**Cross posted from the Circulation Desk.**
The Last Huntress (Mirror Realm Series Book 1) by Lenore Borja
Spark Press, Nov. 2022
ISBN-13: 978-1684631735
Available: Paperback, Kindle edition
The Last Huntress is a young adult fantasy/adventure with romantic underpinnings, clearly targeted towards junior high and high school girls. That doesn’t mean adults can’t read and enjoy the book: I’m a 48 year old man and found plenty here to like!
Alice, Hadley, Olivia, and Soxie are four high school girls with the power to enter the Mirror Realm, a sort of ‘between’ plane of existence that contains thousands of portals to locations all over the earth. Their task as Huntresses is to destroy the demons from another realm that cross over to Earth to wreak havoc, using the Mirror Realm as a gateway. That’s the bare-bones plot. There’s actually a good deal more, and it ties into Greek mythology through Hades, Persephone, and the Furies, among others. In the interest of not spoiling the plot, that’s as much as this review will cover.
The four Huntresses are the engine that provides the go-juice for the book; their interactions with each other are the best part. The author nails it when portraying somewhat outcast, powerful high school girls, right down to their mannerisms and dialogue. I’ve got a decade of experience teaching high school girls, and Borje hits it perfectly. She knows how to write for this age set (not easy for adults) and the young adult crowd will find this easily relatable. The four of them are a smart, rambunctious bunch that knows how to get tough when needed. Whether they are falling through a mirror and crash-landing in a restaurant, or stealthily breaking into a police station for a raid, you’ll love the exploits of the four.
As for pacing and interest level, it is good throughout, with some notable high points. One of the best is the three girls introducing Alice to the Mirror Realm. Their gravity-defying travels through the mirror halls are very well done. The section towards the end of the book involving Hades is another standout section. The rest of the book maintains a consistent level of interest and excitement, enough to keep the pages flipping. The romance angle between Alice and Colin is there but thankfully, it’s not the overriding book focus, it’s just another color on the painting. The book is more about ashing demons and saving the world, but there is enough of the true love/soulmate stuff to keep young readers swooning. Older readers will probably just chuckle and keep reading.
T
he only minor flaw is that the plot gets convoluted at times. With the various prophecies and deals made by the Greek gods in the book, it can get confusing. While readers who need everything to make sense might get frustrated, it’s best to just take it at face value and enjoy the story, since it is a good one.
Bottom line…young girls will love it and learn a thing or two about Greek mythology. Adults will likely enjoy reading this also, enough to generate interest for the next book in the series when it comes out. Recommended.
Reviewed by Murray Samuelson