I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

The Last Phi Hunter by Salinee Goldenberg is a Southeast Asian fantasy inspired by the phi of Tai folklore. Ex is a phi hunter who travels around to kill monsters when he meets Arinya, the companion of the crown prince and carrying his child. When Arinya needs to hold off on giving birth as the crown prince’s wife-to-be hunts her down, Ex needs to help her escape from those trying to kill her and her child.

I fell in love with Ex as a character when he blurted out that Arinya was beautiful when they first met. There was something earnest and endearing in his openness and I’m a sucker for guys falling first every time. He also recognizes that Arinya is a badass in her own right and he doesn’t coddle her or try to shield her from blood.

Arinya was pretty easy to love as well. A fighter who will do whatever she can for the child she wants, she also is quickly attracted to Ex but has her own duties. Her past as a fighter is an interesting spin on the ‘consort of the prince is on the run’ trope and gives layers for her character.

The magic system has some ties to nature, with forests appearing out of nowhere when a hunter needs to speak to a guardian and vast swaths of land can be crossed quickly. Ex’s hair turns white and his eyes become red when he uses his magic, making the magic tangible and noticeable.

Several of the chapters are from the POV of Narissa, a krasue from Southeast Asian folklore. I really liked her chapters and found her to be sympathetic and a different view on phi because she has to refrain from killing a human for thirty years in order to achieve redemption. Years ago, she killed the only man she loved and it haunts her.

I would recommend this to fans of Asian fantasy looking for explorations of Southeast Asian mythology and folklore, fans of fantasies about monster hunters, and those who are interested in multi-POV fantasies where monsters are POV characters.

Salinee Goldenberg nos ofrece la mezcla perfecta de fantasía con raíces en el folklore tailandés, acción y diversión en The Last Phi Hunter, una obra muy cinematográfica.


El protagonista es Ex, un joven cazador de demonios obsesionado con cazar a Shar-Ala, un ser de leyenda al que hace tiempo que no se le ve. Ex vende los restos de sus presas para subsistir, ya que son valiosos recursos en el mundo mágico. Sin embargo, Ex no es invencible y cuando Arinya, embarazada de nueve meses, le salva de una buena tunda, no puede negarse a acompañarla y protegerla en su periplo hacia su destino.

Las principales bondades de la novela son una construcción de mundo muy atractiva con la existencia de criaturas mágicas fuera del bestiario más conocido en occidente. Aunque el desarrollo de los personajes y sus relaciones podría mejorar, sobre todo el principio de la novela es muy divertido con las constantes pullas que se lanzan. Tiene su parte de romance, pero no es un eje fundamental de la novela o al menos no me lo parece.

Aunque la trama no es excesivamente intrincada, es innegable que los tejemanejes de los poderes en las sombras sorprenden en más de una ocasión a los lectores. Sí que algunos de los elementos de la historia parecen un poco acelerados, quizá huyendo de la pérdida de ritmo que podría suponer un exceso de exposición entre escenas de combate. No le hubiera venido mal algo más de equilibrio en este aspecto.

Otro de los personajes, no mencionaré cuál, tiene un arco de redención cautivador, negándose durante décadas a saciar su hambre en pos de la salvación. Un concepto budista cuya filosofía empapa cada página del libro, sin menoscabo alguno de escenas violentas y sangrientas. Es posible que por momentos nos recuerde a Geralt de Rivia, por su tarea de acabar con monstruos por dinero, pero Ex es mucho más joven y bisoño, sin el poso de amargura del Brujo.

Aunque el libro no se presenta como parte de una saga y tiene una conclusión satisfactoria, no me extrañaría que la autora volviera a este universo con una nueva entrega, ya que tiene los elementos necesarios para continuar contándonos historias de Ex.

Thank you to Netgalley and Angry Robot books for an advance review copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

DNF at 40-ish percent

I was so excited for this book because I love SEA-based fantasy, and the cover is gorgeous! However, I found it hard to connect with Ex and Arinya; both of them felt a little flat as characters, and the building romance was meh. I liked Narissa and think she's more interesting but her POV are few and far in between.

The mythology and lore are so rich, and the world felt very alive. Will be attempting to read this book again in the future just for this.

