Of Last Resort by Megan Derr

Of Last Resort

by Megan Derr

 

 

In a kingdom ravaged by the beasts and terrors of an ancient war, the only hope against them is the army of mixed-blood beings known as the King's Legion: dragoons, shadowmarch, sorcerers, titans … and the Princes of the Blood, nigh-invincible warriors of fearsome magic and strength, their only weakness a need for pure human blood.

When his brother runs away, Raffé agrees to undergo the Blooding, but he is a pale imitation of his strong, capable brother. No one expects him to survive and become a Prince, merely to die to save the rest of his family and preserve honor.

But runaways and weaklings are the least of the kingdom’s concerns when an ancient evil returns with new tricks, and their only hope lies with knowledge long lost and a fierce bond forged in darkness …

 

 

I received a copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley.

 

When I first started this book I was expecting something with the same impact of Derr's Lost Gods series, which happens to be one of my favorites in the genre.  I'm afraid to say I was a little disappointed, though.  While the story started out very well, I soon lost a lot of my interest in it.  The secondary characters never flesh out and remain flat for most of the story.  Even the main character, Raffé, is unapproachable because he lacks emotional depth.  It's a shame because Derr has created such an interesting fantasy world and I would have liked to have experienced it more through the eyes of the characters.  I just didn't feel any emotion from any of them.

The plot itself is good, if a bit confusing at first.  There was a of of worldbuilding and description which made me feel bogged down at times.  That being said, the creatures and the different classes of characters were really cool. 

There were also some spelling errors which will hopefully be fixed in the final version.

I will still give the next book in the series a shot because I love the author's imaginative creatures and the world she has created.  And because I am a big fan of Megan Derr.  This one just missed the mark for me.