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Book of Sigils #1
The Last Culling
She can’t save all the boys of Merilaad. But can she save the one she loves the most? From gender politics to magical mystery and intrigue, The Last Culling , the thrilling debut novel from author Rachael Vaughn, is sure to hook fantasy and romance lovers with its timeless story of love, loss and the age-old battle to bring the truth to light. Elena is an apprentice mage with powers she resents, and a past she’d rather forget. In spite of it all, she remains loyal to the ruling Mage Council of Merilaad—a trio of powerful elder women who fought to bring peace after an intense and bloody gender rebellion. The men of Merilaad are uniformly non-magical. They are peaceful, hard-working and they toe the line. But this peace comes at a cost. Because in Merilaad, any boy displaying magical ability is swiftly put to death. Elena knows it has to be this way. To protect them all. To protect their way of life. And so she continues placing her faith in the authority and guidance of her elders. Until Jascha changes everything. When her best friend suddenly and unexpectedly develops magical powers, Elena finds herself making a dangerous choice—to report Jascha and sentence him to certain death, or risk everything to keep his abilities hidden. As the two of them work together to keep their deadly secret, they uncover more deception, lurking just beneath the surface of their peaceful, idyllic city. Can they reveal the truth in time to save Jascha? Or will they plunge Merilaad back into its bloody past?
- GenresFantasyMagicYoung Adult
415 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 1, 2019
92 people are currently reading
360 people want to read
About the author
Rachael Vaughn
9 books33 followersRachael Vaughn is the creative brainchild of a husband-and-wife writing duo.
Rachael is the wordsmith of the pair. Her interests encompass all things creative, from mosaics to wood carving, and when she isn't writing she stays busy as a full-time tattoo artist.
Vaughn acts as the bookends of the writing process. He serves as the team's world-builder and plot developer on the front end, and acts as an editor and proofreader (plus the ultimate voice of reason) on the backside.
The couple lives outside of Indianapolis with their daughter and cat, as well as more books than they could possibly read.
Rachael is the wordsmith of the pair. Her interests encompass all things creative, from mosaics to wood carving, and when she isn't writing she stays busy as a full-time tattoo artist.
Vaughn acts as the bookends of the writing process. He serves as the team's world-builder and plot developer on the front end, and acts as an editor and proofreader (plus the ultimate voice of reason) on the backside.
The couple lives outside of Indianapolis with their daughter and cat, as well as more books than they could possibly read.
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
October 23, 2021
I really loved this! A fantastic fantasy read where only females are allowed to have magic, if men develop magic they are executed immediately! The world building is fantastic, the storyline gripping and exciting and the characters relatable and intriguing. Danger, deception, secrets, magic and twists and turns makes me eager to read book two!
March 31, 2022
I received an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. I was drawn to the description of this book, of a world where only women could have magic and men who displayed powers were executed. I enjoyed reading about Elena and Jascha’s journey. From the moment Jascha’s powers emerge to the moments of discovery and realization that not all is as it seems in their society. I’m intrigued to find out what’s next in their story.
September 16, 2024
This book delves into the crux of the storyline immediately, as a family is forced to watch the Culling of one of theirs. In a time, way in the past, apparently male mages wrought havoc, they abused their power and by using mind control on the populace, they subdued them and forced them to conform to their will. Until the people rebelled. A council was formed to prevent this from happening again and the council decided that male mages were a scourge and too dangerous to allow. Thus they came up with the Culling, every male who manifests magic, is killed to curb this slight. Elena finds it difficult to come to terms with losing her brother in such an appalling manner, even when she herself manifests magic. As resentful as she is, she attends the Academy, and her future. Until her friend suddenly develops power. From that moment on, Elena's life takes a dramatic turn. As she helps Jascha control his magic, for fear of him being Culled, they uncover an unimaginable truth. The adventure to elude the council ensues and with the help of her aunt, the true horror comes to light. It was a very enjoyable fun read. It was an evenly paced, light read. I thought the characters developed nicely, and the plot progessed steadily. There definitely is a beginning, a middle and an end to this book, which, as a reader, I appreciated. No confusing events, all follow perfectly as the puzzle takes shape, but in no way predictably. The ending is particularly satisfying, even though this is the start of a series, this book could easily be a standalone novel. Great read
January 15, 2022
This was an interesting read. I loved the switch in perspectives- it's been a while since I read a book like that and I rediscovered my love for it! While the story and world building could have been a lot more detailed for me personally, I think this is a great book for people who don't want to be hung up on any of that and prefer to rush into stories and relationships. This def happens here. You can already tell at the beginning of the story which is gripping!
