Hey friends! 

It’s been a while, I know, sorry about that. I have been doing a lot of reading during the time I’ve been away so lots of new reviews are coming your way but I’ve been in a bit of a blogging slump hence the lack of content! But now I am back (and hopefully better than ever!)

So today I’m going to be chatting a little about that feeling when you’re reluctant to pick up a book, 100% sure it isn’t for you but then out of some magical, compelling force, you decide to give it a read and then WHAM it’s great!

That’s how I felt when reading The Last Namsara by Kristen Ciccarelli. (Which I read and finished today and then promptly posted my review for it!)

There was quite a bit of hype surrounding this when it came out and I kept seeing it everywhere on the internet, but I wasn’t really sure it was for me. Some how though, through some odd force of nature, I picked it up and guess what? I really liked it!

I do tend to read books outside my genre when I’ve heard really good reviews for them, as I trust my fellow bloggers, and it’s a really lovely feeling when you take a chance on a book for it to actually pan out the way you had hoped. 

But enough of my blabbing about why I enjoyed this, and let’s get started on my thoughts!

About the book. 

{ idea }

This felt different from all the other fantasies I had previously read. Yes it did have the kickass warrior main character, and a kingdom and dragons, but the author put a spin on the story that was entirely unique. The mythical, story-telling aspects, the twists and turns, the forbidden romance, all worked very well together to create something wholly unique. 

I thought the world building was also very well done. There was enough depth to the world for it to feel unique and real, but not enough to make things complicated and over the top. The author based the book of the foundation of fables and stories and every few chapters, the story would be broken up by a fable, which at first, felt a little annoying, but then grew on me as I got used to it. 

{ plot }

I really did enjoy the plot for this. Like mentioned before, there are twists and turns which keep the story exciting. It was also very addictive to read as I stayed up till 1:30am reading it and then the next morning, promptly woke up and finished the rest of the book. So yeah, it was enjoyable. 

There is something about the plot (and the characters) that just grabs your attention and pulls you in. The story is fast paced and a lot of fun to read. 

{ writing }

The writing is the only thing I can say didn’t stand out that much. Not to say it was bad, because it really wasn’t, but there was nothing about it that screamed WOWOW and I felt some fancier writing could have really polished this story up into a five star read for me. Nonetheless, the writing did the job and was able to make things exciting when they needed to be and slow things down when they needed to be slowed down, so I’m not too bothered. 

{ characters }

I often find it hard to really love characters in books, especially main characters but it was easy in this book! Asha was so headstrong and quietly caring, both very admirable traits. I liked how she fought for what was right and even in the face of utter hatred, didn’t loose herself. 

Torwin was adorable, aha! But more than that, he was also strong in his own ways, through his sheer mental courage and inability to give up on those he loved. Both the characters were incredibly well fleshed out and I can’t wait to read more about them in the sequel. 

Even the side characters held their own such as Dax and Safire and I hope in the sequel we get to see more of them.

{ finally… } 

This book was a surprise to me. But I’m so glad I picked it up because it was honestly so fun to read and the characters were enjoyable and the plot was addictive and if you’re a lover of fantasy, you’ll really enjoy this book.