Was able to finish it, but found it isn't the book for me. I wanted to DNF it a lot of times before I realized it just doesn't fall in my tropes of genre, however, it IS well-written. I won't give it 3 ⭐s because it's just not fair, so 4 ⭐ for the nicely written novel. I hope this finds it's audience!

This just ended up not being a book for me. I tried to read it a few times, but couldn't quite connect to the voice or the storyline enough to finish it.

Such a fun read. I love retellings/reimagining of any kind and this one does not disappoint. I enjoyed how the author incorporated mythology while still keeping the story unique. This story presented a mix of si-fi and fantasy in a way I have not experienced before, it was quite enjoyable.

DNF 50%

I really wanted to like this book. It had a fascinating premise and all of the teen coven tropes, in the end it felt more like Charlie's Angels meets The Craft. Or Buffy.

A group of teen outcasts discover that the new girl in school is one of their own, but of course there are unnatural circumstances surrounding the new girl's initiation into a world of magic and boogeymen that she never knew existed. (This is all from the blurb, no spoilers, don't worry.) All while trying to navigate the complexities of high school.

First of all, insta-love is a no-go for me. Fated, prophetic, spicy- not my cup of tea.

That, and the protagonist Alice Daniels has all of the personality of Bella Swan. Disillusioned, unaffected, the works. I enjoyed the Alice in Wonderland inspiration, even though that did not appear to be the author's primary intent. Ultimately I attempted to plod through for the story, but found myself getting frustrated with run-on sentences and jumbled pronouns. There were several instances where I needed to reread in an attempt to figure out who was speaking or acting, despite the fact that a lot of the teenage banter felt unnecessary.

I will keep an eye on Lenore Borja for future works in a hope that she will continue to churn out unique fantasy stories. This one, however, was just not for me.

[Thank you to NetGalley and SparkPress for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.]

Reading the blurb I’m thinking it’s a retelling of Alice through the looking glass. But it’s not, there are a few similarities, but maybe that was just me. Alice can control mirrors! Fancy a change of scenery, walk through a mirror. But it’s not that simple as we find out in the book. Alice has never trusted a mirror, her reflection can’t be trusted, it looks back at her distorted or even oddly sometimes! But all that becomes apparent when she discovers her hidden power (or curse!) she can move into a different world/realm just by walking through a mirror, there is also the fact you can leap incredibly high, or even fly in this realm. But it’s not all sunshine and rainbows. There is a dark force that wants the mirror realm for its self, and it will do anything to achieve this. I really enjoyed the story. Loved the interaction with her sisters, I enjoyed the banter and almost instant attraction between her and her guardian/protector. It’s a little confusing at times, and we are just meant to accept all the things thrown at Alice, the lack of information in some instances (the bond between sisters needed a little more information) I don’t want to give too much away as it is a good story, a few little hiccups won’t really take away from this book. There are a few twists I didn’t see coming. There are also moments in the book I wanted to shout at the characters (and the author) and there are times in the story I just wanted to scoop Alice up and give her a big cuddle. Is there a HEA (happy ever after) in this book I hear you ask? Well….. nope!! Not telling you, but I will say that I wasn’t expecting it to go down the way it did 🤫 The mirror realm is fascinating. It’s full of wonderful and sometimes scary characters. The demons are the characters your going to be booing, It’s touted as a YA (young adult) read, and it’s said it’s aimed at them. It’s a book filled with adventure/mystery and a splash of magic. And don’t forget the romance 😉 I’m hoping this isn’t the last we see of the mirror realm. I’m definitely adding this author to my list. 🦋

This book was so good thanks so much for the copy I really enjoyed this so much along with the writing definitely will recommend and be purchasing for myself and some friends

I so badly wanted to like this. I trudged through about 60% before I finally gave up and DNFed. I always feel bad for DNFing a netgalley book, but I had to. I didn't like the writing, dialogue, or characters so I just didn't vibe with it. I'm not a fan of insta love, and I felt like the storyline was all over the place. Just not for me.

