Title: The Last Fang of God
Author: Ryan Kirk
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Dark Fantasy
Format: Hardcover / Paperback / Ebook
Release Date: April 26, 2023
Star Rating: 6/10
*Disclaimer*
Everyone is different and likes and dislikes different things. Reading is no exception. One person’s all-time favorite might seem too bland or too high stakes for another. That being said, the opinions of our judges in this contest are just that, opinions. Just because we let a book go, doesn’t mean it isn’t good. It could be your next favorite, who knows?
If you have no idea what I’m talking about, you can learn more about the contest here.
Today we are reviewing The Last Fang of God, which was Queen’s Book Asylum’s pick for this year’s Self-Published Fantasy Blog-Off. You can read their review here. And you can see the finalist spreadsheet here.
Summary
When gods refuse to die, it’s humans that suffer.
Safely hidden deep within the endless fields of his late wife’s people, Kalen’s only dream is to live the rest of his days in peace. He paid for his dream in blood, but neither his sword nor service are demanded any longer.
Chaos erupts when his daughter, Sascha, is called by Kalen’s old master. Father and daughter have no choice but to leave the home they’ve created for the land of Kalen’s birth.
But the sins of the past cast long shadows. After years of a tenuous peace, gods and humans alike resume their quest for dominance.
Kalen and Sascha find themselves in the midst of a struggle that will reshape the boundaries of their world. The warrior who wants nothing but peace will be forced to draw his sword once again. Will it be enough to protect his daughter from the whims of the gods?
Our Thoughts
So, what did we think about this one?
Yaniv
It’s a gritty dark standalone that should have totally worked for me: a story about a father trying to protect his teenage daughter on a voyage to the perilous unknown.
The setting of a gritty, dark world with cruel gods who dictate the acts of humans, while still being pitiful as heck, and almost as demanding as the landscape, was well done. The magic system involving specific runes learned from the gods to hide, strengthen, and heal yourself or others was simple yet effective and interesting to learn. The battles, political machinations within and between clans, ensured the tension and stakes remained high for most of the story.
I also thought that for the most part, the pacing was quite good and so was the length of the chapters. I enjoyed Kalen’s character, his determination to get things done and the sacrifices plus lies he chose to make for his daughter Sascha. While I felt he was overprotective towards her during some of the story, I can partially understand why.
However, the plot felt convoluted and repetitive from as soon as the first third of the book. Sascha’s arc of a reluctant daughter and teen trying to find her place in the world stayed the same for like 90% of it in my opinion. To me, her character felt like your very typical YA main character in a fantasy setting, which is probably one of the reasons I stay away from most YA fantasy.
For example, she kept snapping at her dad during numerous occasions, acting moody even when it wasn’t called for in large parts of the book. I honestly wanted to tell her she needs an attitude adjustment over quite a few chapters. While she did become a bit more mature towards the very end, this book in general and her arc specifically didn’t stick the landing or the page count for me. Her behaviour turned me off and since it had a large part of the book, it affected my rating heavily.
This standalone is decent, but weaker than others we had as semifinalists. The first 10% specifically was quite strong and this book had so much potential to be right down my alley. Unfortunately, most of that potential went unfulfilled. Those who can deal with Sascha better than me might have a better time with it.
Julia
This was a quick and easy read, if not a “light” one.
I mostly enjoyed our two main characters Sascha, a girl who has been brought up in a peaceful village, and her dad Kalen who has a rather mysterious past.
At times I found little bits a bit shallow though, like her getting very angry at her father for not knowing what clothes she owns. It would be fine, if they didn’t have much bigger problems to care about at that moment. There were a few parts like this, when I just felt the characters motivations and agency weren’t as fleshed out as I’d have liked.
The world was interesting, but at times I would have liked it just a tad deeper and more three dimensional. To me it felt like I was walking past a pretty backdrop instead of being fully immersed into the world. I did like the different clans and religions/gods though.
The plot was interesting enough to keep me going all the way, but again, there’s a bit much ambling around, and reacting to things that are happening, instead of actively shaping the story.
Overall, the quick pace and easy prose made it an entertaining and fast read, which I devoured just two settings.
Kerry
Unfortunately, I was not the audience for this book. It read like a tortuous road trip with a petulant daughter (one’s whose head I’m glad I didn’t spend much time in). Everything felt generic and repetitive; however, I think this would be an excellent novel for a younger reader who is just starting out on their fantasy reading journey.
Max
At the risk of sounding like a sour puss, I really didn’t like this one much at all. Not only do dark and gritty stories have a harder time winning me over (not impossible, but difficult), but the story and characters seemed kind of generic and repetitive. The worldbuilding was interesting, but these are not the characters I wanted to follow through it.
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And again, you can see the list of all the finalists and their scores here. Our judges are Adawia Asad, Julia Kitvaria Sarene, Kerry Smith, Lana Taylor, Robert Max Freeman, Yaniv Rosenfeld Cohen, and Jennie Ivins (me). If you’d like to learn more about us, including our likes and dislikes, you can read about them here.
Any queries should be directed at me, Jennie Ivins, via DM on Facebook and Twitter.
Julia Kitvaria Sarene