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The Last King #2
Bloodbound
The battle has been won, but the war has just begun.
Artemio Volpe may have bested the Arazi Dragonlords on the field of battle, but in his absence the capitol has been taken by Agrantine zealots. Behind enemy lines, surrounded by blades of meteoric iron that can blunt his magic, he must find the missing Twin Kings of Espher and escort them to safety, or all will be lost.
Meanwhile, his own twin sister travels north with the exiled Arazi, Kagan, to retrieve that which was lost in the most powerful of the Shadebound, now fallen into enemy hands. Standing between them and their goal is nothing less than a legion of dragons, reptilian monsters and wyvern.
Dragonfire and the chill of the grave are tested against each other. Pride and passion spark as courtly intrigue turns deadly. Ambition and duty collide as Artemio's claim on the throne grows stronger. No matter the victor, the world will never be the same again...
Fans of A Game of Thrones, The Stormlight Archives, Legends of the First Empire and The Fatemarked Epic will enjoy The Last King series. Start your epic adventure today.
Artemio Volpe may have bested the Arazi Dragonlords on the field of battle, but in his absence the capitol has been taken by Agrantine zealots. Behind enemy lines, surrounded by blades of meteoric iron that can blunt his magic, he must find the missing Twin Kings of Espher and escort them to safety, or all will be lost.
Meanwhile, his own twin sister travels north with the exiled Arazi, Kagan, to retrieve that which was lost in the most powerful of the Shadebound, now fallen into enemy hands. Standing between them and their goal is nothing less than a legion of dragons, reptilian monsters and wyvern.
Dragonfire and the chill of the grave are tested against each other. Pride and passion spark as courtly intrigue turns deadly. Ambition and duty collide as Artemio's claim on the throne grows stronger. No matter the victor, the world will never be the same again...
Fans of A Game of Thrones, The Stormlight Archives, Legends of the First Empire and The Fatemarked Epic will enjoy The Last King series. Start your epic adventure today.
- GenresFantasy
479 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 7, 2023
About the author
David Estes
77 books2,702 followersGet a FREE short story from David Estes' #1 Amazon bestselling epic fantasy series, Fatemarked, when you sign up for his mailing list: https://www.subscribepage.com/b2v6v3
David Estes has written more than 50 science fiction and fantasy books. He loves chatting with his readers, all of whom he considers to be his friends. David lives in Hawaii with his Aussie wife, Adele, his moody cats, Bailey, Luna, and Ruby, and his rambunctious sons, Beau and Brody.
Join 3,000+ David Estes Fans and YA Book Lovers Unite in David Estes' official fan group at:
http://www.goodreads.com/group/show/7...
Books by David Estes:
-The Fatemarked Epic- For fans of A Game of Thrones, Lord of the Rings, and The Way of Kings! Four kingdoms. A century-old war. One ancient prophecy that could change everything.
-The Kingfall Histories- a follow up series to the #1 Amazon bestselling series, The Fatemarked Epic
-The Forsworn Oath- the third series in the Fatemarked/Kingfall world
-Strings- “A wonderful retelling of the Pinocchio story…I simply couldn’t put this book down.”—Rysa Walker, bestselling author of TIMEBOUND
-The Dwellers Saga and the Country Saga. Voted books to read if you enjoyed the Hunger Games on Buzzfeed and Listopia.
-Salem's Revenge trilogy- the witch apocalypse begins!
-Slip Trilogy- "Someone must die before another can be born..."
-The Adventures of Nikki Powergloves- Kid superheroes? 'Nuff said.
David Estes has written more than 50 science fiction and fantasy books. He loves chatting with his readers, all of whom he considers to be his friends. David lives in Hawaii with his Aussie wife, Adele, his moody cats, Bailey, Luna, and Ruby, and his rambunctious sons, Beau and Brody.
Join 3,000+ David Estes Fans and YA Book Lovers Unite in David Estes' official fan group at:
http://www.goodreads.com/group/show/7...
Books by David Estes:
-The Fatemarked Epic- For fans of A Game of Thrones, Lord of the Rings, and The Way of Kings! Four kingdoms. A century-old war. One ancient prophecy that could change everything.
-The Kingfall Histories- a follow up series to the #1 Amazon bestselling series, The Fatemarked Epic
-The Forsworn Oath- the third series in the Fatemarked/Kingfall world
-Strings- “A wonderful retelling of the Pinocchio story…I simply couldn’t put this book down.”—Rysa Walker, bestselling author of TIMEBOUND
-The Dwellers Saga and the Country Saga. Voted books to read if you enjoyed the Hunger Games on Buzzfeed and Listopia.
-Salem's Revenge trilogy- the witch apocalypse begins!
-Slip Trilogy- "Someone must die before another can be born..."
