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Posted on August 29, 2022January 24, 2024 by The Time Traveler — Leave a comment

Lightlark Book Review & Moonling Event in San Francisco

Lightlark by Alex Aster

If you’re an active social media user and an avid reader, chances are, you’ve heard of Lightlark. It’s the young adult fantasy novel written by Alex Aster, who has launched it through her famous BookToks. Her videos have garnered so much support that the cover for Lightlark was revealed in New York’s Time Square! I don’t use TikTok, but I do use Instagram, where the reels about the “BookTok Phenomenon” trickled down to my feed.

I usually don’t buy a book I haven’t read from the bookstore (I prefer going to the library first), let alone preorder something that hasn’t even been published yet. But the synopsis for Lightlark was so intriguing that I couldn’t resist preordering a copy from Barnes & Noble. I was so impatient to read the novel that I preordered it three months before its official release date (August 23rd, 2022) for the sneak peek. (For the review of the sneak peek, click HERE.)

And AT LAST! I received my copy of Lightlark last Wednesday, a day after the official release. (I’m still waiting for my 6 overlays that are being shipped separately.)

At last! My copy of *Lightlark* from Barnes & Noble.

Different Reviews Online

After finishing the first five chapters given as a reward for the preorder, I was a little worried about Lightlark, to be honest. Because while its synopsis was as intriguing as advertised, with the six rulers and this island that appears every 100 years for the deadly games, the world building was confusing. But as I had only read the first five chapters, I refrained from judging and remained hopeful that it would only get better.

Meanwhile, influencers who’ve read the entire book before everyone else were raving about it. So I wasn’t too worried about Lightlark. Alas, negative reviews started to pop up on Goodreads. There probably were people who unfairly gave out 1 star reviews without actually having read the book. But as I tiptoed around spoilers, I noticed that there were also some people who actually read it and didn’t like it.

I couldn’t wait to finish the book myself and see who was telling the truth: the raving fans on Instagram or the disapproving reviewers on Goodreads.

My Predictions

The front cover behind the jacket. I believe it was 1 of the 2 mock covers that TikTok users got to vote on.

Here were some predictions I made as I read:

Terra, Poppy, and Celeste are a little sus. The way Terra and Poppy have her locked away is a bit too much. And Celeste – Isla Crown, our protagonist, only knew her for 3 years but they were practically best friends, no, “sisters” (page 62). I don’t think 3 year is enough time to become sisters with someone, let alone a competing ruler.
Are Celeste and Cleo related? ‘Cause the moon and stars belong together, and their names are a bit similar, both starting with a “C.” Maybe they’re sisters? I’ve been seeing on the author’s IG stories how influencers and bloggers are blown away by “twists.” Plus the back of the book inside the jacket says “There are lies and liars all around you.” I have a strong feeling that Isla Crown is surrounded by liars, i.e. Terra, Poppy, and Celeste.

I think Grimshaw had a crush on Isla way before the games began. I mean, he can become invisible and walk through walls. I feel like he definitely stalked Isla and liked her even before she knew him, which is really creepy. And I think he’s going to sacrifice himself or something for her.

The back cover with the words, “There are lies and liars all around you.” This quote comes from page 275 in chapter 36.

Book Review ⚠ Warning: Spoilers Ahead! ⚠

I just finished Lightlark.

And… I did NOT see the stuff that happened coming! I now understand why the book bloggers were screaming in their Instagram stories, completely overwhelmed. Chapter 53 had me SHOOK. I really did get goosebumps. This was literally the face I was making: 😳

I could not keep the book down after the revelation! And with Oro and Grim both losing their powers, I expected it to end on a cliffhanger. The author could have, and I still would have raved about the ending, though upset and desperate for the sequel. Thankfully, she didn’t leave the readers hanging, discarding the impostor and bringing peace back on Lightlark.

With all the new surprising twists, from Celeste being Aurora, the bondbreaker being bondmaker, Isla having both Nigthshade and Wildling power, the final chapters were like a series of blows to my head. Neither unpleasant nor violent, but just so striking as to make my eyes widen as I flipped the pages.

Another thing I found great was how the first pages of the novel tied to the final chapters. How the omitted scenes before the very first paragraphs were Isla’s lost memories. The way the story began with Grim’s influence on Isla’s memories without the readers knowing until the very last pages. I loved it!

There were some flaws, like the confusing world building, much repetition of certain vocabulary like “grinned,” “frowned,” and etc. And while it was marketed as something similar to The Hunger Games and A Court of Thorns and Roses, I found some parts of the novel similar to the Harry Potter series instead. Celeste’s demonstration where the rulers face their fears in the magical mirror was like a combination of the Mirror of Erised and Boggart from the Harry Potter series. Even the part where a mermaid/night creature pulls Isla further below the water reminded me of the merpeople in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.

