Last Sunrise in Eterna by Amparo Ortiz

Today’s review is for Last Sunrise in Eterna by Amparo Ortiz. This is a YA fantasy set in Puerto Rico. Thank you to TBR & Beyond Tours for allowing me to be part of this blog tour!

I received this book for free from NetGalley to facilitate my review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Three teenagers are invited to spend seven days on the secluded island floating off the coast of Puerto Rico to learn the magic of the elves.

All they have to do is give up their dreams.

Seventeen-year-old goth Sevim Burgos hates elves. Everyone else on earth loves the elves (especially their handsome princes) and would give anything to participate in Eterna’s annual Exchange, where three teens can trade their dreams for a week of elven magic.

But Sevim knows things most people don’t. She can see through the illusions the elves use to conceal their crimes. Ever since elves killed her father, Sevim has longed for revenge. So to help support her single mother, she has been selling abandoned elf corpses on the black market.

But it turns out that the elf prince Aro has noticed Sevim bodysnatching, so he kidnaps her mother in retaliation. To get her mother back, Sevim must participate in the Exchange.

In the home of the elves, Sevim will have to surrender her dreams and put her trust in the charming prince who took the last family member she has in order to master the art of elf magic. And in working with him, she will discover how the royal elves might be more tied to her own history than she ever suspected.

CW: trauma, handling corpses

Last Sunrise in Eterna – The Review

Characters

There are so many characters in Last Sunrise in Eterna that have a lot to do with the story, so I really don’t want to go into too much detail regarding specific characters. I will say that I really enjoyed Sevim – she and I are a lot alike (aside from the fact that I am not Puerto Rican – I mean music and fashion tastes and loving to read). I also greatly enjoyed Aro – although sometimes I didn’t and you’ll understand more about that when you read the book. As far as Aro’s brother, Feyn is concerned, I don’t care much for him, but later on I came to understand why he is the way he is. I also loved Jason and Ryujin.

Atmosphere

I appreciated the fact that in Last Sunrise in Eterna we have elves (Aro, Feyn, and others) interacting with humans on EARTH… not some made up planet. But actually on Earth, in Puerto Rico. It’s pretty cool and I really loved it. It gave the book the basic elements of fantasy while actually having it be a normal setting. Loved it.

Writing

The writing style in Last Sunrise in Eterna is absolutely wonderful. It is easy to read, easy to follow, and even when something is said in Spanish, it isn’t that hard to figure out what’s going on or what’s being said. The book had wonderful pacing and I loved that I was never bored with the book. It did take me a bit to get into, but that was more of “right book, wrong time” than anything wrong with the book.

Plot

Do we have books where people are chosen to go do this or that? Yes, of course we do. But what about books where those people are heading off to an island full of elves? On Earth no less? With twists and turns you will never see coming… you have to read this book to believe how amazing this plot is. Seriously, Last Sunrise in Eterna is not a book you should be sleeping on!

Intrigue

Trust me, this is a fantasy book, YA fantasy to be exact, and it has plenty of intrigue. Unless you’re not a fan of fantasy or elves, you will love this book. There are elves, magic, danger, mystery, and the best plot twists you’ll ever see. Intrigue is definitely a part of this book.

Romance

Oh come on, what’s a good YA Fantasy without a little romance? I’m not going to tell you who the romance is between, but in all honesty, I think there might be more than one brewing in this book. However, with this book appearing to be a standalone, we may never see them come to fruition. But the romance is cute and it is a slow-burn for the romance, because there are issues. But what romance doesn’t have issues?

Ending

The ending to this book will blow you away. There are plot twists that come towards the end that just smack you out of left-field. While the absolute ending somewhat leaves things open for a possible sequel, the book is finished well enough the way it ends.

Conclusion

I gave this book 4 stars because it is an amazing read – I wouldn’t call it one of my favorites for this year, although since we’re only in April, it’s possible it could still become one! I’m telling you, this is a book you need to read!

About Amparo Ortiz

Amparo Ortiz is the author of BLAZEWRATH GAMES and
DRAGONBLOOD RING. She was born in San Juan, Puerto
Rico, and currently lives on the island’s northeastern coast.

She’s published short story comics in MARVEL’S VOICES:
COMUNIDADES #1 and in the Eisner-award winning
PUERTO RICO STRONG. She’s also co-editor of the
upcoming OUR SHADOWS HAVE CLAWS, a young adult
horror anthology featuring myths and monsters from Latin
America. When she’s not writing, she teaches ESL as a
college professor and watches a lot of Kpop videos.

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