Last of Her Name by Jessica Khoury
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I had this book from the library probably almost two months before I had a chance to read it (I had the option of renewing it many times; the overdue fines would have been outrageous).
I was not emotionally prepared for the story. Ever since the weather turned a bit warmer, I have been in a mood to read stories similar to Kaufmann and Spooner’s series Starbound, but had trouble finding stories with good world building and worthwhile plots and characters.
Well, this was pure gold. Even now almost three weeks after finishing the book, I’m still thinking about it, my fingers itching to read more.
The plot was inspired by the well-known legend of Anastasia, the possible only surviving member of the Romanov family. But this version was set partially in space and partially on different worlds throughout the galaxy, including numerous other species/races besides humans.
I appreciated the author’s decisions on how she created the characters in this story. The protagonist wasn’t perfect. She made mistakes; showed depth and breadth of emotions and had none of the special snowflake syndrome we have become so familiar with in so many stories.
The minor characters were equally well fleshed out, with some actually making my blood boil.
The writing was engaging. It kept me spell bound and hooked until well past the last page. Even now, I still think about it.
Overall, I was a mouse click away from not renewing The Last Of Her Name, because of my research, but I’m glad I took the time to read this wonderful story. I would recommend it to anyone looking for a sci-fi/fantasy/retelling.
