Blog Tour:The Last Namsara

The Last Namsara
Rating: 5/5
Buy or Borrow: Buy
Source: Copy courtesy of 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.

Okaaaay, so I picked up this beauty a while back at Gollancz's blogger evening, and as soon as I saw the word 'dragon' I was like...hell yes. I'm going to like you. There just aren't enough good dragon books floating around. Within the first couple of chapters, I knew I was going to love this book and upon finishing it, it's become one of my favourite books of the year. It's utterly brilliant! 

The opening is intriguing, and nothings draws me in quite like a fire breathing dragon! The world is rich and vivid, I'm loving the mythology and history to it and I could quite easily read an entire book just on that. The little tidbits of it are woven throughout the narrative and plot brilliantly. Leaving you wanting more but not overwhelming you with information. It's also such a unique mythology, I've not read another book quite like it with stories calling dragons and being outlawed and so on. It's nice and different. 

There's tales in between some of the chapters, short ones that bring the world of the book alive and add depth to it as well as weave the history of the world of the book and Asha herself, in to the plot. I love how they're told so you start reading it, and some of them are about past characters, but there's one particular one about Asha...and you're reading it like "oh...wow....that's sucky" but then you hit a part of the story and you realise..."Holy shhhhh this is about Asha?!" and it blows your mind. I loved it. Especially as the stories aren't allowed to be told in the world of the book, and it's just such a nice touch having them throughout the book like this. 

I have to talk characters a little bit because this book features one of my most hated characters of all time. Congrats Jarek. The amount of times I wanted to throat punch Jarek throughout the book...if it where a drinking game I wouldn't be able to stand let alone walk in a straight line. Dude was an a-hole of the highest order. There was Jarek's little partner in crime that fit the description too but I won't say too much more about him because spoilers. 

As for Asha, I loved her. She's wrestling with what happened when she was a child and trying to atone for it as well as protect her brother and cousin and keep them safe. She's strong and badass and can handle herself very well but she struggles with her inner darkness and feeling like she's corrupted. Is she prejudiced at first? Yes. She was raised a certain way, but she really develops and grows as a character, overcoming it and becoming a better person right from the start. Halfway through she's a badass who's willing to fight to save Torwin and protects him at personal cost. She might have some temper issues, but come on...you would too if you where being forced to marry Jarek. Asha really overcomes a lot over the course of the book, she was a strong character from the start but she just gets stronger and better. 

Dax I was intrigued by, I wanted to know more about him and what he'd been doing because he came across as a bit of a lazy idiot. But it swiftly becomes apparent that he's Up To Something. I spent a good chunk of the book thinking "okay Dax...you could be quite the badass if given the chance". Then he does something and you're like "he's totally plotting something" and I'm frantically trying to put all the pieces together. Let's just say Dax is a badass in his own way, he's not a dragon slaying badass but there's more under the surface than you initially think. I'd be interested to see more of him. 

Torwin I completely love and I totally ship him with Asha. He holds his own against her and won't take any of her crap. He's defiant and determined. I really loved watching him help her to become a better person, and show her she's more than her past. More than what she thinks of herself while still being a strong character on his own. Things are certainly going to be interesting for him over the next book after the reveal about him. 

Safire I just want to see more of. I wasn't too sure about her at first, but girls got some serious balls and I'm so hoping we get to see a lot more of her in the next book. Roa too! They're both awesome characters and I feel we didn't get to see enough of them! 

The Last Namsara kept me hooked and on the edge of my seat. It has a cracking pace and there's action, adventure and romance all woven together with some nice mystery and hints of betrayal. There's shock plot twists throughout and more so towards the end of the book when things really start to come together....and there's still so much more to come! I already want to get back to the characters, roll on the next book!