A young man, Ex, is the last Phi hunter and while on a hunt he runs into a woman, a heavily pregnant woman who buys his services as a security guard to escort him to the home of a witch. Ex doesn't know what this woman needs with the with but he's broke and he's heading to see the same witch anyway, little does he know that this woman is hunted by people willing to kill to get her, and Ex rapidly discovers that his life killing Hungry Ghosts seems far less dangerous than the life of a courtesan.

This was a pretty decent read, especially since it seems to be based on Indonesian myth/folklore surrounding Ghosts and demons, a rabbit hole I haven't gone down yet, but now I'm gonna have too.
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I enjoyed the characters as well, for a first novel they were surprisingly well fleshed out and whole. Especially Ex, honestly, he was my favorite part of this book.

The Magic system is interesting as well as there seems to be two distinct systems. The one the Hunters use and then the one that Sorcerers use and while the magic seems to be rooted in the same place, how, the individual groups access it seems to be quite different. And I really enjoyed that, it creates a distinct difference between the groups while not making a huge complicated mess.

It's genuinely got an anime feeling to it as well and I, of course, enjoyed that. I could see this being picked up for a manga or an animated series easily.

There are some points where the writing is a bit rough, where I had to go back and reread things to figure out what was going on, and there was some use of language that I found to be a bit jarring to the story like it just snapped you out of it. Modern words that just didn't fit the setting of the story. But honestly I think that can be easily chalked up to this being the author's first book.

Overall, this was a solid first book and a well done Southeast Asian fantasy adventure.

I really enjoyed this book, but in the first half the characters felt flat, especially Arinya, I just couldn’t get a read on her personality or emotions and that is my biggest issue with this novel.

This book really surprised me, because I thought the plot was going to be pretty straightforward, but I was relieved to find that I couldn’t predict what was going happen next and that really kept me intrigued and immersed in the story.

All around I would recommend this book if you’re looking for a good story based upon Thai folklore.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc.

Thank you Angry Robot, NetGalley, and Dreamscape Media for an eARC and advanced listening copy in exchange for an honest review!

Ex is a member of the Phi Hunters Order, and he is on a quest to slay a demon that has been plaguing the Order and his masters. Shar-Ala is the demon of nightmares and madness, though, and on the way Ex gets his ass kicked and is saved by Arinya, who is a muay-boran champion and nine months pregnant. In return for saving him, Arinya wants his help, and so his quest gets a little derailed.

The Last Phi Hunter was so fun and one of those books where you’re like “yeah, this is definitely a romp.” I liked Goldenberg’s writing and found her tone to be humorous in a way that works in this land of demon slaying. I really loved her worldbuilding and how Thai mythology and folklore was used to create the Suyoram Kingdom. While I do think that one of the weak points of this novel was Ex and Arinya’s characterizations, they were still fun to follow and the actual journey they went on was super entertaining. Also, the demons and spirits were wonderful. While I don’t think this particular book will live rent free in my head, it’s also one I see myself rereading and I’d definitely read anything else that Goldenberg wants to set in this world. This is such a wild ride of a debut in every positive sense you can imagine, and the world is really interesting.

David Lee Huynh did a great job with the audiobook! He did a good job differentiating the voices of each character and it was an enjoyable experience.

Definitely recommend this, and I’ll keep an eye on Goldenberg’s career.

Goldenberg wrote an incredible novel filled with color and flavor I have never experienced before. You will be whisked away into a world of beauty, horror, love, and terror. Absolutely wonderful.

The Last Phi Hunter is witty, quirky, and episodic adventure filled with Thai folklore, ghosts, and demons, following a bumbling protagonist named Ex. This would be the perfect read for fans of The Witcher, but where the humorous bard is the one with the powers and becomes the hero rather than the stoic and powerful. Outside of the action-packed story, The Last Phi Hunter also explores what we want versus what we need, the ways of goals may shift unconsciously as we come to realize what is truly important in life outside of external validations, medals, rewards, badges, acknowledgement.

A big thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for and ARC of the book!

The Last Phi Hunter is an epic, Thai-inspired fantasy that finds our phi-hunting protagonist, Ex, saddled with a mysterious, yet equally skilled (and did I mention: pregnant), fighter, Arinya, and a quest to deliver her safely home to the royal palace. And I found it to be a real treat to read!

Salinee Goldenberg's vivid descriptions not only of the world she constructs, but the action that takes place in it, is stunning. I could picture every city the main pair traversed and each threat they encountered. Threats, I should say, that deserve praise in their own respect. The phi that Ex, the eponymous last phi hunter, encounters are nuanced creatures, at turns monstrous and startingly human, and made for great antagonists in the story. They helped Goldenberg's world, rich with diversity, both kindly and deeply evil creatures, come to life.

