The Last Shield

Cameron Johnston

Adult High Fantasy

A gender-flipped Die Hard set in a mysterious castle, Cameron Johnston’s The Last Shield is an engaging fantasy read, perfect for fans of John Gwynne and Mark Lawrence.

The ancient forest realm of Sunweald is bordered on two sides by far mightier nations – a precarious situation. At its centre, the Sunweald Palace is home to the Lord Regent and the heir to the throne, together with numerous precious and powerful artefacts. The Palace is protected by the realm’s elite Shields, dedicated to guarding the royal line against all foes.

A group of vicious brigands called the Wildwood Reivers have been stealing arcane artefacts and smuggling them across the borders, out of Sunweald. And the objects they most desire are stored in the mystical Wyrm Vault, hidden away deep in the bones of the earth, within the walls of the Palace itself.

As political and religious tensions mount, Sunweald’s druids prepare to enact rituals for the Summer Solstice – but the Wildwood Reivers and their treacherous allies have other plans. It falls to Briar, the commander of the Shields, to defend the ancient corridors and secret tunnels of the Palace. The odds may be against her, but she’ll see every enemy head adorning a spike or she’ll die trying…

-Excerpt taken from Goodreads.

Check Goodreads to see the book’s ratings.

My Opinion

(5 / 5) I loved this! Briar is the very devoted commander of the Shields. After thwarting an assassination attempt, she is plagued with what will be a lifelong injury. While preparing to leave the Palace, she is taken by surprise when some of her own Shields attempt a takeover with a powerful sorceress leading them. 

Immediately I was drawn to Briar and her grit. She stood out among many great characters. And what followed was a fabulous adventure I didn’t want to end. It was full of magic, treason, battles and so much more. This went to the top of my favorite fantasy reads and I wish this was a series!

General content summary: F words= 20

C***= 1

Drugs (mushrooms)

Alcohol (multiple)

Killings (sliced throat, stabbing, some details, multiple, blood, disembowell, bludgeoning, black magic which burned from the inside out, beheading, many children killed brutally leaving a lot of blood with some details, brains splattered on walls, splitting head in two, slicing open insides, grotesque head on stick and body with details, axe bludgeoning, fall from large height, fire)

Sedatives given unwillingly 

Physical violence (knives thrown, blood, crushed neck, throat slit, fingers cut off, poisoned arrows, bites, broken bones, crushed bones, limbs/fingers cut off, details, multiple)

Intimacy (dances with little to no clothes that vaguely refer to intimate acts, nakedness while tied up, m/f kiss)

Physical disability 

Cannibalism (brief, some details)

Captivity (multiple tied up)

Corpses (desecrated tomb of bodies)

Sorcery (draining a man’s blood for magic, raising the dead to fight)

Large spider creatures and attack

Bird attack 

Thank you to Angry Robot for the copy!

The book releases August 13, 2024.

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