A review by jnishi
The Last Namsara by Kristen Ciccarelli

5.0

In her acknowledgements, Ciccarelli offers her readers this piece of knowledge and advice: "Never Forget: you are not what you've been told you are, you are what lies within you". Those wise words are what this entire novel is about. Asha has been told all her life that she is a monster and, as such, spends her life believing that she is unworthy of love and is corrupt and evil. I was worried that Asha was going to be whiney and all "Woe is me" but she isn't. She is badass and felt real to me. She wasn't some kind of emotionless robot with no feelings she feels things and dwells in her emotions without coming across as whiney. Usually, or so it seems, the romance in YA Fantasy literature seems forced and happens in an instant but Ciccarelli slowly crafts a star crossed romance that felt fated and honest. This is a story about stories, dragons, and fate. Ciccarelli's world building is great, her plot fast-paced without losing characterization, her writing is lyrical and juicy. All in all just a stunning book (in truth as stunning as that cover!)