A rebellious princess discovers magical abilities that help her take on a powerful enemy in this debut fantasy.

As the king’s daughter, 17-year-old Ma’hana Lilla of the planet Uhna is expected to obey. But Lilla strongly disagrees with her father’s policies, which keep refugees imprisoned in squalid camps even though Uhna is immensely wealthy thanks to mastering technology that’s combined with elemental magic. Lilla joins the rebellion, but events become complicated when Callum a’ruun, a general with the Teryn Praelium, arrives with a delegation. They’re seeking assistance from the 19 worlds of the Pax Septum Coalition, which Uhna leads. Although the Archgoddess of the Eternal Light and Order prevailed last time in the era wars, the Archgod of Chaos and Destruction is again gathering an army of corrupt fiends and servants. Besides politics, Lilla struggles with panic disorder, grief over her mother’s early death, and alarm over the control her new, young stepmother wields over the king. Callum is both irritating and attractive, complicating Lilla’s relationship with Arrov, a pilot who’s joined the rebellion. But all these local and personal difficulties pale beside the undeniable call of Lilla’s true nature, her untapped magical abilities, and her essential role in combating the Archgod. In her novel, Blaise deftly blends Lilla’s approachable, young present-tense voice with sophisticated worldbuilding, seen even in minor details. For example, guards still wear cutlasses because Uhna was founded by pirates, and Lilla’s island home is reflected in her favorite expletive: “Buckets of fishguts!” The plot’s many disparate ingredients—romance, war, politics, magic, technology, family tensions, theology, psychology—meld in a deliciously hearty bouillabaisse, helped by intelligent exposition, surprising revelations, believable conflicts, and strong character development. Everything builds to an exciting, dramatic, and satisfying conclusion.

A terrifically entertaining, complex, and original fantasy.

By K.C. Finn:

The Last Lumenian is a lavish and engrossing work of fiction in the fantasy, action, and adventure sub-genres, and was penned by author S. G. Blaise. Written for young adult and adult readers alike to enjoy, this immersive tale introduces us to a princess unlike most others, whose fortitude and rebellious nature find her in a precarious position even from the novel’s start. Lilla takes solace in her rebel friends and surrounding servants as his father, the king, is lost to his madness. But when a new general arrives on the scene and a powerful Archgod declares magical war, Lilla discovers that the fight ahead of her is far bigger than she expected.

Author S. G. Blaise has crafted a fantastic escape from reality which is beautifully easy to fall into but very had to let go of at the close. One of the things that really captivated me about the work was its pacing and story construction, which leaves you wanting more and peeking ahead at the end of every chapter. As the story progresses and we learn more and more about Lilla, the character development and close narration give her an inspirational and emotional resonance that makes the story even harder to put down, resulting in a wildly inventive and intricately planned fantasy rollercoaster which delivers everything it promises. Overall, I would highly recommend The Last Lumenian for fantasy fans seeking strong female leads, solid worldbuilding, visceral action, and plenty of magic. A truly epic opening to an exciting new series.

I really enjoyed this story. Pro-tip - check out the glossary first to get you familiar with the characters before you dive right into the book. There are a lot of characters and places to get to know. It was great to escape into another world for a bit. The descriptions the author uses are excellent - it makes me want to see this made into a movie/TV Series. The book moves at a quick pace and I stayed up far too late reading a couple of nights - just one more chapter - definitely worth being tired the next morning!