I really enjoyed the book. The plot and world building were very well done, and the plot was fascinating.

I hadn't seen anything about this book, but the cover immediately drew me in and the synopsis sounded very interesting, so I decided to request it.
I'm glad I did, as this was quite the hidden gem!

The world building felt unique, especially the whole premise of the main character. It also felt bleaker than most East Asian-inspired fantasy novels I've read so far, which was a nice change.

The romance wasn't my favorite, but I did overall like how it was executed and I was certainly rooting for them after a while.
The plot was very engaging and even though it took me a bit to get into the story, I was ultimately hooked.

I didn't love the writing style, something about it made the story a bit inaccessible at first, though I can't quite explain what exactly bothered me.

Overall, I enjoyed this book and would certainly recommend it!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC.

The Last Soldier of Nava is a Korean mythology inspired sapphic fantasy in which we follow Shadow, a young woman who was raised as a weapon by her power-hungry father a thousand years earlier.

I found this book really easy to read and was intrigued about both the world and the characters places and roles within the world. The development of the relationship between the two main characters was well written and I did not want to put this book down. I will definitely be reading more from this author.

I really loved the idea of this book, which is essentially a sapphic enemies-to-lovers fantasy with a hint of romance. It’s inspired by Korean mythology, and it follows Shadow, aka The Soldier, a weapon/warrior for her kingdom who is awakened at the brink of war. But Shadow doesn’t want to be a weapon anymore, so she goes into hiding. Enter Scarlet, she is the keeper (I still don’t understand what this title is except it’s second to the Prince), whose sister was killed by the Soldier and she wants revenge. Scarlet doesn’t know Shadow is the Soldier reincarnated, so Shadow needs to keep that secret from her while the two of them work together to stop the enemy. Unfortunately this plot started to derail around the middle, rerouting to a different direction that didn’t really work for me. There were a lot of twists, but I just didn’t feel anything for them. And I really didn’t like the ending.

I loved the dynamic between Shadow and Scarlet. I loved that there was more focus on building trust and friendship rather than the romance. Don’t get me wrong, I love a good romantasy, but sometimes you want the romance without distracting you from the main story. And this was very well done. When Scarlett and Shadow got together, it felt right rather than rushed.

I did like the world building to some extents. It was definitely an interesting world. But there was too much confusion. This very much felt like an author throwing too much at the book situation that the reader is left wondering what just happened. This is very much what I was feeling throughout a lot of the book.

If you like Korean mythology and diverse worlds, it’s worth a read. The plot was interesting enough that it did keep me reading, but I also would not be rushing to read this again.

Thank you for the ARC <3

The Last Soldier of Nava gave me major Studio Ghibli and it was was so whimsical, I love books based in mythology and find them just fascinating as well as ways to lose myself in.

I did enjoy this one, but couldn’t help feeling a little confused at times, I felt like the pacing was a bit off at times and that took me out of the story at times. However!! I loved Shadow and Scarlet, they just complimented each other perfectly and the banter had me giggling.

The world building was lacking a little bit, but overall I still enjoyed the story and Shadow and Scarlett’s journey ❤️

I’m mixed on books based on mythology, some pull me in and I’m diving through them from start to end, when I re-emerge gasping for breath. Others, feel like a slow plod through a muddy, rain soaked field, the never-ending pull of the wet earth sucking on my boots. The Last Soldier of Nava by Yejin Suh was neither of these but, it wasn’t a disappointment – this Korean mythology based, sapphic romantasy that draws on the creative and core foundations of myth, magic and story that bring to life a whole world of mythology that I’m very new to.

Whilst I really enjoyed the worldbuilding, which provided an insight into the hierarchical societal structure, there were gaps in the magical system and events that did leave me a little lost, in particular the inferred rules and structure of ‘remades’ and ‘dead zones’. Although this was very much saved by the plots within plots, treachery, deception and slow burn enemy to lover themes in the story. I’m also a bit of a sucker for any magic system that involves light and darkness, never mind the bone warriors and dragons!

Shadow has recently awoken from many, many years sleeping after ‘the soldier’ wreaked death and destruction across the country, including the murder of Scarlet ‘The Keeper’s’ sister. Captured by Scarlet, Shadow is forced to return to the Stronghold, domain of her father, whose control of ‘the soldier’ has been lost as Shadow is now conscious. Scarlet wants Shadow to help her solve and find her sister’s murderer – to identify ‘the soldier’ and make them pay for their crime…

I won’t say that from start to end this was a strong and well paced plot, the latter part of the story did feel like it tailed off but, irrespective of that I did enjoy the mythology, following Shadow’s arc as she realises her role and the possible consequences of her actions in this work, as well as the romance between Shadow and Scarlet. An enjoyable read based on interesting and intriguing Korean mythology.