Regardless, I’m happy to have read it! Just in time for…

The Lightlark Event in the SF Ferry Building!

So, as mentioned before in my previous Lightlark post, there was going to be a national book tour of Lightlark. Today is actually the last day of the tour, with the final stop being the bookstore called, “The Ripped Bodice” in Los Angeles, CA. Each stop or independent bookstore was themed after one of the six realms of Lightlark with…

Brookline Booksmith in Boston, MA as Starling 🌟
The Georgia Center for the Book in Atlanta, GA as Sunling ☀
Anderson’s Bookshop in Chicago, IL as Skyling ☁
BookPeople in Austin, TX as Nightshade 🌃
Book Passage in San Francisco, CA as Moonling 🌙
The Ripped Bodice in Los Angeles, CA as Wildling 🥀

And I got to attend the Moonling-themed event at San Francisco’s iconic Ferry Building yesterday!

The Ferry Building in San Francisco! This iconic monument deserves a post of its own. Coming very soon. 😉

The Book Passage at the Ferry Building was literally the perfect Moonling, since it’s right by the water, and water is an element of the Moonlings. 🌊❄🌕

The view outside the bookstore. You can see the Treasure Island and Bay Bridge.

The people at the Book Passage even decorated the store with sparkly fringe curtain and balloons in the realm’s color:

The color of Lightlark’s Moon realm is white.

Before the Event

This being my first book event ever, I arrived like an hour early just in case. And because I was SO excited to meet the inspiring Alex Aster and Selene Velez, the BookToker who was invited to talk with her.

The event was going to start at 2PM with the check-in starting at 1:30, but people were already lined up outside waiting at around 1PM.

Waiting outside behind the Book Passage Cart on the back plaza by the water.

Look at this lovely chalkboard art Book Passage made for the Lightlark event!

When it was time for us to enter the bookstore, each person was given a free, pre-signed copy of Lightlark along with a special tour gift:

Left: The free tour gift was a lovely Moonling pin exclusive to the event. Right: Alex Aster’s signature in the free copy of *Lightlark*. She drew the moon, too! 🌙💕💕

When we went inside one by one (with masks, of course), Alex Aster was already there! She was finishing up signing all the copies being given out at the event.

After she signed all the copies, Alex went outside for some minutes while the front area was reorganized. Seating near the front row facing the glistening decorations and with the water right outside the store, it truly felt like I was at a Moonling event.

You can actually see the water outside inside the store.

The Lightlark Event

The event officially began with an associate of Book Passage welcoming Alex and Selene into the bookstore. Once they were seated at the front, Alex and Selene were introduced, after which Selene interviewed Alex with some questions she prepared beforehand. She asked questions about Lightlark (i.e. which character Alex would be friends with in real life, which she wouldn’t be, what she liked about the Moon realm and its ruler, Cleo, and more) and about Alex’s literary journey as well as her writing process. Alex also asked Selene questions about her literary journey, the BookTok that changed her life, and more.

It was really inspiring to listen to them talk.

Towards the end of the event, the audience were allowed to ask questions, too. They asked really great questions, like how far Alex had gotten into writing the sequel (Lightlark Book 2) and what advice she would give to aspiring authors. After the event, each attendee was given a chance to meet Alex, get their pre-signed Lightlark personalized, and take photos with her. We were also allowed to talk to and take photos with Selene, too.

There were cupcakes provided by Alex’s publisher that we got to grab on our way out:

Chocolate and vanilla cupcakes at the event. 🧁

Conclusion

The Lightlark event in San Francisco was such a wonderful experience where everyone got to celebrate the novel’s launch, listen to inspiring women in the book industry, and meet fellow bibliophiles. Alex and Selene were friendly and sweet in real life, too, and it was a joy to get to talk to them. They’re both truly inspiring, with Alex bringing her novel (of stunning twists!) into life via BookTok after countless rejections and with Selene, who’s still in college, already making an impact in the book community.

Here’s a video of my first book event!

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P.S. To learn more about Book Passage, click HERE. For more on San Francisco’s historic Ferry Building, click HERE.

P.P.S. Oh, and Lightlark is going to be made into a movie by Universal in partnership with Temple Hill! Visit The Hollywood Reporter or Alex Aster’s IG post for all the deets!

Posted on September 30, 2021July 20, 2022 by The Time Traveler — 4 Comments

Applying to EPIK: Not So Epic Experience (Part III – The Questions)

The EPIK Interview

My EPIK interview via Zoom finally took place on Friday, September 17th. But my EPIK coordinator had trouble with Internet connection that day too, so his screen was pitch-black. Hence, I had my interview without seeing him, only hearing his voice. It wasn’t ideal, but regardless, I was grateful to just proceed with the interview at this point. Some of the first questions I was asked were:

– Why EPIK?

