LIGHTLARK AND THE BOOKTOK HYPE
BOOK TRENDS: LIGHTLARK AND THE BOOKTOK HYPE
Here’s the inside scoop about Lightlark and the BookTok hype. Lightlark took the community by storm when the author, Alex Aster, began an intense marketing campaign on TikTok BEFORE THE BOOK WAS EVEN FINISHED.
According to multiple social media posts and articles, Aster did have a book agent but was dropped for some unknown reason. Aster did not let that get in the way of the publication of her book though. Let’s see how TikTok launched Alex Aster into fame, fortune, and a movie deal, all before the book, Lightlark, was even published.
WHAT IS BOOKTOK?
Let’s start with the platform that Alex Aster used – TikTok. I’m sure you’ve heard of it, or used it, or at least seen videos on other platforms that originally came from TikTok.
This social media platform has become well-known for making people go “viral”. With just one interesting video of less than 60 seconds, you can become famous. Usually, it only lasts for a little while. Daily viral sensations mean that TikTok fame is fleeting. The key to staying popular and trending is… drum roll please… CONSISTENCY.
HOW TO MARKET
It’s easier said then done. If you are an author, book reviews, blogger, business owner, celebrity, etc etc etc, then you know that posting consistent content is almost impossible. Many companies choose to hire interns or pay college students minimum wage specifically to post content on TikTok EVERY SINGLE DAY. It’s almost a full-time job. And you can’t just have content every day… it needs to be GOOD content, with trending sounds, pretty aesthetics, and the right hashtags. Let’s not forget about the interactions and engagements! The content means nothing if you aren’t actively trying to connect with others in your niche and create a loyal following.
BookTok is the book lovers’ corner of TikTik, and that is where Alex Aster made her mark.
WHAT DID ALEX ASTER DO RIGHT?
Aster had already written 5 other books, so she is an experienced, and self-published, author. Unfortunately, all of her books, including Lightlark, had been rejected by publishing houses MANY times. According to them, the “market” was already too saturated with YA Fantasy novels. Not only were they very wrong, but they clearly underestimated the abundance of loyalty in the book communities.
In an attempt to prove herself, and show the publishing companies that they were wrong, Aster went to TikTok. She posted a short clip, about 15 seconds, asking the BookTok community if they would be interested in reading a book about an Island that appears every 100 years where 6 rulers must fight to cure their kingdoms curse. TikTok said YES! Then, she got a publishing deal. And then a film deal with Universal and the creators of TikTok. And then she launched her book for the public to read and enjoy.
After receiving a lot of positive feedback from social media. Aster began creatively pushing her story. She posted quotes, spoilers, summaries, image references, and much more. She even involved her viewers by having them vote on the book’s cover. Over 10,000 people voted… This young woman did her marketing right!
Alex Aster said something on Good Morning America that I think she really and truly believes and lives by:
“Rejection is redirection”
No matter how you feel about Lightlark, you have to give her props. She almost single-handedly made herself a famous author and executive director by sticking to her plan, not letting rejection keep her down, and using social media to reach her target audience.
LIGHTLARK REVIEWS:
As fantastic as Aster’s marketing is, there has been a lot of backlash recently. Let’s look at some reviews from GoodReads. The ones you see below are snippets from the most popular reviews. Many of them are VERY long (practically books in and of themselves) and they get into the details and spoilers. Brace yourself, some of these are a little harsh. To be honest, these aren’t even the worst ones. You’ll need to head over to GoodReads to see the really juicy reviews.
“I did this for y’all and I need fucking reparations. I want a week of my life back. I have been bamboozled. Catfished. Played by everyone & everything.
I don’t even know where to start with this one. I have so much to say, I’ll have to continue the review in the comment section on this to fit it. Usually I can write a review off the top of my head. But no, I had to dissect every single one of my meme reaction highlights for this book b/c there’s way too many plot points & scenes to break apart here.
I haven’t felt this fucking angry over a book since Kingdom of the Cursed. I don’t ever give books 1 stars unless there’s bad writing + problematic racist, ableist or something typa shit. So it feels unusual to do this because there was nothing problematic that popped out to me at all. This 1 star purely comes from the merit of the prose, worldbuilding, magic system and plot.”
– SM on GoodReads
“OVER HALF THE TROPES THE AUTHOR KEPT POSTING ABOUT ISN’T EVEN IN THE BOOK
We all knew this book was a red flag once we saw her constantly marketing her YA book as spicy right??
Alex Aster had a lot to live up to when she compared her book to The Hunger Games mixed with ACOTAR. Here’s what to expect: over half the book the mc is combing through libraries and the forest to find a special item. yes, there is a competition but I WAS EXPECTING BATTLES ??? NOT WHATEVER I JUST READ ???? over half the time, the six rulers are just doing their own thing ??”
– SIU on GoodReads
“the plot twist was one i kinda anticipated because it was so predictable + alex kept posting on tiktok about some plottwist so i was always looking for it when reading. also all the quotes she posted on tiktok werent in the book which disappointed me because they were one of the reasons i was excited to read the book. idk if they will be in the actual book once published but i didnt like the false advertising!”
– Dee on GoodReads
“Oh, wonderful. Another tiktok book.
