Thank you NetGalley for the arc.

First off.. I didn’t realize this was only a preview until I got approved. Now, I am dying with the need to finish the book! Six chapters was not nearly enough!

I am so curious to find out who Kai actually is, where she’s from, why she’s feeling the way she is.

Also I’m devastated about the Miasma spreading through Maford and so hopeful that it can be cured!

This was so freaking good and I cannot wait to read the full thing!

Hard to give a full review on a short extract but, like many other reviewers, I struggled with the writing style with this one. The text might benefit from another edit, to tighten up the language, otherwise it risks putting readers off as they have to plough through overly-wordy descriptions to determine what is happening.

Yes, a tease - an immersive fantasy - a world so rich in detail you can feel it. This series is more than a story, more than romance, it takes you away.

I rarely DNF but I did have to with this one. The writing bothered me and I could tell with the world building and characters that it was going to be a frustrating read.

I'm glad I was able to read a preview of this, but I think it falls into the Red Tower trap of not being well edited and therefore difficult to read.

This preview of The Last One features only the first six chapters, but it's enough to get a strong idea of where the story is going. It opens with a woman who's just been robbed... but she has amnesia and apparently no memories of her life before. What is her name? Where is she from? She couldn't say. But she is intent on getting her stolen clothing back, so she chases the thief into a depressed town and gets sucked into their own issues.

The writing style in this felt rather disjointed to me. It was somewhat hard to follow, if only because it was choppy and awkward. The story itself looks interesting, but not enough for me to really want to keep reading.

This is a shame, because Rachel Howzell Hall is an author I've been wanting to read; I have at least one of her books on my shelf. Hopefully that will be more to my taste, but The Last One didn't captivate me.

Love this book!

Highly recommend to everyone.

I am ready for a full reread!

Five stars plus!!

Predicted to be a number one best seller!

Don't miss out read it now.

You will not be sorry, I promise!

PREVIEW ARC of The Last One by Rachel Howzell Hall
* * * * *
Netgalley was nice enough to provide a preview of this new read and give a taste of this hot new romance.

Waking up in nothing but her breaches with no memory in an intruiging and deadly world, poor Kai is left questioning who and where she is. All she knows is that she's already in trouble without even knowing her name. A desperate town, a bandit and a blacksmith, and some mind-reading is a great way to start Kai's adventure.

Interesting start to the read and has definetely captured my attention.
I am definetely interested to see this building connection with Jadon, and what happens to Olivia.
Love the little quote at the beginning of the story and of course all fantasy reads come with a fantastic map!

Thank you NetGalley for the preview ARC of this book!
Unfortunately this didn’t live up to my expectations. I was very excited to read this and even though I had received an ARC preview, I actually bought the entire book right away. The storyline was very appealing and the shout out from Rebecca Yarros on the cover had really got me convinced. And then I just couldn’t get immersed in the story at all. The writing style was just too immature to my liking, the interactions between Kai, Jadon and Olivia didn’t feel genuine and organic to me.
In my opinion, things were not really tying up together in a coherent way. For example, everyone in the village is scrambling for gold (“geld”, okay why not changing a letter here and there) and when Kai needs to find 12 geld she simply walks out of the house and there is a bunch of work waiting for her to earn the money she needs. Then she proposes the candle maker to add lavender to his candles and for some reason it is described as a strike of genius, as if an actual candle maker who has been doing this for years wouldn’t have had the idea ? I didn’t get far enough into the story to judge the plot itself, I have no idea where we were heading with this (which is actually a good thing, it wasn’t an obvious plot and it’s unfortunate I couldn’t go through the writing style because i genuinely wanted to know more).

Overall this wasn’t for me because I have little patience for what I find are immature characters (for example I struggle with JLA books even though they are widely successful) but it could very well works for other readers!

Just a preview! ?? I’m ready to dive into this captivating new world Rachel Howzell Hall has created in her debut Romantasy. More to come…

**I received a preview of this book from NetGalley. This review is based solely on the first 6 chapters.**

Thank you NetGalley for this enjoyable preview of The Last One. Not only is the book gorgeous, but it also sounds intriguing.

Kai wakes up to a thief stealing from her in a strange wood with no memory of who she is. She's temporarily living with a blacksmith and his sister. The book promises romantic feelings between the FMC and the blacksmith.

