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A review by amrsalehduat
The Last Phi Hunter by Salinee Goldenberg
5.0
Never have I wanted something so much and not known it until I got it. This pretty much sums up what was going through my head when I finished Salinee Goldenberg’s debut, The Last Phi Hunter. I don’t think I know how to capture my excitement for this book in a single review, but I sure will try.
The Last Phi Hunter is an action-packed adult fantasy that transports the reader to a world heavily inspired by Thai folklore. Even though I wasn’t familiar with the culture, I couldn’t help but feel engaged and filled with wonder as I explored this new world, rather than feeling overwhelmed or lost. This is exactly what fantasy is supposed to do. It speaks to our deep human desire to embark on an adventure in a faraway land and discover new aspects of life. That is what The Last Phi Hunter offered in such a brilliant way. It’s a reminder of why fantasy is so great.
Our guide through this adventure is Ex—the Phi Hunter—who is given the seemingly easy task of escorting the pregnant prince’s consort. A task that turns out to be not as simple as he would have expected. Our Phi Hunter navigates the human and spirit realms in the hope of fulfilling a task that is stubbornly—just like his companion—doing its best to complicate what should have been an easy job.
Ex is a great protagonist. He is endearing and funny but also so relatable in that he wants to prove to the members of his guild that he’s the best at what he does—which he is, as far as I’m concerned. However, his experience in his very spirit-related work makes him lacking in other aspects of life, namely interacting with other humans.
But despite Ex’s PoV having most of the “screen time,” he was by far not the only notable character in the story. The character that left the biggest impact on me, as she did on Ex, is Arinya, his companion. Despite being escorted by Ex, and not being familiar with the intricacies of his work or having the required training to deal with the dangers they face on the way, she never felt like she was lacking in agency. Quite the opposite. Sometimes, it felt like Ex was the one struggling to keep up with her, which always turned out to be both the most hilarious and heartbreaking moments in the story.
Overall, I really loved this story. I enjoyed the world-building, the folklore, and the characters. God, I loved Ex’s and Arinya’s banter so much. The pacing was also really well-handled, with the story speeding up to increase tension when action was required, and slowing down to explore the deeper emotions of the characters and the consequences of their actions. I very much hope to revisit this world again in future books because I simply can’t get enough of it, and that’s truly the biggest compliment I could give a novel, especially a debut.
The Last Phi Hunter is an action-packed adult fantasy that transports the reader to a world heavily inspired by Thai folklore. Even though I wasn’t familiar with the culture, I couldn’t help but feel engaged and filled with wonder as I explored this new world, rather than feeling overwhelmed or lost. This is exactly what fantasy is supposed to do. It speaks to our deep human desire to embark on an adventure in a faraway land and discover new aspects of life. That is what The Last Phi Hunter offered in such a brilliant way. It’s a reminder of why fantasy is so great.
Our guide through this adventure is Ex—the Phi Hunter—who is given the seemingly easy task of escorting the pregnant prince’s consort. A task that turns out to be not as simple as he would have expected. Our Phi Hunter navigates the human and spirit realms in the hope of fulfilling a task that is stubbornly—just like his companion—doing its best to complicate what should have been an easy job.
Ex is a great protagonist. He is endearing and funny but also so relatable in that he wants to prove to the members of his guild that he’s the best at what he does—which he is, as far as I’m concerned. However, his experience in his very spirit-related work makes him lacking in other aspects of life, namely interacting with other humans.
But despite Ex’s PoV having most of the “screen time,” he was by far not the only notable character in the story. The character that left the biggest impact on me, as she did on Ex, is Arinya, his companion. Despite being escorted by Ex, and not being familiar with the intricacies of his work or having the required training to deal with the dangers they face on the way, she never felt like she was lacking in agency. Quite the opposite. Sometimes, it felt like Ex was the one struggling to keep up with her, which always turned out to be both the most hilarious and heartbreaking moments in the story.
Overall, I really loved this story. I enjoyed the world-building, the folklore, and the characters. God, I loved Ex’s and Arinya’s banter so much. The pacing was also really well-handled, with the story speeding up to increase tension when action was required, and slowing down to explore the deeper emotions of the characters and the consequences of their actions. I very much hope to revisit this world again in future books because I simply can’t get enough of it, and that’s truly the biggest compliment I could give a novel, especially a debut.