Thank you NetGalley and publisher for the eARC in exchange for a honest review…This book is set in the Victorian era and has huge gothic and horror over and undertones. This story follows Lady Ramillia through her immortal life that has been anything but easy and pleasant. This book has had issues due to leaving out the laundry list of trigger warnings which are now present….

I did not hate the book nor did I love it. The author does an incredible job of providing a very deep and rich environment but I felt like the overall book and plot were lacking. I will say that I never knew where the book was going. I had a difficult time staying engaged throughout the story. If you enjoy dark, disturbing novels than this is a read for you.

This book was dark. The author describes this book as not for the faint of heart, and she is correct. My only critique is that more detailed trigger warnings should be placed in the front of the book to warn readers. While I enjoy dark fiction, and not many triggers bother me, not everyone is like that.

Overall, I really enjoyed the last immortal. There were parts that were confusing, but I think that was the authors purpose. The narrator is also confused and does not know who to believe. She has been abused and manipulated by everyone in her life. The reader is in the dark just like Ramillia. Who is she? What is she? Is she evil? I don't want to spoil anything, but I had so many questions and theories about this book, and the author kept me guessing.

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for an ARC of The Last Immortal.

Too much telling instead of showing and the time just seems to jump around without making it known. I love horror novels and this being a gothic story featuring immortality sounded right up my alley but sadly it lacked the execution. I was just bored and didn’t like the writing style so decided to DNF.

After reading other reviews, I’d end up DNFing eventually, or powering through but rating it low on social media/goodreads/amazon. I enjoy horror novels and dark, morally questionable characters but the stuff that is mentioned in other reviews makes it sound like trauma porn for the sake of shocking the reader rather than any sort of character/plot development. I’m fully aware the synopsis says not for the faint of heart but it seems the story is even more extreme than the synopsis suggests.

Do not ignore the trigger warnings and I never would have requested this on Netgalley had I known the CWs and how carelessly they would be handled.

The pacing to me felt very off. Additionally, I feel as though the author was not sure exactly which genre she wanted to go with while writing this. Seems like a lot of “shock value” elements were added just for the sake of it. I was not really invested in the characters at all.

*** Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this arc in exchange for an honest review. ***

Based off the description The Last Immortal seemed right up my alley. A rich Gothic horror with a splash of the fantastical. I was very unprepared for what I'd actually reading.

My copy did have a small list of trigger warnings at the beginning but after finishing this book I can say they there ABSOLUTELY needs to a edit to include more trigger warnings. The ones currently listed do not do justice to just how dark and intense some of the content in this book is. Had I been aware of some of said content I would have passed on requesting this arc.

I do appreciate the authors attention to historical details and how well that information helps the reader really picture the stage in which the story is set. At times it does kind of muddle the pacing of the book and it's easy to get lost in the information.

I think my biggest issue with this book was just how hard it was to connect with Ramillia and to really develop any kind of attachment to her as a character. I feel like the intention was to really drive home just how much what is happening impacts her but it's almost too detached to the point the execution just falls flat.

Due to an undisclosed content warning that I found out about in reviews, I will not be finishing this book. Even with what I did read I could not recommend this to my audience. I did the think the synopsis made it sound good and the cover is pretty but this will not be one for me based on that content warning.

The last immortal is a dark fantasy book that unifies the Carriers trilogy into one book.

The story opens with Ramillia in an insane asylum. Doctors tell her she is there because she killed her family in a fit of rage, which she continues to have and of which she remembers nothing. She lives imprisoned and mistreated, but everything changes with the appearance of a benefactor, Sir Julian Lawrence, whom she marries through an arranged marriage. But appearances can be deceiving and Ramillia must pay a price to get out of the asylum.

This is a story of redemption, but also of what power can do to a person. Ramillia is a woman who goes through all the facets that a woman can go through in her life and leaves taboos aside. She breaks with what was expected at the time and overcomes countless obstacles.

It's a story that fascinated me and managed to get me out of a pseudo slump. Ramillia fits perfectly into what an anti-hero is. It's impossible not to become emotionally attached to her and the characters around her. She is a character who starts from the bottom, to rise and fall many times, corrupting herself along the way. At the beginning we read her as completely innocent and hopeful about life, but as the story progresses, she becomes more and more fractured, becoming a very ruthless woman.

It has a very good representation of post-traumatic stress disease, although, given the time in which it occurs, we are never given the name of the diagnosis.

It is a raw and real story, in which it is evident that nothing is black and white. Ramillia loves and hates in equal parts, sometimes even the same person. She seeks to understand what is behind the actions of each person around her.

