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barometz's review
I keep trying and I just don't like urban fantasy. I feel like this book and pretty much all other UF I've read simultaneously have too much going on and not enough.
The scene that was the final nail in the coffin for me was a good example, I think.The main character and his bodyguard were at a bar with the kid they're supposed to be taking care of, looking for information. They all order drinks when they walk in. MC wanders off to find the person who supposedly has the information, gets it, everyone's ready to leave. But then we realize the kid is in the corner on a drug trip because the bartender mixed something into his drink. The bartender's reasoning is that the kid is from the (legitimately awful) magic family that got destroyed at the beginning of the book, and fuck those people--except that the bartender also seems to understand that this child was a victim of that family. There's no reason for him to do it, and the entire scene does nothing but slow the book down; I don't get what we're doing here and I don't really enjoy the opportunity for the bodyguard to commit a little more gratuitous violence (nor do I think it's funny or cute to slip drugs to an abuse victim without their consent!!). Besides these kinds of moments that don't seem to do anything to move the plot, there aren't a lot of spaces to digest what is important, so the entire thing is difficult for me to follow.
There's so much going on that nothing in particular seems important, which seems to be a constant theme with the entire UF genre.
The scene that was the final nail in the coffin for me was a good example, I think.
There's so much going on that nothing in particular seems important, which seems to be a constant theme with the entire UF genre.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, and Classism
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship and Child abuse
alyssa_simard's review
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Child abuse, Fatphobia, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence
creardon19's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
The overall story was very compelling. There were some confusing and less-explained points. Also it felt like Rune and Brand were unnecessarily violent at times, which could be part of what the author is trying to portray, but slightly detracted from my enjoyment of the story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape
Minor: Fatphobia
nillech's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
immediately beguiling. full of personality and impeccable world building. not a single stalled moment. complex and genuine interpersonal relationships coupled with witty banter and the type of tense action that keeps you literally on the edge of your seat.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Violence, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Death, Death of parent, and Abandonment
Minor: Fatphobia and Alcohol
emcat591's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
I just had so many questions upon finishing this book. The worldbuilding left a lot to be desired. Many of the characters are "witty banter" cardboard cut-outs. It kind of felt like there were too many, and I couldn't keep them all straight. It was an interesting premise, but ultimately I didn't really like this book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Sexual content, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Child abuse, Death, and Drug abuse
Minor: Fatphobia
zeemonster's review
May come back to this at some point but this is my second attempt to read it and I wasn't really feeling it. Too much exposition dumping early on and too many characters flung at us all at once. On the topic of the characters, they seemed to be vessels for quips more than fully realized people, and have a bad case of thinking that being rude and snarky is a good replacement for having an actual personality. Also, quite a few unnecessary fat jabs for some reason.
Content Warnings
Minor: Fatphobia
pvbobrien's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual violence and Violence
Moderate: Body shaming, Death, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Gore, Gun violence, Rape, Sexual content, Kidnapping, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Child abuse, Pedophilia, Blood, Medical content, Death of parent, and Alcohol
thewildmageslibrary's review
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Violence, and Blood
Moderate: Body shaming, Child abuse, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Kidnapping, and Death of parent
jjjreads's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Gore, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Body shaming, Bullying, Fatphobia, Gore, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Medical content, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, and Abandonment
Minor: Cursing, Drug use, Eating disorder, Gun violence, Self harm, Slavery, Excrement, Antisemitism, Cultural appropriation, and Alcohol
jinjan's review
adventurous
dark
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
This book was genuinely entertaining. I was worried that it would veer too heavily into extra edgy, fanfiction-y storytelling reminiscent of the Foxhole Court, and although sometimes it did, the story itself was more refined & the world had its own draw.
#1 biggest complaint was the lack of content warnings from the author. There are on page scenes of violent and graphic rape. I wish there had been an author's note at the beginning regarding this content.
I also believe that rape for the sake of violence, upping the stakes, and a sad sob story is cruel. In a fantasy world, set outside the bounds of this reality, there needs to be really important reasons for including violent rape scenes and descriptions. The Last Sun fails to make any interesting, relevant, or prudent conversations about rape culture and the effects of sexual assault and violence. For me, it comes across as an insensitive and uncaring author capitalizing on shock, hoping to keep their reader hooked. I hope that Edwards is more careful how this topic is handled in future books.
