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A review by ambeesbookishpages
The Last Namsara by Kristen Ciccarelli
4.0
The full review + more can be found at The Book Bratz
Thank you so much to Wunderkind PR for sending me THE LAST NAMSARA to read and review in preparation for THE SKY WEAVER! All thoughts and opinions are my own.
I am still a bundle full of emotions from this book. The story. The characters. The World. Kristen is a masterful story teller and did not disappoint in her debut novel. I don't know why I waited so long to start the series because it had everything I love in a fantasy novel: forbidden romance, tons of action, amazing characters and intricate but expertly explained world building and lets not forget DRAGONS! Thank you Wunderkind PR for reaching out about reviewing this series (the review for The Caged Queen and The Sky Weaver are coming in the next week!) and moving it up on my TBR.
When Asha was a child she told the forbidden ancient stories to the First Dragon, Kozu, and when she refused to he burned her. Eight years later Asha is the King's Iskari, a title she has earned by becoming the fiercest and most deadliest dragon slayer there is. No matter how many dragons Asha kills she will never have her freedom. After Kozu burned parts of the kingdom of Firgaard to the ground in his anger of denial of the stories, the kingdom looks upon Asha with disgust and contempt. But one person knows the secret of that night: the cruel commandant Jarek, who the King has promised Asha's hand to. But as the day come closer the King offers Asha a deal: Bring Kozu's head to him and she won't have to marry Jarek. But as Asha starts to unravel the secrets of Firgaard and the secrets of herself with the help of Torwin, one of Jarek's slave everything she has grown to know is questioned.
Kristen's world building was amazing. It was easy to understand the world she created and I loved the ways she did it. There was no info dump and she added more detail to her world as was needed. I enjoyed how the chapters alternated with the forbidden stories, I found that it added to the world and gave me more of an understand of the culture and why Asha continues to question why they are forbidden and if they truly are dangerous after all.
I loved Asha's character and her growth through out the novel. I will admit, at first I did not like Asha at all. I found her harsh, mean and in her interactions with Torwin that she believed she was above him. More then half of the book she had referred to him as "slave" even though she did know his name. BUT by the end of the story I loved her character and her growth. Asha opens herself up to love and the possibility that everything she knew has been a lie. I found Asha from the first half of the book and Asha at the books ending to be two different characters and I loved that. I am super excited to see Asha's growth through out the next two books. (Even though she isn't the main character in those, they do take place after this book so I am excited to see.)
I am a sucker for forbidden romances, so the fact that Asha falls for Jarek's slave sucked me right into the story even more. I ship it and by the end of the book I was crying for both characters. (Happy or sad tears? You have to read to find out!)
Conclusion: Dragons are air puppies. That is all I have to say.
Overall I really enjoyed The Last Namsara and I can't wait to read The Caged Queen and to witness Dax and Roa's story. Thank you again Wunderkind PR for the opportunity to read this book, all thoughts and opinions are my own!
Thank you so much to Wunderkind PR for sending me THE LAST NAMSARA to read and review in preparation for THE SKY WEAVER! All thoughts and opinions are my own.
I am still a bundle full of emotions from this book. The story. The characters. The World. Kristen is a masterful story teller and did not disappoint in her debut novel. I don't know why I waited so long to start the series because it had everything I love in a fantasy novel: forbidden romance, tons of action, amazing characters and intricate but expertly explained world building and lets not forget DRAGONS! Thank you Wunderkind PR for reaching out about reviewing this series (the review for The Caged Queen and The Sky Weaver are coming in the next week!) and moving it up on my TBR.
When Asha was a child she told the forbidden ancient stories to the First Dragon, Kozu, and when she refused to he burned her. Eight years later Asha is the King's Iskari, a title she has earned by becoming the fiercest and most deadliest dragon slayer there is. No matter how many dragons Asha kills she will never have her freedom. After Kozu burned parts of the kingdom of Firgaard to the ground in his anger of denial of the stories, the kingdom looks upon Asha with disgust and contempt. But one person knows the secret of that night: the cruel commandant Jarek, who the King has promised Asha's hand to. But as the day come closer the King offers Asha a deal: Bring Kozu's head to him and she won't have to marry Jarek. But as Asha starts to unravel the secrets of Firgaard and the secrets of herself with the help of Torwin, one of Jarek's slave everything she has grown to know is questioned.
Kristen's world building was amazing. It was easy to understand the world she created and I loved the ways she did it. There was no info dump and she added more detail to her world as was needed. I enjoyed how the chapters alternated with the forbidden stories, I found that it added to the world and gave me more of an understand of the culture and why Asha continues to question why they are forbidden and if they truly are dangerous after all.
I loved Asha's character and her growth through out the novel. I will admit, at first I did not like Asha at all. I found her harsh, mean and in her interactions with Torwin that she believed she was above him. More then half of the book she had referred to him as "slave" even though she did know his name. BUT by the end of the story I loved her character and her growth. Asha opens herself up to love and the possibility that everything she knew has been a lie. I found Asha from the first half of the book and Asha at the books ending to be two different characters and I loved that. I am super excited to see Asha's growth through out the next two books. (Even though she isn't the main character in those, they do take place after this book so I am excited to see.)
I am a sucker for forbidden romances, so the fact that Asha falls for Jarek's slave sucked me right into the story even more. I ship it and by the end of the book I was crying for both characters. (Happy or sad tears? You have to read to find out!)
Conclusion: Dragons are air puppies. That is all I have to say.
Overall I really enjoyed The Last Namsara and I can't wait to read The Caged Queen and to witness Dax and Roa's story. Thank you again Wunderkind PR for the opportunity to read this book, all thoughts and opinions are my own!