If you are fans of Jay Kristoff's Nevernight or Empire of the vampire like I am, you will surely enjoy this book. It is a dark and disturbing book at times, but, according to my tastes, it is very much worth it.

Reviewed both on Goodreads and Instagram.

I never saw any trigger warnings before I started this. There should be A LOT of warnings. I am not going to finish this book.

Unfortunately, The Last Immortal was nothing at all like I was expecting and I got around 20-30% into the book before I had to DNF it, despite how much I love dark and creepy stories–this was one I just could not fathom completing.

Whilst I was not bothered in the slightest by the triggers (and believe me there are many including but not limited to; rape/sexual assault both as a child and an adult, incest, abuse, abortion etc), it was the complex and sometimes overbearing plotline and characters that prevented me from continuing and fully enjoying this novel.

What baffled me the most was the sheer lack of emotional response or actual sense of character within the main female protagonist, Lady Ramillia Winmoore! As someone who has experienced abuse amongst other tramua that Ramillia suffers, she shows an extremely concerning lack of concern regarding what she has been through. She appears to have no emotional response to being told about her trauma or when she looks back at her past (as this is written as a memoir with Ramillia now being over two centuries old) and this is not what a trauma victim would act like, even with the memory issues. It is also very frightening how easily she trusts the people around her, especially the main male protagonist. Someone who has clearly been abused by men all her life would not immediately meet her betrothed and think very lustful thoughts about them, as Ramilla does in this novel.

And the other issue I have with the book is the sheer amount of information being thrown at you, most of it being useless historical and societal context of which the reader does not really need to know. If the author had focused more on explaining the plot and the powers that Ramilla has (which I still did not fully understand even after re-reading), I would have liked this book a bit better but sadly, this one was not a winner for me.

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review.

I recieved a free copy of this book from NetGalley, thank you to them and publisher.

The Last Immortal is a meandering, Victorian, gothic, horror, written as a memoir - someone taking us through their past, chronologically as they experienced it.

The author clearly did a lot of research about the time. But it sometimes feels shoehorned in as the main character takes time out of the story to explain how things were different compared to more contemporary times.

This is a book with a lot of dark and disturbing subject matter, however, there were scenes added that didn't didn't seem to serve the plot. Our main character seems to feel little, and doesn't seem to have many emotional responses. I found myself unable to determine her motivations or develop any attachment.

There is very little development of the other characters. It is difficult to tell if it's because they are meant to be hollow, or if it's because that's how the main character views them, or if they were simply an afterthought.

I think that there are people who will enjoy this, but it was not for me. It is a slow mover and gives you barely any clue as to what the plot of the book actually is until you're more than 20% in. The supernatural elements are very interesting and feel fresh and original.

If you want a challenging horror read that makes you work for it, this is the book for you

DNF @ 34%

I could not bring myself to finish this and I LOVE dark stories... but this just reads so painfully slow. I may come back to this if I can obtain the audiobook version.

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

This book reminds me so much of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. It is very gothic, very purple, very much a long walk through a dark wood looking at every damn shadow along the way. There is a lot of blood, gore, assaults of every kind. This book is not kind or shy. If you loved Frankenstein I believe you will like this.

From the very first page of this novel, I was pulled in! Imagine waking up in an asylum without any knowledge of how you got there and being told that you murdered your entire family. I thought that was going to be the main part of the story, but I was so wrong. There's so much more to this story than I could have ever guessed.

The Last Immortal is a longer novel than I'm used to but don't let that discourage you! This was a page turner and it managed to cure me of my reading slump. I can't wait to read more from this author.

This book was extremely dark, which I love -- definitely a heavy read and you absolutely need to check your content warnings on this one. This book was so full of action and big reveals the ending felt a little out of the blue. Maybe if there was more alluding to this ending earlier in the book it would have felt more satisfying. Once you get past the graphic depictions of mental, physical, and sexual violence, "The Last Immortal" is a story of power and redemption. At first, the whole world and what is happening to the main character is slightly confusing but once you learn more I couldn't put it down!

This book was very interesting, had a unique plot and characters. This was my first book from Natalie but I will definitely be checking out more! Thanks Netgalley and publishers for the opportunity to read and review. 3.5 stars.

