The Final Feast

The Final Feast, Andrew Rivas, 2020 (self-published)

Part 2 of a series, this fantasy/science fiction novel takes place in a kingdom where the Families are very powerful (there is a king and queen). Princess Ruby, the leader of the Daughters of Despair (they do the kingdom's dirty work), decides to take down the Families, permanently. Their ability to perpetually stay in power seems connected to their consumption of a substance called honey. The yearly festival where the honey consumption happens is coming soon, along with the hundredth anniversary of the Storm of the Screaming Skies. When all is said and done, will the kingdom ever be the same?

This novel is very different and very good. The biggest difference is that the entire book is written in first person, from different perspectives. It's like the entire book is nothing but monologues and dialogues; there is no narration. The second difference is that the reader had better like being dropped right in the middle of a story, again with no narration or other explanation. Some readers will appreciate it; personally, that is why this book gets 4 stars (maybe 4.5 stars) instead of 5 stars.