I have been looking forward to The Last Starborn Seer since it was announced. I’ve had this bookmark I got from Venetia ever since YALC years ago and it’s so exciting it’s happening! Keep reading this book review of The Last Starborn Seer for my full thoughts.
Summary
Leilani Stellarion is cursed.
The last surviving member of an ancient bloodline, she’s shunned for the volatile Starborn magic that grants her prophetic visions – and is slowly corrupting her mind. Branded a pariah, Leilani bears the legacy of the Sistertouched, who unleashed the Sickening: a deadly curse that’s dragged the four realms of Arcelia into war and ruin.
Heir to a tainted throne, Leilani’s father brokers an arranged marriage with her childhood rival to wrest the line of succession away from her. And to make matters worse, her mother’s health is failing by the day, and Leilani believes her magic is to blame.
When a prophecy reveals the existence of a relic that could end the Sickening, Leilani seizes her chance to escape the court and reclaim her fate. To recover the lost sceptre, she must survive the perilous journey to the Astral Mountain and perform an ancient blood rite – one that demands unity between the feuding realms.
If she’s to succeed, Leilani must forge an uneasy alliance with sworn enemies, outwit rebel forces, and hide her growing feelings for a rival envoy, all under the gaze of her watchful fiancé. But something sinister hunts them through the mountains: a faceless spectre with a centuries-old grudge, determined to claim the lost sceptre for herself.
As darkness poisons her mind, Leilani must confront the truth of her magic – before it consumes her, and everything she loves.
Review
(Disclaimer: I received this book from the author. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
The Last Starborn Seer is this epic fantasy series starter that will enchant you. It begins with these universal feelings we have to protect the people we love and continues to complicate them. What would we do to protect the people we love? Would we sacrifice for them? Betray for them? Risk them? She blames herself for her mother’s condition even as the whole kingdom isn’t sure whether to fear or hate her. Even her own father. This multiple POV story explores ambition, loyalty, and love. It broadens with scope, adventure, and risk. Another universal it appeals to is our desire for approval, for a pat on the head, for the love we crave.
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A chance at redemption and proving them all wrong. The Last Starborn Seer beautifully balances character work and adventure. At its core it also explores whether we see love as weakness or a source of strength. Can it only serve as a way for people to have power over us? Or are we always destined to make the mistakes of our past? I really enjoyed this and cannot wait for book two! The world is only beginning to unfold and I want to find out even more. ALSO THAT ENDING?! Often we can convince ourselves it was necessary, the only thing to do, but in the shadows of the fire can we believe it? Find The Last Starborn Seer on Goodreads, Storygraph, Amazon, Bookshop. org, Blackwells, & Libro. fm.