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A review by eggcatsreads
The Last Immortal by Natalie Gibson
5.0
This is a book to suck you in until the last page, and keep you along for the ride. If you love gothic horrors like A Dowry of Blood, Juniper & Thorn, or The Spirit Bares Its Teeth - then I really believe you’ll get sucked into this story just as I have.
We slowly become entangled in Ramilla’s world as she is institutionalized and horribly treated, to suddenly becoming wealthy and thrust into an entirely new world of immortals. I thought the types of immortals present were very fascinating, as well as the powers some have - and how they use that to control others. I thought the storytelling as if it’s a journal/recollection from Ramilla’s modern-day life to her past very reminiscent of A Dowry of Blood and very enjoyed it.
I also found the twist of the reasoning for her blackouts to be very fascinating, and (SPOILER) one of the very few books I’ve seen that includes a form of DID to not be done in an ableist/”shocking plot twist” kind of way. I can’t speak for anyone who does have DID, so if someone who does have it says differently I’d take their feelings over mine (obviously), but I never felt like it was included as a cheap or offensive twist - but rather as a very real response to the consistent abuse and trauma inflicted on our main character.
I agree that most of the time skips (especially for part 3) were a bit confusing at first, but I found it not too difficult to quickly catch up to what was going on. At first, I didn’t like how the first chapter or so would spoil the ending of what would happen near the end of each section, but I thought the way those endings actually happened was unique enough for it to not actually be a spoiler. Especially in part 2, I knew what was going to happen but I was still shocked with how exactly it happened, as I was expecting something completely different.
My biggest complaint is that each new section of the book includes a brief overview of what happened in the last section, and with this being all in one book I felt it was unnecessary. I think possibly what had occurred is that this might have been intended for 3 much smaller books that were combined into one, and the review sections were never removed. However, it’s never too distracting to take away from reading it, simply a little unnecessary at times.
I would recommend this novel to anyone who enjoys dark gothic tales and can handle very triggering content. I know a few people complained about questioning the “why” for this book, but I felt it answered its own question. This is a novel telling Ramilla’s life - especially the beginning and how she became the person in the current day who is writing this memoir.
Also, absolutely check the trigger warnings, but personally I did not find the descriptions of the mentioned triggering content to be any more explicit or mishandled than it was in Juniper & Thorn.
A huge thank you to the author, NetGalley, and BHC Press for providing this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
We slowly become entangled in Ramilla’s world as she is institutionalized and horribly treated, to suddenly becoming wealthy and thrust into an entirely new world of immortals. I thought the types of immortals present were very fascinating, as well as the powers some have - and how they use that to control others. I thought the storytelling as if it’s a journal/recollection from Ramilla’s modern-day life to her past very reminiscent of A Dowry of Blood and very enjoyed it.
I also found the twist of the reasoning for her blackouts to be very fascinating, and (SPOILER) one of the very few books I’ve seen that includes a form of DID to not be done in an ableist/”shocking plot twist” kind of way. I can’t speak for anyone who does have DID, so if someone who does have it says differently I’d take their feelings over mine (obviously), but I never felt like it was included as a cheap or offensive twist - but rather as a very real response to the consistent abuse and trauma inflicted on our main character.
I agree that most of the time skips (especially for part 3) were a bit confusing at first, but I found it not too difficult to quickly catch up to what was going on. At first, I didn’t like how the first chapter or so would spoil the ending of what would happen near the end of each section, but I thought the way those endings actually happened was unique enough for it to not actually be a spoiler. Especially in part 2, I knew what was going to happen but I was still shocked with how exactly it happened, as I was expecting something completely different.
My biggest complaint is that each new section of the book includes a brief overview of what happened in the last section, and with this being all in one book I felt it was unnecessary. I think possibly what had occurred is that this might have been intended for 3 much smaller books that were combined into one, and the review sections were never removed. However, it’s never too distracting to take away from reading it, simply a little unnecessary at times.
I would recommend this novel to anyone who enjoys dark gothic tales and can handle very triggering content. I know a few people complained about questioning the “why” for this book, but I felt it answered its own question. This is a novel telling Ramilla’s life - especially the beginning and how she became the person in the current day who is writing this memoir.
Also, absolutely check the trigger warnings, but personally I did not find the descriptions of the mentioned triggering content to be any more explicit or mishandled than it was in Juniper & Thorn.
A huge thank you to the author, NetGalley, and BHC Press for providing this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.