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city_girl_writer's review
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
2.0
I guess I didn't learn the first time: this should have remained a DNF!
scottysan's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
sahibooknerd's review
4.0
It’s been so long since I’ve actually sat down to write a review that I feel like I don’t know how to do it anymore. But this book has been on my radar for a while and I was very glad to receive both the eARC and the audio arc, so I am excited to have finally finished this and can’t wait to share my thoughts on it, however rustic my words might seem.
The first draw for me about this book was that gorgeous cover, with so much intricate gold detailing and then the thought of reading my first Thai folklore inspired fantasy book was very exciting. And turns out I was right to pick this up. The author creates a very vivid and lived in world full of demons and ghosts (phi in this case) who are stuck in their endless hunger due to their past sins and can’t escape the karmic cycle & the guild of phi hunters who take their job very seriously and train extensively to be able to hunt the monsters that hurt people, but are increasingly losing favor in a world which is becoming more modern and eschewing their existence as superstition. The way the phi are described in their gory detail was pretty gruesome to read about, and getting to know the details about how phi come to be and the different kinds of phi that can exist was very interesting. I was also delighted to see the crossovers between Thai folklore and Indian mythology, especially with mentions of devas and Vanaras and more. The writing is pretty easy to breeze through despite the underlying mythology being unknown to me, and despite the explicitly gory bits, the story felt much more slice of life and character exploration than a fast paced adventure.
That’s not to say the adventure isn’t present. Ex, our protagonist is the youngest phi hunter in the guild and determined to kill a true demon, which many believe is just a myth. He is young and brash and impulsive, socially awkward and pretty naive, but definitely good at his job. The author does a nice job balancing out all his characteristics, while also delving into the inherent loneliness of his vocation, and how it materializes in him really bonding with his horses and his hunting partner, the Hound.
It’s not surprising he falls for Arinya when she is beautiful and fierce in equal measure, letting him experience the kind of companionship that he never had before. Her survival instincts seem to be top notch, so it’s actually surprising why she too starts being a bit impulsive after her bonding with Ex. To be honest, their relationship was the most unconvincing part of the book because I felt we didn’t get enough time to delve into their feelings, and it was too quick to declare undying love for each other. Narissa on the other hand is a phi living while impersonating a human, hoping to achieve redemption for her sins, and it was actually so intriguing to understand her perspective in this narrative. While their interactions felt too limited, I wish we had instead gotten more time with Ex and Narissa trying to understand each other and realizing that while they are supposed to be enemies, they have too much in common as well. We only get very limited POV of the Hound but let me tell you, impressed I was.
Overall, this is an excellent fantasy book to pick up if you want to explore a new world of mythology/folklore and it will suck you in with its impressive writing and very intricate world building. While the characters may frustrate you a bit, and the payoff of the action wasn’t always worth the build up, I enjoyed my time reading this book and just wanted to know more about everything that inspired this story. I also listening to the audiobook for the most part and the narrator David Lee Huynh does a wonderful immersive job, letting me feel like a part of this world. Can’t wait to see if the author writes another story in this setting, coz I would love to know more.
The first draw for me about this book was that gorgeous cover, with so much intricate gold detailing and then the thought of reading my first Thai folklore inspired fantasy book was very exciting. And turns out I was right to pick this up. The author creates a very vivid and lived in world full of demons and ghosts (phi in this case) who are stuck in their endless hunger due to their past sins and can’t escape the karmic cycle & the guild of phi hunters who take their job very seriously and train extensively to be able to hunt the monsters that hurt people, but are increasingly losing favor in a world which is becoming more modern and eschewing their existence as superstition. The way the phi are described in their gory detail was pretty gruesome to read about, and getting to know the details about how phi come to be and the different kinds of phi that can exist was very interesting. I was also delighted to see the crossovers between Thai folklore and Indian mythology, especially with mentions of devas and Vanaras and more. The writing is pretty easy to breeze through despite the underlying mythology being unknown to me, and despite the explicitly gory bits, the story felt much more slice of life and character exploration than a fast paced adventure.
That’s not to say the adventure isn’t present. Ex, our protagonist is the youngest phi hunter in the guild and determined to kill a true demon, which many believe is just a myth. He is young and brash and impulsive, socially awkward and pretty naive, but definitely good at his job. The author does a nice job balancing out all his characteristics, while also delving into the inherent loneliness of his vocation, and how it materializes in him really bonding with his horses and his hunting partner, the Hound.
