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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
foxgloveinspace's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Drug use, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Body shaming, Eating disorder, and Fatphobia
Minor: Adult/minor relationship
bk98's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault and Violence
Minor: Fatphobia
booksthatburn's review
THE LAST SUN was all wrong for me. I like witty banter and political machinations, but it felt like the interactions were constantly being explained. I made it halfway through and never felt like the protagonists were actually in any danger. There’s a tragic backstory that’s just hinted at so far, and a bodyguarding mission where they’ve just left their charge at home while they take care of other plot stuff. For all Rune talks about his lack of power, it hasn’t actually inconvenienced him or kept him from getting something done. When the seer told him to take a set of actions, he followed the advice and then everything was fine.
The tension doesn’t feel tense and I don’t like the characters enough to care whether they succeed. It’s a shame because I loved the initial problem that Mathias presents, I just wish the story was doing more with him.
It definitely doesn’t help that a bunch of the worldbuilding is themed around the Tarot, a topic with which I’m only passably familiar. If you’d like a fast-paced fantasy story with magic and guns in New Atlantis that’s themed around Tarot, give this a try. It’s just not my thing.
The tension doesn’t feel tense and I don’t like the characters enough to care whether they succeed. It’s a shame because I loved the initial problem that Mathias presents, I just wish the story was doing more with him.
It definitely doesn’t help that a bunch of the worldbuilding is themed around the Tarot, a topic with which I’m only passably familiar. If you’d like a fast-paced fantasy story with magic and guns in New Atlantis that’s themed around Tarot, give this a try. It’s just not my thing.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Ableism, Body shaming, Bullying, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Fatphobia, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, and Vomit
Minor: Child abuse, Slavery, Trafficking, and Death of parent
micheala's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Trigger warning for graphic sexual assault
A fun take on urban fantasy. I LOVED that it had actual adults and not 18-21 year olds as the main characters. I found that the number and style of the fight scenes started to feel a little Action Movie to me. I adored Brand and Rune's interactions, and Quinn is by far my favourite character.
I went into this assuming that Rune and Brand would end up in a relationship and thus started pulling for a poly relationship about half way through, however I believe I was totally wrong and Brand and Rune will not ever become romantically involved and I'm ok with that (I still think that the poly relationship would have been gold)
A fun take on urban fantasy. I LOVED that it had actual adults and not 18-21 year olds as the main characters. I found that the number and style of the fight scenes started to feel a little Action Movie to me. I adored Brand and Rune's interactions, and Quinn is by far my favourite character.
I went into this assuming that Rune and Brand would end up in a relationship and thus started pulling for a poly relationship about half way through, however I believe I was totally wrong and Brand and Rune will not ever become romantically involved and I'm ok with that (I still think that the poly relationship would have been gold)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Death, Eating disorder, Gore, Gun violence, Rape, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Body shaming and Fatphobia