Reviews with content warning for Grief - The Last Sun

Reviews tagging 'Grief'

The Last Sun by K.D. Edwards

12 reviews

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.

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20sidedbi's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-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

4.5

Very very good book, but holy crap make sure you check the content warnings for

sexual violence

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kalseng's review against another edition

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adventurous medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

(Upon looking over this review, I recognize that I lead with a lot of criticism. There are things I liked, I promise! I gave it a 3! That's a good book!)

The Last Sun was a fine book, with some structural choices I found annoying. I also found this particular printing layout annoying, with a random blank page thrown in at the end of chapters, sometimes before the last page of the chapter actually concluded. Weird! I also don't find the central romance very compelling, I think. It's fine, but fluffy and kind of... empty.

I am also very distracted by the lack of women. The majority of what few women are present are barely described, except to remark on the weight of one particular character. (To my recollection, there were also few, if any, people of color present.) Queenie is a major character who is regularly mentioned, discussed, and thanked. And I have NO idea what she looks like!

The plot is decidedly interesting, though it lacks the sort of huge, recontextualizing twist that I live for in mystery plots.

I like the world-building, the way magic is described is plenty interesting, and I found most of the characters incredibly likeable. Brand, in particular, stands out as a favorite as the story progresses.

Again, overall, 3/5, good book if you like urban fantasy mystery/thrillers with writing reminiscent of a prestige television show.

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kenzie_f's review

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adventurous dark emotional funny tense 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

4.5

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vyralvyris's review

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adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious sad tense 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

5.0

Absolutely adored this book, can't wait to continue the series. The writing is really fun and adds a lot of characterize, the plot is engaging, and I love interesting magic world building.

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