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Last Immortals #1
The Last Immortals: Dawn of the Axolotl
Abandoned at birth, Ace the axolotl struggles to survive both human and animal predators in his quest to save himself—and his entire species—in this epic middle grade fantasy for fans of Warrior Cats, with 24 black-and-white illustrations throughout.
There’s danger lurking in the depths of the lake. Ace learns this early—when his twin brother cruelly devours his tail and leaves him for dead. Separated from his family, Ace is cast into a perilous waterway. He is wary of trusting others, but his survival will depend on it as he navigates treacherous algae blooms and hunts for food while he waits for his tail to regenerate. And when he stumbles upon a glowing green axolotl named Ariel, he learns that, with training, axolotls can develop an incredible power: immortality. With high rewards come unspeakable risks, and Ace has been hurt before. But the potential to cheat death might be too hard to resist.
This action-packed adventure explores the strength that develops through adversity as Ace confronts bullying, betrayal, poisoned waters, and vicious predators, all while forming lasting bonds with the courageous axolotls he meets along the way.
There’s danger lurking in the depths of the lake. Ace learns this early—when his twin brother cruelly devours his tail and leaves him for dead. Separated from his family, Ace is cast into a perilous waterway. He is wary of trusting others, but his survival will depend on it as he navigates treacherous algae blooms and hunts for food while he waits for his tail to regenerate. And when he stumbles upon a glowing green axolotl named Ariel, he learns that, with training, axolotls can develop an incredible power: immortality. With high rewards come unspeakable risks, and Ace has been hurt before. But the potential to cheat death might be too hard to resist.
This action-packed adventure explores the strength that develops through adversity as Ace confronts bullying, betrayal, poisoned waters, and vicious predators, all while forming lasting bonds with the courageous axolotls he meets along the way.
208 pages, Paperback
First published May 5, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
May 30, 2026
Reviewing casually as a middle school librarian. (As an upper elementary book, this would be an interest point for 6th graders and low-end or reluctant readers).
Overall, I'm disappointed, though the book does have its good points concerning raising awareness of the endangered species among other small moral values related to friendship and found family.
One of my more technical gripes comes from the fact that this new series is advertised (and was even before publication and reader opinion) as a new series akin to "Warriors" by Erin Hunter that kids will love if they love Erin Hunter's books. As a first generation Warriors reader, this is almost offensive in its inaccuracy—neither the world-building nor the writing or plot quality comes close to anything Hunter has published in the Warriors series.
Another point this book suffers from is the lack of a higher standard for language and prose and failure to add in more useful vocabulary that child readers should be picking up when they read. As I read through it, I found that more complex words or sentence structures were somewhat sparse, leaving the prose dull.
The other main issue with this story is that the author has not yet mastered the art of "show, don't tell." Much of the plot is rolled through by way of infodumping and characters having long discussions about the details of their world and explaining things to each other by speaking at length. It stifles the flow and renders the story a bit droning in places that I wanted to skip over because little to no scene was actually involved.
Hopefully the series will improve with time, but for now, I am not overly intrigued. 3 stars because I cannot give 2.5.
Overall, I'm disappointed, though the book does have its good points concerning raising awareness of the endangered species among other small moral values related to friendship and found family.
One of my more technical gripes comes from the fact that this new series is advertised (and was even before publication and reader opinion) as a new series akin to "Warriors" by Erin Hunter that kids will love if they love Erin Hunter's books. As a first generation Warriors reader, this is almost offensive in its inaccuracy—neither the world-building nor the writing or plot quality comes close to anything Hunter has published in the Warriors series.
Another point this book suffers from is the lack of a higher standard for language and prose and failure to add in more useful vocabulary that child readers should be picking up when they read. As I read through it, I found that more complex words or sentence structures were somewhat sparse, leaving the prose dull.
The other main issue with this story is that the author has not yet mastered the art of "show, don't tell." Much of the plot is rolled through by way of infodumping and characters having long discussions about the details of their world and explaining things to each other by speaking at length. It stifles the flow and renders the story a bit droning in places that I wanted to skip over because little to no scene was actually involved.
Hopefully the series will improve with time, but for now, I am not overly intrigued. 3 stars because I cannot give 2.5.
