The Last Mile

The Lithia Trilogy #3

by Blair Richmond

"One (OK, three) of a kind for readers who prefer their fantasy tinted green, with fangs that sink into grains, not veins."

--Kirkus Reviews



The last mile is the longest...


In the final book in the acclaimed Lithia Trilogy, Kat has new losses to mourn but also new reasons to live. On the brink of new beginnings, she is back together with Roman, their relationship deepening more and more even as she wonders whether she may still harbor feelings for Alex.



Yet Kat finds it difficult to focus on such things as college and romance, with terror still haunting the hills of Lithia and threatening the entire town. As several recent earthquakes baffle scientists and put residents on edge, it seems that something more dangerous may be looming in Lithia's future.



Trying to balance a busy life while keeping Lithia safe isn't easy--and soon Kat realizes that nothing is a higher priority than saving her hometown, along with its abundance of land and animals, from devastation. The only problem is that she can't find a way to do this without leaving Lithia forever--or risking her own life and the lives of those she loves. And her future with Roman appears as unsteady as the ground under her feet...



In a novel that weaves together stories of love, the environment, and Shakespeare, the natural and supernatural worlds collide in this stunning conclusion to the Lithia Trilogy.

Genres: Young Adult

201 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 4, 2014

About the author

I am the author of Out of Breath, The Ghost Runner and The Last Mile. These books make up what I call The Lithia Trilogy. I live, relatively anonymously, in Southern Oregon. I love the woods and I love doing my small part to protect animals.

I'm now writing a new book called The Marriage Spell... more soon...

Reviews

[Amelia Vegan · Rating 5 out of 5]

"It’s a strange thing to get what you want. I feel as though I have everything I’ve ever wanted, and even more—but instead of feeling happy, all I can do right now is worry about losing it."
I feel exactly like this quote, both about my life and about the ending of this book. It did kind of end like I wanted it to, but I didn't expect I'd be sad about it.
Vampires, ghosts, lots of running, running from past and running races, this trilogy became one of my favourites, my new cozy trilogy. Okay not fully cozy, but I loved everything about it(except that one trope that was my least favourite but that didn't ruin anything for me.
"Nobody truly owns the land. We are all just renters in the end, all just passing through. The trees, the oldest residents, should have the greatest right to it, not us."
I feel the same way, I love how I found so many things I could relate to in a book with vampires and ghosts, but it's not just that, it's so much more.
There's traditional bloodthirsty vampires, and there's vegan vampires(Edward Cullen needs to check the definition of the word "vegetarian" and also needs to read these books)
I love how these books aren't YA( MC is 19 and 20, and well the vamps are centuries old) and the books are short and fast paced (pun intended)
I would have loved chapters from a vegan vampire and a traditional vampire, that would have been quite interesting as well.
I loved all the environmental themes and animals being rescued and getting sanctuaries, I loved how green these books were.
I keep saying that the future is vegan, and we need more books, fiction and even nonfiction with vegan worlds to make more people see and feel more. Because we all live here together, we need to take care of eachother and of Earth.
"...we’re all animals, after all."

[Edwin Battistella · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the final installment of the Lithia Trilogy, with its ensemble of vampires, environmentalists, students, actors and runners, set in the town of Lithia, Oregon—home a Shakespeare festival. The pseudonymous Blair Richmond does a fine job of bringing these disparate elements together as we follow plucky young Kat Healy and the vegan vampires Roman and Alex battle it out with the evil Victor. In this book, the Shakespeare themes are more fully drawn out—humans and vampires as Montagues and Capulets, but Lithia/Ashland is captured perfectly (except for the volcano, I hope). Along with Out of Breath and The Ghost Runner, it’s a hard book (a series) to categorize, but it’s definitely grown on me. I’m sorry to see it end.

[iamjenai · Rating 5 out of 5]

Katherine lost her only living family, her father, in the last book. While she mourns his death, she's happy to learn that her father loved her. At least that one final day of his life.

Even though Katherine still has feelings for Alex, I am glad that she was able to finally decide to be with Roman. Not that I like Roman for her. She made me happy by choosing only one guy. ;)

The story is again well written. It has enough twists and action that made this a good conclusion to the series. Only wished the author would write bonus chapters .... like after a year or so... ;) Oh, I will definitely miss everyone in this book.

[Crystal · Rating 2 out of 5]

I hated the ending.