Publisher: Harper Teen
Series: Iskari #1
Format: Paperback ARC
Source: Trade
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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 dark—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 hearing 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.
To be honest, it took me WAY too long to get into The Last Namsara. I am a Fantasy fanatic, but this debut left a lot to be desired.
For one, the world building is basically non-existent. We are relegated to staying in Firgaard with mentions of other places, but that's it. There are also apparently three types of people in this world, or at least that we know of. Draksars are what Asha and basically those of noble blood are. Skrals are the slaves, and Scrublanders are people from the Scrublands, wherever that is. To be fair, there is some backstory on the Draksars and the Skrals through the Old Stories, but that's it. I wanted MORE. There is mention of failed Scrubland rebellions, but why do they hate each other so much beyond that?!
Then, we have the characters. I liked Asha because she is not your typical YA main character that is just drop dead gorgeous and flawless. She has many scars from a dragon burn, and everyone knows it. Her burns are part of what makes those around her fear her. She is self-conscious because of how she looks. Just because she is the fearsome Iskari doesn't mean she has total confidence.
Jarek. Oh man, this guy has some serious issues. He is your standard cookie cutter bad guy. He's 100% cruel for no reason, and there is zero motivation for why he is the way he is. We get no backstory on him except he was betrothed to Asha as a child and the King made him Commandant after his late father. I wanted to know WHY he was so cruel and WHY was he so obsessed with Asha?
Honestly, I felt nothing for Torwin, the love interest. Again, we are basically told nothing about him except that he grew up a slave and that he wanted to escape somewhere far away. Backstory is important because it lets us get to know characters and feel for them.
I promise I'm not trying to rip the book. I actually really enjoyed the dragons and the Old Stories that were told before each chapter. They really added to the mystery of the story and the world.
With more world building and focus on character development, I think this could have been way better. It was just that I didn't really connect with the characters or the world enough to get invested in the story.
All of that said, I do want to continue the series because I want Asha to have her happily ever after since she had basically been played her entire life. She's fierce, and she deserves to be happy too.
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