The protagonists of the story, Ex and Arinya, also made for great companions on this quest across an epic world. Ex, a snarky hunter, was a fantastic narrator. I absolutely loved seeing him create chaos around him and dig himself deeper into already perilous situations. Arinya, while at times slightly under-developed, offered a perfect balance to Ex's chaos. And her growing story helped to shade the world in further.

All this is to say, if you love an epic fantasy story or even enjoy a deeply chaotic (and at times, unhinged) protagonist, I couldn't recommend The Last Phi Hunter. It is a truly vivid fantasy.

I lasted three chapters with this one. I am not sure who the intended audience is, but it certainly (in my opinion) is not for the young, like middle grades. Let me start with the first couple of pages as examples of how hard it was (is) to get into this story. There are so many things mentioned that I have no understanding of, that I cannot imagine what is going on with any real sense of world building detail. What is a phi? What is a Hungry Ghost? A chamchuri tree, kongkoi, devas? And on it goes, like I've finished one book and am expected to understand all of this background. In other words, there is not enough descriptive detail for me to imagine.

The other element was the graphic nature of describing the half-digested face of a boy's head inside the stomach of the Phi. To me this passes way beyond the boundaries of description, especially when it deals with young readers. Call me narrow-minded or whatever, but there is a responsibility that writers have that should bring a balance between too graphic and non-descript. Pull this back. Perhaps indicate a small human, but in my opinion, that should be it. The point is made, time to move on.

The action parts kept me going through the rest of what I read, but again, going back to these other things didn't motivate me at all to continue the story, so I didn't. Perhaps others (as indicated by the other reviewers here) will have a different take, which is fine. But for me, the story ends here.

I absolutely devoured this book, and loved it to bits. Goldenberg's fantasy world, taking its inspiration from Thai folklore and Buddhism and more, is such a great take on epic fantasy. There's all sorts of magic, there's spirits and ghosts being hunted, there is evil afoot in the kingdom, and there's a great slow-burn friendship/bond/romance happening. Phi hunter Ex's hunts and quests in the spiritual realm are the highlights of the book for me, and I also love how the world and its characters are drawn with so much empathy, humour, and also both salty and sexy twists.

Many thanks to Salinee Goldenberg, Angry Robot, and NetGalley for providing me the ARC in exchange for my honest review. This book will be published and available for public sale/access on April 09, 2024.

The Last Phi Hunter follows the title character, Ex, as he travels into the spirit realm called the Everpresent to “kill” the malignant ghostly demon creatures and send their souls onward. His ultimate quest to hunt down the infamous phi called Shar-Ala is detoured by a desperate woman Arinya, who needs his help. They end up becoming travel companions on a magical, action-packed quest where the humans they encounter are just as dangerous as the demons.

WHAT I APPRECIATED:
- Short chapter-lengths
- Rich descriptive writing — I could picture the vivid landscapes, creatures, and action sequences.
- Soft magic system and a world with MANY types of magic: magical creatures and spirits, spirit realm, and different types magic-users including hunters, sorcerers, and witches
- Characters are efficiently introduced.
- Magic, nature, spiritualism, and traditionalism versus state-driven modernization, development, and new magic
- Action-packed with fighting scenes
- Quest fantasy, traveling, and something of a bodyguard/princess dynamic

MY ISSUES:
- A hefty percentage of the text was (too much) exposition on the spirit realm and characters’ surroundings.
- I wanted more interpersonal interaction. We have Ex, Arinya, and then random encounters with beings and humans on the road. Scattered details about the politics, king, and factionalism made me feel like we missed out on some rich sociopolitical interplay that could have been better woven into the story.
- I wish we’d gotten more backstory and deeper characterizations for Ex and Arinya. What we got was fascinating.
- I wanted more tension embedded in the plot so that the eventual plot developments and reveals had bigger pay off. As it was, I did not feel the high stakes and sense of danger that I was being told about.

Overall, I found the world and characters incredibly ambitious and imaginative. I liked the plot and friendships created. I only wish that the execution had more cohesion and stakes.

This was a surprisingly fun adventure inspired by Thai mythology.

