The Last One

Kai wakes in a forest with no memory of who she is or how she got there. The land around her is desolate, ruled by sickness and unnatural beasts. She knows only one thing: she has to reach the Sea of Devour, or conditions in this place will get worse.

In a nearby village, she watches the blacksmith drive off invaders with remarkable skill. She takes up his offer of help, even though he is just as good at irritating her as he is at fighting.

As Kai looks for answers, she turns up more questions. Many of them circle back to the blacksmith, whose touch can set her body burning and then cool it sharply a breath later. The kingdom of Vinevridth is full of people who are not what they seem, and his secrets may prove as dangerous as the land itself.

This is a romantasy with a female amnesiac at its centre, a dark and perilous setting, and a push-and-pull between two people who spar as much as they depend on each other. It is the first book in the Vallendor series, followed by The Cruel Dawn, and the series is best read in order.