2/5 stars
sorry but this book wasn’t for me. The characters felt off and a little flat. I guess I had higher expectations than what I got.

DNF around 50%. This book is way too long for what it is. It is written well, it’s just not my cup of tea. I might go back and try to power through it because I do want to know what happens and do like the premise.

This felt like it was 300 pages too long and unnecessarily gory and dark. I like dark things but this was a little much.

This book was a super heavy read. However, the gothic vibes were wonderful for the falltime if you are reading for ambience and not a quick moving plot. I noticed the trigger list has been updated since I checked first and I'm very thankful. A lot of the topics covered in this were dark and awful. If you weren't expecting them, it would have come as a scary surprise. If you like vibes and reading for feels this is for you. If you want a quick moving plot with super fleshed out characters, you may be disappointed.

I was really looking forward to The Last Immortal based on the premise, but unfortunately, it didn’t live up to my expectations. The concept had so much potential, blending immortality with a mysterious plot, but the execution just fell flat. The pacing was slow, and I found myself struggling to stay engaged with the story.

The characters felt one-dimensional and lacked the depth needed to make me care about their journeys. I was hoping for more emotional connection or backstory to really get into their motivations, but instead, they came off as a bit bland and forgettable. The world-building also left me wanting more—it didn’t feel fleshed out or immersive, which made it hard to fully dive into the story.

Overall, The Last Immortal had the ingredients for a great story, but it just didn’t come together. There were a few interesting moments, but not enough to keep me hooked. It was disappointing, especially because the premise seemed so promising. Unfortunately, it didn’t leave a lasting impression, and I’m not sure I’d continue with any sequels.

thank you to Netgalley and BHC PRESS for providing me with the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

DNF @ 30%

now, i've had this book sitting here for a long while because i made the mistake of looking at the reviews beforehand. i haven't really ever read a super dark fantasy, and the other wasn't joking around with the trigger warning on this one. it was the toughest read i've had in a while.

i was actually super confliced about this title, and it's been sitting in my kindle library at 30% since i got accepted in December of 2023. i figured that there was no point in continuing this if i, 1) couldn't remember the last thing i read, 2) realised that picking this up was like wading through quicksand in wellies, and 3) honestly just didn't care :/

the atmosphere of this book was one thing i enjoyed. i've always been a lover of a dark setting, and this book definitely delivered. but everything else fell super flat. the beginning was slow, the characters pissed me off, and i feel like i've read or watched something like this before and i already knew i wasn't going to enjoy it.

This should have been exciting but it was a snore fest. I love immortal beings but this just didn't hit any of my marks .

Heavy world building with some really uncomfortable scenes. This is a horror of human terror vs a traditional creepy horror

This is a book to suck you in until the last page, and keep you along for the ride. If you love gothic horrors like A Dowry of Blood, Juniper & Thorn, or The Spirit Bares Its Teeth - then I really believe you’ll get sucked into this story just as I have.

We slowly become entangled in Ramilla’s world as she is institutionalized and horribly treated, to suddenly becoming wealthy and thrust into an entirely new world of immortals. I thought the types of immortals present were very fascinating, as well as the powers some have - and how they use that to control others. I thought the storytelling as if it’s a journal/recollection from Ramilla’s modern-day life to her past very reminiscent of A Dowry of Blood and quite enjoyed it.

I also found the twist of the reasoning for her blackouts to be very fascinating, and (SPOILER) one of the very few books I’ve seen that includes a form of DID to not be done in an ableist/”shocking plot twist” kind of way. I can’t speak for anyone who does have DID, so if someone who does have it says differently I’d take their feelings over mine (obviously), but I never felt like it was included as a cheap or offensive twist - but rather as a very real response to the consistent abuse and trauma inflicted on our main character.

I agree that most of the time skips (especially for part 3) were a bit confusing at first, but I found it not too difficult to quickly catch up to what was going on. At first, I didn’t like how the first chapter or so would spoil the ending of what would happen near the end of each section, but I thought the way those endings actually happened was unique enough for it to not actually be a spoiler. Especially in part 2, I knew what was going to happen but I was still shocked with how exactly it happened, as I was expecting something completely different.

My biggest complaint is that each new section of the book includes a brief overview of what happened in the last section, and with this being all in one book I felt it was unnecessary. I think possibly what had occurred is that this might have been intended for 3 much smaller books that were combined into one, and the review sections were never removed. However, it’s never too distracting to take away from reading it, simply a little unnecessary at times.

I would recommend this novel to anyone who enjoys dark gothic tales and can handle very triggering content. I know a few people complained about questioning the “why” for this book, but I felt it answered its own question. This is a novel telling Ramilla’s life - especially the beginning and how she became the person in the current day who is writing this memoir.

Also, absolutely check the trigger warnings, but personally I did not find the descriptions of the mentioned triggering content to be any more explicit or mishandled than it was in Juniper & Thorn.

A huge thank you to the author, NetGalley, and BHC Press for providing this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I typically love anything gothic or gothic horror, but I was left wanting more. I was shocked at the depictions of CSA, as I didn’t expect it. I heard that the Author now adds it as a trigger warning, but to say I was surprised was an understatement. With that being said, the plot had a lot of potential,

thank you to netgalley, the publisher, and natalie gibson for the advanced reader copy of "the last immortal". i am absolutely obsessed with the FMC, ramillia. if there's one thing i love, it is a strong female lead, and gibson definitely delivered!! alongside that, i really loved the chilling atmosphere of "the last immortal". natalie gibson does a stellar job of encapsulating the eerie gothic vibe. there was an air of mystique that clouded the storyline, which was alluring in some parts, but in others... just left me frustrated. i look forward to seeing more works from natalie gibson in the future!

