Romantasy lovers: this one’s for you! We at THP never say no to a new adult romantasy, and we’re not planning to start now. Today, we’re reviewing Rachel Howzell Hall’s romantasy debut with The Last One!
The Last One welcomes us to the Kingdom of Vinevridth in the realm of Vallendor, where our main character Kai must try to remember who she is and why she’s here. She encounters a blacksmith named Jadon who offers to help her find her way home. But can she trust someone she doesn’t even know?
Kai must regain her memories and powers before the impending war within Vallendor comes to a head. Are you hooked yet? Here are our favorite things about The Last One by Rachel Howzell Hall!
Book Overview: The Last One
Content Warnings: battle and combat, injury, death, violence, illness, amnesia, grief, burning, poisoning, graphic language, racism, alcohol use, mention of imprisonment, assault, homophobia, and animal abuse (Read at your discretion!)
Summary: Thrown into a desolate land of sickness and unnatural beasts, Kai wakes in the woods with no idea who she is or how she got there. All she knows is that if she cannot reach the Sea of Devour, even this hellscape will get worse. But when she sees the village blacksmith fight invaders with unspeakable skill, she decides to accept his offer of help.
Too bad he’s as skilled at annoying her as he is at fighting.
As she searches for answers, Kai only finds more questions, especially regarding the blacksmith who can ignite her body like a flame, then douse it with ice in the next breath.
And no one is what―or who―they appear to be in the kingdom of Vinevridth, including the man whose secrets might be as deadly as the land itself.
Morally Gray Characters
One thing about THP’s book team: we love our morally gray characters. In The Last One, Kai’s road to remembering her identity is a violent one. Kai will stop at nothing to retrieve her sacred amulet and restore her powers. She has no choice but to finish fights she never started, even if that means killing as many of Emperor Wake’s soldiers as she sees. Not to mention Jadon, whose strength and abilities are comparable to Kai’s. His many motives go beyond anything that Kai or we could think of, which leads us to our next point…
Jadon’s Secrets
We went into The Last One knowing that there was more to Jadon than he was willing to share. Did we know his true identity from the start? No. But we tried to piece his past together as Kai tried to do with her own. From Jadon’s secret markings to him always distancing himself from Kai, we never stopped being suspicious of his character. And when several of his his secrets get revealed, albeit involuntarily, we realized we only managed to catch on to one.
Kai’s (True) Past
The Last One focuses on Kai’s journey to discovering her past. And when we say we had to go through so much for the big reveal, we mean it. Kai battles otherworldly monsters while on the run from a mysterious executioner named Elyn. She suffers injury after injury in her journey to the Sea of Devour. You can imagine our surprise when Kai finally learns about the things she did and the worlds she’s already destroyed. We hope this isn’t the last we see of Kai and Jadon, so we’ll wait on news of the next installment!
Rachel Howzell Hall’s The Last One welcomes us to the Kingdom of Vinevridth, a land of otherworldly monsters, dangerous secrets, and a goddess who’s lost her way.
The Last One by Rachel Howzell Hall comes out December 3rd, and you can preorder a copy of it here!
What do you think of Rachel Howzell Hall’s The Last One? Are you adding it to your romantasy reading list? Let us know on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram!
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