Thank you Harper Collins UK, Harper Fiction, Magpie and NetGalley for this arc in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Hey bookwyrms👋🏻

I was so lucky to get approved for an e-arc (thank you @netgalley and @harpervoyager_uk !) and I must say I thoroughly enjoyed it!! 🫶🏻

A sapphic enemies-to-lovers inspired by Korean mythology, it sounded right up my street! A shadow wielding warrior awakens with only some of her memory and is thrown reluctantly into a world with dangerous politics and even more deadly abilities.

The romance is slow burn but organic and I absolutely loved the quips between Shadow, our FMC and Scarlet our feisty and fierce love interest. Their relationship was definitely my favourite part bc they have such amazing chemistry!🙏🏻👀 they slowly but surely learn to work together with some twists and turns that I didn’t see coming!!🥳 at some points I got a little confused, butt that could be bc I read this in between other reads!🫡

I really enjoyed this one and I’m excited to see what @yejinsuhh writes next!

a magical world of power, betrayal, love, and finding yourself.

this story gave me avatar vibes with a hint of Studio Ghibli and it was an enjoyable ride.

I did quite enjoy this, the writing was brilliant and the storytelling at times was floorless but then there were times, mostly at the end that I felt lost and a bit confused. the relationship between Shadow and Scarlet is both powerful and sweet and you can see the love they shared for each other.
the characters themselves seemed grounded and mysterious and the same time.

thank you again for giving me this opportunity.

This book felt so much like the types of light novels and manhwas I've read before in a great way. The main characters were the main focus of this book and I genuinely enjoyed them, I wished for more world-building. While thier were so many intriguing and enjoyable aspects of the book i wish it had even more exploration

Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins UK for the ARC.

Gave this a shot but sadly DNF @ 43% (Pg 160/369). While I love the premise of a Korean-inspired fantasy world, the lore and plot were muddling and did not grip my interest at all. The protagonist Shadow feels bland, and every interaction she has with the antagonist-turned-eventual-love-interest Scarlet doesn't convey any ounce of chemistry. I was ultimately too bored to push myself into reaching the midway point.

“The Last Soldier of Nava” is a sapphic romantasy based on Korean mythology. I am, and always have been, a massive fan of fantasy based on mythology. I particularly enjoy stories that draw upon mythologies that I am unfamiliar with and that is the case here, as believe it or not, I am not too clued up on Korean mythology!

The soldier wreaked destruction under her father’s control but after many years of slumber she awakens as Shadow and finds herself free from his clutches. Shadow (still under her hidden guise) is taken back to the Stronghold under the watchful eye of Scarlet. Scarlet, believes that Shadow holds the key to solving the murder of her sister, which she does, as she happens to be the one responsible for it!

Shadow magic, bone warriors, underhand plots, treachery, deception, and a relatively slow burn sapphic enemies to lovers romance. A lot happens on the path to overcoming her past as the soldier as Shadow comes to realise she has a key role to play in the future survival, or destruction of her world.

It’s a fun read. The world building is good, I was particularly interested in the shadow magic system and the concept of the dead zones. The twist and turns keep you on your toes as you don’t quite know who knows what and who can trust who. I really liked the mid book quasi “friendship” triangle between Shadow, Scarlet, and Aspis and was hoping it would focus more on that fresh idea as opposed to a romance angle, but maybe that is my cynical anti romance bias showing haha

I feel the book slightly tapered off towards the end and I was personally struggling to keep track with what was going on. This negatively impacted my level of investment in the characters a little.

Ultimately though it was an enjoyable read. The good far outweighs the bad and it is a book I would recommend to those mythological fantasy retelling lovers like myself. Maybe if you are more of a romantasy lover you will find yourself even more invested than me too!

Thank you Rachel Quin marketing for reaching out and offering this ARC to me to read. I really appreciate the opportunity to read it prior to release date!

A mesmerising read that drew me in from page 1. Beautiful author craft, a captivating story and some really great characters.

This story started off really strong with excellent world building and enough intrigue to get me hooked. However, things got a bit complicated further in and I began to feel less and less like I cared about the characters. Could just be me, but by the end I wasn't feeling the book as much as I had been at the start. Definitely worth giving it a go though as I'm sure plenty of people will feel differently!

I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for a review.

I really loved the fact that this is inspired by Korean mythology.

The worldbuilding in this book was amazing! Not only do we get an insight into the world, the powers and who rules, we also get the history behind certain characters and the world. I would have liked more info on the dead zones and remades as o felt like they did contribute a bit to the plot and development. All the characters were well written.

Some of the sentences were very confusing (especially with the timeline of shadow and her awakening a year ago), we also would jump a few locations with no explanation.

The plot was really fleshed out and I didn’t feel like there was much filler as it was fast paced.

The romance between the two fmc’s was so well done, both of their personalities went together so well and I really loved the precious moments they had.

There was some character development mainly with the side characters, I would have liked some sort of development from both fmc’s as Scarlet never really changed and Shadow only really changed from regaining some memories.

I loved the vague open ending as it leaves readers to decide on what happens next, whilst also potentially allowing a sequel.