– How do you feel about having a co-teacher?

– What kind of teaching experience do you have?

– What is your 5 year plan?

The What-If Questions

Throughout the interview, my interviewer asked me many “what-if” questions. Some of the “what-if” EPIK questions I remember are: “What would you do if…

…your co-teacher gave you more work than was needed?
…your co-teacher was teaching something wrong?
…you don’t work well with your co-teacher(s)?
…the housing you were provided with lacked certain amenities/appliances?
…the school’s class schedule changed suddenly?

The Lesson Demo

Now, I had an easy time answering all the questions, because they were all similar to the old EPIK questions asked to previous EPIK applicants. (Except for the ones about housing and class schedule). And I had prepared extensively, writing down the answers to about 40 potential questions I had compiled and practicing answering them repeatedly. In fact, towards the end of the interview, I wished the EPIK coordinator would ask me more questions, as I had my answers all ready.

But there was this section in the interview that wasn’t mentioned by the previous EPIK applicants on YouTube. It was only talked about quite recently in the Spring 2022 EPIK Kakao chatroom, when someone who had her interview earlier shared briefly that she had to do a lesson demo. Thanks to her information, I pulled out the lesson materials I had created beforehand. But to my surprise, the EPIK coordinator chose a random topic for me. He assigned me the topic of weather (if I remember correctly) and gave me some time (I think it was 5 or 10 minutes) to prepare. Afterwards, I had to pretend like I was teaching a class for 5 minutes on the designated topic.

Because I had this wonderful teaching material prepared already (I had created it for fun over the summer while waiting for the Spring 2022 application to open), I asked politely if I could use a topic of my choosing, mentioning the PowerPoint presentation I had prepared. My coordinator allowed me to proceed with my materials, and I presented my lesson demo without the given preparation time. I thought I did a great job, since I received much positive feedback on my demo lesson.

The Interview Ends

My EPIK coordinator was Jeffrey, and he provided me with much useful information about the program. Each time I answered a question, he gave me feedback (which were all positive), along with additional tips for becoming a successful EPIK teacher. He told me to maintain the positive, friendly personality that I displayed, as it was crucial to be outgoing during the first weeks at the Korean school(s) I would be assigned to. And for lessons, he suggested that I narrow down my English expressions to just one, and utilize as many hand gestures as I can while teaching (clapping, thumbs up, etc.)

My EPIK interview ended after about 40 minutes. I had much fun showcasing my abilities and potential to becoming a good EPIK teacher.

The Awaited Email & The Result

I had heard from a fellow applicant in the Kakao chatroom that he heard back from EPIK just 4 days after his interview. But my wait time was longer, as the Friday I had my interview was interestingly right before Korea’s three-day national holiday, Chuseok. So I did not hear back from EPIK until a week later, on a Friday afternoon.

I had my CRC ready to submit, a 180 hour TEFL Certificate, B.A. from one of the best universities in the U.S., 2 solid recommendation letters, and a 2 year professional experience. I had made it as far as the EPIK interview, during which I had shown my competencies and received positive feedback.

My heart was pounding in excitement. I paused a moment before opening the email to calm down a little.

This was it….!

Snapshot of the email from EPIK.

I clicked and saw the following words:

Dear EPIK Applicant,
Thank you for your application to the EPIK Program, Korea’s government-operated native-English teacher selection program for public schools.
After taking time to fully consider your application, we regret to inform you that your application has not been selected to proceed forward for EPIK’s Spring 2022 term.
– The EPIK Team –

The email goes on for a couple more paragraphs, explaining that this term was “particularly competitive,” and that the decision is a reflection of my suitability for the term. It is “not necessarily a reflection of [my] ability or qualifications as a teacher.” Plus it kindly states that the decision is final, and that EPIK is “unable to release any information related to the reasons for this decision and will not reply to inquiries of that nature.”

Yes, reader. I was not selected. And I’ll never know why. (Photo by Matthew Henry).

That was my experience applying to EPIK. There were frequent changes which were often not properly announced beforehand. Plus, I spent $182 on documents no longer needed for the initial application. And since I did not get selected in the final round… Now I have an apostilled national level criminal record check just lying around on my desk.

Conclusion

My experience with EPIK was exceptionally expensive and definitely not so epic. But on the brighter side, I will no longer have to spend more money shipping my documents across the Pacific. Neither will I have to cover the costs of mandatory quarantine. The 1.4 to 2.1 million KRW (~1,178 to 1,768 USD), as stated by EPIK, will NOT be covered by the program.

