Review: The Last Grand Master by Andrew Q. Gordon

Title: The Last Grand Master (Champion of the Gods #1)

Author: Andrew Q. Gordon

Publisher: Dreamspinner Press

Release Date: February 1, 2013

Format/Source: eBook- Publisher via Netgalley

Rating: ★★★☆☆

In a war that shook the earth, the Six gods of Nendor defeated their brother Neldin, god of evil. For the three thousand years since, Nendor and the Seven Kingdoms have known peace and prosperity. But then a new wizard unleashes the power of Neldin. Meglar, wizard king of Zargon, uses dark magic to create an army of creatures to carry out his master's will. One by one, the sovereign realms fall. Soon the only wizard who can stop Meglar is Grand Master Farrell, the Prince of Haven, the hidden home of refugees. An untried wizard, Farrell carries a secret that could hold the key to defeating Meglar—or it could destroy the world. While helping Nerti, queen of the unicorns, Farrell saves Miceral, an immortal muchari warrior the Six have chosen to be Farrell's mate. But Farrell approaches love with caution, and before he can decide how to proceed, Meglar invades a neighboring kingdom. Farrell and Miceral find themselves in the middle of the battle. Farrell pushes himself to the limit as he and Miceral fight not only to stop Meglar but for their very survival.

My Review:

I admit it. I requested this book because of the unicorns. And despite only giving it three stars, I have no regrets.

The book started really well with lots of action and with Farrell meeting Miceral, his mate, and Nerti, the queen of unicorns who he winds up being destined to bond with. Very promising start that kept me reading, eagerly awaiting what was to happen next. Then it slowed down a lot from there. And dragged. And I had a hard time keeping myself interested enough to continue reading. Eventually it did pick back up though and the ending was very easy and fun to get through but also leaves you wanting the next book now.

Farrell. I feel like there isn't anything Farrell can't do but he's certainly not without his faults. He wants to help everyone and never thinks about what it might cost him to do so. Despite being an extraordinary wizard Farrell feels he is not worthy of being Miceral's mate since Miceral's strength lies elsewhere. When speaking about his past I felt no real pain, though I think that has more to do with the way he expressed himself.

Farrell is such a wonderful person though. He is kind, he is sweet, he is loyal, and he is intelligent. He's good at what it does and he does work to improve on what he doesn't. He knows that he has to be the one to stop Meglar and he knows he might die in the process but he takes it all in stride. He must do what he must do.

The romance between Farrell and Miceral was really adorable. At first. I have to admit that the constant declarations of love got to be a bit much. At times it was just overly sweet. Still, they are a really adorable couple. And I love how Miceral helps Farrell with his fighting skills.

Overall I think this book is worth the read. And there are unicorns. And the unicorns are awesome. As they should be. Do you think it's possible to be a queen of the unicorns without being a unicorn? If so, where do I sign up for that job?

Enjoyable read! I looked forward to the next book. I need to continue this adventure.