It’s not surprising he falls for Arinya when she is beautiful and fierce in equal measure, letting him experience the kind of companionship that he never had before. Her survival instincts seem to be top notch, so it’s actually surprising why she too starts being a bit impulsive after her bonding with Ex. To be honest, their relationship was the most unconvincing part of the book because I felt we didn’t get enough time to delve into their feelings, and it was too quick to declare undying love for each other. Narissa on the other hand is a phi living while impersonating a human, hoping to achieve redemption for her sins, and it was actually so intriguing to understand her perspective in this narrative. While their interactions felt too limited, I wish we had instead gotten more time with Ex and Narissa trying to understand each other and realizing that while they are supposed to be enemies, they have too much in common as well. We only get very limited POV of the Hound but let me tell you, impressed I was.
Overall, this is an excellent fantasy book to pick up if you want to explore a new world of mythology/folklore and it will suck you in with its impressive writing and very intricate world building. While the characters may frustrate you a bit, and the payoff of the action wasn’t always worth the build up, I enjoyed my time reading this book and just wanted to know more about everything that inspired this story. I also listening to the audiobook for the most part and the narrator David Lee Huynh does a wonderful immersive job, letting me feel like a part of this world. Can’t wait to see if the author writes another story in this setting, coz I would love to know more.
tarheelblues's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
auora1484's review
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
bbarnes's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
booknotes_athina's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
The Last Phi Hunter by Salinee Goldenberg (@gosalgo), is a mythic dark fantasy, equal parts smart, exhilarating, and delightfully fun. It examines identity, loneliness and forbidden love, in a stunning world with Thai demon folklore.
I really liked reading this book. I loved the Thai & Southeast Asia inspired world building and the lore. The writing was really vibrant and the characters were both dark and funny. I really liked our MC Ex, who is very loveable.
If I had one complain it would be that towards the end I was a little bit confused but thankfully the ending was satisfying.
In The Last Phi Hunter we follow Ex, an ambitious young Phi hunter on his way to slay a legendary demon when he meets Arinya, a pregnant runaway, who hires him for escort through the spirit-filled forest. But she has dangerous secrets, and now he’s fighting not only monsters, but assassins, necromancers and even worse, falling in love.
I really liked reading this book. I loved the Thai & Southeast Asia inspired world building and the lore. The writing was really vibrant and the characters were both dark and funny. I really liked our MC Ex, who is very loveable.
If I had one complain it would be that towards the end I was a little bit confused but thankfully the ending was satisfying.
In The Last Phi Hunter we follow Ex, an ambitious young Phi hunter on his way to slay a legendary demon when he meets Arinya, a pregnant runaway, who hires him for escort through the spirit-filled forest. But she has dangerous secrets, and now he’s fighting not only monsters, but assassins, necromancers and even worse, falling in love.
epsyphus's review against another edition
Just not feeling, might pick it up again some other time. Felt too much like The Witcher, which is originally why I was interested in it, but I'm thinking maybe that's why it's not working right now.
piddle's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Thank you to netgalley for giving me an Arc of this for an honest review!
3.5 but added .5 for it being a debut. If you're a fan of Witcher I think this would be right up your alley, I thought it was really well paced until the last 20% which felt so rushed with many built up moments condensed into 2-3 sentences. An extra 100 pages flushed out the rushed-ness coulda made this a solid 4 to 5 star.
I felt like the author managed to perfectly capture making an expansive world but writing a self contained story within that world, which I thought was perfect! I would love to learn more about this world and it's systems in another book, not necessarily following Ex and Arinya but would love to see them team up again for sure!
Overall very solid debut though!
3.5 but added .5 for it being a debut. If you're a fan of Witcher I think this would be right up your alley, I thought it was really well paced until the last 20% which felt so rushed with many built up moments condensed into 2-3 sentences. An extra 100 pages flushed out the rushed-ness coulda made this a solid 4 to 5 star.
I felt like the author managed to perfectly capture making an expansive world but writing a self contained story within that world, which I thought was perfect! I would love to learn more about this world and it's systems in another book, not necessarily following Ex and Arinya but would love to see them team up again for sure!
Overall very solid debut though!