July 31, 2026
Read this aloud to my daughter. She wanted to give it 4 stars, she loved the axolotl info and fantasy story. But this story has some darker elements that I don’t recommend for younger, sensitive readers.
Overall she enjoyed it and wants to move on to Book 2. It’s not one that I would immediately gravitate towards for her to read though.
Overall she enjoyed it and wants to move on to Book 2. It’s not one that I would immediately gravitate towards for her to read though.
September 16, 2026
Rated by a 9 year old ... Said he loved the book.
May 31, 2026
Very weak storyline. Character development lacking. Great concept - needs writer’s workshop.
September 3, 2026
This is an interesting story and I’ll do my best to give it justice in my review.
My 9 year old daughter couldn’t get past the first chapter. It was too graphic and upsetting. She’s my more “sensitive” reader.
My 8 year old son was surprised by the beginning but he carried on and finished the book.
I personally was a bit taken aback by the beginning. The brutality, betrayal, falling to peer pressure, and near death experience was a bit much, but there is some redemption here.. for Ace. Jasper, not so much, unfortunately.
Spoilers coming…
The beginning starts off with twin axlotls hatching with the promise that they’ll always stay together and watch out for each other. Ace is the smaller of the twins and Jasper is the bigger. They try to hunt, but apparently Ace is holding Jasper back and they can’t catch anything to eat. Enter Milo, they all him their sibling who also just hatched, and he makes fun of them, saying they’ll never be good hunters, etc. Mostly aiming his mean words towards Ace and making fun of Jasper for being around him. What does Jasper do!? He pretends he’s playing an old friendly game with Ace, latched on to his tail, rips it off, and eats it! 😳 then he swims away and leaves Ace to die. End of chapter. This is where my daughter was like, nope I’m done.
Ace pulls through and finds Bubbles. Then they find Ariel and Neptune. They form a group and look out for each other. Ariel is an older axlotl and helps Ace and Bubbles learn to protect themselves and hunt for food. Other trials come their way, too. I think in ch 2 there is a mention of blood from his bloody stump or something along those lines.
The book end with Jasper. He wants to form his own group (which seems more gang like because he’s known to be mean and harsh). Four of his potential group mates get caught under a rock and Jasper has an inner monologue with himself about trying to save them or not. He thinks he’s being unselfish by saving them but he offers to save them with a price. They have to agree to be apart of his group. When they ask what kind of group, he said it doesn’t matter- do they want to live or not? The saving doesn’t go exactly as Jasper had planned, he even offers to bite and rip their tails off (🫣) but doesn’t end up needing to do that. They turn into salamanders and swim away. The end.
Weird book. 2 stars for me.. I added an extra star because my son was invested and cared about Ace and Bubbles.
I wouldn’t recommend this for any reader. There’s bullying, brutality, betrayal, gang like mentality, blind following of a peer, peer pressure, etc.
My 9 year old daughter couldn’t get past the first chapter. It was too graphic and upsetting. She’s my more “sensitive” reader.
My 8 year old son was surprised by the beginning but he carried on and finished the book.
I personally was a bit taken aback by the beginning. The brutality, betrayal, falling to peer pressure, and near death experience was a bit much, but there is some redemption here.. for Ace. Jasper, not so much, unfortunately.
Spoilers coming…
The beginning starts off with twin axlotls hatching with the promise that they’ll always stay together and watch out for each other. Ace is the smaller of the twins and Jasper is the bigger. They try to hunt, but apparently Ace is holding Jasper back and they can’t catch anything to eat. Enter Milo, they all him their sibling who also just hatched, and he makes fun of them, saying they’ll never be good hunters, etc. Mostly aiming his mean words towards Ace and making fun of Jasper for being around him. What does Jasper do!? He pretends he’s playing an old friendly game with Ace, latched on to his tail, rips it off, and eats it! 😳 then he swims away and leaves Ace to die. End of chapter. This is where my daughter was like, nope I’m done.
Ace pulls through and finds Bubbles. Then they find Ariel and Neptune. They form a group and look out for each other. Ariel is an older axlotl and helps Ace and Bubbles learn to protect themselves and hunt for food. Other trials come their way, too. I think in ch 2 there is a mention of blood from his bloody stump or something along those lines.
