Fantasy

Review: The Last Soldier of Nava by Yejin Suh

July 5, 2026

Synopsis:

According to legend, the Soldier drowned entire kingdoms in darkness.

Yet, the Soldier was only a girl, robbed of her will and raised as a weapon for her power-hungry father. When she awakens years later, freedom takes the form of a hidden life and a new name: Shadow.

As war brews and magical dead zones devour the natural world, Shadow is captured and pulled back into court life by her immortal father’s new prodigy, Scarlet, a diabolical woman obsessed with her sister’s murder. A murder Shadow herself committed in a past life.

Shadow’s control over darkness holds the key to restoring the balance of their world, but a serpentine court hides greed, corruption, and her father’s new plot to resurrect his fading magic.

If she’s to survive and save her nation, Shadow will have to hide her past and rely on the woman who captured her—even as they unwind the legends that brought them together and face their growing attraction.

Review:

When I first saw the cover – combined with the description – I was intrigued and looked forward to reading it. After finishing the book, I felt that something was missing, something that could have made it an amazing read for me.

I’m not an expert in Korean mythology and therefore can’t comment on the accuracy of the mythology or how its elements are portrayed. While there were aspects I understood and found interesting, others didn’t connect with me, and I was constantly asking myself whether I was simply not getting it.
Then we had the Shadow’s storyline and her role, which I actually enjoyed. She was constantly used as a pawn and wanted to leave that part of her life behind, but she was never given the chance to do so.
The sapphic element was barely existent, so don’t expect it to play a significant role. This aspect felt like it was hanging by a thread, and I found myself simply accepting it despite it not working particularly well or fitting naturally into the story. For it to make sense to me, it shouldn’t have happened around the 60% mark; it needed a foundation, which never existed.

I had high hopes for this one, and while I enjoyed certain parts, overall it too often felt like I was forcing myself to continue reading.

🌙 Recension: The Last Soldier of Nava by Yejin Suh
📚 Genre: Fantasy
📅 Release Date: July 7, 2026 (Paperback)
📖 Publisher: ‎Magpie
📗 available in various formats
📱 Read as: Kindle
💸 I received a free copy and am voluntarily leaving a review.
🗣️ Language: English
📆 Pages: 384
⭐️ 3/5