The Last Daughter by Alexis L. Menard – Book Review

Book Rating: ⭐⭐⭐

Genre: Adult Fantasy Romance

Spice: Hot

Summary:

Ailsa has spent her entire life knowing she would die young from the same hereditary disease that took her mother, but she’s determined to live the rest of her life to the fullest. When her father and sisters are called to fight off an invading force, Ailsa is determined to take over their role and protect her village until they return. Vali is a demi-god destined to find the Tether, a powerful source of magic that will save his people. When he narrows down the owner of the Tether to Ailsa’s family, Vali descends upon Ailsa’s village to retrieve the powerful artifact through whatever means necessary, including violence. But when Vali and Ailsa standoff, something unexpected happens: the Tether transfers from Ailsa’s family ring to Ailsa. Suddenly Vali is forcing Ailsa to join him on a journey across the Tree of Life to save the realm of the elves and fulfill Vali’s destiny. While Ailsa is resentful of Vali’s tactics, she’s excited to experience a world outside her little village, and she can’t deny there is a reluctant attraction between her and Vali. As they travel through the treacherous branches of the Tree of Life, they will have to rely on each other and decide whether to follow their destinies or forge a new path.

Reaction:

I really wanted to like The Last Daughter. It was described as Vikings meet magic, and a fresh retelling of Norse Mythology, which is right up my alley, and I would agree the book hits all those elements. Unfortunately, I just never really connected with the world in this book; I wanted more detail on the politics and magic systems than I got. There were parts of the book I was engaged and excited, but then other parts I felt a bit lost and disconnected. I thought Ailsa and Vali were compelling characters conceptually, and their personalities are what carried the book through to its conclusion. I was excited by the idea of a story rooted in Norse mythology because it’s different than what I typically read. But for someone whose exposure to Norse mythology is mainly Marvel movies, I needed a little more reinforcement on who was who and how they were related throughout the book to understand the other character’s motivations. If I had had that detail to alleviate my occasional confusion, I would have been able to enjoy this book a lot more. I think that there are many people who will enjoy reading this book, but it just didn’t totally land for me.