The Lightlark Series in Order begins with Lightlark, followed by Nightbane, Skyshade, and Crowntide. For a first read, I recommend adding the Grim and Oro companion after Skyshade and before Crowntide.
Alex Aster’s main novels tell one continuous story. Grim and Oro adds two companion stories, while collector’s editions reprint the novels with bonus material. Neither changes the numbering of the main series.
Jump to:
- Lightlark Series in Order
- Where Grim and Oro Fits
- Bonus Chapters and Special Editions
- Lightlark Movie Adaptation
- About Alex Aster
Lightlark Series in Order
Read the four main novels in publication order, with the optional companion between books three and four:
These aren’t standalone romances with a different couple in each book. Isla Crown remains central to the saga, and the sequels build on earlier revelations about her powers, her relationships, and the realms. I’d avoid reading sequel descriptions before finishing Lightlark, since even the book blurbs reveal major outcomes.
Lightlark begins with Isla, the ruler of Wildling, entering the Centennial. Once every century, the rulers of six cursed realms gather for a deadly chance to free their people. Isla’s people are cursed to kill anyone they fall in love with, which makes her growing feelings for Grim and Oro especially dangerous.
Don’t mistake the first three books for a complete trilogy. Crowntide continues after Skyshade and is not the final installment.
Where Grim and Oro Fits
Grim and Oro: Dueling Crowns Edition collects two stories told from the perspectives of Isla’s love interests. They explore the men’s histories and revisit important moments from their relationships with Isla. This is additional fiction, not a summary of the main books or another numbered sequel.
I recommend reading both stories after Skyshade and before Crowntide, which follows their original publication placement. Some of the material takes place earlier, but I wouldn’t move it ahead of Lightlark. Meet these characters through Isla’s story before reading their versions of events.
For the two sides of the companion, I’d read Oro first, then Grim. Keeping both together at this point is simpler than trying to rearrange the saga around their backstories.
Grim: Dueling Crowns Edition explores Grim’s upbringing, his role in Nightshade, and his connection to Isla. Oro: Dueling Crowns Edition follows Oro’s origins and the personal history behind his responsibilities as king.
The two stories first appeared together in 2025. Their separate editions date from 2026, but they aren’t sequels to Crowntide. Choose the combined volume or the individual editions. You don’t need all three.
The companion is optional. Readers interested mainly in Isla’s central story can continue directly from Skyshade to Crowntide; readers who want more of Grim and Oro have both of their perspectives here.
Bonus Chapters and Special Editions
The hardcover collector’s editions below each add an eight-page romance scene told from one of Isla’s love interests’ points of view. They’re reissues of the main novels, not additional numbered installments.
- Lightlark: Collector’s Edition (2024)
- Nightbane: Collector’s Edition (2025)
- Skyshade: Collector’s Edition (2026)
- Crowntide: Collector’s Edition (2026)
Read each bonus scene after the novel it accompanies. These specific hardcover editions contain the extras; the standard ebook links in the main list are for the original novels.
My advice is to choose a collector’s edition for bonus content you actually want. A different cover or a set of sprayed edges doesn’t, by itself, mean there’s another story to read.
The three-book boxed set and three-book ebook collection contain Lightlark, Nightbane, and Skyshade. They don’t include Crowntide or Grim and Oro, so a three-book bundle isn’t the whole saga.
Lightlark Movie Adaptation
Universal Pictures acquired the film rights to Lightlark before the first novel was published. The Lightlark movie project is an announced adaptation, not a released film.
About Alex Aster
Alex Aster is the author of the Lightlark Saga and the Emblem Island series. She studied creative writing at the University of Pennsylvania and graduated summa cum laude.
Her Emblem Island books preceded Lightlark, but they aren’t part of Isla’s story. You don’t need to read Aster’s earlier series before beginning the Lightlark Saga.
Looking for more books in order?
For more romance-focused fantasy and young adult series, I’d start with these guides: