The Last Namsara by Kristen Ciccarelli ISBN: 9780062567994
Series: Iskari #1
Published by HarperCollins on August 28, 2018
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult
Pages: 448
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Kristen Ciccarelli’s debut fantasy explores an intricately woven world of deception, inner darkness, and dragons that fantasy fans won’t be able to resist.
In the beginning, there was the Namsara: the child of sky and spirit, who carried love and laughter wherever he went. But where there is light, there must be darkness—and so there was also the Iskari. The child of blood and moonlight. The destroyer. The death-bringer.
These are the legends that Asha, daughter of the king of Firgaard, has grown up learning in hushed whispers, drawn to the forbidden figures of the past. But it isn’t until she becomes the fiercest, most feared dragon slayer in the land that she takes on the role of the next Iskari—a lonely destiny that leaves her feeling more like a weapon than a girl.
Asha conquers each dragon and brings its head to the king, but no kill can free her from the shackles that await at home: her betrothal to the cruel commandant, a man who holds the truth about her nature in his palm.
When she’s offered the chance to gain her freedom in exchange for the life of the most powerful dragon in Firgaard, she finds that there may be more truth to the ancient stories than she ever could have expected. With the help of a secret friend—a slave boy from her betrothed’s household—Asha must shed the layers of her Iskari bondage and open her heart to love, light, and a truth that has been kept from her.
Characters: 9, though she’s prickly and good at avoidance, it was hard not to sympathize with Asha. Though Torwin was bordering on impossibly heroic, and Jarek and Dax felt underdeveloped, Asha felt realistic enough to carry the plot- from her blindsides and prejudice to her frustration and self-serving machinations.
Atmosphere: 9, there were a couple of scenes I had difficulty picturing, but the overall setting and culture in which the story takes place were highly engaging and nicely interwoven with the plot. Set in North Africa-ish, with a contested religion and revisionist history being used to justify atrocities, I was pulled into the world early on.
Writing: 9, Ciccarelli’s writing is strong and not overly florid or frustratingly sparse. The emotional scenes were evocative and the tension was maintained throughout. She made me cry, while reading this on a flight.
Plot: 9, although there’s a sense of “things aren’t quite what they seem”, we get caught up in Asha’s troubles as much as she does, so it’s difficult to guess at the truth. I had a theory (which turned out to be wrong, but slightly closer to the truth of things). Plus, there’s political intrigue, romantic developments, culture clash, and many other things to keep me hooked.
Intrigue: 10, when the Big Reveal happened, I was shooketh. And I had to read to the end, mostly in a single sitting.
Logic: 9, Asha’s drives aren’t always clear, but she acts in her own best interests, and then in a logical reaction to the events around her. Jarek seems to just be sadistic and jealous? But everyone follows their established motivations, and the magic system as we know it adheres to logic as well.
Enjoyment: 10, I really liked it! It was easy to overlook the few issues with side characters because the story was compelling. I will definitely be continuing the series.
Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
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