The Last Guardian

5⭐️ .5-1🌶

The Last Guardian by Laura Collin.  This ARC was truly amazing.  This had so much yearning and tension.  Alyana the FMC is a princess.  Her mother died 5 years ago and the night before her mother's remembrance celebration a mark appears on Alyana's wrist.  Alyana has questions about the mark, she knows or feels like its some sort of bad omen and she needs to be careful about who she shows it to.  Alyana is still grieving her mother.  She was the one with her when she died and it was under suspicion circumstances.  Alyana has no memory of what actually happened.  She woke up in a pool of blood with her mother dead in her arms.  Her father is a spiteful abusive piece of crap.  She has 4 other siblings and the first portion of the book sets up the relationship she has with the rest of her family.  I actually found this very interesting.  Her older sister is betrothed and about to be married off to another kingdom.  Aurora's suiter seems to be decent and they seem to get along marginally well.  Aurora and Alyana have a very distant and stained relationship.  Alya is closest with her two brothers Arthur and Dorain.  Arthur is serious and is gone most of the time as he is part of the military.  Dorian is a playboy who drinks too much and chases tail a lot.  Romy is the younger teenaged sister who is nerdy, quiet and prefers to avoid social obligations.  I thought the world building and family dynamic was done well.  There was a decent amount of exposition but it wasn't overwhelming or too dry.  Ultimately this book is high fantasy and there is a ton of world building.  There are multiple realms, multiple kingdoms in each realm, and multiple species once she gets outside of her own realm, small spoiler there.  It is alot and some of it gets a bit dry later on but she had been sheltered and isolated her whole life so we're getting a crash course in history along side her.  The MMC Zaidkiel is introduced right after the remembrance ceremony.  Alya sees Arthur talking to two men in the cemetery.  Zaid is aloof, mysterious and has piercing emerald eyes that Alya is entranced by immediately.  This is a fairly long book at over 500 pages but I didn't even notice.  So much happens in this book and the pacing is very good.  Everything Alyana was ever taught about her kingdom/realm is a lie.  There is a ton more going on and power and control are at the center of it.  She is special and potentially dangerous.  The book ends on a moderate cliffhanger and leaves us with a bunch of questions.  Honestly I love this sort of thing.  I could see a couple of the plot twist coming and I suspected one big one.  The build up to the spice in this one was epic.  There is an "only one bed at the inn" scene.  That one had me kicking my feet.  There is a palable pull between the Alyana and Zaid.  It was almost painful to read, in a good way.  The spice when it finally hit was good and hot but Zaid still held back.  I'm hoping there is more in the next book.  Overall this was an exilerating and fun read for me.  It comes out on the 15th of April.  Go check it out.