The Last Soldier of Nava is a truly original fantasy novel from author Yejin Suh. Inspired by Korean mythology, this is a story about shadow and light, young girls with immense power and the struggle of war. It is full of action and focuses on a very sweet sapphic love story.

I loved the almost mythical feel of this novel. One of our characters, Shadow or ‘The Soldier’, is awakened from a thousand year sleep. But unlike in Sleeping Beauty she is called on to fight for peace and to heal her kingdom. She is regarded as a legend, a powerful figure who covered entire cities in darkness. But she is also just a girl who has been used and abused for her gifts.
We also follow Scarlet who is struggling to find out who killed her sister. Little does she know that is was Shadow in another life… a fact that deeply complicates their growing relationship.
These characters are interesting, complex and they really drive the story forward.

The plot of the novel is also quite strong, up until the end when it becomes a bit confusing. There are lots of twists and turns which are engaging, but it also makes it hard to figure out what it really going on. I won’t spoil anything, but you may have to read the ending more than once to understand it fully.

I would recommend this book if you love mythology inspired stories like The God and the Gumiho and The Girl who fell beneath it he sea, or tales of light and darkness like Shadow and Bone.

I was immediately drawn into this book by the beautiful artwork on the cover (front and back) of this book when I saw it.

Inside, it was a beautifully written book as well. A lot of people have given reviews that it was difficult to understand, I didn’t think that at all and I enjoyed the World building at the beginning, and found it actually after that initially start to be pretty simple to understand for the rest of the book.

The reason for 3 starts is that I really enjoy twists, turns, cliffhangers in books that make you gasp and I didn’t get that with this book. I also enjoy a romance, and although this did have it, it was a teeny tiny bit of the plot and primarily this is a fantasty book first. However in you like books on mythology, you will really enjoy this I think.

Thank you for the access!
I liked the story, it was an okay read. The korean mythology part was nice to discover.
Sadly, I couldn’t fully enjoy my reading because it felt like the descriptions were missing something. I often had this vague feeling, it wasn’t going deeply in the situation / description. But overwall, it was really nice to discover, i would give it a 3.75/5

I had to dnf 40% of the way in. This started off great, so much potential for such an interesting story but... I felt like by 40ish% I would understand what was going on and why... it felt like quite big chunks of exposition and potential explanation was edited out, which is a shame.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this one, im so sad I didn't like it!

Inspired by Korean mythology, this captivating novel follows a young woman with shadow magic who awakens after a thousand years of slumber. Once known as "The Soldier," a weapon of destruction created by the Moonbringer and defeated by the light of Nava, she now lives in hiding under the name Shadow, enjoying her long-awaited freedom. But her past catches up with her when she’s captured by Scarlet, the Moonbringer’s new prodigy, who is determined to uncover the truth behind her sister’s mysterious death. As tensions rise and war approaches, the two must reluctantly trust one another to restore the balance of their world.

This book was an absolute delight—magical, emotionally rich, and steeped in myth. The characters are well-developed, with detailed backstories that make their journeys feel deeply personal. Though Scarlet was hard to like at first, she slowly won me over, and by the end, I was fully invested in both her and Shadow’s fates. The plot is well-structured and easy to follow, with plenty of action and heart. That ending left me desperate for more. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves mythology, magic, and character-driven fantasy. I can’t wait to see what this author writes next.

I loved this book, it was mesmerising and magical, the characters were really well written and fleshed out, the plot was really well thought out and it was easy to follow was going on. I didn’t like Scarlet at first but she grew on me and I was really routing for her and Shadow.

This book caught my attention with its stunning cover and interesting premise. Thank you so much to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with an eARC!

The legendary city of Nava is a myth from a long-ago past, just as its mythical heroes. Except for the Moonbearer, everyone else has been wiped out when his weapon, the Soldier: a woman with tremendous destructive power, was put to sleep. Now, one year ago, the Soldier awoke again with her own will. She assumes the name Shadow and goes into hiding. When Scarlet, whose sister Shadow has killed after awakening, finds her, however, she can’t stay uninvolved. Their country is threatened with an impending war, the spread of deadzones, unnatural weather and the Moonbearer’s bid for more power. Shadow and Scarlet have to work together to stop the catastrophes from happening.