The book end with Jasper. He wants to form his own group (which seems more gang like because he’s known to be mean and harsh). Four of his potential group mates get caught under a rock and Jasper has an inner monologue with himself about trying to save them or not. He thinks he’s being unselfish by saving them but he offers to save them with a price. They have to agree to be apart of his group. When they ask what kind of group, he said it doesn’t matter- do they want to live or not? The saving doesn’t go exactly as Jasper had planned, he even offers to bite and rip their tails off (🫣) but doesn’t end up needing to do that. They turn into salamanders and swim away. The end.
Weird book. 2 stars for me.. I added an extra star because my son was invested and cared about Ace and Bubbles.
I wouldn’t recommend this for any reader. There’s bullying, brutality, betrayal, gang like mentality, blind following of a peer, peer pressure, etc.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 11, 2026
What worked:
Young readers can learn a lot about axolotls because the story begins with Ace hatching from an egg with his twin brother. After the pair’s birth, his brother is so hungry that he eats Ace’s tail, highlighting the concept of survival of the fittest. It also displays the axolotl’s ability to regrow body parts, including parts of the heart and brain. Ace’s initial efforts to find food are less than successful until he learns to be patient and camouflage. He must be on guard against predators, like fish, frogs, and larger salamanders. He experiences greater danger from toxic algae caused by human pollution. Axolotls are related to salamanders, and a friendly one named Neptune shares his story of life in an aquarium.
The adventure has exciting moments, especially when Ace is cornered by predators. He meets a larger, female axolotl named Ariel who teaches him and his best friend Bubbles about their unique abilities. Neptune introduces a plot twist when he reports human plans that will endanger every living thing in their pond. Ariel wants to spread the word to other axolotls and enlists Ace and Bubbles for help. They learn about the Immortal Code and its importance to axolotl survival. The author saves another surprise for late in the book concerning Ace’s twin brother.
What didn’t work as well:
The story is creative, but the adventure is missing something. Perhaps it spends too much time focusing on ecology, axolotl information, and the Immortal Code when it might have further developed the characters. Ace’s good friend Bubbles is especially short-changed. In addition, several axolotls undergo extremely rapid evolution that doesn’t fit the overall story. It makes the story less “realistic."
The final verdict:
Axolotls are unusual creatures, so they should appeal to young readers. The story is informative and interesting, but the sequel will be more dramatic. I recommend you try this book for yourself.
Young readers can learn a lot about axolotls because the story begins with Ace hatching from an egg with his twin brother. After the pair’s birth, his brother is so hungry that he eats Ace’s tail, highlighting the concept of survival of the fittest. It also displays the axolotl’s ability to regrow body parts, including parts of the heart and brain. Ace’s initial efforts to find food are less than successful until he learns to be patient and camouflage. He must be on guard against predators, like fish, frogs, and larger salamanders. He experiences greater danger from toxic algae caused by human pollution. Axolotls are related to salamanders, and a friendly one named Neptune shares his story of life in an aquarium.
The adventure has exciting moments, especially when Ace is cornered by predators. He meets a larger, female axolotl named Ariel who teaches him and his best friend Bubbles about their unique abilities. Neptune introduces a plot twist when he reports human plans that will endanger every living thing in their pond. Ariel wants to spread the word to other axolotls and enlists Ace and Bubbles for help. They learn about the Immortal Code and its importance to axolotl survival. The author saves another surprise for late in the book concerning Ace’s twin brother.
What didn’t work as well:
The story is creative, but the adventure is missing something. Perhaps it spends too much time focusing on ecology, axolotl information, and the Immortal Code when it might have further developed the characters. Ace’s good friend Bubbles is especially short-changed. In addition, several axolotls undergo extremely rapid evolution that doesn’t fit the overall story. It makes the story less “realistic."
The final verdict:
Axolotls are unusual creatures, so they should appeal to young readers. The story is informative and interesting, but the sequel will be more dramatic. I recommend you try this book for yourself.
April 23, 2026
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of The Last Immortals: Dawn of the Axolotl!
I read this book with my 10-year-old daughter, and she absolutely loved it. The illustrations were adorable, and I really appreciated the important message about pollution and how it affects our water systems. Teaching children about environmental responsibility through the perspective of an axolotl was such a creative and impactful choice.
