C. M. Karys

Princess Asharaya Myrassar lost everything when her family was slaughtered. Now she must fight her greatest enemy to find her destiny as the last dragon-blessed queen.

The Last Myrassar

Ilahara

Chiara Vitale Zelaia

That embarassing moment when I realize my own book has been out for almost 6 months and I still hadn't given myself a rating, like all the authors do. *epic fail*

Well...I'm biased, but I'm extremely proud of this book, especially now as I'm almost done writing the sequel, knowing where the characters are in this one and where they're headed. Hope you enjoy this little tale as much as we enjoyed writing it!

Maria Elena Vitale Zelaia

So my sister and I have noticed that a lot of authors like writing a small love letter to the book once it's out. Well, Ilahara has been out for almost six months, so I think it's about time I do this, too. 

This is our first book baby that's gone out into the world. It's a blend of who we were at the time we first started it and who we are now. We've learned so much from this story that's helped us shape other projects and, most imporantly, the sequel, of which we're currently editing the first draft before sending it out to the publisher. 

I'm so proud of this book. I'm happy and grateful for all the love it's been receiving, and I hope it'll reach many more hearts in the future. Thank you, everyone! And thank you, Ilahara.

Jourdan Gandy

Hardest review I will ever write. My dearest friends, I know I say this all the time but I am so proud of you both! I saw how hard you worked on this baby and it finally happened. I just want to say thank you for including me in your journey and giving me the privilege of being part of Ilahara Trajectory. Definitely two talented sisters, that know how to world build and rip my soul in pieces. Love you girls! 

Ok here goes.. to sum it up.. GIVE ME ALL THE MORALLY GREY... 
The book starts off giving us details on the different realms and the origins of the characters. We see introductions of such as the chapters go by. For me different POVs sometimes tend to confuse me but I will say the authors had a great way of sewing the path and helped us follow it all without missing any detail. The royalty and everything about the world building was beautiful. The verbiage used in some descriptions definitely added magic to the book. 

I loved the mix of everything, we got Assassins, fae, and other supernatural creatures! Ugh Cassia, yes.. so strong and witty. I loved the development of this character. The authors give us a characters carrying defiance, some traitors, and of course the test of loyalty. The interaction between them all, the action scenes, and the build up of the plot *chef's kiss*. 

Did I love the romance? umm you know I did cause just like the authors I am a sucker for these types of scenarios and inclusion in a book. I was in awe as the pages passed by, definitely a page turner. Did I love my that my heart was stomped on and kicked off a cliff, of course I did LOL. AHH I am so excited it's now out in the world for you all to experience! 

 This book is perfect for lovers of slow burn romance and action! I cannot wait for book 2!

Tatiana Alvarez 

Ahhhh!! First of, I'm just so proud of the two amazing authors. They not only followed their dreams to publish a book, they wrote an amazing story full of adventure, deception, love, and loss. Like, I'm at a loss for words right now!

Fans of epic fantasy reads will devour this book and love the journey they are taken on. Ilahara is the story of Asharaya, who lost everything - including her family - the day the usurper queen, Aerella Argarys, took everything from her. She is the only one left of her family, but knows that she has to keep her identity safe.

Then there is my bae, Derron Argarys, son of queen Aerella. Although he should be happy about his new status as prince, he can't help but feel conflicted over the death that brought them to this place.

Unable to hide her identity for long, soon everyone is after the former princess, Asharaya. The true, epic journey begins.

If you are a fan of political discord, high fae, fantastical creatures, and friends turned enemies, do yourself a favor and pick this book up! I'm dying for book 2 already.

Paige Green

Disclaimer: I bought this ebook to support my friends! Promote/help your author friends! All opinions are my own.

Book: Ilahara: The Last Myrassar

Author: C.M. Karys

Book Series: Ilahara Book 1

Rating: 3/5

Diversity: There is a brief m/m romance mentioned

Recommended For...: young adult readers, high fantasy, fantasy

Publication Date: November 1, 2021

Genre: YA High Fantasy

Recommended Age: 16+ (Gore, Violence, Sexual content, Kidnapping, Parent death, Animal hurt, Animal death, Grief, Death, Alcohol, Romance)

Explanation of CWs: There was a lot of gore and violence in the book. Sexual content is also present in the book and I feel like there was a passage that mentioned that young children worked at either a bar/tavern or a prostitution house but I’m not entirely sure on that and I can’t find it in the book again, so just be weary. There is a kidnapping and parental death mentioned. There is a story shown in the book where a dragon gets shot down and dies. Grief is discussed and alcohol is briefly mentioned. There is also some romance in this book.