I know that God has better plans for me, so I am no longer disappointed by the result. But I will miss the prospect of teaching and traveling abroad, of meeting new people and exploring South Korea for an entire year.

Alas, I will miss the path not taken.

P.S. For anyone planning on applying to EPIK, here are some great resources to refer to:

1) As mentioned in my previous post (HERE), be sure to check out YouTubers who’ve gone through the EPIK process. It’s really helpful to hear their experiences as well as the EPIK questions they were asked.

2) Check out bloggers who share their EPIK experiences! Some great blogs I came across are ariography and Korealizations. Ariography’s EPIK interview content is from 2018 and Korealizations’s from 2014, but they are still relevant and useful. The only thing I’d add is that as of 2021, there is an on-the-spot lesson demo. Plus the interview is via Zoom, not Skype. (And, of course, there was that CRC requirement (read about it HERE) that was cancelled in September. Hopefully EPIK doesn’t bring that back again!)

Posted on September 30, 2021July 5, 2025 by The Time Traveler — Leave a comment

Applying to EPIK: Not So Epic Experience (PART II – The Interview)

So in my last post, I left off at the part where I find out that I had wasted my money, time and energy on the criminal record check that was no longer needed for EPIK’s initial application. It was no longer required as of September 6th. I had applied early on August 27th.

I was upset to say the least, but I maintained my optimism. EPIK had stated that the apostilled national level criminal record check would need to be submitted eventually, after the applicant was admitted. Trying to stay positive, I thought to myself, “I guess I won’t have much work to do after I get accepted.”

The EPIK Interview Email

I had braced myself to wait for about two months to hear back from EPIK, as previous applicants shared that two months was the average wait time. (I had done some research on the EPIK process through Google, Reddit, YouTube, and more). But to my surprisingly pleasant surprise, I received an email from EPIK on September 6th, which had arrived nearly at midnight. I was able to read the wonderful message next morning:

Hello,

Thank you for your application to the English Program In Korea!

You have passed the first selection phase and we would like to invite you to participate in a webcam interview via Skype.
Please click on the following link and follow the instructions in order to book your interview date and time…
– The EPIK Team –

I moved one step closer to my dream of teaching, traveling, and living abroad! With my own apartment paid for by the program! I booked my Zoom interview for the following week on September 16 so that I would have enough time to prepare.

Preparing for the Interview

To prepare for the interview, I compiled a list of questions asked in the previous terms. To do this, I watched multiple YouTubers talk about their EPIK experiences.

*TIP#1: When preparing for the interview, be sure to check out YouTube videos of previous EPIK applicants. They share many of the questions they themselves had to answer.

There are many, many useful videos out there. To name a few, here are some of the YouTubers I personally found most helpful:

Red Dragon Diaries. Here’s a link to his EPIK Interview video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOoJSwbcrgI
TastyTea (her video is no longer available to the public) :'(
Katherine Walsh. Here’s a link to her video on the EPIK application & interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nE7bQn786c

And while researching the EPIK interview process, I saw this crazy story from the above YouTuber named Katherine Walsh, who had her documents sent to North Korea because the person helping her at the post office thought “the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea” was South Korea!! It’s a funny yet horrific story.

Imagine getting your papers sent to North Korea! 🙁

*TIP #2: The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea is NORTH Korea. Republic of Korea is SOUTH Korea. The one that is NOT democratic calls itself democratic.

Even if you already know this, like the YouTuber in the video, beware that the person helping you at the post office might (sadly) not know!!!

*TIP #3: Also, be sure to join the official Kakaotalk chatroom for EPIK applicants. Kakaotalk is Korea’s most popular mobile messaging app. It’s a must-have when living in Korea.

You should be able to find the link to join on EPIK’s official Facebook Page. Follow that too! Both platforms are where fellow applicants can ask questions, receive feedback, and share experiences with one another.

The Interview…Delayed.

Disappointed yet again. (Photo by Matthew Henry).

My interview was scheduled for September 16th PST. That Thursday, I spent all morning and afternoon preparing for the interview, going over the questions and answers multiple times. I practiced to the point where I could say the answers right away when asked, as thoroughly as possible. I was ready!

But about an hour before the interview, I received the following email from my interviewer:

Unfortunately, we seem to be having some technical issues and internet issues on our end today and are not able to establish a good connection for the interview. I apologize for the inconvenience, but would you be available to reschedule? If able, I will open some time for early next week or the weekend that was previously unavailable.
– Jeffrey Conde
EPIK Coordinator –

I was bummed out yet again. But luckily, I was able to reset my interview date and time with my EPIK coordinator for the following day.

Stay tuned..

Check out the next post HERE.