3.5 stars

This was a fresh and entertaining fantasy with dark magic and Thai mythology. As an adventure fantasy with dark elements and action, it works great. Where it fell apart for me was the romance subplot. I was having an incredibly fun time with the story until about chapter 12, then the introduction of the romance completely threw me out of the story. I usually love romance in all my books, but this book would have been so much stronger without it. It could have absolutely stood as a buddy adventure.
The story is rich with descriptions and detail, devas and demons. A section near the end even had me emotional. But it also made the romance even weirder to me ultimately. Maybe it will work for others, but I personally think the book would be been better taken in a different direction.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the preview. All opinions are my own.

Gorgeous romantasy published by a press that's rapidly become a favorite for this world. tysm for the arc

The Last Phi Hunter by Salinee Goldenberg was a wild ride, jammed with Thai folklore, hungry ghosts, demon hunters and spine ripping savagery, literally. Ex, the last recruited phi Hunter, works alone hunting and banishing demons with the hope of finding a legendary illusive demon and gaining his demon slayer badge. However all those plans get interrupted when Arinya, a pregnant woman, needs his help.

“Sometimes it swells like a tsunami, and drowns you. Sometimes it grows as slow as a tree, and blossoms like a flower. Sometimes it strikes like lightning. Which was it?”

If you like stories full of demons and close escapes with a side of love, then this is for you.

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read this in exchange for a honest review.

I must first confess that I break for a pretty cover with dragons, wyvern, or naga on it, and this one had me smitten. The other point that got my attention was that this was a debut author in fantasy fiction with what seems to be a stand-alone book. So much of this genre is dominated by series, and I understand that there is a lot of investment into world building and developing magical systems so authors try to spread that expenditure into returns across multiple books, but as a reader, it is nice to get a complete story without waiting for years for subsequent volumes (especially when you are trying out a new or new-to-me author). Now, having read The Last Phi Hunter, I will say that even though it is a complete story, there was a door left open in the end to return with a sequel.
The story itself flows nicely. The characters of Ex and Arinya are engaging and their adventures captured my interest. What really gives this story its heart is the relationship between these two characters. The different magic and mysticism of this world is woven together nicely and interlaced with elements of myth and lore from what I guess is Thailand, Cambodia or Laos. And the world, too, seems to be based loosely on the rural villages of past versions of that area of Southern Asia. I'd recommend this book for anyone who enjoys fantasy with mythic creatures, adventure and a dash of romance and especially if you don't want to be left with a cliffhanger at the end.(3.5*/5)
I received advanced digital access to this book thru NetGalley (for which I want to thank NetGalley and the publisher, Angry Robot) for an honest review. The opinion expressed here is my own.

Thank you Angry Robots for giving me an eArc!

In this dark fantasy, the male main character is a Phi Hunter and a lone wolf, (and funny enough, he does have a companion that is a hound). He's on a journey to hunt a legendary demon to acquire the demon slayer badge. However, he ends up helping a pregnant runaway who saves him from a brawl—like, GIRL IS PREGNANT AND KICKED SOME DUDES' ASSES, LET'S GO.

The story is filled with Thai culture, mythology, folklore, and Buddhism. It’s very action-packed and has some humour.

Although most of the book is from the POV of the main character, I enjoyed the change of POVs. It's really cool to see the world from the perspective of one of the demons.

I loved learning about Thai culture, and I liked the main character, but there was something about the story that didn't fully hit for me, and I didn't really care for the romance.

What a fascinating book! I was already really curious about this title, and not only because of the absolutely beautiful cover (seriously, this is in my top-20 favorite book covers for the year).

Ex felt like a really well fleshed-out and nuanced character, and the descriptions of each Phi were phenomenal. The Thai culture aspects were also really well done, and I enjoyed the forays into Buddhism and unique world lore.

I think what my feelings mostly come down to - this was a <b> really fun </b> read. I read the entire book in two days, and had that "I just finished a book" afterglow that happens when I read something great. I've read a lot of books where the content was super heavy/depressing, and while this book doesn't shy away from complex/dark topics, the whole experience left me with positive feels and hope for a sequel. 10/10, would happily experience this book again.

I read an eARC of this book so thank you to the author, the publisher and Net Galley.

This was such a fast paced, action packed fantasy novel. A joy to read and so exciting!

For a relatively short novel, the author has managed to create such a vivid and detailed world. The length of this novel meant the pace was kept fast throughout, driving the tension and the sense of a race against time. Certain events meant that our characters faced looming deadlines with serious consequences if they failed.

I loved the two main characters in this. They felt so fresh and different to what we’ve seen in a lot of recent fantasy novel. We have Ex, a phi hunter who is the youngest in his guild. Ex who is low on funds after being swindled by a local leader reluctantly agrees to take a heavily pregnant woman to see a swamp witch. The forest is full of dangers that Ex is uniquely placed to protect his companion from. Ex ends up drawn into a complicated web of events involving the royal family and nefarious influences. I loved the female MC who is a strong, former fighter and who in spite of being nine months pregnant manages to save Ex from being beaten by thugs early in the book.

The phi are fascinating and we see multiple sides of the story, from the purely evil, to complex, to tricksters, to those trying to be redeemed. Ex himself has to challenge the beliefs of his guild and learn that the Phi are not also what they seem.

The world building, characters, action and plot are all wonderful. This felt so fresh and exciting!

Incredible! My mind is kind of blown here. Did not see half of that coming. And oh my gosh, the tropes! What a cinnamon roll! I also loved the inclusion of a pregnant kickass FMC, as that’s really unusual. This is just a fantastic book that’s sure to win a lot of awards.