Book Review: The Last of the Atalanteans by P.L. Stuart
Genre(s): Fantasy
Content warning: There are numerous battle scenes in this book that may be disturbing to some.
This is the second book in an ongoing series. I read and reviewed book one, A Drowned Kingdom, last year. You can read my review here, as part of my May 2021 book review post.
The Last of the Atalanteans begins right were A Drowned Kingdom left off. Othrun (masking his identity as Ost) is embroiled in the politics of Eltnia, the land he and his people came to after Atalantyx’s fall. He plays a dangerous game between kings and queens, mages and warriors, and doesn’t fully understand all of the forces at play. He hopes to make a life for his people in their new land, but must play by the unfamiliar rules of its leaders. Failure on any front may cost him his life.
There’s plenty of action in this book, as well as some political intrigue. There is little downtime for Othrun from start to finish. Even as he begins to see his goals come to fruition, there is still so much uncertainty for the future of his people and one-day kingdom. I liked this story even more than I did A Drowned Kingdom.
However, Othrun’s character isn’t without his flaws. While he’s the strong leader his people seemingly need, he also has a tendency toward arrogance and an unwillingness to accept the beliefs of the Eltnish people as valid. He is of the mindset that his way is the only correct way forward. I hope he’ll eventually become a bit more accepting of his surroundings and its people, but that is yet to be seen. It will be very interesting to see how his character develops further in the third book.
Yes, there will be a third book. The story is far from over by the end of The Last of the Atalanteans, though unlike book one, this installment does not end in a cliff-hanger. It was a very well-rounded and detailed story in its own right. A great read!
The Last of the Atalanteans is coming soon, with a release date of March 31, 2022. I would like to thank the author for providing me an advanced copy of this book.
Author website: plstuart.com
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