yes please (maybe in book 2?!). But am I glad I gave it a go? Yeah absolutely! The world building was okay with me- not super seamless and it did feel a little like an info dump at times but I could follow it. The plot was twisty and I found myself itching to get another chapter - which in my opinion is one of the main joys of reading! I would’ve liked a little more action/input from other characters- I felt like a couple key players were left to their own devices and just mentioned casually very occasionally - but overall I liked it! Would def read the next installment in this journey!