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snowwhitehatesapples's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
hopeful
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Also on Snow White Hates Apples.
Set in a world lush with Thai mythology, Buddhist concepts, and magic, The Last Phi Hunter is an action-packed standalone fantasy book that mainly follows Ex, the youngest Phi hunter who’s determined to make a name for himself by hunting the elusive Shar-Ala, a true demon of nightmares and madness, and to a lesser extent, Narissa, a phi seeking atonement so that she may be reborn as a human again.
Ex’s story is one we’re all familiar with: he comes across a (rather capable) damsel in distress while working on his main quest of slaying Shar-Ala, gets tangled up with whatever’s going on with her and ultimately, they get together. Truthfully, despite liking the relationship between Ex and Arinya, I was also the least interested in their romance. It felt a little forced and cringe, especially since it feels more fueled by physical attraction than anything else.
Moreover, it could be just me but I felt that Ex’s part of the story was too convenient at times. Like, the parts where Shar-Ala was involved. Ex has been hunting the true demon for two years, unable to find more than its footprint but just when he and Arinya are only given one day left to live by the swamp’s guardian, Shar-Ala finally shows up? I mean, sure, I had expected something like this to happen but not so quickly and easily. Plus, the ending of the book was too neat — satisfying, but still too neat.
Narissa’s story, on the other hand, was intriguing and filled with emotion. After accidentally eating the only man she has ever loved, she sets out on a painful and difficult journey of redemption, hoping that by abstaining from eating humans and thus, starving herself for 30 years, she will be born again as human. She meets Ex and Arinya later in the story and I greatly appreciate how her character (and Astrama’s) added a different dimension to the entire human VS monsters aspect of the story.
Aside from the above, since I listened to the audiobook, I think the narrator did a good job of bringing the story to life. Although I had some trouble understanding some of the words due to the accent (I’m from Southeast Asia), the flow of the narration was steady. The distinction between the voices of different characters, particularly the females, was done well too. I was absorbed in the story and rarely realised how much time had passed while listening. However, I must admit that the sound effects the narrator did for the creatures were…I’m incredibly sorry to write this, but they had me burst out laughing. It would’ve been better for those parts to have been done with proper sound effects.
All in all, The Last Phi Hunter is a solid debut. I loved the representations here and can’t wait to read more of the author’s books!
Set in a world lush with Thai mythology, Buddhist concepts, and magic, The Last Phi Hunter is an action-packed standalone fantasy book that mainly follows Ex, the youngest Phi hunter who’s determined to make a name for himself by hunting the elusive Shar-Ala, a true demon of nightmares and madness, and to a lesser extent, Narissa, a phi seeking atonement so that she may be reborn as a human again.
Ex’s story is one we’re all familiar with: he comes across a (rather capable) damsel in distress while working on his main quest of slaying Shar-Ala, gets tangled up with whatever’s going on with her and ultimately, they get together. Truthfully, despite liking the relationship between Ex and Arinya, I was also the least interested in their romance. It felt a little forced and cringe, especially since it feels more fueled by physical attraction than anything else.
Moreover, it could be just me but I felt that Ex’s part of the story was too convenient at times. Like, the parts where Shar-Ala was involved. Ex has been hunting the true demon for two years, unable to find more than its footprint but just when he and Arinya are only given one day left to live by the swamp’s guardian, Shar-Ala finally shows up? I mean, sure, I had expected something like this to happen but not so quickly and easily. Plus, the ending of the book was too neat — satisfying, but still too neat.
Narissa’s story, on the other hand, was intriguing and filled with emotion. After accidentally eating the only man she has ever loved, she sets out on a painful and difficult journey of redemption, hoping that by abstaining from eating humans and thus, starving herself for 30 years, she will be born again as human. She meets Ex and Arinya later in the story and I greatly appreciate how her character (and Astrama’s) added a different dimension to the entire human VS monsters aspect of the story.
Aside from the above, since I listened to the audiobook, I think the narrator did a good job of bringing the story to life. Although I had some trouble understanding some of the words due to the accent (I’m from Southeast Asia), the flow of the narration was steady. The distinction between the voices of different characters, particularly the females, was done well too. I was absorbed in the story and rarely realised how much time had passed while listening. However, I must admit that the sound effects the narrator did for the creatures were…I’m incredibly sorry to write this, but they had me burst out laughing. It would’ve been better for those parts to have been done with proper sound effects.
All in all, The Last Phi Hunter is a solid debut. I loved the representations here and can’t wait to read more of the author’s books!
Thank you so much Dreamscape Media and Netgalley for providing me a copy of this in exchange for an honest review! The Last Phi Hunter by Salinee Goldenberg is available at all good bookstores.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Sexual content, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual assault, and Gore
Moderate: Violence
Minor: Pregnancy and War
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