A warrior is determined to prove his prowess by hunting down a legendary demon; a pregnant woman about to give birth -who is fiercer than she looks- employs him to help her get to her destination before her baby comes. Along the way they unravel political plots of the kingdom, clash with dark sorcerers, confront the possibilities of demons seeking redemption, and even become entangled with complex spiritual and metaphysical considerations.

The main character can occasionally be lewd or more sexual than I expected, but it was otherwise very upbeat and unlike stories I've read before.

Audiobook Notes:
This is narrated by one of the better male narrators I've listened to. It stands in stark contrast against the recent male narrators I've listened to who employ a falsetto for female voices that sounds truly terrible-- so glad he didn't do that here!! Though it was kind of adorable in the last 10% when he pronounced the "c" in scythe multiple times.

[3.5/5] In THE LAST PHI HUNTER, Ex, a member of the Phi Hunters Order, has one main goal in mind: to kill Shar-Ala, a great demon who haunts his victims with nightmares. Although ridding his kingdom of problematic phi, or spirits, is his primary directive, he knows killing Shar-Ala will bring him more respect. But he hits a detour in his plans when he runs into Arinya, who is nine months pregnant and requests him to escort her to a low magic witch. What seems like a somewhat simple request turns into something more complicated as Ex learns more about Arinya during their journey.

To jump straight to the point, I picked up THE LAST PHI HUNTER because the heavily-pregnant-character premise is unique. I expected Arinya to be a be a badass woman. However, early on in the book she essentially becomes unpregnant while still being pregnant. I won't say more because spoilers, but this event rendered that whole part of the premise null and void for me. Arinya remains a badass, but an unpregnant one. I really looked forward to seeing how the author would run with this pregnancy status in a spirit-hunting world. Instead I felt like a bait and switch happened. I also felt like this made it easier to write the action parts of the story. I would have liked to see how a late-stage pregnancy affected character choices, especially during tense situations.

Second, while the book is a standard novel length, I felt like it took me forever to read it. To be clear, the author writes well and the descriptions were great. Goldenberg excels at describing each phi that Ex encounters. Each description reveals a vivid imagination and my brain turned round and round trying to fathom their disturbing countenances. However, THE LAST PHI HUNTER falls heavily into the journey trope. I'm fairly neutral to long journeys in fantasy books and lean toward appreciating them. With this book, the scene changes weren't different enough for my preferences, which made this book feel longer than it is.

As the official synopsis implies, romantic feelings develop between Ex and Arinya. Yet, despite their shared experiences and peril, I felt they more or less lacked chemistry. I liked Ex and Arinya as characters, but their interactions erred on the side of illogical. Ex clearly doesn't know how to talk to women, so that created some incensed dialogue. And some of Arinya's decisions made no sense, especially given certain people are trying to find her. Thankfully there aren't too many of these scenes, but I found a portion of them irksome.

I also didn't particularly care for part of the ending. The epilogue rendered one of the major plot points of the book, well, pointless. I suppose it serves to show that we are all connected and share many past lives. But the method in which this occurred fell flat for me. There is also a backdrop of "modernization," or the monarchy outlawing traditional ways to usher in change, though not necessarily in a good way. While perhaps meant to represent the influence of the West, it also didn't really add much to the story.

I know it seems like I didn't particularly enjoy this book. For the most part, though, I did. But I think it might appeal more to readers who don't mind that most of the story is a journey. In addition to the phi descriptions, Goldenberg vividly describes higher, godly planes. And I found it entertaining that THE LAST PHI HUNTER clearly draws inspiration from THE WITCHER. Ex reminds me a lot of Geralt, particularly with respect to his personality. He is a phi hunter much like Geralt hunts demonic creatures that hurt humans and is one of the last of his profession. He even has various potions to use, can descend into a parallel plane to help him hunt, and a horse companion.

Overall, THE LAST PHI HUNTER is a solid debut, but some aspects didn't work for me. However, others may find they quite enjoy the very things that made this a slower read for me. THE LAST PHI HUNTER presents an imaginative world of spirits and traditional ways against a changing culture, forcing one man to decide whether to put himself or those he cares about first.

For some strange reason, I started reading this thinking it was a younger or middle grade read. I've no idea what gave me that idea, because it absolutely isn't! This impressive Thai-inspired dark fantasy is full of gruesome demon folklore, racing action sequences, and heart-pounding twists.