ARC received in exchange for an honest review.

This was one big rollercoaster. I went from liking it a lot to almost DNFing and back to liking it.

The world building and magic in this book were quite unique. We have a kind of demon hunters but based in Greek mythology. Now the demon hunting itself is not a really big part of the book. There is a lot more going on than that.

My first problem was these abrupt twists and revelations that came kind of out of nowhere. It sometimes made me quite confused, thinking if I missed something. If we had a bit more previous knowledge of what is possible in the world, it would be more satisfying. Instead, new stuff just jumps out. I do definitely appreciate the originality thought.

Now my other problem is the romance. Right from the beginning we can see there is some magical bond between the two which basically justifies insta love... Problem with that is, I didn't feel any chemistry between the two. Like it made me not really care about the romance for big part of the book. Basically, until they started having some actual basis for their relationship. It was the romance part that almost made me DNF. Reading the romance stuff between basically strangers with the guy coming off very fatherly at the beginning. It was unpleasant. But yeah, in the end I ended up shipping them, so I am glad I didn't end at that part.

But to get back to something positive again, the friendship between the MC and the other demon hunters was very wholesome. Basically, a found sisters trope. It was really saving the book.

And lastly, another thing I enjoyed was the high stakes. This book got quite dark and the MC had to do some hard choices, morally dubious choices.

This book was a very mixed bag for me. I liked some parts and didn't enjoy some others. I am still glad I picked it up. I might be even interested in picking up the next book even though this one would work as a standalone, so I am not feeling that much need to continue.

Thank you Netgalley, Lenore Borja, and SparkPress for providing an arc. What a lovely fantastical tale of found family and love! I loved the strong female representation - all the women are strong-willed, charming and bad a$$es. This is a a great start in a YA trilogy and I look forward to how the story continues.

Fair warning this has a romance that is insta-love but for this story I think it worked out well. I will say that this reminded me of a lot of old shows I used to watch I think back in the late 90's and early 2000's. Like Buffy and Charmed and the like. I loved the female power this book had but overall it wasn't anything new. It was still worth the read though. Great pacing and a wonderful cast.

Absolutely fascinating idea for a book but really struggled to get into it. Kept waiting for it to grab me, but unfortunately, it wasn't gripping enough for me. I may try again when the next book comes out to see how the story progresses.

The Last Huntress was an intriguing YA paranormal romance adventure about demons hunter, magic mirror realm and mixed Greek mythology lore. The story following Alice and her reflection who have ability to travel through mirrors into another realms.

The main character isn't perfect but loveable. She is brave, loyal, smart, witty and ticked category as morally grey type. The other female sidecharacters are amazing but sadly overshadowed the male MC and the romance. The plotline is enjoyable and keep me intrigued with all mysteries, creepiness and enough actions. The story have enough dark horror vibes but describes in beautiful way. The writing is great and the pace is moderate. I would love get my hand on another installment from the author.

Thank you Netgalley and SparkPress for provided my copy. I enjoyed my reading time but my thoughts and opinions always my own.

Unfortunately I have to say this book was not for me. I found the plot very intriguing however I struggled with the writing style. Everything felt extremely generic and lacked depth. I would have liked to see a few more rounds of edits. I did enjoy the characters and I would not be opposed to reading more of this authors works in the future.

Alice Daniels is a high school senior who's just moved to Phoenix from Colorado, meets the local dudebro, and falls in with a pack of demon hunting teens from school. On her 18th birthday, Alice discovers that she is a huntress with the ability to enter the mirror realm: a magical world accessible through mirrors. A YA paranormal adventure and romance, The Last Huntress is the first in a new YA series and includes nods to mythology across different cultures - primarly Greek - and fans of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, currently experiencing a renaissance of sorts in middle grade and YA fiction. There are plot twists aplenty and fast-paced, witty dialogue that keep pages turning. The ending leaves readers waiting for a sequel. A good purchase where fantasy is popular.