Publisher: Literary Wanderlust

Pages: 320

Synopsis: Princess Asharaya Myrassar lost everything on the night of the Coup of Fire when the usurper queen, Aerella Argarys, slaughtered the royal family and claimed the throne of the fae kingdom of Ilahara. After seeking refuge on the human continent and leaving her magical past behind, Asharaya takes on a new identity: Shara, an assassin blessed with dark powers.

Prince Derron Argarys owes his royal title to his mother's coup, and although he has all the status and power one could wish for, he cannot escape the memories of the brutal death of the former prince he once called friend. Now the heir to the throne, Derron must set aside his memories and learn to rule by the Argarys words: show your power, hide your heart.

But when a crone proclaims the last of the dragon-blessed rulers still lives and prophesizes Asharaya's return to Ilahara, friend and foe alike set out to find her, Derron among them. Yet he discovers in Asharaya not only a cold and beautiful assassin but also the princess he once knew. When the chance to rid his family of the Myrassar threat comes, Derron hesitates in dealing the killing blow, charting a new course that may see Asharaya's return to Ilahara to face her greatest enemy and her destiny as the last dragon-blessed queen.

Review: For the most part this was a good book. It read a lot like The Shannara Chronicles and I loved the high fantasy feel of it. I also loved the trope (Lost Princess) used and I liked that the book talked openly about menstrual cycles. The book is also heavy in political intrigue, which I like. I liked the world building and the plot kept me going.

However, the book was really confusing. The book didn’t clearly define who’s POV was whose when you start the chapter and it was awkward to go into the book with multiple POVs and not know what’s going on. I also felt like the multiple POVs didn’t allow for the characters to develop well and there was little back-story on each main character, which made the book more confusing. The book was also slow paced. Finally, as I was writing this review, I copied the synopsis and realized that it helps fill in some of the gaps in the book, which is a bummer for me. I don’t read synopses before reading the book and I feel like if important details are in the synopsis but not in the book, it just sets the book up to be a letdown.

Verdict: It was ok.


Lisa van der Heijden 

Title: Ilahara: The Last Myrassar 
Author: @cmkarys
Pages: 380
Published: November 2021
Rating: 5.0/5.0 

Sometimes it feels like a book is written specifically so I can love it. Ilahara feels like that for me. 

I’ve read and loved the beta version, but the final version is more complex and elegant. Maria and Chiara were capable to write an original, solid fantasy story with relatively little pages. The plot is fast paced, high stakes, and kept me curious. If you know the authors, you’ll notice the inspiration from their favourite stories. However, Ilahara is completely its own story. And don’t be fooled, they might be sweet, but they are definitely capable of making us cry. 

My favourite aspect of the book is the characters. I loved them instantly. They are well-developed full of motives, dreams, and flaws. Their connections and relationships feel realistic. There is a lot of chemistry between the characters, both romantically as friendly. I also praise Chiara and Maria for the inclusion of not only characters with different skin colours and sexualities but also characters with disabilities. 

Knowing the authors, their love for fantasy is tangible through their writing. The two sisters write as one and their writing flows well. Their writing contains a lot of personality, humour and is full of beautiful quotes. They made me laugh several times. The story was told from different PoV and they were all fascinating. 

Chiara and Maria created a complete world with different religions, politics, and magic systems, oh and dragons. The world feels detailed and extensive. I loved how we could see a big part of it in the book. I loved that magic was not necessarily easy and had consequences. The world itself felt well-written, structured, and logical. 

In conclusion, Ilahara is one of my new favourite books. I loved everything about it, and I cannot wait for the sequel.

Rating breakdown: plot (5/5), characters (5/5), writing (5/5), worldbuilding (5/5), overall enjoyment (5/5)

Trigger warnings: Graphic violence, death/murder, los of a lost one. 


Ilahara The Last Myrassar

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