Definitely for an older audience, it examines themes like identity, family, loneliness, forbidden love, and walking the morally grey line. It flipped the old trope of "damsel-in-distress" on its head, with the MC Ex being saved multiple times by pregnant Arinya's kick-ass fighting skills. It was really refreshing, and it felt like it was set in a very inclusive version of the world.

I really enjoyed the plot and character development, with some excellent world-building throughout, and I loved discovering a mythology that was brand new to me. The quest-style outline and the vivid cast of characters, both good and evil (and a few in-between!), made me desperate to know what would happen next.

I would love to read more about the devas, demons, and the realms they inhabit, and while this story appears to be all wrapped up at the end, I'd definitely read any further stories the author explores in this world. If you enjoy dark fantasy, complex relationships, stellar world-building, and just a generally excellent story, then I highly recommend The Last Phi Hunter!

Thank you to Angry Robot Books, NetGalley, and Salinee Goldenberg for this great ARC - all opinions here are my own, honest, and freely given.

Ex is the youngest member of the Phi Hunters Order, having spent his life hunting the ghosts and demons of the Suyoram Kingdom. He is determined to find Shar-Ala, demon of nightmares, when Arinya saves him, despite being heavily pregnant. She requests that he escort her through a spirit-filled forest where ghosts are attracted by the scent of the unborn.

The Last Phi Hunter is based on Thai folklore, with terrifying demons and violent fights with those dangerous beings. The world building, in both the living and spirit world, is fantastic and I felt that I could easily slip into this world. The story is told from multiple POVs. Ex is clinging to childhood memories while trying to move forward in the world; while Arinya is struggling with her past. The characters have a healthy amount of banter that was entertaining and broke up some of the heavier parts of the story.

For you if you like:

❤️ folklore
💛 beautiful world building
💚 a diverse cast of characters
❤️ magic
💛 demons and ghosts
💚 slow-burn romance

Thank you to Angry Robot Books for an e-arc of The Last Phi Hunter! All opinions are my own.

The cover art is what initially caught my attention, yet it was a phrase in the book description, "a stunning world with Thai demon folklore" that resulted in my request to review!

'Folklore' is one of my buzz words when it comes to book selection. I was especially eager to pick this one up because I've never read any Thai inspired books of any kind, so this was a golden opportunity to learn. I was familiar with most of the creatures introduced during the course of the story, but there were several I was not - Salinee Goldenberg was wonderful with the descriptions, so I was able to 'picture' the beings in my minds eye. I thought the author took great care to be descriptive with the world building and explanations of the different types of beings and Thai lore so that anyone would be able to read it and enjoy without feeling lost.

The world building - both the living world and the spirit realm - was positively magnificent. When I first learned about the Everpresent - the realm of spirits and magic that existed between the physical world and those of the devas - I wanted to experience it for myself. To see the brilliant colors of the Everpresent, to hear the difference in sounds between the realms - the atmosphere was incredible. Well, I wanted to experience it until I read further about the trials and tests our main character, Ex, had to endure to be able to enter the spirit realm. I changed my mind after that because I'm a weenie.

In addition to the world building, the mythology and folklore were next on my list of favorite things about this book. Goldenberg exposes readers to a healthy dose of Thai spirits/demons/gods - but not overwhelmingly so.

I enjoyed Ex's character a lot - there was a gradual growth over the course of the novel as he was gradually broken from his shell of isolation - which made him realize how lonely he was. Coming out of that shell also shone a light on his single mindedness in regard to his quest for glory, or what he thought would bring him glory and recognition. Between Ex and the Hound, I was constantly smiling and chuckling at the snark and humor. Arinya, our other main character, was a bit of an enigma. Her character actions made me feel like I had picked up a second book in a series on accident. While I could accept Ex's crush on Arinya, her reciprocation of his attention came on rather suddenly, so I didn't find it believable. (Maybe I'm just a weirdo - I was best friends with my husband for almost 3 years before we even started dating, lol)

One thing I found myself wishing for was more about the history of the Suyoram Kingdom. I would have loved to learn about Suyoram before the King outlawed black magic, when Hunters were respected and valued, the rebellion against the Crown and how new magic came into practice. (This would make a fantastic prequel, right?!!) I always say that if an author leaves me wanting more, that's an excellent indicator that I enjoyed myself, which I did!

I would love to read more from this world, even if it was a short story collection of hunts that Ex and The Hound did together. Gosh, let me just be greedy and say I'd love more about the history of the Hunters too. Their rituals, the ceremony of receiving their Hunter name and mask - I'd love to nerd out on all of that.