-The Adventures of Nikki Powergloves- Kid superheroes? 'Nuff said.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
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August 2, 2023I've been so busy that I completely forgot to mark the second book in The Last King book as "read" when it was published earlier this year! That ended up not being the worst thing in the world, because the third and final book, Thronebound, was just published yesterday! Which is awesome for readers as the entire trilogy is done so there's no more waiting for the next installment, you can read right through from start to finish.
What would I say about this series? Gah, that's hard, because I'm too close to it. Too close to the characters, too close to their struggles. I guess I'd say I have hope for them and for their future. Like with my Fatemarked and Kingfall series, The Last King is all about the characters, their relationships, and how they find hope in the darkest of places during the most difficult times in their lives. I think this reflects reality even while the story is set in a fantasy world of dragons and magic and strange creatures. I hope you all enjoy the last two books in this series!
What would I say about this series? Gah, that's hard, because I'm too close to it. Too close to the characters, too close to their struggles. I guess I'd say I have hope for them and for their future. Like with my Fatemarked and Kingfall series, The Last King is all about the characters, their relationships, and how they find hope in the darkest of places during the most difficult times in their lives. I think this reflects reality even while the story is set in a fantasy world of dragons and magic and strange creatures. I hope you all enjoy the last two books in this series!
April 1, 2026
A ponderous start, but an explosive last quarter.
This book took me a while to get into. The reason being, as before; Artemio's chapters are just not as engaging for me. Much like the first book his chapters focus on a mystery, and court politics. In this case a mystery revolving around the twin kings, and the occupying force of the Agrantine Empire seen at the end of book 1. His standing as the surviving heir of the "true" royal bloodline making things more complicated. Granted Artemio has grown on me a bit more. He's not just some rapscallion trying to make the noble class flustered with his uncouth antics. He shows real dedication to the crown, and his ideals of letting the Volpe line stand on it's own outside of the perceived notion of them biding their time. He also thinks outside the box in the later half to deal with the Agrantine ambassador, and the inevitable showdown between them is fantastic. It is the lead up to that later half that slows the book down for me. Artemio spends a lot of time, and energy towards solving the new mystery when he's given a clear out right from the start. Again it's his dedication to the crown that causes this. It pays off at the end, but that lead up just felt so taxing.
Harmony was somewhat relegated to being a support character in the first book. Thankfully she gets her own POV here in place of Kagan. Her chapter/story was engaging from the start as she [much like Artemio] wants to stand on her own. In her case she want's to make herself distinct in her ability to be more than Artemio's bodyguard [essentially]. She has her own motivation, and driving force to be better than what she once was. That being said her drive is tightly focused on Orsina. I mentioned in my review of book 1 that I felt the romance plot between them felt tacked on, and I stand by that. It would have [in my opinion] been more impactful if Orsina, and Harmony were ride or die homies. As we've been told Harmony spent her life without any real friends because of her family name. Her being fast friends with Orsina, and thus giving Harmony a drive to keep that friend safe would have suited her character more. The "I'm in love with this woman" so out of nowhere still feels flat, and generally forced for the sake of being there.
Orsina continues to be a fun character to read. We don't get too much of her POV until maybe the half-way point. The first half setting up Artemio, and Harmony's stories. However, once Orsina's story gets going it helps flesh out the world by putting her smack dab in the middle of the Arazi people. We get to see that they are not some war-mongering tribe of savages. That their relationships with the dragon-kin are not so simple as "battle mounts" or "beasts of burden". Her development later with her shades, after the chaos of the last books massive battle; was somewhat obvious if you knew what to look for, but nevertheless interesting to see in execution.
The slow burn of Artemio's chapters aside this series continues to hold my attention. I look forward to the next book.
This book took me a while to get into. The reason being, as before; Artemio's chapters are just not as engaging for me. Much like the first book his chapters focus on a mystery, and court politics. In this case a mystery revolving around the twin kings, and the occupying force of the Agrantine Empire seen at the end of book 1. His standing as the surviving heir of the "true" royal bloodline making things more complicated. Granted Artemio has grown on me a bit more. He's not just some rapscallion trying to make the noble class flustered with his uncouth antics. He shows real dedication to the crown, and his ideals of letting the Volpe line stand on it's own outside of the perceived notion of them biding their time. He also thinks outside the box in the later half to deal with the Agrantine ambassador, and the inevitable showdown between them is fantastic. It is the lead up to that later half that slows the book down for me. Artemio spends a lot of time, and energy towards solving the new mystery when he's given a clear out right from the start. Again it's his dedication to the crown that causes this. It pays off at the end, but that lead up just felt so taxing.