Moving on, I liked Rune and Brand as a unit. I liked how easily they were able to show affection and care for each other. I'm still not really sure how the whole Companion thing works and I hope Edwards explains that a little better in future books. On that note, I actually wish Edwards did a better job of explaining the world as a whole and the roles that the Arcana play as governance. Is this an alternate Earth? Why are there humans living along side Atlanteans? The history of their society is rich, but it seems to mostly live in the authors head rather than on the pages.
Even though the setting and history of New Atlantis confused me, it didn't really disrupt any of the plot. The story was interesting but the battle scenes dragged, especially the final battle at the compound. I liked how it kinda turned into a Zombie slasher. That was surprisingly fun, if a bit too long.
I really enjoyed the side characters. They were interesting and not too over the top. I liked Addam a lot. He's a man who knows what he wants. Cocky but sweet. Idk I haven't read a character or love interest like him in a while. It was refreshing. I loved Quinn. Not much to say there. Max was sweet, I'm curious about his story. I liked that Edwards didn't imply or drag out any kind of adult/minor situation. I was surprised how much I liked Ciaran as well. Even the Tower. It really seems like Edwards has a clear idea for what each character will be in the story moving forward. I like that.
A pet peeve: I hate it when a hero claims their target. for example, "___________ is mine." Cheesy & lame. Why don't you actually fight them & stop wasting your breath? (An opinion I'm sure Brand would appreciate).
I loved the soulmates addition. Loved it. Absolutely FERAL for it. And the fact that Addam refuses to let Rune convince him otherwise??? I'm a hoe for romance and I'm just excited to see Addam genuinely romance Rune. I mean he said he's going to court him! For fucks sake. And while I don't like rape in my fantasy books, I do appreciate how sensitive Addam is about it.
A thoroughly fun book. I'll be continuing the series.
oh and after looking over some other reviews, I do agree that there is a glaring issue with a lack of women and non-binary people in the story. For a society that seems to be quite accepting of queerness, there wasn't much diversity beyond mlm relationships. It didn't necessarily bother me, but it stands true nonetheless.
#1 biggest complaint was the lack of content warnings from the author. There are on page scenes of violent and graphic rape. I wish there had been an author's note at the beginning regarding this content.
I also believe that rape for the sake of violence, upping the stakes, and a sad sob story is cruel. In a fantasy world, set outside the bounds of this reality, there needs to be really important reasons for including violent rape scenes and descriptions. The Last Sun fails to make any interesting, relevant, or prudent conversations about rape culture and the effects of sexual assault and violence. For me, it comes across as an insensitive and uncaring author capitalizing on shock, hoping to keep their reader hooked. I hope that Edwards is more careful how this topic is handled in future books.
Moving on, I liked Rune and Brand as a unit. I liked how easily they were able to show affection and care for each other. I'm still not really sure how the whole Companion thing works and I hope Edwards explains that a little better in future books. On that note, I actually wish Edwards did a better job of explaining the world as a whole and the roles that the Arcana play as governance. Is this an alternate Earth? Why are there humans living along side Atlanteans? The history of their society is rich, but it seems to mostly live in the authors head rather than on the pages.
Even though the setting and history of New Atlantis confused me, it didn't really disrupt any of the plot. The story was interesting but the battle scenes dragged, especially the final battle at the compound.
I really enjoyed the side characters. They were interesting and not too over the top. I liked Addam a lot. He's a man who knows what he wants. Cocky but sweet. Idk I haven't read a character or love interest like him in a while. It was refreshing. I loved Quinn. Not much to say there. Max was sweet, I'm curious about his story. I liked that Edwards didn't imply or drag out any kind of adult/minor situation. I was surprised how much I liked Ciaran as well. Even the Tower. It really seems like Edwards has a clear idea for what each character will be in the story moving forward. I like that.
A pet peeve: I hate it when a hero claims their target. for example, "___________ is mine." Cheesy & lame. Why don't you actually fight them & stop wasting your breath? (An opinion I'm sure Brand would appreciate).
A thoroughly fun book. I'll be continuing the series.
oh and after looking over some other reviews, I do agree that there is a glaring issue with a lack of women and non-binary people in the story. For a society that seems to be quite accepting of queerness, there wasn't much diversity beyond mlm relationships. It didn't necessarily bother me, but it stands true nonetheless.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, and Violence
Moderate: Blood and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Fatphobia