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
March 5, 2022
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Whoa, was that some craziness or what? Damn, i love all the character builds and bond in this. I love the secrecy of the whole situation but damn they nearly failed. The only bad thing about this book is the ending, it was too fast paced and rushed. Nevertheless I give this ARC 4.5 stars!
Whoa, was that some craziness or what? Damn, i love all the character builds and bond in this. I love the secrecy of the whole situation but damn they nearly failed. The only bad thing about this book is the ending, it was too fast paced and rushed. Nevertheless I give this ARC 4.5 stars!
December 27, 2021
The Last Culling (Book of Sigils 1) Kindle Edition
by Rachael Vaughn
Thank you to Rachael Vaughn, the publisher and NetGalley for the complimentary reviewer's copy. I am choosing to leave a fair and honest review.
Like many of the dystopian novels that have appeared following the 2016 election, The Last Culling held a great deal of potential. Set in a world where women alone are mages and any male caught with magic is culled, Elena, an apprentice mage with levitation abilities, finds out that her friend, Jascha has magic. In order to protect him from culling, she helps him hide his abilities.
Unfortunately, the book did not live up to its billing. The world-building is confusing. While the world Ms. Vaughn built is set in a time and place with magic appears to be separate from ours and lacking science, phrases such as “Dodged a bullet” appear. Yet, there are no guns. Days of the week are the same, yet there doesn't seem to be any connection to our world. There is no explanation given as to why this happened.
But there are a lot of other explanations given. So much so that the first half of the novel has almost no action, just a lot of talking. Ms. Vaughn makes the cardinal sin of writers – a lot of telling an very little showing. This impacts the story negatively as there is no apparent danger for Jascha. Ms. Vaughn doesn't show any consequences for him. There is no tension, no action for the first half of the book. This draws the reader's interest far away from the story. In fact, I found myself skimming the story, trying to care about what was happening and trying to find any connection to the characters.
Too much of the story is told by characters instead of being given the readers in action scenes. The story moves way too slow. The book misses the entire point of dystopian literature – to shine a light on the darkest corners of our world and to warn us of things to come.
The worst example is when the worst possible thing happens to Jascha. Instead of seeing it through his eyes, we are told by his younger brother.
Truly a disappointing read and truly not worth the price I paid and definitely not worthy of the time it took to read.
1 star out of 5
https://www.amazon.com/Last-Culling-R...
by Rachael Vaughn
Thank you to Rachael Vaughn, the publisher and NetGalley for the complimentary reviewer's copy. I am choosing to leave a fair and honest review.
Like many of the dystopian novels that have appeared following the 2016 election, The Last Culling held a great deal of potential. Set in a world where women alone are mages and any male caught with magic is culled, Elena, an apprentice mage with levitation abilities, finds out that her friend, Jascha has magic. In order to protect him from culling, she helps him hide his abilities.
Unfortunately, the book did not live up to its billing. The world-building is confusing. While the world Ms. Vaughn built is set in a time and place with magic appears to be separate from ours and lacking science, phrases such as “Dodged a bullet” appear. Yet, there are no guns. Days of the week are the same, yet there doesn't seem to be any connection to our world. There is no explanation given as to why this happened.
But there are a lot of other explanations given. So much so that the first half of the novel has almost no action, just a lot of talking. Ms. Vaughn makes the cardinal sin of writers – a lot of telling an very little showing. This impacts the story negatively as there is no apparent danger for Jascha. Ms. Vaughn doesn't show any consequences for him. There is no tension, no action for the first half of the book. This draws the reader's interest far away from the story. In fact, I found myself skimming the story, trying to care about what was happening and trying to find any connection to the characters.
Too much of the story is told by characters instead of being given the readers in action scenes. The story moves way too slow. The book misses the entire point of dystopian literature – to shine a light on the darkest corners of our world and to warn us of things to come.
The worst example is when the worst possible thing happens to Jascha. Instead of seeing it through his eyes, we are told by his younger brother.
Truly a disappointing read and truly not worth the price I paid and definitely not worthy of the time it took to read.
1 star out of 5
https://www.amazon.com/Last-Culling-R...
