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gorob4ik's review against another edition
2.0
I hardly ever encountered a character so biased, stubborn, and willfully blind. 60% in and no progress. I'm so frustrated
ladyk2387's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
andypeloquinauthor's review against another edition
5.0
TL;DR Review: 5 stars. A lovely adventure-meets-revenge-quest story with an actual ranger. The kind that survives out in the wild and shoots a bow like a badass. Magic, mystery, intrigue, and wonderful character development abound.
My Full Review:
This isn't the first of JDL's books that I've read, but it's definitely the one I enjoyed the most.
The First Ranger follows Leiyn, a youngish (I'm guessing mid-20s) ranger who roams the Titan Wilds to keep enemies both animal and human from destroying the forests and threatening civilization. A foundling taken in by a mentor, Tadeo, she is a badass and among the best of the rangers.
But beneath the surface lies a well of rage. For Leiyn knows one thing above all: how to hate.
That hate is directed at the Gasts who killed her mother, spread the plague that killed her father, and pollute the land with their accursed magic. To her, their entire race is a blight on the world that must be eradicated.
And this is probably my favorite part of the entire story!
From the beginning, we see Leiyn has built a solid foundation for her hatred. Yet chapter by chapter, we see it eroded by bits of truth and pieces of advice from those around her. Until, finally, doubt worms its way in and she begins to ask, "Have I been hating the wrong people/for the wrong reasons?"
In our modern world where people seem to find endless excuses to hate each other over trivialities, The Last Ranger asks the question, "Are we hating the wrong people/for the wrong reason?" in a wonderfully subtle way that makes us wonder if our preconceived notions are as misguided and misplaced as Leiyn's.
By the time we get to the end of this first book, we see just how wrong Leiyn was, and we begin to question what else in the world we think we know (both the fantasy world in the pages of this book and our own world) are we actually misperceiving or misunderstanding because of the way we were raised/the things we were taught/the enmities we were trained to embrace wholeheartedly.
On the face of it, it's an action adventure story, but this theme is woven in so deftly that it's enjoyable while still inescapable.
The world and cultures:
The world of the Titan Wilds is pretty much what you'd expect of a "wilds land/badlands" fantasy trope, but with one cool twist: there are "titans", essentially all the giant monsters/creatures from fantasy (dragons, giant turtles, krakens, giant serpents) included in a very unique way.
There is also magic (mahia), outlawed by the Baltesian culture (very evocative of Conquest-era Spain), but practiced in secret by the Gasts (Aztecs/Incans/Mayans/Mexica-esque).
The cultures are a bit hodgepodge, but that's intentional because the conquerors (Baltesians/Union) have intermingled with the other cultures of the Tricolonies. It's fascinating to see the lines blurred, yet those who are of the "lesser" cultures (including the Gasts) are still denigrated much the same way the native cultures of South and Central America were treated by the conquistador culture.
The characters:
Leiyn is a joy to read most of the time. She has fire, wit, a sharp tongue, grit, and resilience that makes her a wonderful heroine to follow.
The only time she's not enjoyable is when she's WRONG (typically about something to do with magic or her "hated enemies") and though she's been shown by others, she stubbornly refuses to accept it. But I suppose we've all got a few of those people in our lives.
By the end, though, she's worked through a lot of her hang-ups, and is finally coming around to the hard truths. I look forward to her continued evolution throughout the rest of the series.
Isla is a fun mirror to Leiyn, bright where Leiyn is dour, cheerful and optimistic where Leiyn is cynical, and soft where Leiyn is hard. Her story is still very much the sidekick/best friend, but she plays such a central role as emotional support for Leiyn that she brings her own depth and warmth to the series.
The rest of the characters come and go, but each adds a wonderful spot of color to make the book brighter and richer.
Final Thoughts:
I can't think of a single thing about this book I didn't like. I burned through it in about 6 hours, and I've already dived into the next one.
I'm excited to see where Leiyn's journey is going (the end of Book 1 promised "Death" awaits her), and to find out more about mahia, the Titans, and everything else this wonderfully evocative world has to offer.
5 stars all the way!
My Full Review:
This isn't the first of JDL's books that I've read, but it's definitely the one I enjoyed the most.
The First Ranger follows Leiyn, a youngish (I'm guessing mid-20s) ranger who roams the Titan Wilds to keep enemies both animal and human from destroying the forests and threatening civilization. A foundling taken in by a mentor, Tadeo, she is a badass and among the best of the rangers.
But beneath the surface lies a well of rage. For Leiyn knows one thing above all: how to hate.
That hate is directed at the Gasts who killed her mother, spread the plague that killed her father, and pollute the land with their accursed magic. To her, their entire race is a blight on the world that must be eradicated.
And this is probably my favorite part of the entire story!
From the beginning, we see Leiyn has built a solid foundation for her hatred. Yet chapter by chapter, we see it eroded by bits of truth and pieces of advice from those around her. Until, finally, doubt worms its way in and she begins to ask, "Have I been hating the wrong people/for the wrong reasons?"
