Book Review: The Last Daughter by Alexis L. Menard

She’s cursed with a dead witch’s power over fate, he’s a heartless demigod born for revenge and redemption. Once her enemy, now a conflict of interest. The fate of the Nine Realms dangles on a dangerously thin thread.

Fate was cruel enough by dealing Ailsa with a fatal illness. But when her father and sisters are killed at war, she becomes the Last Daughter in a long line of shieldmages. This power comes with a price, however, coincidentally getting her kidnapped by an elfin she’s only heard of through legends.

Vali’s realm is dying, inflicted by the black magic, sedir, and the only way to heal his land is by delivering the Tether to Odin, king of the gods. When he finds this power bound inside a mortal woman, he is forced to bring her and her shapeshifting wolven back to his home in Alfheim.

But their journey across the Tree of Life is perilous, and betrayal is imminent. Vali and Ailsa must depend on each other for survival, a mutual dependency that turns into a passionate love affair. With Odin waiting on this promised power, a kindred spirit found in her enemy, and a dark threat neither Ailsa nor Vali intended to find in the bright lands of Alfheim, what started as a simple quest has turned into a fight to save all gods, mortals, and fae alike. Vikings meet magic in this fresh retelling of Norse Mythology.

CW: graphic sex, violence

GENRE: Epic Fantasy Romance

PURCHASE LINKS: Amazon

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Alexis is a registered nurse based out of Louisiana where she lives with her husband, toddler, and two oversized dogs. She enjoys long walks through the Renaissance Fair, reading smutty romance into the dark hours of the night, and wine nights with her “Finer Things Club.” She hopes to enrich the lives of her readers with worlds they can both escape in and take with them long after the final chapter.

You can find her at the following haunts: Website | Instagram | TikTok | Twitter

Review & Recommended Listening

I continue to be surprised by how well people reimagine the Norse myths, and this book had lots of surprises in that regard! The lore was very well crafted, there was no shortage of twists and turns, and I got to see old "favorites" among the Norse pantheon join the ensemble of new and interesting characters.

While the story opened and seemed to center on Ailsa, Vali came to play just a big part, as did their romance. It's not a surprise if you take the blurb to heart, but those who judge by and only really remember the cover might feel a little blindsided. (That's me, I'm the friend, LOL. At some point I thought the title A Saga of Suns and Stars — when the quote came up — might be more appropriate, as would be a more romance-y cover.) Not to worry though, I wasn't deterred from enjoying the book, but I just think it's worth mentioning.

It took me a while to finish reading but I enjoyed it far more than I thought I would in the beginning, and with that ending and epilogue, well, I'm definitely looking forward to the sequel!

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Recommended Listening: As I mentioned in my open call for books to review, I’ll now be adding a song to my reviews! It’ll be one that either sums up the book for me, what I’d imagine in a trailer were it a movie, something that I associate with the story or one of the characters for whatever reason… or maybe even an original inspired by it 😉