A big thanks to NetGalley and SparkPress for gifting me an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Have you ever looked into a mirror, expecting your reflection to be same as your actual body. But instead it can move on it's own, and has it's own free will. Yeah, me neither,, unless....

The Last Huntress by Lenore Borja is a YA fantasy that follows the life of both Alice Daniel and her pesky reflection. On her eighteenth birthday, Alice discovers that the problem with her reflection isn't just her imagination. Rather, she is a hunter with the ability to traverse through a mirror into different realms. With the help of three other hunters and one overbearing mentor, she must fight the evils beyond her world and save the one man she loves. Hooray.

I went into this book thinking it would feel a lot like a more modern rendition of Alice in Wonderland, but instead I just kept getting the vibes of those early 2010's dystopian books I somehow seemed to adore and devour in middle school. (Aka Unremembered by Jessica Brody, Mila 2.0 by Debra Driza, Reboot by Amy Tintenera, The Rules by Satcey Kade). As they much resembled the whole cliché of new boy, immediately dead set to be the love interest. But it did plenty good with the whole greek-mythology inspired pieces.

Maybe in the future I'll pick up another book by Lenore Borja. But for now, I'm good.

A dark fantasy mix of Greek myths and Alice in Wonderland vibes.

This one has a lot of good things going for it, but the destined-soulmates/instalove romance and all-around unlikable love interest kind of killed it for me.

THE GOOD:

The main character is headstrong, brave, the practical kind of smart, quick on her feet, and kind. She’s bold without being arrogant. She stands up for herself. She’s loyal and hardy enough to make morally gray decisions when no option is black or white. But, the romance eroded my respect for her. She’s not perfect. She can also be petty, hold grudges, and has truly terrible taste in men.

The rest of the main characters are some a**kicking women, each with their own personality and flavor of awesome, that I just loved and a male love interest I just didn’t love.

It’s got great dark fantasy world-building, with a Greek-mythology-inspired magic system and plenty of fresh twists on familiar myths. The Mirror Realm is creative, strange, fun, and dangerous. It’s the kind of world beyond the looking glass that you can’t help but want to visit and be scared to step foot in. It’s full of demons and wonders and the world turning itself upside down with every turn, drop, and jump (literally).

The author rides the line between dark fantasy and horror with skill. There’s serious creepy and eerie vibes, but no excessively graphic violence. The descriptive style captured the beauty and scariness of this tale. The story has good pacing that keeps you swept up in suspense, intrigue, or action from start to finish. The plot kept my interest with mysteries of Alice’s family’s past and the present world of Greek myths and mirrors that comes to her. The plot wasn’t rushed. The story was nothing if not unpredictable.

No cliffhanger ending. The ending was clearly meant to be happy, but I didn’t love it because by the end, I was hoping for was the male love interest’s messy and permanent demise.

THE BAD (READ: THE ROMANCE):

The romance was definitely instalove. Even for a story with the magical, fated soulmates trope, this romance felt very instant, very rushed, and never successfully made up for lost development later in the book. Since the leading romantic pair trying to save each other was a central part of the book’s plot, this really held the story back.

The love interest, Colin, was the worst part of the book. Even after finishing the book, I never felt a genuine spark between Alice and Colin or a reason for Alice to even like Colin. The way Colin treated Alice alternated between him being mean, controlling, patronizing, protective (in a creepy, patronizing, or stalkerey way), guilt-tripping, and just a jerk. He would kiss her, make physical advances, call her baby, and make general declarations of love. All the while, he would withhold information, continue to treat her badly, and treat her as a subordinate instead of an equal or a team member. He didn’t act like he trusted her. He used physical advances to avoid honesty or emotional talks. But, it’s all dreamy because Colin and Alice are soul mates, they find each other to be really hot, and apparently Colin’s more willing to risk his life for Alice than treat her with respect (or treat her as an equal).