In our modern world where people seem to find endless excuses to hate each other over trivialities, The Last Ranger asks the question, "Are we hating the wrong people/for the wrong reason?" in a wonderfully subtle way that makes us wonder if our preconceived notions are as misguided and misplaced as Leiyn's.
By the time we get to the end of this first book, we see just how wrong Leiyn was, and we begin to question what else in the world we think we know (both the fantasy world in the pages of this book and our own world) are we actually misperceiving or misunderstanding because of the way we were raised/the things we were taught/the enmities we were trained to embrace wholeheartedly.
On the face of it, it's an action adventure story, but this theme is woven in so deftly that it's enjoyable while still inescapable.
The world and cultures:
The world of the Titan Wilds is pretty much what you'd expect of a "wilds land/badlands" fantasy trope, but with one cool twist: there are "titans", essentially all the giant monsters/creatures from fantasy (dragons, giant turtles, krakens, giant serpents) included in a very unique way.
There is also magic (mahia), outlawed by the Baltesian culture (very evocative of Conquest-era Spain), but practiced in secret by the Gasts (Aztecs/Incans/Mayans/Mexica-esque).
The cultures are a bit hodgepodge, but that's intentional because the conquerors (Baltesians/Union) have intermingled with the other cultures of the Tricolonies. It's fascinating to see the lines blurred, yet those who are of the "lesser" cultures (including the Gasts) are still denigrated much the same way the native cultures of South and Central America were treated by the conquistador culture.
The characters:
Leiyn is a joy to read most of the time. She has fire, wit, a sharp tongue, grit, and resilience that makes her a wonderful heroine to follow.
The only time she's not enjoyable is when she's WRONG (typically about something to do with magic or her "hated enemies") and though she's been shown by others, she stubbornly refuses to accept it. But I suppose we've all got a few of those people in our lives.
By the end, though, she's worked through a lot of her hang-ups, and is finally coming around to the hard truths. I look forward to her continued evolution throughout the rest of the series.
Isla is a fun mirror to Leiyn, bright where Leiyn is dour, cheerful and optimistic where Leiyn is cynical, and soft where Leiyn is hard. Her story is still very much the sidekick/best friend, but she plays such a central role as emotional support for Leiyn that she brings her own depth and warmth to the series.
The rest of the characters come and go, but each adds a wonderful spot of color to make the book brighter and richer.
Final Thoughts:
I can't think of a single thing about this book I didn't like. I burned through it in about 6 hours, and I've already dived into the next one.
I'm excited to see where Leiyn's journey is going (the end of Book 1 promised "Death" awaits her), and to find out more about mahia, the Titans, and everything else this wonderfully evocative world has to offer.
5 stars all the way!
liar192's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
jessiphia's review against another edition
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Ah yes, butch lesbian high fantasy, my FAVORITE!
sscott's review against another edition
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I thoroughly enjoyed this book - good long read. Not predictable. The MC is engaging and also has flaws. The book explores prejudice with I liked. Will definitely read the rest of the series.
liisp_cvr2cvr's review against another edition
The Last Ranger is one of those epic fantasy books that in theory make me drool. Look at that cover – it’s a sight! And, I love the outdoorsy adventurous setting. Love the sort of ‘back to roots’ simple lifestyle of hunting and living with meager comforts. All the more so, it makes me utterly frustrated to say this because The Last Ranger was one of those finalists I couldn’t wait to get stuck into; and whilst there were a few super interesting elements that kept me going (like the mention of dryvans, I think I could read a book just about them.), I had to accept the fact that I simply wasn’t enjoying it as much as I had imagined I would. By the time I reached 40%, the book had lost me.
For me, even though the story does progress, it does so rather slowly and it simply didn’t keep my interest. A classic case of “It’s me, not you.” There is a story here, no doubt, and the writing is solid. There are also big, impactful conflicts, and I usually love conflicts. One is the invasion of foreign forces and that turns nasty with settlements razed and people dying. Secondly, Leiyn, our main character, poses within herself another great conflict – there’s a war within her about who she is and who she does not want to be. She’s stubborn and strong and that’s surely bound to work for the good of the outcome, but it also creates further conflicts – all very good stuff for a story. But, that’s the thing about fictional characters and the humans reading about them – everyone seems to get their own perspective on things and it either wins you over, or not. Thirdly, the part that I never actually really got to – the titans.
Something in this whole book didn’t quite click with me… As separate elements, I had no issue as such with anything – the atmosphere is there, the action is there, there is a purpose, some danger… But when put all together, I was missing pure, unadulterated reading enjoyment.
lizzy_sedai's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
nenacall's review against another edition
4.0
The dryvan only shook her head with mock pity as she glided away. "There is nothing righteous about ignorance, youngling. It only makes you blind. You cannot hide from yourself; you cannot cut your vital parts away. Rather than build walls, why not span the chasms of all that you are? Only whole can you become who you must."