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A review by yourlocalbookreader
The Last Phi Hunter by Salinee Goldenberg
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
"Phi were different. They could be sadistic, but only because they were once human."
The Last Phi Hunter follows Ex, who hopes to in fact NOT be the last Phi Hunter. He's on the hunt to slay a "True Demon", Shar-Ala, a demon of nightmares, of madness to earn his place in the guild. With the country leaning further and further from magic, he worries that the old ways are dying out, but the dangerous Phi are not.
On one such excursion he meets Arinya, a pregnant woman on the run, and after she saves his life, she asks him to escort her to a witch in the woods, needing his protection from the Phi and ghosts that hunger over her unborn child.
Not all is as it seems though, and suddenly these two find themselves on a much bigger adventure, fighting not only the Phi but the world of royalty as well. Ex is balancing a fine line between his own goals of bringing honor and respect to the Hunter guild and fighting his attraction to Arinya.
The first half of this book had me in a chokehold and I was so hooked from the fights, the demons and the magic. Ex's descriptions of the ever present and "hunter's trance" were so engaging, along with Arinya's life in court. We see the two of them bond with a few slice of life moments mixed in with beautiful folklore about the wild lands surrounding them. Their life experiences diverged tremendously, but you can see her starting to believe in the goodness of magic in the wilderness.
The second half IMO took a drastically different turn and we were introduced to so many new characters suddenly which I struggled to keep straight. With their return to the city, I feel like the book lost some of the charm that initially drew me in. On top of that there were two major "arcs" and pivotal moments that I think the book built up just to wrap up entirely too quickly. I felt like I was waiting with baited breath the entire time for some climax that came and left too fast.
The folklore and setting is where this book REALLY shines. There's little that could ever compare to how raw and wild the setting of this book jumped off the pages and I hold that precious to my heart. This is a great debut novel and I hope to read more from this author!
rep// Thai MC
cw// blood, gore, death, murder, explicit abuse
Thank you to the publisher for sending me this ARC!
The Last Phi Hunter follows Ex, who hopes to in fact NOT be the last Phi Hunter. He's on the hunt to slay a "True Demon", Shar-Ala, a demon of nightmares, of madness to earn his place in the guild. With the country leaning further and further from magic, he worries that the old ways are dying out, but the dangerous Phi are not.
On one such excursion he meets Arinya, a pregnant woman on the run, and after she saves his life, she asks him to escort her to a witch in the woods, needing his protection from the Phi and ghosts that hunger over her unborn child.
Not all is as it seems though, and suddenly these two find themselves on a much bigger adventure, fighting not only the Phi but the world of royalty as well. Ex is balancing a fine line between his own goals of bringing honor and respect to the Hunter guild and fighting his attraction to Arinya.
The first half of this book had me in a chokehold and I was so hooked from the fights, the demons and the magic. Ex's descriptions of the ever present and "hunter's trance" were so engaging, along with Arinya's life in court. We see the two of them bond with a few slice of life moments mixed in with beautiful folklore about the wild lands surrounding them. Their life experiences diverged tremendously, but you can see her starting to believe in the goodness of magic in the wilderness.
The second half IMO took a drastically different turn and we were introduced to so many new characters suddenly which I struggled to keep straight. With their return to the city, I feel like the book lost some of the charm that initially drew me in. On top of that there were two major "arcs" and pivotal moments that I think the book built up just to wrap up entirely too quickly. I felt like I was waiting with baited breath the entire time for some climax that came and left too fast.
The folklore and setting is where this book REALLY shines. There's little that could ever compare to how raw and wild the setting of this book jumped off the pages and I hold that precious to my heart. This is a great debut novel and I hope to read more from this author!
rep// Thai MC
cw// blood, gore, death, murder, explicit abuse
Thank you to the publisher for sending me this ARC!