If you think this is going to be your average fantasy book, you’d be dead wrong.

The Last Soldier of Nava, to my surprise and delight, surpassed all my expectations. And this is me coming off — somewhat recently — the Mistborn trilogy, so that should tell you how impressed I am. But let’s not fall into comparisons here. The Last Soldier of Nava is very much telling its own story.

We are introduced to the world through the legend of Nava and the dragons, and our main character (MC) is a girl who was the Soldier said to have drowned the world in darkness. When she wakes up years later, she finds that she’s killed a Saint, and flees into hiding. I do love an MC with memory issues, and in this case, Shadow, our MC, is just as clueless as we are, which also serves to help us learn about the world we’ve been dropped into. As the Soldier, she may have carried out many horrible acts, but I never felt for a moment that she was unsympathetic, and in fact, it was the opposite.

It’s largely the same for the rest of the cast. Our other leading lady sharing the spotlight is Scarlet, the sister of the saint that the Soldier killed. Under the shell of her sharp and composed exterior hides a shining diamond with many facets and secrets to be discovered. Honestly, I would go so far as to say I like her character even more than Shadow. There’s something about how utterly driven she is, and the grief that haunts her every decision. The complexity of their characters also provides a solid foundation for their interactions and relationship. I enjoyed the way their relationship developed over time, despite all the circumstances surrounding it. The way they match each other so well, in both power and personality, is just chefs kiss. If you’re still not convinced by this point, the well-written wlw should be enough to seal the deal! Not only that but as I mentioned earlier, the spotlight is very much on the women and their relationship. The men, two in particular, are given room to develop and are shown to have depth, but they never hog the attention or push too much into the story.

Something else I appreciate is how intricately woven the character moments are with the plot. Neither could exist without the other, and each one informs the other, like two dragons twisting in the air, driving one another onwards. Yejin Suh buries her plot hooks like grenades into the ground, just waiting to be stepped on. Each explosion is strangely gentle, a quiet punch to the gut. There’s a moment in the Stronghold where Shadow is shown a secret and urgh my gut TWISTED at that reveal.

The world of this book spans wide in a way reminiscent of epic fantasy, with a scale that matches it, or as much as a (currently) standalone novel can achieve. The Deadzones especially are so interesting to me!!! I have so many parts of this novel bookmarked simply because of how much there is to dive into: the implications of certain reveals, the parallels I keep finding throughout the book, the foreshadowing for later events, and the parts that were recontextualised upon my reread. The only issue for me is that the ending didn’t really wrap up the plot and with the number of questions I had about what would happen in the world going forward, it felt like there was going to be a sequel. Still, I enjoyed the writing of the last chapter, and especially the last paragraph. This book is bursting at the seams with themes and subtext and layers and I’m desperately holding myself back from saying too much for fear of spoiling too much so all I can say is READ IT!!!!

If you’re a fan of Shadow and Bone or the Mistborn trilogy, or just looking for a fantasy book you can happily fall in love with, then pick up a copy of The Last Soldier of Nava when it comes out in June. The preorder is currently available as well!

This is very rich and beautiful story that for many I believe will be a huge favourite.

Unfortunately for me I just didn’t connect to the characters or the story. I struggled to finish this, purely because I didn’t have the urge to find out what was happening or how this ended.
I don’t believe that was anything to do with the author, I just don’t think this was for me that’s all. However I do appreciate how well written it was and how easily the author made this come to life in my head.

At first, I expected something like a blend of "The Last Airbender" and Studio Ghibli’s "Nausicaä," but while it wasn’t quite that, I still really enjoyed it. "The Last Soldier of Nava" delivers a richly detailed world built around Korean mythology, with Shadow as a fierce heroine at its center. The slow-burning romance adds emotional depth, and the immersive world-building and character development elevate the story into a powerful meditation on tradition, identity, and change.

DNF at 45%

I’m sorry, but I’m not really connecting with the story at the moment. The characters are well-written, but overall I can’t bring myself to be interested in the plot.
I’ll probably try to pick it up again later.

Nonetheless, I want to thank the author, the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC.

One of my most anticipated reads!!!! Amazing characters and incredible world building. So glad I got to read it early!

The Last Soldier of Nava is such a beautifully written story. Suh has painted such a vivid tale that picturing the book’s setting felt effortless. I wasn’t previously knowledgeable about Korean mythology, so I genuinely loved the opportunity to become more familiar with it.
The way the story unfolds requires us to slowly unravel the mystery, which I mostly enjoyed - though at times, I felt a little lost within the plot. The twists and turns remained shocking throughout, and I found the slow-burn romance between our two FMCs hauntingly beautiful.

I’m excited to see where this story goes!

Thank you so much to HarperCollins UK for the ARC via NetGalley and for giving me the opportunity to share my honest thoughts on this book.

Omg The Last Soldier of Nava by Yejin Suh is so so good. I couldn't stop reading this book for a bit. The characters are so well built and the storyline was so well constructed.

Yejin quickly became a autobuy author for me, this was an amazing book!
I loved everything about it.

Well that book was a solid 5 stars god!! I don't wanna spoil that book on anyone but I did live reading it through the past week , but the characters were stunning and I am more excited for other books written by yejin suh