I am not usually a person who reads a lot of fantasy, but I devoured this book. The story of the Namsara- the bringer of love and life, and Iskari- the death bringer is entwined with the life of the lead character- Asha, a fierce dragon slayer trying to atone for mistakes in her past. Along the way there is forbidden love, revolt, betrayal and friendship. I loved this book.

I have been absolutely dying to read this book since I first saw it on Edelweiss and I just couldn't put it down when I finally received it.

From the publisher: 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.

I found that the story goes much deeper than I initially thought it id. I thought it would be great adventure. However, it deals with much more serious issues such as the worth of a woman and slavery. The two themes are so prevalent through the story that it was a much more serious novel than I expected. Furthermore, the novel deals with manipulation and self-worth, determined not by yourself, but by the others. Asha is a tragic heroine who has been blamed for the destruction of the city her entire childhood, her own father let the people of his kingdom spit on her for bringing in a dragon. She spends 8 years thinking that the only thing she is good at is hunting dragons and fulfilling her father's wishes. This is a classic example of someone manipulating someone's psyche to fit your own needs. It is cruel, and extremely harmful and it happens all the time, most commonly with parents and children. I feel like this issue is present very strongly and predominantly in The Last Namsara and it feels really good that Miss Ciccarelli spoke about this.

Furthermore - slavery. Today we all learn what the costs of slavery are. How they destroy the psyche, of not just the slave, but of those enslaved as a whole. Miss Ciccarelli does a marvelous job of describing this in her book. It is distributing and horrifying to read about and it needs to be spoken of because even today - slavery is very much alive.

And then there are the characters themselves. I feel like Asha is one of the most well developed characters I have read about. She transforms throughout the book and is a completely different person at the end. Even her brother threw in for a loop and turned out to be way more brave then I initially thought.

Then there is the world. It is really unique, down to the clothes that the characters wear and absolutely fascinating. I also loved that Asha's favored weapon is an ex, instead of the usual sword.

My only complaint with the book is the exaggerated number of dragons Asha killed. Hundreds seems like a lot even in fantasy setting. I would have believed dozens, but hundreds...nah not possible.

That being said - I will be pre-ordering this book, and patiently (hahaha yeah right) waiting for the second book.

This was such an amazing story, I'm only sad I'm done reading it. The author has a real talent for sucking the reader into the story and the characters straightaway. From the first page, I was drawn to Asha, vested in her goals, challenges, and character growth. I absolutely loved Torwin. Jarek plays the perfect ruthless villain. And the dragons! I LOVED Shadow and Kozu. I love what the author did with the dragons, the story-telling lore, the twists and turns in the story that kept me trying to read just one more chapter till I couldn't keep my eyes open. Can't wait to see what else this talented author whips up!

I received this book in e-arc and I have never been so happy, because it is a real favorite.

Let us begin by underlining the richness of the universe, we have a complex history and religion which are also at the heart of the plot, a part of magic, but especially dragons, and I love dragons. I must say that I loved being immersed in this world and to discover every corner of it. It was different from the other YA fantasy novels (is it really YA) that I could read even though it is basic in it construction, the complexity of the history brings something new and we soon want to know more .

This book focuses mainly on a heroine, Asha, she lost her mother when she was young and after that, she had to take the role of Iskari, which means she hunts and kills a maximum of dragons for her father, the king . I find that she has a nice evolution in this book, she will quickly discover that what she thought to be the truth is not,and it will change part of her life and her personality, I really appreciated this character.

But I think what I loved above all is the plot, this book kept me busy all the way, although I was traveling, I took every opportunities to read it and I loved it from the start to the ending. I also want to emphasize the author's writting style which is beautiful, it is very immersive and has a touch of poetry, it was really well written.

So, as you guessed, I loved this book you should read it.

13.08.2017 - This book is simply incredible, one of those titles that the minute you finish reading it a deep set and saddening feeling of loss comes over you. I haven't read a title that I have found quite this engaging and engrossing in quite a while and it's going to take me a little while to write a proper review but in the meantime if you can read this delectable debut by Kristen Ciccarelli then you simple MUST do so!

Full review/update to follow when I've straightened out my thoughts coherently!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for sending me a digital ARC of “The Last Namsara” by Kristen Ciccarelli. This story is so lush and fantastical. The world and magic are quite interesting and unique. The characters draw you in and the speed of the plot keeps you on the edge of your seat. The writing style is fluid and filled with gems. Loved this story!

ITS A NEW AMAZING PHENOMENAL BOOK THAT HAS DRAGONS IN IT!!!!

Did I mention I'm excited? Did I?

This is everything I want in a YA fantasy novel. It's got plot, it's got interesting characters, it's got stories flooded throughout, gorgeous prose and most importantly it has well thought out, wonderful dragons!

Let us start with the world. The landscape etc. isn't as fleshed out as other fantasy books, we don't stray too far in this particular book. But what is considered are the stories of this world and the strange power they possess to call dragons. The idea of dragons hoarding knowledge is explored in Seraphina but dragons being drawn to old stories was something totally new to me. This element of storytelling was a great addition to the plot and I liked the stories dispersed throughout the actual story.

This book was wonderfully non-boring. I actually found myself gasping and saying 'no!' out loud as I read which was a new one for me. There's sufficient action and intrigue to keep any reader totally gripped.

To those interested, yes there is a bit of a romance. But if I'm honest, that's not what I remember in this book. I won't lie and say that it doesn't take up quite a bit of the story, however it just isn't what stuck with me. There is so much else to this story that a romance plot won't hinder the enjoyment of someone who isn't into love plots.

This is Ciccarelli's debut novel and of all the debuts I have read this year it may be the best. I am dying to read the second and third parts of The Iskari series and I don't want to wait until 2018 to get my fix!

More dragons! NOW!

My rating: 5/5 (duh)

The Last Namsara releases on the 5th of October this year so please please preorder it and enjoy!

By the way, I received a free digital advanced review copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review, all opinions are my own.