The short preview only gave me the first 6 chapters, but it was interesting. I can't wait to read more. It feels like it will be a 3 star book for me. The story is entertaining enough that I want to read it, but the characters didn't draw me in with this preview.

She regains consciousness while lying on her back in a field, her clothing being taken by a sickly-smelling young woman. She gives chase but is inexplicably weak and knows instinctively that she must get back her leather vest, her cloak, her boots and jewel-studded gold moth amulet. Following the girl into a settlement where a market seems to be taking place, her stature and her state of undress bring her to the notice of an official, especially when she catches up with the thief and tries to retrieve her possessions. Her name is demanded of her, but it seems the blow that knocked her out has taken her memory.

But in the crowd, she’s aware of a woman whose thoughts come to her. As do, suddenly the thoughts of all those around her. She’s under threat of being confined in a filthy jail by a nasty-looking character when the young thief’s brother, an attractive, well-built blacksmith, comes to her defence. Leaving this run-down little village will entail covering a fabricated debt, but the woman is determined to escape. When she does remember her name, it seems she has been named after a fierce and cruel goddess. Or is she one?

Thus begins Rachel Howzell Hall’s first foray into romantasy, and that taste promises action, intrigue, sexual tension and some blackly funny dialogue. I have my hand up if the full version is on offer.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Entangled Publishing LLC.

Thank you for the preview. This book is unfortunately not for me. It has a fast attraction/slow plot pace combination that usually frustrates me, I not convinced of her peril not being unavoidable and the MC isn’t one I like very much. I do like her name and hair though.

PREVIEW REVIEW

We're thrown right into the story—and I don't understand anything at all. We don't see her life before the fight and the moment she loses her memory (which is two pages in). There isn't any build-up to the inciting incident or 'point of no return'. Maybe there's a reason for this since I've only read the preview, but my personal favor goes to a chill build-up to get to know the characters and the world a bit more. If this isn't the case, it's highly unlikely for me to form a connection to the mc and root for them.

The writing lacks original and captivating description, for example, 'The stone on the moth’s thorax is the size of a robin’s egg and !as dark as the darkest night!.'
Many sentences were also formed as questions, which I sort of get because of the whole memory loss, but it gets to a point where it becomes tiresome: 'What happened to me? Did someone kick me in the head? Did the bandit kick me in the head? Was I pushed? Did I slip? Is slipping even possible in a forest this dry? And where is this forest? And why am I here?' — Yes, this was all in one paragraph. This could be resolved with a simple 'I wondered where I was.' Or 'This forest is unfamiliar to me. The arid soil makes it seem impossible for me to slip, but yet it crosses my mind that I must have. I either slipped, or I was pushed.' Anyways, I'm just offering ideas.

This unfortunately feels like a first draft, while I had high hopes for this.

Thank you for Netgalley and the publisher for this Preview
I was hesitant in getting this book
but this preview helped
and now I have the physical copy

Read if you: believe in lust at first sight, appreciate amnesia as a trope, or have ever desired a secret identity.

Kai wakes up naked, in the middle of the woods, with a thief's hands around her neck, having absolutely no idea who she is. Her journey to uncover her belongings and discover her identity sends her on a series of adventures battling (as the author puts it) beasts on four legs, monsters on two, and assembling a crew of allies along the way.

I really, really wanted to love this book, but I ended up only liking it. The opening plot and the world were very promising. As the book progressed, it became an unending series of monster battles and lacked character and relationship development. By the end, Kai might know who she is, but I felt I didn't. That said, I still plan to read book two!

Rating: 3

Swiftly paced and undeniably addictive, this preview of The Last One , will surely leave readers clamoring to read the remainder of the tale. With characters that feel fun and nuanced and a plot that moves, this is a TBR pile must!

The Last One is a Romantasy with an interesting premise. The FMC wakes up with no memory of who she is, and is thrown directly into action with a thief stealing her belongings. This should make for an exciting beginning, sucking you into the story, but the way it is written left me wanting so much more. It is first person POV and already repetetive in the first 60 pages. It also reads very immature. For these reasons, I will not be picking up the rest of the book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for the preview. All opinions are my own.

This preview definitely has me interested and wanting to read more! I’ll be picking up this book as a little Christmas gift to myself. Who can say no to those edges?

This is a great preview into this dark dystopian world. The FMC is suffering from amnesia and has stumbled into a predicament after being robbed. I already can connect with a few characters and can't wait to read what's next!