Thank you so much to Netgalley and the publisher for so graciously providing me qirh this e-ARC! I am very thankful and once read will update this review placeholder with my thoughts and also review on my Social medias.

I understand, appreciate, and love horror movies/tales/novels. That being said, there needs to be a reason for the things that are happening, otherwise, you're just as bad as the villain you're trying to be "better" than.

If you're going to write a book that has graphic depictions of physical, sexual, and emotional violence, make sure its actually a trigger warning. I can't say that I loved this novel. It was choppy and sluggish, and felt like horror porn.

Thank you BHC Press and NetGalley for an eARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

It turns out this book was not my cup of tea.

The book follows Lady Ramillia. After she kills her parents, she's commited to an insane asylum where she suffers years of torture. Once Lady Ramillia is able to leave the asylum, she discovers her betrothed, a very wealthy man, is more horrific than her torturers at the asylum. She must learn to navigate this new world of monsters and what she needs to do to survive. There ensues lots of violence and other rather unsavory things.

First off, this is a horror nobel, not in the sense of ghouls and such, but in the sense of horrors humans commit. As the book says: this story is not for the faint of heart, and while I don't consider myself 'faint of heart,' it seemed I was when it came to this book. The book does come with trigger warnings but I feel the trigger warning glossed over a most triggering thing for many people: SA of a minor. There's also incest. It was too much, too overwhelming that I had to take a break from the book for a while. I'll reiterate that this story is not for the faint of heart.

I like the story but it was too heavy on the world building for my taste. The story also felt like it dragged on. I did appreciate that Lady Ramillia stood up for people, especially women, of lower economic means, and that she spread her wealth. Sometimes her shows of power, either violent or monetary, felt excessive, like showboating. The sudden change in behaviors and sudden changes in the story were jarring and left me confused.

There were many times throughout the book where I wasn't sure where the story was headed. There seemd to be no sense of direction or purpose. Overall, I was not a fan of the excessive violence and numerous depictions of SA. I was most definitely not the target audience for this book.

Apologies on the delay in reviewing this book. Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to read it.

I'll start by saying, this book was not for me. I think there's a rough idea/concept in here that could be successful, but it was not executed correctly here. I did see that Natalie has another series called "The Carrier Series", and the description seemed the same as this one, so I'm not sure if they are related and if I am missing something that I did not know about. That being said, as a stand alone novel, I would not have guessed that this was her 18th or so book.

It's extremely sporadic truthfully, it was very hard to follow. Things would happen so quickly and in succession without any reasoning or explanation. Eventually when things were explained, it was too far removed from whatever we'd just witnessed that the information wasn't useful. A lot of the book seemed to be grotesque for grotesque's sake, which is a common problem in the horror/thriller genre. I am all for making a novel as dark as possible, but I also think there is a time and place for it. This novel was entirely whimsical with its gore and sexual themes, to the point it was sprinkled on like confetti on cake. After a while, it became more of a nuisance to read through than an adventure.

I think the main issue the book struggles with is timing. I also think, if the book is to be set up like a diary, there needs to be more context provided. It was hard to tell what the point of the plot was, or why we should care. The Character would often conflict herself and was completely unaware of her own wrongdoings as compared to others, which I do not think was the point, since she likens herself to a hero so many times.

All that is to say, this one did not go well for me and it was a struggle to finish it, hence the long timeframe in response. Apologies again for the delay, and thank you for providing me with a copy!

This is a dark fantasy book, unlike any other one that I have read. This took my interest and and I read this in just two days, and I was only because I had to work. The characters were expertly crafted, and the atmosphere of this book was unsettling, but beautiful.

DNF'd at 15%,

This genre just isn't for me for a lot of reasons and I don't feel that I need to go into detail about it.

Now I wanted to like this book, I did; It has most things that I love: a powerful female character, it's dark as f**k, and it's got a weird cult involved. But this book just fell flat for me. Also, I knew there were going to be a lot of dark elements in the book, but the mild trigger warning page DID NOT do the triggers justice. There needs to be 2 pages of trigger warnings for this book. None of it triggered me, but there were a lot of SA elements that could be upsetting to a lot of people.
This story had a lot of potential, but it was not there for me.
I ended up DNFing at 65%, I just couldn't do it anymore.

DNF'd at around 60%

Pros :
Some really beautiful writing
A rather compelling (if a little confusing) magic system
Interesting characters
Plenty of plot twists

Cons:
Slow pace, with a confused sense of time passing
Very clear it was a series of novellas banded together - plotlines were repeated and re-explained too quickly, as if there had been considerable time between reading each part. Would have certainly benefited from editing these out.
Magic/power system is engaging but, as mentioned earlier, a little hard to pin down
Content/trigger warnings list was VERY incomplete - not an issue for myself, but certainly could be for other readers.

Wow. Just. Wow
I just reviewed The Last Immortal by Natalie Gibson. #TheLastImmortal

Victorian gothic horror.
My jaw was dropped the entire time, and my head was spinning with Lady Ramillia. I LIVE for an unexpected plot twist and this DELIVERED.

Be aware going in that there are a lot of triggers, and as Lady Ramillia warns, "not for the faint of heart"— she means it.

If you have any child-related triggers - this book may not be for you. I was able to make it through but that doesn't mean it's for everyone.

Some of the triggers include:
Assault/Murder
Animal cruelty
Blood/Gore
Cannibalism
Child SA
Child birth
Child death
BDSM
Drug use
Forced Abortion
Human Skin wearing
Incest
Mental health issues
Pedophilia
Reanimated corpse
SA
Self Harm