The main point of interest for me was the inspiration by Korean mythology. And I really liked the intriguing parts of the world building, the different creatures and concepts strewn throughout. We see a variety of locations ranging form a lively market in the city, the strict Stronghold of the ruling class and the mysterious forests with their deadzones.

Unfortunately, the descriptions never went deep enough for me. Most things in the world were left unexplained and confusing, which was a bit frustrating considering how excited I was to learn more about the details from the premise. Those details seem to be entirely missing and I still have many unanswered questions. Who is the Desert Rose, the supposed Saint that Shadow killed after awakening, and what made her into a Saint? How exactly is Shadow connected to her identity of the Soldier - has she stayed in the same body and only now formed a consciousness, or did she somehow reincarnate? What are the Moonbearer’s motives, that never seem to make any sense and that Shadow only assumes she knows?

The plot itself also left me confused a lot. I did understand what was happening, but never why. Some of the characters’ decisions made sense, but most of the time, I just couldn’t figure out what kind of reasons they had. It felt random at times, and it doesn’t help that I was never able to connect to Shadow or Scarlet. They don’t have the depth I would have wanted. Scarlet switches between arrogant and childish, mean and suddenly understanding. I could forgive Shadow’s lack of characterization considering her lack of memories, but even with that it never felt consistent. It might be my own fault, because after the premise I was hoping for a thousand-year-old character who acts that age, not a vaguely young woman who can’t decide who she wants to be.

Because of my issues with the characters, I couldn’t enjoy the romance aspect of the book either. The delicate build-up required of enemies-to-lovers simply didn’t happen, or at least I couldn’t see it. I didn’t really care about Shadow’s and Scarlet’s relationship, neither as enemies nor as lovers.

In the end, I can’t shake the feeling that this book feels incomplete. There are so many details that could have been fleshed out, and added character interactions that could have filled the blanks for me. Unfortunately, I don’t think changes of this caliber would have been made between this ARC and the finished copy. Someone with less interest in the worldbuilding might enjoy this book, but it sadly wasn’t for me.

Yejin Suh’s *The Last Soldier of Nava* is a haunting, myth-drenched fantasy inspired by Korean folklore, where gods fall, cities crumble, and the lines between hero, weapon, and villain blur beyond recognition. It is a novel rich with ambition—epic in scope, yet intimate in its portrayal of guilt, identity, and power.

At its center is Shadow, an immortal soldier of living magic, awakened from a thousand-year sleep. Once a child molded into a weapon by the Moonbringer—her creator and father—Shadow awakens into a fractured land and an unraveling self. She has no desire to return to servitude or war, and yet, the tides of politics and revenge swiftly draw her in. Captured by Scarlet, the sister of the Saint Shadow once killed, both women find themselves tethered by more than fate: shared grief, uncertain loyalties, and the inexorable gravity of truth.

Yejin Suh’s world is striking from the start: a shattered land ruled by rival god-figures, where light and shadow once balanced the world, and divine warfare leaves deep metaphysical scars. There's a gorgeous, melancholic weight to the mythology—fragments of a forgotten age that echo through deadzones, magic, and whispered names. The novel reads like the bones of a legend exhumed and reanimated, full of buried truths and uncertain alliances.

**Shadow**, our protagonist, is a fascinating paradox—both a weapon and a girl trying not to be one. She thrives in survival mode, flinching from kindness, drifting through power plays with ghost-like detachment. There is a tragic poetry to her character: molded to kill, now seeking softness in a world that has only ever demanded her to burn.

**Scarlet**, meanwhile, evolves from a seemingly cold noble into a woman worn raw by duty, grief, and desperation. Her character arc is arguably the most satisfying in the novel, revealing layers of vulnerability beneath her steely resolve. While their shift from adversaries to tentative allies—and eventually something more—is narratively compelling, the emotional chemistry can feel underdeveloped. The romance is more whispered than roared, and some readers may wish for deeper tension and build-up.

Where *The Last Soldier of Nava* excels is in its atmosphere. Yejin Suh's prose is evocative, her metaphors laced with ash and starlight. But the novel’s elegance is sometimes its undoing. Important elements—the remades, the deadzones, the magic of bonded animals—are introduced with intrigue but left too vague. The lore is fascinating, yet underexplored. The world begs for a slower, deeper unspooling.

Despite these flaws, there’s *something* undeniably compelling in Yejin Suh’s debut. Shadow’s arc—her refusal to be reclaimed, her fight to forge an identity beyond what was programmed into her—is quietly radical. Scarlet’s righteous rage is equally magnetic. And though the novel closes with a kind of hush rather than a thunderclap, it leaves the door ajar for further reckonings.

*The Last Soldier of Nava* is an emotionally resonant and mythologically rich fantasy that doesn't always deliver on its immense promise—but what it does offer is luminous and unforgettable. For readers who crave morally complex women, slow-burn character studies, and the echo of ancient gods in broken cities, this is one worth lingering with.

I love books that have basis in Mythology and when I found out that The Last Soldier of Nava was based on Korean Mythology I was extremely excited to read it. I am pleased to say it did not disappoint at all. I loved the world building and pacing. There is a lot but it’s done so beautifully you instantly get transported to the world and don’t want to leave. I loved Shadow and later Scarlett too. The writing is beautiful and just captivated me from the start. This is the perfect novel for fans epic worlds, strong characters and fantastic storytelling.
As always thank you to Harper Collins for the advanced copy to review, my reviews are always honest and freely given.

This is a complicated novel to review as there were some parts of it that I really loved and others that I found could be improved upon.

I thought this story had a great premise and I love a plot with plenty of courtly intrigue. However, I found the immediate immersion in the world building was a bit confusing. I liked the focus on Korean Mythology and the sapphic representation, however I felt myself getting lost in the story, not in a lose yourself kind of way but more in a very confused way, if that makes sense?!?

Overall, I enjoyed this book and would recommend it but possibly to someone who already has some knowledge or understanding of Korean Mythology so they can really get the most out of this novel. Thank you to the author and to Netgalley.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC!

DNF @ 50%

This book seemed promising but unfortunately it just did not come together. A lot of elements felt like a mish mash of other YA tropes, and the story and worldbuilding lacked cohesion. I think with more editing, or perhaps just better planning and execution, this book could have been much better.

‘𝐼 ℎ𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑠𝑎𝑦 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑠,’ ‘𝑇ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑓𝑎𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑠 𝑒𝑛𝑣𝑦 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑖𝑟 𝑑𝑎𝑢𝑔ℎ𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑠. 𝐴𝑛𝑑 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑤𝑒𝑟𝑒 𝑏𝑜𝑟𝑛 𝑡𝑜 𝑏𝑒 𝑒𝑛𝑣𝑖𝑒𝑑. 𝑌𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑒𝑛𝑔𝑡ℎ, 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑢𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑟𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑑𝑖𝑛𝑔. 𝑌𝑜𝑢 𝑠𝑢𝑟𝑝𝑎𝑠𝑠 ℎ𝑖𝑚, 𝑏𝑢𝑡 𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑖𝑛 𝑎𝑛𝑦 𝑚𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑎𝑙 𝑤𝑎𝑦–𝑗𝑢𝑠𝑡 𝑠𝑖𝑚𝑝𝑙𝑦 𝑖𝑛 𝑏𝑒𝑖𝑛𝑔.’ 😭

I can honestly say I enjoyed getting lost in the world of The Last Soldier of Nava! Yejin Suh pulls us into a realm deeply rooted in Korean mythology & now I definitely want to explore even more books in this genre!!

The writing was fab & I liked the pacing of the story. We’re met with some tender sapphic moments between Scarlet & Shadow which had my whole heart. I just wished there was more character development & more exploration of Nava’s lore because it was SO interesting to read.

Thank you @rachelquinmarketing & @harpervoyager_uk for the beautiful gifted copy!!✨

Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the ARC.

Unfortunatly, a DNF for me. I think this book will find its audience, but I had a hard time connecting with the characters. In addition, I would have loved more introduction of the world and its history at the beginning of the book.

We're getting dropped deep in the Korean mythology and worldbuilding right away. This book doesn't joke around.

Further on we're getting a sapphic slow-burn and enemies-to-lovers romance between the FMC Shadow and the antagonist Scarlett.

So theoretically this story should have worked for me.

In actuality though, I was mostly confused and tried to grasp the worldbuilding and failed. It's complex, I'm sure it's well-formed, but it would have been nice to be taken by the hand and lead into it.

It's a story of rebirth and prophecy, and raises the question how much you're responsible for your deeds in a former life.

However, I tried and failed to immerse myself. I liked the chemistry of the romance, but in the context of the book it was not enough to take away my feeling of being lost.

It's still a great premise, and I'll happily give it 3/5 stars

Thank you @netgalley and @harpervoyager_uk for the eARC!

#TheLastSoldierOfNava #Netgalley #Bookstagram

The Last Soldier Of Nava by Yejin Suh is a Korean mythology inspired sapphic fantasy that I am always up for.

💚 Here’s what I loved about this book:

- This is an action-packed book with fierce females. So yes please!
- Loved the court intrigue. A lot of it is manipulation of people in power.
- Lush world building with magical characters. The scenes with a huge catfish and whales as rides are some of my favorite.
- That cover is to die for. I have included more images without filters so you can appreciate it better.
- The whole dynamic of light and shadow is very intriguing and ties in with how nature works.
- Loved the slow burn romance between the MCs
- It’s a standalone fantasy.

💔Here’s what could be better.

- I found myself confused and lost a fair few times.
- There are secenes and elements which did not really relate to the story. I still don't understand the significance of animals in the dungeon.
- The last bit was over too soon. I wanted more dragon time 🐲
- I felt the secondary characters were not given enough attention. I would have loved to read more about Crow and Yo-Han.

In all, this was a good fantasy and I would love to read more by the author in the future. 💜🌸

3.5 ✨

This was a very interesting book that delves a lot into Korean mythology, creating a unique and engaging world filled with fascinating magic.

Shadow is an immortal soldier who upon being awaken again, kills a beloved saint. She tries to live a normal life, hiding from anyone who might know about her past, but the Moonbringer, her immortal father, wants her back under his control. She's captured by his new prodigy, Scarlet, the sister of the woman Shadow killed, who will do everything in her power to find out who killed her sister.

I thought this book was a little hard to get into at first. It's really usual for most fantasy books, you need to understand the world before you can really get into the story. But this book came with a lot of mysteries within the plot, and while I was excited to find out what would be the resolution, it made it slightly harder to understand what was going on. Once the book sets the world a little though, the story becomes extremely enjoyable. It's easy to get invested in the palace intrigues and the characters are enjoyable so it's easy to root for them.

Shadow is such an interesting protagonist because even though she's this immortal weapon, she feels like just a lost young woman who doesn't want to be what other people made her. Scarlet though is certainly my favourite. When we meet her she seems so cold and unfeeling, and as Shadow gets to know her, we get to see the real person hiding behind that mask.

I'm immensely curious whether this book will become a series, because I think it works as a standalone but I would happily be pulled back into this world for more adventures

A really well written standalone! Both the plot and the world is super engaging, and I became really invested in the main characters! Now I just want to research the myth this is based on!

I really enjoyed the story and thus found it very hard to put down. I did find the romance aspect one of the least compelling parts of the story and it felt a bit forced when they finally kissed and admitted their feelings for each other. I also found shadow's own motivations a bit uncompelling as well as her father's motivations too and I wish their past and origin was explained a bit more. here were also a few things in the book that didn't quite add up or make sense but overall I really enjoyed the book so I didn't mind that it was lacking in some aspects.

The cover is stunning. The premise is intriguing, and this is my first Korean mythology, so I had high hopes, but I struggled to get into the plot, making it tough for me to finish. DNF-ed after 25%.

This is a Korean mythology-inspired sapphic fantasy which follows Shadow’s story - a young woman who possesses shadow magic, who has recently been reawakened.
Her past life is made up of fractured memories, and all she wishes for is to be free of the tyrannical father-figure who raised her as a weapon to drown worlds.
But all is not what it seems in a court of corruption and greed, and Shadow is enamoured with her father’s new prodigy Scarlet, who appears solely focused on unmasking her own sister’s murderer…
The blurb for this book really drew me in, and the story started off strong as it drew on some wonderful lore, but I personally felt it could’ve had more world-building, and needed to be longer to really do the premise justice.
I would’ve liked more details on the ‘deadzones’, and I was super intrigued by so many characters that I just felt were missing more of their backstories.
I enjoyed the push-and-pull romance, and the writing style was lovely, so I’m looking forward to reading more of the story.
All of this is not to say that I don’t recommend reading, I only express that for me personally, I needed more from this first instalment!