The story follows Ace, the runt of his siblings, as he faces challenges from the very beginning of his life. Born smaller than the others, bullied by fellow axolotls, and betrayed by his own twin, Ace must learn how to survive on his own. Struggling with hunger, predators, and loneliness, he eventually meets another axolotl named Bubbles. Together, they navigate danger, friendship, and trust.
When Ace and Bubbles become lost, a bioluminescent axolotl comes to their rescue and helps guide them to safety. Along the way, they learn about the incredible abilities axolotls have, like regeneration and camouflage, as well as the importance of sticking together as an endangered species. Ariel and Neptune introduce 7 rules to help them survive and thrive.
This was a heartwarming and educational read with a strong environmental message that young readers can easily connect with. A wonderful story about bravery, friendship, and protecting the world around us.
Review by my 10 year old daughter.
I really enjoyed the adventures of Ace, and how his past haunts him through his lifetime. Also I relish the immortal code and their leaders, the elders, Neptune, and Ariel. Mostly I laughed and dearly loved Bubbles. Bubbles has the perfect characteristics of a loving, silly axolotl who should always be loved by peers.
I read this book with my 10-year-old daughter, and she absolutely loved it. The illustrations were adorable, and I really appreciated the important message about pollution and how it affects our water systems. Teaching children about environmental responsibility through the perspective of an axolotl was such a creative and impactful choice.
The story follows Ace, the runt of his siblings, as he faces challenges from the very beginning of his life. Born smaller than the others, bullied by fellow axolotls, and betrayed by his own twin, Ace must learn how to survive on his own. Struggling with hunger, predators, and loneliness, he eventually meets another axolotl named Bubbles. Together, they navigate danger, friendship, and trust.
When Ace and Bubbles become lost, a bioluminescent axolotl comes to their rescue and helps guide them to safety. Along the way, they learn about the incredible abilities axolotls have, like regeneration and camouflage, as well as the importance of sticking together as an endangered species. Ariel and Neptune introduce 7 rules to help them survive and thrive.
This was a heartwarming and educational read with a strong environmental message that young readers can easily connect with. A wonderful story about bravery, friendship, and protecting the world around us.
Review by my 10 year old daughter.
I really enjoyed the adventures of Ace, and how his past haunts him through his lifetime. Also I relish the immortal code and their leaders, the elders, Neptune, and Ariel. Mostly I laughed and dearly loved Bubbles. Bubbles has the perfect characteristics of a loving, silly axolotl who should always be loved by peers.
Review of advance copy received from Goodreads Giveaways
The Last Immortals: Dawn of the Axolotl could not be more explicit about trying to be the underwater version of the wildly successful Warriors series. There's definitely potential here. As the runt of his...batch, I guess?...Ace the axolotl struggles after hatching. He and his twin brother Jasper are trying to hunt, but he's just too small to keep up. Jasper eventually gets frustrated, eats Ace's tail, and peaces out. It's a startling and grisly opening.
But then basically nothing happens for the rest of the book. Ace doesn't die. He makes two axolotl friends, one who farts bubbles constantly and one who is on a mission to save the species from extinction. There's a lot of talk about them being immortal (because they can regenerate lost limbs) and pledging themselves to spreading the word about their movement to other axolotls. And that's what 75% of the book is: talking about the immortal code, telling other axolotls about the immortal code, fretting about humans and their pollution. The general preservation of the species is obviously important, but it never feels pressing enough to give the plot any tension. We finally get an update on Ace's brother in the very last chapter, but it's too little too late. I get that it's the first in a series, but each book should still have a coherent story arc within the larger narrative, and this just feels like an introduction that doesn't go anywhere.
The illustrations are lovely, though.
(I received this book for free through a Goodreads giveaway.)
But then basically nothing happens for the rest of the book. Ace doesn't die. He makes two axolotl friends, one who farts bubbles constantly and one who is on a mission to save the species from extinction. There's a lot of talk about them being immortal (because they can regenerate lost limbs) and pledging themselves to spreading the word about their movement to other axolotls. And that's what 75% of the book is: talking about the immortal code, telling other axolotls about the immortal code, fretting about humans and their pollution. The general preservation of the species is obviously important, but it never feels pressing enough to give the plot any tension. We finally get an update on Ace's brother in the very last chapter, but it's too little too late. I get that it's the first in a series, but each book should still have a coherent story arc within the larger narrative, and this just feels like an introduction that doesn't go anywhere.
