Review: The Last Grand Master by Andrew Q. Gordon

Now, when I got my request for this title approved, I was beyond excited!

I love fantasy novels, especially when it deals with such a grand and fantastical world—add together a wizard and a warrior and you've basically sold it to me.

The world Gordon presents did not let me down. It was all those things I mentioned and more. The world building was excellent, I like to jump right in and don't need large bits of information to process it, so the way the novel started off was absolutely perfect for me and I was with it all the way.

Farrell is our main character and from the first page you want him to succeed. And better yet, Farell has layers (every time I say that I can hear Shrek going on about onions having layers in my head…). Yes he's a wizard confident in his own abilities, but when it comes to his personal dealings with people, he has flaws and weaknesses and at times it's endearing to see. You really do feel that Miceral, a Muchari and with such a calm nature is the the yin to Farrell's yang, so Gordon had me on their relationship too!

What brought down my enjoyment of the book however was a mixture of things. The pacing at times began to drag for me, and I had to put the book down several times before continuing. There was a lot of repetition, going over certain facts over and over by Farrell which grated a bit on me as a reader. And although there is plenty of external conflict, with the impeding war and Meglar looming over them, I was left feeling unfulfilled when it came to Farell and Miceral's relationship.

I love that they got on so well, because they really do fit! But there was a lack of conflict and a lot of summarising over the first stages of their relationship, so, although they clearly got to know each other well—we didn't really get to make the journey with them and I found that disappointing.

I was also a little let down by the lack of Meglar's participation in this first instalment. Oh, he was there alright, and did quite a lot of damage. But, it never felt like there was a personal thing at stake here. Yes, Farrell is the Gods' chosen but… I just didn't feel that Meglar was an immediate threat, or that he was that present.

Having said that, I can't praise the world building enough! I love the Seven Kingdoms, and its history. It's a living thing in my imagination and Andrew Q. Gordon did a very good job in making it so. I very much enjoyed how he brought it to life and I will be reading the next instalment.

I'd say give it a go, if you're into high fantasy and want a side of romance to go with it then you'll probably enjoy this one.

Reader's copy provided by Netgalley.