His behavior is presumably all to push her away, protect her from everything (including herself), or protect himself from his intense love for her. He’s only patronizing because he wants to protect her and obviously knows better because he’s older and she’s sooo reckless and sooo ignorant of the magical world that she only just discovered. (Never mind that she’d be a lot less ignorant if he spent more time sharing info. Or that her bold actions are calculated risks in dangerous situations where you can’t win or survive by playing it safe. Or that her strategies could be a lot more calculated and a lot less risky with more information and training.)

The romance came off as toxic and Colin came off as both creepy and unlikeable. By the end, I was rooting against the couple ending up together.

THE VERDICT:

Mixed feelings. I loved the world and the characters (with the exception of the male love interest). The plot and mysteries kept me hooked until the end. I disliked the romance and the love interest. The romance even eroded away some of my respect for the protagonist. My dislike of the romance kept me from really loving the book. But, the story’s strengths made it a memorable read.

WARNINGS: mentions of attempted suicide (not the main character), violence, death, kidnapping, drugging

I received a free eARC of this book via NetGalley. I am writing this review completely honestly and voluntarily.

👩🏻‍🦳 THE LAST HUNTRESS🪞

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Binge read this book to get this review out in time for pub day, and it was absolutely wild from start to finish. This is the first book in the new Mirror Realm series from indie publisher SparkPress, and I’m definitely eager to find out what happens in future books because this one had SO much plot for an average-length book.

What I liked about this book
- dark YA where the characters have to make morally gray decisions
- Genre bender: horror, fantasy, romance, etc.
- Greek mythology
- Lovable badass female friends that give off Charlie’s Angels vibes

Book is out today (11/1) so check it out! Thanks to SparkPress and Netgalley for letting me read the ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

You know when you have a good plot, good lore, practically perfect ingredients for a huge hit but some of them just don’t mix well together and it all falls flat? While not everything made me want to pull at my hair, some things did. Which is truly unfortunate, because I quite liked the idea itself, even more than “oh, it’s giving me Alice in Wonderland vibes”, mixing various other interesting stories.
The first thing that bothered me wasn’t the characters or the plot, no, it was the constant time jumps. I do like them from time to time, but not so common, almost in every other chapter. It felt as if it was all a rush - and in a way, it was - but the time jumps actually didn’t add to the story, they rather made me even more annoyed.
Now let’s talk about the characters: again, some of them are flat, some are more developed, have a bit more depth behind their reasoning and actions, but that doesn’t mean they don’t feel… incomplete. And of course, Alice is, how can I say… your usual YA heroine? Yeahhhh, a bit annoying at times, I-know-better-than-any-of-you… that kind of girl. I wanted to like her, I really wanted to. I found the other girls having way more spirit and character even if they weren’t much discussed, which was a huge mistake since they are awesome. Then there’s Colin, and even there, something didn’t spark.
Why did I still give it three stars even if it feels like a book I could’ve easily DNFed? A huge part is the backstory and the lore, and even the twists, though not the feelings I felt while reading this novel. It just didn’t grip me correctly, losing me with all those boring time jumps, all the while catching me back into its net with the plot twists, only to lose me again with the heroine or the confusing way everything was handled in the Realm. It’s too bad, because, as I said, it had so freaking much potential.

An enjoyable read that is full of greek mythology. Well written with a compelling storyline and well developed characters, I liked it.

The Last Huntress is the book that made me rethink my NetGalley hiatus. When I got the invite, I didn’t notice that it was from the publisher (I thought it was from the author). I also didn’t see the address of the link that was in the email. So after reading the blurb, I was very interested in this book, made up my mind to read it, and clicked the link—which brought me to my deactivated NetGalley account. So, I decided to reactivate it and start my NetGalley journey again. I am glad I did because this was a fascinating book.

The Last Huntress is book one in the Mirror Realm series. Any of the usual stuff I write in this section doesn’t apply.

