An undeniable masterwork—and a blueprint for how adventure fantasy should be written.
Logan’s debut novel—the first installment in his Last Legacy saga—is an adventure fantasy that revolves around a young man’s search for answers to mysteries regarding his father’s death.
When Lukan Gardova—a disgraced heir desperately trying to outrun his past—discovers that his estranged father was murdered while clutching a mysterious note written with his own blood, he begins a quest that takes him around the world to Saphrona, the fabled “Mother of Cities.” But answers aren’t easy to come by in a city with a tumultuous history, corrupt government, and an underworld filled with myth and legend. Eventually joining forces with a street urchin named Flea and an infamous thief known as Lady Midnight, Gardova quickly finds himself entangled in a grand-scale conspiracy involving the existence of nightmarish beings from childhood tales, artifacts from a lost race, evil cabals, and a looming war that could put tens of thousands of innocents in jeopardy. Every discovery brings Gardova closer to the realization that his father, whom he thought was just a broken man obsessed with myths, was much more than he appeared to be. While many comparable narratives come across as stale and formulaic, there’s a freshness and vibrancy to this tale, in large part because of the flawless execution of the various elements. The worldbuilding is exceptional—meticulously described and almost effortlessly immersive. The diverse cast of characters is insightfully portrayed and authentic. The storyline is filled with bombshell plot twists, the action is nonstop, and the pacing is breakneck. The precision of the writing is evident in seemingly minor details like the way every chapter ends with thought-provoking statements, revelations, or cliffhanging scenes that make it impossible to stop reading (“He unhooked the lantern, took a deep breath, and pushed the door open”). Even the conclusion is masterfully constructed, satisfying readers while also brilliantly setting up the second installment.
An undeniable masterwork—and a blueprint for how adventure fantasy should be written.Pub Date: May 7, 2024
ISBN: 9781250345806
Page Count: 528
Publisher: Tor
Review Posted Online: March 23, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
PERSPECTIVES
Although the melodrama sometimes is a bit much, the superb worldbuilding and intricate plotline make this a must-read.
Using mystery and romance elements in a nonlinear narrative, SenLinYu’s debut is a doorstopper of a fantasy that follows a woman with missing memories as she navigates through a war-torn realm in search of herself.
Helena Marino is a talented young healer living in Paladia—the “Shining City”—who has been thrust into a brutal war against an all-powerful necromancer and his army of Undying, loyal henchmen with immortal bodies, and necrothralls, reanimated automatons. When Helena is awakened from stasis, a prisoner of the necromancer’s forces, she has no idea how long she has been incarcerated—or the status of the war. She soon finds herself a personal prisoner of Kaine Ferron, the High Necromancer’s “monster” psychopath who has sadistically killed hundreds for his master. Ordered to recover Helena’s buried memories by any means necessary, the two polar opposites—Helena and Kaine, healer and killer—end up discovering much more as they begin to understand each other through shared trauma. While necromancy is an oft-trod subject in fantasy novels, the author gives it a fresh feel—in large part because of their superb worldbuilding coupled with unforgettable imagery throughout: “[The necromancer] lay reclined upon a throne of bodies. Necrothralls, contorted and twisted together, their limbs transmuted and fused into a chair, moving in synchrony, rising and falling as they breathed in tandem, squeezing and releasing around him…[He] extended his decrepit right hand, overlarge with fingers jointed like spider legs.” Another noteworthy element is the complex dynamic between Helena and Kaine. To say that these two characters shared the gamut of intense emotions would be a vast understatement. Readers will come for the fantasy and stay for the romance.
Although the melodrama sometimes is a bit much, the superb worldbuilding and intricate plotline make this a must-read.Pub Date: Sept. 23, 2025
ISBN: 9780593972700
Page Count: 1040
Publisher: Del Rey
Review Posted Online: July 17, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2025
A delightful, genre-defying debut.
Historical horror? Dark fantasy? Queer romance? All of the above!
“I was hundreds of years old before I ever met him, but that day we were both young.” While visiting his Florence offices in 2013, attorney Sebastian Grave unearths a bloodstained lambskin glove that belonged to a past lover—a man he’d met in the 18th century. Nestled within this frame narrative is a tale of desire, werewolves, and the French Revolution. In telling his story, Sebastian introduces Sarmodel, the demon with whom he shares a body, and a succubus named Livia contributes chapters in which Joan of Arc, her notorious ally Gilles de Rais, and the archangel Michael all make appearances. First-time novelist Sullivan wields the tools of multiple genres deftly, but what really makes this book special is its central character. Sebastian has powerful magic at his disposal, but he’s also human enough to fall hard for a hot young nobleman. When Sebastian goes hunting for the Beast of Gévaudan, he’s not looking for adventure. The first time, it’s because he can’t resist Antoine Avenel d’Ocerne. The second time, it’s because he dreams of a reunion with his love—even though he knows this is a hopeless wish against the advice of Sarmodel. Using Sebastian as a narrator keeps things light, in part because he has a droll, contemporary voice and in part because it makes the worldbuilding feel natural. There are footnotes, but there are no infodumps. The fact that Sebastian doesn’t know exactly what he is sets the tone for storytelling that leaves a great deal unexplained while providing enough detail to keep the reader engaged. Deploying Sarmodel as a sort of alter ego and allowing Livia to offer her own perspective on Sebastian also adds both depth and charm.
A delightful, genre-defying debut.Pub Date: Feb. 24, 2026
ISBN: 9781250362766
Page Count: 544
Publisher: Tor
Review Posted Online: Jan. 19, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2026
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