The Last Namsara by Kristen Ciccarelli (Iskari: Book 1)

8/10

The Last Namsara is a story about discovering the truth when it comes to yourself and others, where learning to see things as they really are rather than how you have been told they are, can be the hardest lesson of all. The Last Namsara introduces us to Asha and the world she lives in. Asha is privileged, as the daughter of the king, yet the world Asha inhabits is full of harsh realities and power plays from the elite of Firgaard.

Asha is a dragon hunter, she is known in Firgaard as the Iskari, a title that shows that she is fierce and deadly. The original Iskari was a goddess that in old tales was destruction and death. Asha is despised and feared by those she strives to protect because of events that happened when she was a child. Asha is betrothed to the monstrous Jarek but her father gives her a way out, although it is a hard task, that she may not be able to win. Asha is caught between a rock and a hard place, knowing that this may be her only way to be able to live the life she loves, but more obstacles than she realised are about to be thrown in her way.

Asha is not the only child of the king, there is also her brother Dax, who has always been seen as weak and not a good heir to the throne. Asha does have a good relationship with him, even if she doesn’t understand him. There is also her cousin Safire, who is the child of a royal and a slave, so in the eyes of Firgaard should not even exist, and due to this Safire is treated badly by those around her. Which Asha tries to intervene in, but has been indoctrinated into following the rules placed on those who are slaves.

The Last Namsara, is very fast paced and is written in a way that brings a huge amount of back story that never slows the present story down. These are presented as alternative chapters to enrich Asha’s story, showing how easily the truth can be twisted. Asha’s story is a hard one as she navigates the fine line between what she thought she knew and working out how to handle these new revelations with strength and resilience that she didn’t know she had.

I really enjoyed this book, especially the parts with the dragons and what they stand for. I was completely undone by one part of the book, which really hit a nerve. There are a lot of really good set pieces that allow the story to never feel contrived. As the characters learn what freedom really means and that you may have to rely on other people, it really hits home how isolated most of the characters have been, allowing for a very strong start to this series.
Michelle Herbert, 8/10

As a child, Asha's mother told her ancient, forbidden stories to drive away her nightmares - and the telling of them killed her. And when Asha repeated those stories, they summoned an ancient dragon which almost destroyed her city and left Asha horribly scarred.

Ever since, she has protected her city and people (and tried to make amends) by dragon slaying. And now she may have a way to both atone for the deaths she caused and to escape an arranged marriage: her father will free her in exchange for the head of Kovu, the ancient dragon.

And the only obstacle in her path is a defiant slave boy...

I found this book while completing a “what kind of book should you read next”. I answered a few questions and the Dragon in this book, is the Dragon I should have. So, you can imagine my delight when I saw the book in store and ‘squealed’ my way home with it. I always thought story telling what an art and I was right. The tale takes us into the world of Asha, or Iskari as she’s referred to by some in the book. Asha thinks stories are bad, why wouldn’t she? She remembers how the one person she loved the most died from storytelling. She remembers how the ones she loves now are haunted by the memories of the stories told and the importance of her storytelling abilities. Brought up by her father, the King of Firgaard, Asha must tell the last story to save her kingdom and her remaining loved ones; but there’s always a truth that needs to be discovered, and Asha is on the brink of finding out the answer. How bad could telling a story really be? An intriguing tale of love, faith, dragons and the power words have to create or destroy worlds and people. I read the book within a day. It’s fast paced, intriguing and it really, really makes me want to have a dragon to call my own. The tale of discovery and betrayal lies within the words and the stories we tell ourselves and the ones we love. The question is, how good of a storyteller are you? Asha finds out that those closest to her are great storytellers, but she’s even better. After all, she is the last one, or so she believes.
Snjezana Bobic, 8/10