THE LAST PHI HUNTER is full of fascinating mythology, a gorgeous exploration of the physical and spiritual realms while delighting readers with humor, action, adventure and friendship.

If you enjoyed series such as Shadow of the Leviathan by Robert Jackson Bennett, Gael Song by Shauna Lawless, or the Needle and Leaf series by Andrew D. Meredith, then you will equally enjoy this book!

The tl;dr: Salinee Goldenberg arrives with her debut novel - a dark demon slaying adventure fantasy with endearing characters and just a touch of romance. Set in a Thai-inspired world, The Last Phi Hunter takes readers along with the monster hunter Ex as he attempts to slay the demon of nightmares. A mysterious pregnant woman disrupts his plans, introducing some very real human horrors in addition to the spirit ones. This book is like The Witcher, but with more heart and personality. Fans of dark fantasy, demons, magical spirits, and fun main characters will have a lot to feast on here.

A Thai-inspired fantasy world. A young man on a quest to slay a demon. A pregnant woman mysteriously on the run. Necromancers with political plots. A slow burn romance.

All of this and more await readers within the pages of The Last Phi Hunter, the debut novel by Salinee Goldberg that completley enraptured me and left me hungry for more.

The best way that I can describe The Last Phi Hunter is that it is The Witcher with more humor and heart. I'm not sure if it was Andrzej Sapkowski's style, or if it was just a bad English translation, but I always found The Witcher series to be devoid of much personality - and I bounced off of it quite quickly after the monster-slaying short stories. The Last Phi Hunter is everything that I wanted The Witcher to be - sly and unnerving demons, a charistmatic protagonist, and a plot that alternates between heart-warming and heart-wrenching. If you like your monster/demon slayers, but you also want the book bursting with personality, than this needs to be at the top of your TBR.

So much of my love for this book is because of the main character, Ex. He is a lone and determined demon slayer and the titular Phi Hunter, and Goldenberg nailed his characterization. Ex is young-ish (I think he is in his mid-twenties if I recall correctly), and he's in this phase in his life where he has left the vigorous naivete of adolescence, and yet hasn't quite reached the upper echelons of social maturity. This is a very narrow lane for the character to fall into, but it works wonders. Ex is old enough that Goldenberg is able to avoid the trappings of a "coming of age" narrative, and yet Ex is not yet hardened and closed off from the world around him. He is joyful, funny, and sees the world with wonder - all while recognizing that political opinion is swaying against magic-users like him. He is very much aware of the dangers he is in, and the danger he presents to those around him, Therefore, readers get to run along this journey with a young man who brings so much life and personality to a world swimming in darkness - both of the demon and human varietiies.

While The Last Phi Hunter is definitely Ex's book, Goldenberg surrounds him with some wonderful characters. Arinya is a mysterious pregnant woman on the run, and she ends up playing a major role in both the magical and political machinations in the book. She acts as a good counter-weight to Ex. I can't get into too much detail without spoiling her arc, but she is a slightly older and wiser characters, someone who has seen more of the world and has had a much more complicated social relationship with it. Arinya is kept a bit at arms length because she is not a POV character, and honestly some readers may be dissapointined by a lack of character development overall. However, the characters are so full of life that it didn't both me; the book is short and takes place over a short span, and so I didn't mind that the individual character arcs were a bit more reigned in.

I again don't want to get to spoiler-ly with things, but a sweet romance does develop that feels complex and complicated without ever feeling contrived or annoying. If you like romance in your books, there is enough there to satisfy you, but it never overwhelms the cool demon-slaying if romance isn't really your thing.

The demon-slaying and romance are set amongst a backdrop of a Thai-inspired world influenced by the indigenous folklore and Buddhist philosophy. This made the book feel distinct from many other fantasy books, both in the way that it thought about the nature of world, spirits, and animals, but also just the "feel" of the setting. Goldenberg takes her readers through forest and swamps that feel so much different than the European-inspired forests of yore. This is dark world, including demons whose heads leave their bodies but bring their entrails with them, but the ethos of the book never feels overly grim or nihilistic. There are horrors and thrills to be had, but never in a way that feels overly gratititous or over-the-top.


There are only two major-ish things that didn't work for me in this book.

