Eyes Last Seen Dying by Colin J. Adams portrays martial art with vividness and a style that is cinematic. Lena is the young female protagonist and a gifted swordswoman. She is the first girl in Harrowgate to conquer the mile in under five — a very fast runner that has been called “a freak” by those around her. As she advances in her training she is manipulated by her own sensei into acts that escalate into a wide-scale conflict. When she steals one of the six stones holding back the dark power known as Nithrain, she unwittingly draws war to herself. Now she is hunted by all kinds of people with different motives — she has a coveted treasure. While she wants redemption, she must survive first, and the stakes are high for her. How much fight can she muster in a world filled with skilled and deadly warriors? Follow her path, strewn with danger, as she moves toward the unexpected ending.

There is so much to commend about this narrative, from the fantasies of the young protagonist about getting married to Cathal, to the wonderful world-building in which the author sets the rules of power, prowess, and traditions that hold society together. The realism is stunning for a fantasy tale. The plot has a lot to slake the thirst of the reader, twisty and a chilling thrill in every minute. Colin J. Adams shows a strong mastery of the elements of fantasy and weaves them seamlessly into the narrative, evoking a world that comes alive in the imagination of the reader, whether they are following the protagonist as she leaps from one building to another, when she is engaged in combat, or engaging in dialogue. The imagery is superb, the action pulsating, and the prose is so beautiful one is sure this weaver of words knows how to not waste a single one. Eyes Last Seen Dying is fast-paced, emotionally rich, and written with characters that are not just relatable but lovable. It will appeal to fans of young adult fantasy and coming-of-age novels.

Eyes Last Seen Dying by Colin J. Adams opens with an intriguing sentence to do with a young woman who has yet to develop the necessary wit, guile, and talent for her mission. This is why you will sit reading in silent concentration to find out how this hero, Lena, will develop such attributes. She is a sword prodigy who, under instructions from a mentor, Evander, is tasked to retrieve a crimson gem that holds power beyond imagination. Taking it will not be easy, as it is protected by Valdar witchcraft. Together with her friend Mechelle, they set off on the perilous task that costs the life of her friend in the process. With the gem in her possession, she is unaware of the great perils that await, and she has to become a hero to redeem herself and rectify matters, as enemies from all sides are hell-bent on hunting her down.

Lena may appear like the cookie-cutter hero typical in young adult fiction, being young and filled with the physical prowess to get things done. But the difficult moral choices that she struggles to deal with are what make her human and relatable in the process. She bears the guilt of being responsible for the deaths of so many that even if she manages to find love, in the end, she still chooses to take a path that may not be popular with some of the people around her. Eyes Last Seen Dying by Colin J. Adams has some unanticipated twists and turns that build the plot and character. Many lives will be lost which shows the formidability of the enemies that Lena faces. But the story involves a character that is as much preoccupied with a conflict against herself. In the end, you feel satisfied when everything seems to fall into place, but then you get jolted when Lena makes the unpopular decision that will make you follow her escapades for the next installment—and that is the reason why you will want to read this book.

Eyes Last Seen Dying by Colin J. Adams is an action-packed epic fantasy that will give you an adrenaline rush as you read until the end. Lena was left alone and devastated when her hometown was destroyed. Evander came to her like a guiding angel and showed her that she still had a reason to live. He became her sensei, taught her the ways of sashji, and made her a swordswoman people would be in awe of. However, his intentions were far from pure. He tricked Lena into stealing one of the stones that were keeping the Nithrain out of this world. Now that they are back, Lena has to make sure the Nithrain don’t destroy the world and are exiled once again. But the path ahead is going to be much more complex than ever before. There are people after her, they want her dead, but she might be the only one who can protect the world. Will she get the chance to redeem herself?

The fast-paced narrative fitted well with Lena’s steady development. Lena was a hardheaded character at times, but she knew what worked for her and what didn’t. She was very self-aware, something that you don’t find in young protagonists in the genre. Her relationship with Evander not only grounded her but also gave her a purpose. Evander’s betrayal hit her very hard, and the emotional turmoil she went through was very well handled. Colin J. Adams handled the mystery behind the Nithrain well and gave readers enough information to keep them interested. He gave Lena a purpose and a goal to fulfill her destiny as she saw fit and not how the other characters dictated it to be. The descriptions were out of this world, and the dialogues were rich! Eyes Last Seen Dying is one of the best novels I have read so far this year.