So while this one was extremely interesting it is definitely not for the faint of heart, the trigger warnings are there for a reason, but if you can stomach them this was a wild ride all on its own and it was a bit of a slow build I personally was glad that I stuck it out and I will be purchasing this one for sure

Unfortunately, I did not care for this story. It was difficult to get through and it was nearly a DNF for me. This had nothing to do with the triggering content however, although that could be a factor for other readers. First, it was too long. I understand the story covers a sizable period of time, but there were many redundancies and could certainly benefit from another developmental edit where the plot and conflict were more focused. It probably would have done better as three separate books. Secondly, I did not understand the main character's motivations. Not only was it unclear why she would share her story in the first place, but her objectives and reasonings throughout the entire novel were often unrealistic. I didn't understand her and I couldn't connect with her. I also didn't find the trauma fallout very accurate and at times problematic, in my opinion. It made it really difficult to relate to the MC and when the story is presented in first person, that makes for a tough read. You don't have to agree with a morally corrupt character's choices, but you do need to understand the logic behind them. The story tried to be an exploration in redemption and a reclamation of self, but any attempts made by the author to feature these themes were overshadowed by the plethora of confusing events, excessive number of characters, gratuitous violence, and continuous lack of logically actions and reactions within the MC’s internal conflict. I really wanted to like this, but it was a struggle to get through.

The Last Immortal by Natalie Gibson is a wilddddd ride!

It’s a very dark gothic fantasy/horror novel….and it’s pretty messed up. I wouldn’t normally describe a book like this but wow. This book won’t be for everyone and it’s definitely not for anyone under the age of 18. It has every trigger warning imaginable and then some. From SA, child SA, rape, incest, almost all forms of abuse, graphic violence, gore, language, BDSM, self-harm, abortion, murder, and so much more. This is a very dark and heavy read so again, it’s not for everyone.

With that being said, I loved this one! The character development and world building were both amazing. It immediately sucks you in and keeps you interested. As soon as you think you’ve figured out where it’s taking you or who someone truly is…it does a complete 180. Again, it’s very dark and it doesn’t really let up. As soon as you think it can’t possibly get more violent and horrifying…it does haha. It’s split into three sections and has multiple time jumps so it felt slightly rushed at times. I would’ve liked to see this spread out over multiple books but the author pretty much ties everything together perfectly. I loved this one and definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a thrilling, dark ride set in a Victorian Era fantasy world.

Was not prepared for the content of this book and felt trigger warnings should have been more forth coming

The Last Immortal is penned as a gothic dark fantasy horror and that absolutely hits the nail on the head. All I would add to this is that there are VERY dark themes - that’s not a criticism (you can’t criticize a dark book for being dark can you?) but it has to be mentioned. Going into this I didn’t think the dark themes would particularly bother me but there were several occasions where I really struggled with the book as things just got so dark and so… twisted!

I think what really stood out to me was how the book managed to CONTINUALLY get more twisted. There were a couple of dark themes I saw coming and so they weren’t a surprise but throughout the book there would dark turns and reveals that just turned my stomach honestly. At 66% I put the book down and just stared into space questioning how twisted this book was. Then again at 68% I was just blown away with how this book managed to continue to come up with and portray such twisted relationships… There were situations and relationships in this book that I couldn’t imagine getting worse and yet somehow they always did!

I can’t say I enjoyed reading The Last Immortal - but I don't think you’re meant to enjoy reading a book this dark!

Putting aside the issues of some of the themes in this book, there were a lot of strengths to The Last Immortal.
The world building was top tier. Set in the Victorian era, the atmosphere was set beautifully. Perfectly blending the Victorian era with an entire underground society with its own history and hierarchy - when I reflect back on the world building it really did feel faultless honestly.
I also loved that every character felt complex and nuanced in their own way. While none of the characters were particularly likable (I’m assuming this was deliberate), each felt individual and like they had their own rationale for their behaviour and decisions. Honestly the character building was really good but I do wish there had been at least someone a bit more likable.

I think my only real complaint was that it was all a bit slow for my liking and I feel like this would have been a much stronger book if it had been tightened up. In particular I hated how the author would recap things for us. Now I understand the premise is that we’re reading Ramillia’s journals and so in that context it might make sense to briefly explain who X is and what they did. But I literally just read what that character did 2 chapters ago - why am I reading a recap of it? Things like this really bogged the story down for me and made the pacing a struggle. The last third in particular really lost my interest and I struggled through it.

This is certainly a book I will never be reading again. I am sure there is an audience for it but for me it skews too dark and too slow.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an E-ARC

P.S
Having written my review and then looked online I’ve seen there is a huge divide on the ratings and I think this division seems to hinge on whether there were ample trigger warnings provided. All I can say is that my copy had all the appropriate trigger warnings, so while I can’t say I was prepared for what I read (because the dark themes far exceeded what I had imagined) I also can’t complain that they didn’t warn me!