 Hello my darling extraterrestrials, I am Kim. This is Dustmotes and Velikor, and today we're talking about the Last Namsara by Kristin Cigarelli. This was another e-audiobook from the library, which is a resource that I am so impressed with. My tax dollars are safe in their hands. The Last Namsara tells the story of Asha, a young princess and dragon hunter who bears the scars of both dragonfire and a decade of her people's malice. When she was a child, her city burned, and it was her fault. But her father, the king, raised her from her shame, gave her a title, and made her the most feared and the most fearsome warrior of their country. She was the Iskari, the destroyer, betrothed to a man who delights in hurting others. Her father gives her a secret task, she'll be rewarded with her freedom if she brings him back the heart of the first dragon. But the tapestry of her world, the past, the present, and the truth, is about to unravel, and she is the only one who doesn't see it coming. Asha is quick on her feet, a quick thinker, but she is not a good strategist. Even when presented with irrefutable proof that someone has lied to her about a huge aspect of her life, not once did she ever stop to think, maybe they lied about other things too. I spent a lot of this book going, no. No Asha. Asha, you're operating on false assumptions. Asha, don't do that, Asha, that's dumb! However, this book also explores the very subtle psychological warfare that is pitting an entire country against one little girl, naming her after a goddess who walked alone and died alone, betrothing this girl to a man who is as cruel as they come and then dangling redemption like a baited hook. A lot of Asha's decision making, which I as the reader know will get her into the hot water, is based on absolute truths, things that she knows. She is wicked, she is hideous, and she is irredeemable. She is utterly unaware of the emotional abuse that she is still suffering from. She sees it as totally deserved, and she makes her decisions as best she can from within that world view, and that is heartbreaking. Asha's story is a tale of myths and traditions of gods and monsters and heroes, and it's a tale of love. So if that sounds like something you'd be into, check out The Last Namsara, and then come and let me know what you thought. I love talking about books. Have you in thought?