We meet our heroine princess, Lilla, in S.G. Blaise’s award-winning debut novel The Last Lumenian (Lilac Grove Entertainment) in a galaxy far, far away upon the planet Uhna. Princess Lilla is a headstrong and independent woman staring down the barrel of life in a royal court where she often feels awkward and out of place and entering a marriage she does not want, all without the comfort of her mother. Fortunately, you can’t keep this girl down for long.
Lilla’s father, Ma’ha (King) of Serrian, expects his daughter to follow and obey without question. This proves to be a bit of a problem, seeing as she completely disagrees with his politics and treatment of refugees. Lilla has forsaken her royal life to take up with the rebels and fight for freedom from their oppression. She is joined with Arrov, a handsome blue-skinned pilot, both of them fighting for the cause when they are set upon by Callum a’ruun and his men. Callum is a general with Teryn Praelium — not to mention also very handsome.
They request help from the Pax Septum Coalition, which is led by Uhna. Lilla has now found herself in the middle of an intergalactic war brewing between the Archgodess of Eternal Light and Order, and the Archgod of Chaos and Destruction … yikes! While the Archgod gathering an army for what looks like yet another Era war sounds like a big problem, that isn’t the only source of Lilla’s headaches. The entrance of General Callum a’ruun has put some strain on Lilla’s relationship with Arrov.
While both these men are heartthrobs, to be sure, our girl has bigger fish to fry, including but not limited to her frequent panic attacks, overwhelming and lingering grief of losing her mother as a young child, and the minor detail that her new stepmother seems to be wielding some kind of manipulative power over the king. On top of that, she has the Herculean task of finding the true depth of her power and exactly what her role will be in the upcoming war.
COMPLEX WORLD-BUILDING AND FULLY FLESHED-OUT CHARACTERS
Recently, I have gotten back into the fantasy genre (thank you, BookTok) and let me tell you, The Last Lumenian has reminded me why I should have never left it. The world-building that Blaise puts forward is rich and complex. Every character feels integral to the story and their storylines are fully fleshed out. Blaise knows how to keep readers invested.
I was utterly shocked, then, to discover that this is Blaise’s debut novel! She certainly crosses all her T’s and dots the I’s with readers, making sure we are keeping up with the plot as it unfolds. She’s even got an index in the back of the book, a kind of study guide to help us keep all the characters, places and items in the book straight. I can’t tell you how many other sci-fi/fantasy books I’ve read where such a thoughtful addition would have greatly enhanced my reading experience.
One of the many reasons I enjoyed this book was its representation. To my knowledge, I haven’t read a book with a strong female lead that not only holds the fate of the world, or in this case space itself in her hands, but also suffers from debilitating panic attacks. As someone who has suffered from anxiety her entire life, reading about a badass woman who does not let her attacks stop her from doing what needs to be done was incredibly cathartic and motivating.
This book can’t be nailed down into just one genre; it’s a little bit of everything and more — sci-fi, fantasy, romance, action-adventure. If you are someone who enjoys magic, politics, war and a good ole fashion love triangle, then this should be your next read — especially if you need to be reminded of why speculative fiction is so entertaining.
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About S.G. Blaise:
S.G. Blaise was born in a faraway land of castles, monarchies and fallen dictatorships, aka Hungary. Hollywood movies were forbidden under Soviet oppression during her childhood, but her dad smuggled them in anyway, risking his life so that his children could experience the magic and hope inherent in those stories. She watched rebellions unfold in real time. Journeyed across the Atlantic Ocean for love. She ended up in sunny California, where she is living her dream — writing stories and annoying family members.
Amazing book!