Harmony was somewhat relegated to being a support character in the first book. Thankfully she gets her own POV here in place of Kagan. Her chapter/story was engaging from the start as she [much like Artemio] wants to stand on her own. In her case she want's to make herself distinct in her ability to be more than Artemio's bodyguard [essentially]. She has her own motivation, and driving force to be better than what she once was. That being said her drive is tightly focused on Orsina. I mentioned in my review of book 1 that I felt the romance plot between them felt tacked on, and I stand by that. It would have [in my opinion] been more impactful if Orsina, and Harmony were ride or die homies. As we've been told Harmony spent her life without any real friends because of her family name. Her being fast friends with Orsina, and thus giving Harmony a drive to keep that friend safe would have suited her character more. The "I'm in love with this woman" so out of nowhere still feels flat, and generally forced for the sake of being there.
Orsina continues to be a fun character to read. We don't get too much of her POV until maybe the half-way point. The first half setting up Artemio, and Harmony's stories. However, once Orsina's story gets going it helps flesh out the world by putting her smack dab in the middle of the Arazi people. We get to see that they are not some war-mongering tribe of savages. That their relationships with the dragon-kin are not so simple as "battle mounts" or "beasts of burden". Her development later with her shades, after the chaos of the last books massive battle; was somewhat obvious if you knew what to look for, but nevertheless interesting to see in execution.
The slow burn of Artemio's chapters aside this series continues to hold my attention. I look forward to the next book.
March 20, 2023
Aaarrrggg
I read a little blurb from David, at the end of the Kingfall series; in which he said all 3 of these (The Last King), were already written. 2 having been published, and the third coming "soon". As there's no info re: book 3, I have to assume it's a year out. Especially now that I see book 2 JUST came out. By the time #3 is out, I'll have forgotten these 2, and lose interest. I LOVED both The Fatemarked, and the Kingfall series. I was REALLY enjoying this one too. So bummed that I can't finish it. My only critique being, use a proofreader. It's edited fine, but there are fumbles with extra words, wrong words, and punctuation. Minor. I'm just unaccustomed to D. Estes' books needing anything. And this is FAR superior to any number of kindle titles. Nothing that took me out of the story. The 4 stars are indicative of my disappointment over the final installment. Otherwise, an excellent, 5 star read
I read a little blurb from David, at the end of the Kingfall series; in which he said all 3 of these (The Last King), were already written. 2 having been published, and the third coming "soon". As there's no info re: book 3, I have to assume it's a year out. Especially now that I see book 2 JUST came out. By the time #3 is out, I'll have forgotten these 2, and lose interest. I LOVED both The Fatemarked, and the Kingfall series. I was REALLY enjoying this one too. So bummed that I can't finish it. My only critique being, use a proofreader. It's edited fine, but there are fumbles with extra words, wrong words, and punctuation. Minor. I'm just unaccustomed to D. Estes' books needing anything. And this is FAR superior to any number of kindle titles. Nothing that took me out of the story. The 4 stars are indicative of my disappointment over the final installment. Otherwise, an excellent, 5 star read
March 30, 2026
It starts off really slow, about 20% of it, before it picks up steam. So, so much dialogue. Once more, there's cool action and the story is solid. But to see the Arazi suddenly speak Turkish really threw me. Authors often base their fantasy languages on existing ones, but to actually use a foreign language as is? It was very disappointing and just lazy.
There was also a ridiculously unrealistic, drawn-out fight at the end, and the MC did something stupid which (predictably) bit him in the ass. I felt like skimming some of the action, honestly. But Kagan and Orsina carried this book for me. The big twist was very obvious and predictable, which also ruined some of the momentum.
There was also a ridiculously unrealistic, drawn-out fight at the end, and the MC did something stupid which (predictably) bit him in the ass. I felt like skimming some of the action, honestly. But Kagan and Orsina carried this book for me. The big twist was very obvious and predictable, which also ruined some of the momentum.
March 1, 2023
Starting almost immediately after the first book, Artemio returns with the army to their city fresh off the victory over the dragons and Arazi to find it held by the forces of Agranta. Orsina is missing since falling in battle with the dragons.
I really enjoyed the story except Harmony transformed from the first book into a self-absorbed, whiny brat who thinks she knows better than everyone else. It got so bad that I ended up skimming most of the chapters featuring her, ruining the book for me.
I really enjoyed the story except Harmony transformed from the first book into a self-absorbed, whiny brat who thinks she knows better than everyone else. It got so bad that I ended up skimming most of the chapters featuring her, ruining the book for me.
May 20, 2023
This was a gripping and action packed continuation of the series, perfect for fans of epic fantasy stories involving dragons and magic. I could’ve easily devoured it in one sitting had life allowed for it.
March 20, 2026
Loved it
November 3, 2023
good book for the 2nd round
Really good story. Some endless mind-chatter of the main characters. But the action was fun. Only real issue was the editing. A lot of mistakes. Really cut into the flow of the story.
Really good story. Some endless mind-chatter of the main characters. But the action was fun. Only real issue was the editing. A lot of mistakes. Really cut into the flow of the story.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews