Nightbane by Alex Aster

At the end of Lightlark, Isla has successfully broken the centuries-old curse that threatened the lives of Lightlark inhabitants. As the ruler of the Wildling and Starling realms, she is also grappling with her newly discovered magical abilities. Finally, although she is in a romantic relationship with Oro, the king of Lightlark, Isla is starting to recover her memories of her previous relationship with Grim, the ruler of Nightshade.

At the beginning of Nightbane, the six realms of Lightlark are dealing with the aftermath of the curse. Under their respective rulers’ guidance, Sunlings, Starlings, Skylings, Wildlings, Moonlings, and Nightshades are now working to build peace and ensure prosperity on the ruined island. Isla, especially, is learning to use her Wildling and Nightshade powers while simultaneously trying to find her footing as a leader. However, she feels inadequate and unqualified and resents the responsibilities of her role. While she feels that her duty limits her personal freedom, she is willing to sacrifice her own comfort to better serve her people and do them justice.

Isla is then officially crowned as the Starling ruler after having killed the previous one, an evil and powerful magic-wielder named Aurora, in Lightlark. During her coronation, Isla is struck by a vision of horror depicting killings and violence. She interprets it as a warning of a future Nightshade attack, and she fears that Grim may be intent on waging a war to get her back. The other leaders, with the exception of Cleo, the Moonling ruler, come together to help defend Lightlark. Cleo, a morally ambivalent character, eventually sides with Nightshade as her interests align with Grim’s.

Throughout the novel, the rulers plan the island’s defenses and train their best fighters. Isla makes a point of recruiting her former enemies like the Vinderland, a group of bloodthirsty, disenfranchised warriors and ancient mythological creatures that roam the island. Among the legendary animals of Lightlark, Isla also meets Lynx, a giant panther who becomes her bonded, a type of magical familiar that symbolizes her status as a Wildling ruler. She also learns to rule by following her advice from her friend Azul, the Skyling ruler, who leads his people democratically. Eventually, Isla even decides to implement democracy in the Starling realm, thus demonstrating her emotional growth and leadership qualities.

At the same time, Isla gradually recovers more and more memories of her past, which was magically erased by Grim. She slowly pieces their history together and comes to remember how they met. After being raised in isolation on Wild Isle, Isla found a way to sneak out of her castle by using a starstick, a magical item that enables her to teleport anywhere. One day, she accidentally found herself in the Nightshade ruler’s castle and, through a series of misunderstandings, ended up stabbing him. Initially intent on revenge, Grim soon realized who Isla was and instead created an alliance with her. He recruited her help to find an enchanted sword that could help him save Nightshade from a deadly threat, the dreks, creatures that had been attacking his realm. Although Isla and Grim started as enemies, they slowly developed into a romantic relationship through their adventures across Lightlark in search of the sword. After they confessed their feelings for each other, Isla saved Grim’s life during a battle against the dreks, draining her own life force in the process. In turn, Grim bound her life to his, temporarily condemning her to sharing her life with his own. In anticipation of the Centennial, an event during which they had to pretend to be strangers, Grim then erased all memories of their relationship from Isla’s mind. This leads up to the events depicted in Lightlark, the first book in Aster’s series, while the rest of Nightbane takes place afterward.

As the tension between Nightshade and the other realms reaches its climax, the war finally begins. Isla is given a prophecy by an oracle, warning her that she must choose between Oro and Grim to save the entire world from being destroyed. Torn between her feelings for both of them, Isla is unable to decide. However, she learns that Grim does not want to use the sword to destroy Lightlark but to access the magic from another world, which would enable him to restore Isla’s life. In addition, the horrific vision Isla witnessed was, in fact, a memory of her own actions on the battlefield when she saved Grim rather than a prediction about the future. It also revealed that the Grim and her were married. But, right after the wedding, Grim showed Isla the neckalce, which is enchanted to only be released by Isla’s death. Grim then erased her memoreis of their relationship before the Centennial began. At the end of the story, she chooses to leave Lightlark and return to Nightshade with Grim; although she still has conflicting feelings for Oro. 

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