The illustrations are lovely, though.
(I received this book for free through a Goodreads giveaway.)
August 27, 2026
Well I’m actually surprised I really liked it, to my shame I did judge a book by its cover and due to the illustrations I thought it would be for way younger kids. Which then again it was, but it also wasn’t. For example the axolotls were all swimming around all peaceful, lagh-ty-dah, then all of a sudden the dude rips the guys tail off!! And throughout the book Ace keeps making excuses for him (his twin brother) like, oh it was for his survival, he was hungry, it was totally justified and we’re all like “what the heck”. And later in the book I kept getting this eerie cult feeling from it especially when Bubbles lost his legs when he was attacked and kept saying that it was the right thing to do like he chose to get his legs ripped off, and Areal kept saying that his sacrifice was brave and was the first step of joining the immortals. Like that doesn’t sound cult-y to you? When Aerial said this bubbles just kept looking down telling Ace he was fine like he was scared to say anything in front of her that would fall out of line with the immortal code. Anyway i thought it was cool, very interesting, had some strange ideas that I thought were cool, made you purposely question the book itself. One thing that did bother me though was that Ace got bit on his back legs by Milo when he was born, but actually-
Erm actually
if it were accurate to the true life cycle of an axolotl they would still be in their larva stage and they would only have two front legs. And you might say “oh well it’s not accurate to the actual axolotl life cycle because they’re immortal” but NO they aren’t actually immortal… they just live longer. 😒
But…. Anyway, done with my rant, you should definitely read this book, can’t wait to get the second one myself
Erm actually
if it were accurate to the true life cycle of an axolotl they would still be in their larva stage and they would only have two front legs. And you might say “oh well it’s not accurate to the actual axolotl life cycle because they’re immortal” but NO they aren’t actually immortal… they just live longer. 😒
But…. Anyway, done with my rant, you should definitely read this book, can’t wait to get the second one myself
June 16, 2026
Author: Kit Brooks
Title: The Last Immortals: Dawn of the Axolotl
Publication date: 2026
Category: Modern Fantasy
Interest level: 3rd grade to 5th grade
Brief Annotation: After Ace's twin brother Jasper bites and eats his tail, Ace feels lost and unsure what to do, until he meets another axolotl who explains there is another way of living: The Way of the Immortals.
Themes: Axolotls, adventure, environmental concerns, environmental conservation
Ways to use this book with children: Obviously, this can be used as reader's advisory for a fantasy book. It can also be paired with science and be used to study terms that were learned around ecology.
Diversity: N/A-different axolotls colors
Where/how you found the book: I found it through the public library, but I found it before this class started.
Title: The Last Immortals: Dawn of the Axolotl
Publication date: 2026
Category: Modern Fantasy
Interest level: 3rd grade to 5th grade
Brief Annotation: After Ace's twin brother Jasper bites and eats his tail, Ace feels lost and unsure what to do, until he meets another axolotl who explains there is another way of living: The Way of the Immortals.
Themes: Axolotls, adventure, environmental concerns, environmental conservation
Ways to use this book with children: Obviously, this can be used as reader's advisory for a fantasy book. It can also be paired with science and be used to study terms that were learned around ecology.
Diversity: N/A-different axolotls colors
Where/how you found the book: I found it through the public library, but I found it before this class started.
Review of advance copy received from Edelweiss+
Do you know what an Axolotl is? I didn’t before reading this book about, yes, these real amphibians known as aquatic salamanders. In book #1 we meet Ace who shortly after hatching with his twin, finds himself alone and missing his tail. The title comes from an axolotl’s ability to grow back body parts (like Ace’s tail) which results in them thinking of themselves as immortal.
He rescues another axolotl named Bubbles and then the two of them meet Ariel who is committed to saving axolotls from extinction.
Book # 2 “Rise of the Rebels” – released at the same time – follows Ace’s twin brother Jasper who is on quite a different mission than are Ace and his two friends. Thinking there might hopefully be a Book # 3 in the works.
