Alexandra Pierson^[1] (born August 4, 1995), known professionally by her pen name Alex Aster, is a Colombian-American young adult author.^[2] She is best known for the young adult fantasy series Lightlark, and the middle-grade fantasy series Emblem Island.^[3]

Pierson was born on August 4, 1995,^[4][3] to Keith and Claudy Pierson. Her parents are the co-owners of Keith Pierson Toyota in Jacksonville, Florida.^[5][6] Alex started writing books when she was thirteen, querying numerous publishers before landing a publishing deal shortly before her graduation from college.^[7] She graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 2017 with a degree in English.^[3]

Aster wrote six books before her first book deal.^[8] She published her first book, Curse of the Night Witch, in 2020, followed by its sequel in 2021. That series was inspired by her Colombian heritage and the stories her grandmother would tell her, however the series did not receive the level of commercial success she had hoped for.^[7][8]

In the months before the release of her next book, Lightlark, she posted a TikTok promoting the story’s concept, which soon went viral and lead to a publishing deal for the novel.^[2] The book received a first print run of 200,000 copies and sold over 24,000 copies in its first week, making it a New York Times bestseller.^[9] The novel’s success further led to a movie deal with Universal Pictures and Temple Hill, with Aster executive producing.^[10]

Emblem Island series

• Curse of the Night Witch (June 9, 2020)^[11]
• Curse of the Forgotten City (June 8, 2021)^[12]

The Lightlark Saga

• Lightlark (August 23, 2022)^[13]
• Nightbane (November 7, 2023)^[14]