Last King by Amabel Daniels
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Last King is the first book in the Legacy of Riverfall series. Maren is the underpaid, underappreciated healer for her small village. She spends long days creating tonics and potions to heal the villagers and receives little in return for her hard work. Maren has dreamed of leaving her little village but is unable to because she looks after her younger sister who is sick with a mystical disease and is unable to travel. Maren and her sister Thea live in a cold, damp, and dark basement with little money and little food. Everyday is a fight to survive and figure out where the next meal is coming from. When Thea arrives home late one night and tells Maren that the deputy is after her because she stole a loaf of bread it starts a ripple effect of events for Maren.

Maren tells Thea that she will take the blame for her and when the deputy comes, she takes Thea’s place. When the deputy carts Maren off to jail she is not concerned that he will hurt her because she knows his secret and that she is the only one who can create the tonic he needs. She is thrown into jail with several other prisoners and must do what she can to get through the night. When Maren is confronted by an angry prisoner her survival mode kicks in, and she is prepared to fight. As another prisoner steps in and tries to protect her, and things intensify in the jail cell between prisoners, the village bell goes off warning them that the village is under attack.

The villagers immediately run to the caverns to hide out while the village is under attack, but Maren does not make it in time. Maren and another prisoner, Zane, find themselves left outside with no way to protect themselves from the attack. Kane asks Maren if she will help him find something and offers to take her to where he knows there is a magical plant that will help heal her sister. Maren is reluctant to go with this stranger but loves her sister and wants to heal her. She sets off on an adventure with Zane and they must work together to get what they both want. Although chaos is raging all around them an attraction begins to slowly form between Maren and Zane. As their adventure continues secrets are revealed about Maren and she learns things about herself that cannot possibly be true. Can she trust Zane? Is there really a magical plant that can heal her sister? Can these secrets that she finds out about herself really be true?

Last King started out with a bang and immediately grabbed my attention. The storyline was enthralling, the setting was vividly described, and the characters were amazing. Maren is someone who puts up with a lot of from the villagers who often take advantage of her kindness and generosity. They expect miracles from her but do not want to pay her. Maren says nothing although it hurts her deeply and takes its toll on her mentally. The lack of money she makes from tonics and potions for the villagers makes it hard to provide the basics for her ailing sister. Maren loves her sister and will do anything for her, including believing a stranger’s claim that there is a magical plant that can cure her illness.

When Zane tells Maren about the magical plant, she heads off on an adventure with him even though he is a complete stranger and even though she is unsure that she can trust him. What ensues is a slow burning romance, action, adventure, mystery, suspense, danger, and the revealing of secrets that could alter Maren’s entire world. This fantasy adventure has magic, monsters, kings, fae, and paranormal elements. This was a great read and I cannot wait for the next book.

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