Title: The Last Sky
Author: Jess Anastasi
Series: Atrophy #1
Pages: 392
I can’t believe I have put this book off for so long! This was a wonderful romance set in a very fascinating universe and I want to kick myself for not reading this soon. But at least now that I am coming to it so late, I can binge the series.
Tannin has spent twelve years wrongfully imprisoned on the prison planet Erebus. When the Imojenna lands on Erebus he uses it as a chance to escape and finds himself falling for the captain’s sister. Zahli and Tannin have an instant attraction but due to ship rules, they are forbidden from having a relationship. They quickly realize that their feelings for each other are more important than the rules though.
Tannin and Zahli were wonderful characters. Tannin was a surprisingly sweet man who just wanted to have his freedom again. I loved how he was sweet and geeky, but also had a lot of confidence, especially when it came to defying Rian’s order to not be with his sister. Zahli was a wonderful and strong heroine. I loved how she was the heart of the Imojenna crew. I enjoyed Zahli and Tannin’s relationship from the very beginning, especially with all the mutual pining going on in the beginning.
On top of having a great couple, the story also focuses on Rian, Zahli’s brother, and his determination to get revenge against the shape-shifting aliens, the Reidar. While I am enjoying the premise of this story and world, I don’t exactly love Rian at the moment. He has a lot of baggage and is constantly lashing out at people because of it. I hope that after some of the events in this book he will become a better character. I did see his book is the last in the series so he has time to improve as a character.
The world building in this was very extensive and interesting. I found this world of humans populating the universe and not believing in aliens to be very interesting. I did expect more information on the Assimilation Wars and what Rian did during it to be discussed since it was mentioned so much, but hopefully that will be revealed in the next book. I was also surprised by the lack of confirmation of identities when it came to the Reidar. They didn’t really confirm their friends’ identity with each new character introduced, which considering how dangerous the Reidar are supposed to be, it was surprising.
Overall, this was a very interesting world featuring a great romance. I am very interested in reading the next book now and seeing how the fight against the Reidar goes.
Trigger warnings: attempted rape; death; slavery; human experimentation; torture; severe injuries leading almost to death
Red-Haired Ash Reads 