The Last Tragedy

I couldn't find a clever quote from this book anywhere since it isn't very popular...at all... and I didn't feel like going through it in my Kindle App just to find one. Sorry if you're disappointed. You can go find me a quote if you want and I'll rename the post.

 

My Pre-Reading

Since this was a free Kindle book, I really wasn't expecting much of anything. Just a mediocre fantasy book that would help me pass the time whenever I didn't have a physical book handy.

I was definitely surprised by how much I enjoyed this novel though. I found myself choosing to read this one over a physical book, which is not something I normally do. The plot was interesting, the villain was absolutely terrifying, and the hero/heroine were very likable and relateable. Mallette did an excellent job of painting his fantasy world so that the reader was transported to it, and did so in a way that wasn't too Lord of the Rings (e.g. endless pages describing how flat and boring the terrain is, with a couple of trees and mountains thrown in for good measure).

When Jake and Noxie finally find the "Last Tragedy" of Coeldoetta, what it asks them to do is pretty predictable, but heartbreaking nonetheless. Until [the one guy whose name I cannot remember for the life of me, even though he's a pretty important character] realizes he can save the day, preventing Jake and Noxie from losing the thing they love most. Hooray!

The way Mallette introduces the differing plot lines and then weaves them together is genius - at first, it seems like there are 4 different things going on. And then, all of a sudden, everybody meets and their separate quests become one. I mean, I know other authors have done that too, and probably done it better, but the way Mallette did it just stood out for me. Especially for this being his first published novel.

While not on the scale of other more popular high fantasty novels, I think The Last Tragedy and its sequels/companion novels have a shot at becoming very popular, and Mallette has a pretty good chance at becoming very successful. After he gets them on Kindle, I think hard copies would make his books take off. I would give this book a surprising 4/5, and would definitely recommend it to readers of high fantasy. Or even to people who are interested in fantasy but not necessarily in books like the Song of Fire and Ice series or Lord of the Rings. Go read it! It's only $0.99 on Amazon. It's worth it, I promise.


--Ashley