I know Xiran Jay Xhao’s Iron Widow somehow had “legs,” and good for them, but this book does not. I predict a big opening and a swift collapse as Aster’s tiktok fans give way to actual readers who’ll see straight through this farcical fluff.
When I got on tiktok to see Alex Aster “tiktok dancing” for her audience, or prowling through Barnes and Noble with Chloe Gong and the author of “You’ve Reached Sam” (who?) I can’t help but laugh! Is this what publishing has come to? That it’s not about a good story, but a viral video?
IT GETS BETTER…
And what a terrible story this is. Unreadable and utterly cringefail. I’m begging all those tiktok reviewers that called this prose “masterful” to read even twenty pages of Dune by Frank Herbert and see how this trite and trope-filled opening can be executed with true beauty by a literary giant. As it is, it’s clumsy, slow, and forgettable. Don’t get me started on the glimpse of Wildling familiars, like Aster just reached into Phillip Pullman’s head, took his life’s work, and pinned it to her moodboard. Coupled with the Hunger Games comp on the cover and the “rivals to lovers” tiktok blurb, and this is commercial fiction at its finest: all cotton candy concept, no substance whatsoever.”
– Jules Pelarski on GoodReads
HOW DID THINGS GO SO WRONG, SO FAST?
Based on the MANY reviews posted to GoodReads and Instagram in the days before publication, ARC readers were not happy with this book.
Alex Aster garnered a loyal fan base on TikTok, but most of her viewers had never even read the book. They are not fans of the book, they are fans of HER. She sold herself and her book as a brand, and did a pretty good job of it, since she essentially convinced everyone that her book is the next The Hunger Games without even releasing it first.
THE READERS HAVE SPOKEN…
Based on reviews, one of the major disappointments is false advertising. It seems as though many of the things that Aster mentioned in her TikToks were not in the Lightlark book at all. This includes things like multiple plot twists that “no one could see coming”, quotes, troupes, “spice”, and diverse characters.
One reviewer said that the only “diversity” in the entire book is one Lord who is black and gay, and two characters with generic Hispanic names. Other than that, every character is white.
The “plot twists” were a major point that reviewers consistently mentioned. Alex Aster said on TikTok and in interviews such as Good Morning America that there are several plot twists throughout the book, but reviewers only found one in the last few chapters. They also said that the “twist” was one that they definitely saw coming.
OVER-HYPED
Essentially, this book was over-hyped. On its own, without all of the fan-fair, many readers may have actually enjoyed it. It all went wrong when pieces of the book, like quotes, were mentioned on social media before the book was fully written or even published. The pre-launch was just TOO good. It didn’t leave any room for editing or adjustments based on the ARC reader’s reactions. Now, it’s too late to go back and make the major edits that it needs for the 2nd edition.
HIGH EXPECTATIONS
I am curious to see what the movie will look like. Universal has picked it up, and the producers of Twilight will be adapting it, with Alex Aster on board as an executive producer. Now, we all have really high expectations for this movie. Once you name-drop Twilight, there is no going back. In the book community, especially with fantasy, Twilight is the highest standard that you could ever hope to achieve.
Many of us, including Alex Aster and I, began our reading journey with Twilight. No other book in the 21st century has turned book haters into writers, bloggers, and reviewers like Twilight has. I am not expecting Lightlark to create a new generation of book lovers, but hopefully, it will at least be a solid adaptation that we will want to re-watch a few times.
LIGHTLARK SUMMARY:
Every 100 years, the island of Lightlark appears to host the Centennial, a deadly game that only the rulers of six realms are invited to play. The invitation is a summons—a call to embrace victory and ruin, baubles and blood. The Centennial offers the six rulers one final chance to break the curses that have plagued their realms for centuries. Each ruler has something to hide. Each realm’s curse is uniquely wicked. To destroy the curses, one ruler must die.
Isla Crown is the young ruler of Wildling—a realm of temptresses cursed to kill anyone they fall in love with. They are feared and despised, and are counting on Isla to end their suffering by succeeding at the Centennial.
To survive, Isla must lie, cheat, and betray…even as love complicates everything.
WHAT TO EXPECT FROM THE MOVIE
Unfortunately, there is not a lot of information available for what the Lightlark movie will look like. We know that Universal has the filming rights with Temple Hill, and some of the Twilight producers will be taking up the project. I have scoured the internet – social media sites, news articles, blogs, and even Reddit, and I couldn’t find much more information than that.
Lets be realistic: there is a strong possibility that this film will never be made. There are HUNDREDS of movies on a waitlist that have not, and will never be, created. There are also a TON of books, with film contracts, that will never be made either (no matter how often I message and beg producers on social media…).
SIMILAR BOOK ADAPTATIONS
One book that the fantasy book community really wants to see is Throne of Glass. It was picked up by Hulu several years ago, but there has been no forward movement in a TV Show adaptation. Since Aster has said that the Throne of Glass writer, Sarah J Maas, is an inspiration, I had hoped that the famous fantasy series writer would get her books adapted before this new and random Hunger Games spin-off does.
However, there are also some examples of books that had the film rights before the story was even released to the public. These include: World War Z, The Hate You Give, Hidden Figures, Jaws, and City on Fire. Read more about the success (or flops) of these books on www.bookstr.com
There is a strong possibility that the over-hyped BookTok story will flop, as many book adaptations.
All there is to do now is read the book, and wait to see what happens.