The first is that the ending felt quite rushed. The book on the whole is quite fast-paced and the book is short (for a fantasy novel), but in general the pacing for most of the book was quite strong - the book centers on only a handful of characters with specific and direct goals. However, by the end Goldenberg has thrown a lot of balls in to the air....and you can feel the seams of the narrative as she doesn't quite know how to bring them all down. We go on this quest with the characters, and then everything seems to be wrapped up in a "blink and you miss it" kind of way. On one page there are numerous threats with complex plans and by the next page they are all just gone. It was the ending that sealed this as a four, rather than five, star book for me.

Having said that, the emotional beats of the finale landed with me, and I felt every bit of happiness and pain that the characters were left with in the last couple of chapters. I just wish that the plot arcs were wrapped with the same care as the emotional arcs.

The only element of the book that I was a bit down on was that I felt that the secondary POV character (a demon) was underutilized. Throughout the book we shift to her POV to get a glimpse of a demon's side of things, and I was quite emotionally attached to her character. It was a fascinating alternative look at the world than what we got with Ex, and again I thought that the plot threads here were wrapped up too quickly. The book would have been even stronger with just more time dedicated to this, and many of the other arcs in the book.

If the worst thing I have to say about a book is that it's too short, that's definitely a win! Goldenberg avoids the bloat of many fantasy books with an adventerous and emotionally resonant debut. I'm not sure if the ending was opening up for a sequel or was just an "open ending", but I will follow Goldenberg's authorial journey wherever she goes next.

Salinee Goldenberg's debut novel, "The Last Phi Hunter," is a captivating plunge into a Thai-inspired fantasy world brimming with rich lore and well-developed characters. Fans of the gritty atmosphere and monster-hunting prowess found in Andrzej Sapkowski's Witcher series will find themselves right at home here.

Ex, the protagonist, is the youngest member of the Phi Hunters Order, tasked with keeping the Suyoram Kingdom safe from malevolent spirits known as phi. He's a skilled fighter, a touch arrogant, and harboring a secret past. When a heavily pregnant Arinya, shrouded in mystery, seeks his protection on a perilous journey through haunted woods, Ex's life takes an unexpected turn. Goldenberg excels in worldbuilding. Vibrant Thai mythology is woven seamlessly into the narrative. The descriptions are vivid and unsettling, creating a constant sense of danger lurking beneath the lush landscapes. The characters are equally impressive. Ex grapples with self-doubt and a yearning for belonging, while Arinya's fierce determination and hidden agenda add intrigue to their dynamic. The supporting cast, from the wise temple guardian to the power-hungry nobles, feels well-rounded and adds depth to the story as well. "The Last Phi Hunter" isn't afraid to delve into moral complexities. Ex isn't a clear-cut hero; he's flawed and makes mistakes. The line between good and evil constantly blurs, making the narrative all the more engaging. While the pacing starts slowly, the story quickly picks up steam as Ex and Arinya face monstrous threats and uncover conspiracies that threaten the entire kingdom. The action sequences are thrilling, showcasing Ex's combat skills and the unique abilities of the phi he encounters.

Overall, "The Last Phi Hunter" is a refreshing take on the monster-hunting genre. It offers a vibrant world steeped in Thai folklore, compelling characters with hidden depths, and thrilling action sequences. If you're looking for a dark fantasy adventure that will leave you wanting more, this debut is worth picking up.

Thank you to NetGalley and Angry Robot for sending me an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Thanks to Angry Robot Books for an eARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

DNF @ 26%!
I am sorry, but I could not push through it. I was intrigued with the synopsis, cover, and the fact that this is a Thai-inspired fantasy novel. I have never read a Thai fantasy novel before and was really excited to read an ARC. I was not disappointed in the fantasy elements. The world-building was the most interesting aspect. Following Ex, the phi hunter, move through the human world and spirit world and learning about the demons and spirits he encounters really intrigued. However, I quickly realized this story was more character-driven than plot-heavy. I didn't find Ex an interesting character. Most times, he would annoy me with his immaturity and cockiness as a young phi hunter. Arinya intrigued me at first but did not have an interesting personality to follow. I was growing bored and dragged my hands to pick up my kindle to keep reading. I didn't want to reach a reading slump by the end.

Overall, I don't want to discourage anyone from picking this up if you were curious or intrigued. I am in the minority with this opinion, so take my DNF review with a grain of salt. I might try this book again in the future, or read something else by Salinee Goldenberg in the future.