He rescues another axolotl named Bubbles and then the two of them meet Ariel who is committed to saving axolotls from extinction.
Book # 2 “Rise of the Rebels” – released at the same time – follows Ace’s twin brother Jasper who is on quite a different mission than are Ace and his two friends. Thinking there might hopefully be a Book # 3 in the works.
August 21, 2026
Other than the fact that newly hatched, Ace, is an axolotl, this is a pretty common version of the hero's journey for grade schoolers to read and learn some science facts while they do so. The gray scale drawings (by Brandon Dorman) are wonderful but they all seem to happen the page after the text that lays out what is happening, so it felt a bit confusing at times. I appreciate that a short list of resources and facts are included at the end. The preview of the second book in the series appears to have a different main viewpoint character which made me less interested in continuing to read. Perhaps a child who is really into animals especially aquatic ones, but who also loves fiction will enjoy this book more than I did.
June 2, 2026
It's OK. I had to because Axolotls. And the title made it seem like it would be an epic story. That said , having picked this out of the kids sections- it's a bit darker than I thought, coming out of the gate with familial betrayal and loss of limb with the threat o'death. Plus it seems limb loss is going to be part of the core idea in "become immortal" , a little Gruesome if you ask me. I couldn't imagine having read this myself before high-school, yet the story is told in a simpler manner that you would expect for younger kids. I'm deffinetly curious to know what happens next, but I'm not so sure about the flow of the story...
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 7, 2026
Cute chapter book series with Axolotls as main characters alongside a salamander. The habitat they live in is danger from human dumping. One axolotl and a salamander have created a code to guide them to work together to save themselves from extinction. Infused with information about axolotls and community building needed to save themselves, this book is quite a lot of fun! I like the epilogue which introduces the reader to the next book in the series. I like the backmatter that allows for more research by students who love this animal. Worthwhile addition that could be read aloud to 2nd graders and up and read independently by many 2nd or 3rd graders.
August 12, 2026
My kid loves axolotls and wanted me to read the first book in a new series. I thought it was interesting because it included facts about axolotls and how at risk they are in an engaging way that worked with the story. However, the characters were really flat and not memorable at all. I hope they become more realistic (for talking axolotls) in future books because the lack of caring about the characters as individuals (vs axolotls as a whole) made the book less enjoyable to me.
September 13, 2026
Really cute! We learn a lot about axolotls as Ace hatches out of his egg with his twin, Jasper, and must find out how to hunt and survive on his own. Ace meets friends along the way, not all of which are axolotls like himself, and learns that there are many dangers to avoid. Great middle-grade book, but I still enjoyed it as an adult and am curious about the sequel.
September 20, 2026
My daughter and I were very excited to read this book considering it was hyped up to be akin to Warriors by Erin Hunter. It’s nowhere NEAR being anything as interesting and engaging.
I feel like this books could have been half the length as so much of it was the same thing repeated over and over again in slightly different ways.
I feel like this books could have been half the length as so much of it was the same thing repeated over and over again in slightly different ways.
June 1, 2026
3/5 stars
Kids may enjoy this opener of a new series about a group of young axolotls. I listened to the audio and the voices of some of the characters almost made me stop listening. I thought the story was fine, but nothing that really stood out especially.
Kids may enjoy this opener of a new series about a group of young axolotls. I listened to the audio and the voices of some of the characters almost made me stop listening. I thought the story was fine, but nothing that really stood out especially.
June 20, 2026
I fear as a child this would’ve become my entire personality. I love how this book doesn’t shy away from the dark horrors of the world, but paints them in a digestible light with just enough levity interspersed to be palatable for kids.
Review of advance copy received from Goodreads Giveaways
A cute, wholesome book for young readers!! Very entertaining.
Review of advance copy received from Goodreads Giveaways
Had so much fun reading this with my neighbor’s young kiddo.
June 13, 2026
Landry and I just finished this one. Our first chapter book together! Good story with good illustrations. Can't wait to read the sequel!
June 24, 2026
First in a series starring today’s trendiest amphibian!
July 8, 2026
My kids love this book
Read
August 10, 2026A friend gave me this book for my birthday and I love it!
September 5, 2026
Quick and fun read. Now on to book 2!
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews