Thursday 26 October 2017

REVIEW: The Last Namsara by Kristen Ciccarelli

Genre: Fantasy/Young Adult

Publisher: HarperTeen (HarperCollins)

ISBN: 0062567985

Release Date: October 3rd 2017

Format: Hardback, Audio-Book,
E-Book


Links: Goodreads, Amazon.com, Indigo,
B&N, Book Depository

Website, Instagram, Book Trailer


Rating:
 10/10



Synopsis:


In the beginning, there was the Namsara: the child of sky and spirit, who carried love and laughter wherever he went. But where there is light, there must be darkness—and so there was also the Iskari. The child of blood and moonlight. The destroyer. The death-bringer.
These are the legends that Asha, daughter of the king of Firgaard, has grown up learning in hushed whispers, drawn to the forbidden figures of the past. But it isn’t until she becomes the fiercest, most feared dragon slayer in the land that she takes on the role of the next Iskari—a lonely destiny that leaves her feeling more like a weapon than a girl.

Asha conquers each dragon and brings its head to the king, but no kill can free her from the shackles that await at home: her betrothal to the cruel commandant, a man who holds the truth about her nature in his palm. When she’s offered the chance to gain her freedom in exchange for the life of the most powerful dragon in Firgaard, she finds that there may be more truth to the ancient stories than she ever could have expected. With the help of a secret friend—a slave boy from her betrothed’s household—Asha must shed the layers of her Iskari bondage and open her heart to love, light, and a truth that has been kept from her. 




Review:


This may be my favourite book of the year...

I picked this up the day after release and didn't get to it until the 17th... yep a whole two weeks later. I wished I'd picked this up sooner because I loved it! From start to finish, I just couldn't put the book down. This novel is fantastic for a debut author novel and Kristen Ciccarelli pulls it off brilliantly.

This book follows our main character Asha, the daughter of the King of Firgaard, where she takes on the role of the next Iskari: a dragon slayer. Asha is a fantastically written character.

She is strong, fearless, unemotional, and hard set in her ways but she meets someone who shows her the truth of the world she lives in. She slowly breaks down her own walls and becomes self-aware of the horrors around her. Asha doesn't care about looks or charms, she wants to fight and she wants to prove herself. Yet when the truth is revealed, she questions her loyalties as well as her existence. I would love to read a story about her past leading up to the events in this novel.

I would say that I had wished there had been more character development but I enjoyed the characters nevertheless.

Can we talk about Jarek? He is a twisted, controlling character that was fantastically written. I hated this character with a passion (which goes to show just how well he was written). He may appear beautiful in appearance, but his personality is anything but. It can really be seen with the gifts he presents to Asha and her wedding dress which is designed so that she would require assistance to take off: a real act of humiliation and submission for Asha.

I loved the world building in this novel- but I do wish there was more of it (maybe in book 2?). It was the first novel that I've read where the Dragons played a great importance with the story; they were not there just as 'decoration'. The dragons were brought to life and their significance is written throughout the novel. The plot entails the hunting and fighting Dragons which kicks off from the very first chapter.

The chapters also include anecdotes of the past- with the legend of the Namsara and Iskari mentioned. It helped me understand more of the story and is very significant for the story progression. They also help to understand the world setting but again, I do wish there had been more world-building.

Overall, this novel was fantastic. I couldn't put it down and nor did I want it to end. The series has great potential with fantastic characters. I look forward to seeing what Kristen Ciccarelli has in store for the next novel.









No comments:

Post a Comment