Asian mythology inspired fantasy novels tend to be a hit with me so when I was offered a chance to read ’The Last Soldier Of Nava’ early I leapt at it. It was set within an intriguing world and had a plot arc that interested me but as you can probably tell from my rating it didn’t wholly work for me although it may fair better within its target young adult audience.

As stated previously the world that this book was set within was an intriguing one. It had a mythology inspired history that sparked my interest and a realm that I’d happily have explored further. Yet it didn’t truly get a chance to shine. What was there was interesting but it lacked the depth necessary to reach its true potential. The history is only really skimmed over, telling enough to lay the bare origins of the worlds past. Which is what I struggled most with when it comes to this novel – a lack of depth and explanation. The world that’s there promises to be a fascinating one but its potential is never truly mined.

My experience with the characters was similarly floundered. There are a few individuals who have the bone work of being fascinating people but they lacked finesse and depth at times. Shadow, for instance, had a highly intriguing backstory but I don’t feel like I understand her origins clearly at all. How the soldier came to be, sure, but not how she differs from that side of herself. Not how she survived, and laid dormant, for so long. Not even how she shifted between the two sides of herself in one direction. Crow felt rather disjointed in his attitude towards her and the Moonbearer didn’t really work for me at all. The idea of him, again, was compelling but the execution of him faltered. And I don’t truly understand how he seemed to be trusted by so many given his history. It just didn’t truly add up. Sae was probably the individual who managed to pull me into the story most but even there the answers, when they come, could truly have used more depth.

Then the plot had an interesting arc to it overall but given this lack of depth and clarity in places, was hard to get involved within or take too seriously. It had a good direction to travel in but it missed out on so much of the groundwork and body that it didn’t truly work.

That being said I do think its possible for people to enjoy this still, if they’re happy enough to simply accept the story at face value and not go digging around for answers. If you’re new to fantasy or not looking at this through too critical of a lens you may well be able to get swept up by the story. But if you read a lot of fantasy or think you’re likely to find yourself questioning why and how certain things came to be then I think you’ll come away feeling similarly disappointed.

So ultimately I can’t really say that I recommend ’The Last Soldier Of Nava’ although it may work for you if you can approach it without expecting everything to be entirely clear. Rating it is hard as it felt stronger in some ways than some other disappoints of mine but what it was missing made it incredibly hard for me to invest. It just didn’t truly seem to make sense in places and that’s a pretty major flaw in my eyes and yet with a bit more padding I think it probably could have worked.

So good. The writing was gorgeous, and the story was pretty unique. A tender, introspective fantasy that manages to create a lot of atmosphere and history in not that many pages. I hope the author expands on this universe in future books because there is so much more that could be explored, but this book was completely satisfying to me in and of itself.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins UK for the ARC!

3-Star Review: The Last Soldier of Nava by Yejin Suh

Yejin Suh’s The Last Soldier of Nava introduces readers to a richly imagined world inspired by Korean mythology, weaving a tale of shadow magic, political intrigue, and a sapphic romance. The story follows Shadow, a young woman awakened after a thousand years, grappling with her past and the fate of her nation.  

The novel shines in its atmospheric world-building and the emotional depth of its protagonist. Shadow’s journey is compelling, and the slow-burn romance adds a tender layer to the narrative.

However, the pacing can be uneven at times, and the complexity of the plot may leave some readers seeking clearer direction. While the lush prose is evocative, it occasionally slows the momentum of the story.

Overall, The Last Soldier of Nava is a promising debut that offers a unique blend of mythology and fantasy. Readers who appreciate intricate world-building and character-driven stories will find much to enjoy.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book. A gorgeous 4 star read book from me. What an exciting plot, vivid storytelling and relatable, rich characters. I couldn't put this book down – absolutely loved it.

This is a beautifully sad and heartwarming story about Shadow, a made soldier who can be ‘awakened’ at the mercy of her handler, the moonbarer. Her handler makes her bend to his will and kill who he wants. We meet Shadow on her journey to kill the moonbarer. This story is a sapphic fantasy that explores grief, love, regret and vengeance in a unique way. The world building was beautiful and the pacing was good. The back story of The Soldier was explored well and I wasn’t confused at any point. I wish there had been more of an obvious love story going, as Shadow and Scarlet sort of just happened with little tension. I was still rooting for them anyway! The end was a total cliff hanger and I am already gagging for the next book!

ᨳ᭬ ⭑ ⭑ ࿐ྂ

❝ She was tired of the fight, to be truthful. She didn’t want to die. But she was prepared to. She was no pawn. Not anymore. ❞

I have to admit i liked the whole fantasy aspect but i wasn’t a big fan of the love story. At one point so much was happening that i got confused and lost interest because it was so confusing. Also, at some point it was so rushed which really ruined everything. I wish we had seen more of Scarlet and her sister, let alone more information, because the information we were given was clearly not enough.

The first half was ok, a little slow but not bad, then it finally got interesting and then unfortunately all the confusing and rushed stuff happened.

- thank you netgalley & HarperVoyager for giving me this e-arc in exchange for an honest review. -