The Last Huntress had an exciting storyline. Alice has just moved to Arizona after her parent’s divorce. Living in her mother’s childhood house, Alice is convinced that she will hate it there. Around the same time, Alice notices that her reflection is acting up. Thinking nothing of it, Alice ignores it until she can’t anymore. When things start to implode around her, Alice meets Soxie, Olivia, and Hadley.

Along with Colin, they tell her that what she is experiencing is real because she is a Huntress. She is supposed to hunt demons in the Mirror Realm. But Alice soon discovers more at stake than being a Huntress. What she finds out sets off a series of events that holds grave consequences for her and her loved ones. What is Alice? Can she stop whoever is manipulating her? And can she stay one step ahead of the person she loves the most?

I liked Alice for about 90% of the book. She was headstrong and wasn’t afraid to stand up to anyone. She did have her moments of weakness, though, centered around Colin. There were points where I wanted to shake her and say, “Dude, just leave him be.” Her storyline did get a bit convoluted when the author introduced Greek mythology. I figured it was going in that direction when the girls explained Colin’s/The Mirror Realms backstory, and there was an abundance of Greek mythological figures being named. But I wasn’t expecting it to get as messy as it did. Honestly, I wasn’t a fan of it and wished that the author had just stuck to her being a Huntress and left out the other stuff (but then again, those scenes with Hades and Persephone wouldn’t have happened).

I didn’t like Colin. Even with knowing his backstory, I felt that he was a bully. He refused to acknowledge his feelings for Alice, and when he did, he turned into a psycho. But, in the end, he did prove himself when he tried to save Alice by going into the Mirror Realm (he was forbidden too).

I loved Olivia, Soxie, and Hadley. They were everything that Colin wasn’t, and they weren’t afraid to tell him where to go. They took Alice under their wings and taught her everything they knew about the Mirror Realm and defeating demons. They even helped when Colin turned psycho. They were the besties that every girl wished they had in high school.

The storyline with Alice, Colin, the girls, and the Mirror Realm was exciting. I loved the lore behind how the Mirror Realm came to be. I also liked the twist thrown in that storyline about Alice being a Huntress. Also, Colin’s relationship with the goddess is interesting. I wish the author had expanded a little bit on it.

The storyline with Alice and Colin was interesting but disturbed me at the same time. I will come right out and say it; there was Instalove. It was immediately with both, but Colin, the d-tickle, refused to acknowledge it. The disturbing part was what happened after Colin admitted his feelings and discovered what would happen to Alice. I was horrified to read about the drugging and keeping her sequestered from everyone else. All because of a prophecy.

The author amazingly wrote the storyline with Alice and the Greek Gods. I couldn’t get enough of reading about that. The author extensively researched everything, and it showed. The main gods showcased were Hades and Persephone. The Fates were also talked about (and man, were they scary!!). Zeus also makes a very brief appearance toward the end of the book. I was enthralled with what I was reading.

The author very well wrote the young adult angle. I did feel, though, that teenagers went one of two ways. They were super immature and did stupid things or acted like mini adults (everyone else). There was no in-between with them. Still, I found that the teenagers written about were well-written and had depth.

As I mentioned above, the author did a fantastic job incorporating Greek mythology into the storyline. The fantasy angle was also well-written. I liked that the darker the fantasy angle got (and it got pretty dark toward the end of the book), the more well-written it was.

The romance angle was meh. As I mentioned above, I wasn’t a fan of it because of the Instalove bit and the fact that Colin was a tool for 90% of the book. Of course, that storyline did take an unexpected turn at the end of the book.

The end of The Last Huntress was exciting and a little twisty. I wasn’t expecting the twists thrown in about Persephone toward the end of the book. I also wasn’t expecting the twist about Colin and what happened to him. That last chapter messed with my mind.

I would recommend The Last Huntress to anyone over 16. There are non-graphic sexual situations, language, and mild violence. There are also scenes of kidnapping and drugging.