October 10, 2019
This is the first book I have read by this husband and wife writing team and it was a really interesting one, I have to say and I will certainly be looking out for their next book. This was their debut book and I hope there may even be some more in this vein, even though the book is a complete read, no cliff-hangers here. The main characters are Elena, who we first meet as a young girl of about ten, and her brother’s friend Jascha. We are later introduced to Elena’s aunt Isa, who has a fairly major part in the main part of the book.
The story starts with Elena’s family attending a ‘culling’, the killing of a rogue male with magical powers. This has happened throughout the last two hundred years of their people’s history, after a great war. The current leaders of the Mage Council of Merilaad are three elderly female mages, who look to be in their sixties or seventies, but have been around since before the war occurred. The war was blamed on rogue male mages, who had the power to control the minds of others, a power that is said to only happen in males. Thus, the killing of all males who show any sign of magic at any of their annual testing from about ages eight to eighteen, when magical powers usually show.
Now Elena has grown up and after always wanting to be a teacher, unfortunately as she sees it, she came into magical powers and has been training as an apprentice mage for the last five years, with one more to go. Her magical power she finds pretty boring and useless and finds the work she has to undertake with it, as mind-numbing and totally a waste of her time and effort. She can see nothing much changing in her future once her training is other either! An event from her childhood means she no longer finds seeing her parents more than once a month, very easy on her stress levels and it doesn’t help her unwind after her long days of work or training.
When she witnesses her best (male) friend Jascha suddenly develops magical powers, long past the last mandatory testing age, she panics. Her responsibility as a citizen and more so as a trainee mage, is to report this to the Mage Council as soon as possible. But after what happen as a child and now to her only remaining friend, she just can’t do it. If she doesn’t, then the consequences will be severe and could lead to his and her death, as well as anyone else deemed to have helped keep this secret.
After a night of tossing and turning, Elena decides to help him if she can, but he can’t let anyone see them, especially him! One of her aunt’s good friends, also a Mage, has disappeared and this has just been accepted as a magical accident and nothing further being investigated. Isa ends up trying to investigate her disappearance for herself and learns things that are shocking and could destroy the way of life they have all been taught to expect from childhood. Elena and Jascha fight to stay hidden and stay out of the clutches of the Mage Council, as death would be all they could expect from them, but find their own upbringing brought into question, as certain powers do not occur. What exactly is the truth about male mages and what is behind the disappearance of so many female mages as well over the years?
As the truth comes out, more shocking events are revealed, others must bear witness to what is found, or no-one will be safe. Can Jascha be saved and will the place they work and live in be destroyed by the revelations to come? All is awaiting for those who read this book. I absolutely loved it and the characters are very well written. Watch out for Elena’s mother – grief can do strange things to people. A fight for the truth, best friends, family, magic and young love are all covered as well as deception on a massive scale. What was there not to like about this book? Not a thing. I would definitely want to see more books from this pair and I am happy I picked this one up. I received an ARC copy of this book from Hidden Gems and I have freely given my own opinion of the book above.
The story starts with Elena’s family attending a ‘culling’, the killing of a rogue male with magical powers. This has happened throughout the last two hundred years of their people’s history, after a great war. The current leaders of the Mage Council of Merilaad are three elderly female mages, who look to be in their sixties or seventies, but have been around since before the war occurred. The war was blamed on rogue male mages, who had the power to control the minds of others, a power that is said to only happen in males. Thus, the killing of all males who show any sign of magic at any of their annual testing from about ages eight to eighteen, when magical powers usually show.
Now Elena has grown up and after always wanting to be a teacher, unfortunately as she sees it, she came into magical powers and has been training as an apprentice mage for the last five years, with one more to go. Her magical power she finds pretty boring and useless and finds the work she has to undertake with it, as mind-numbing and totally a waste of her time and effort. She can see nothing much changing in her future once her training is other either! An event from her childhood means she no longer finds seeing her parents more than once a month, very easy on her stress levels and it doesn’t help her unwind after her long days of work or training.
When she witnesses her best (male) friend Jascha suddenly develops magical powers, long past the last mandatory testing age, she panics. Her responsibility as a citizen and more so as a trainee mage, is to report this to the Mage Council as soon as possible. But after what happen as a child and now to her only remaining friend, she just can’t do it. If she doesn’t, then the consequences will be severe and could lead to his and her death, as well as anyone else deemed to have helped keep this secret.
After a night of tossing and turning, Elena decides to help him if she can, but he can’t let anyone see them, especially him! One of her aunt’s good friends, also a Mage, has disappeared and this has just been accepted as a magical accident and nothing further being investigated. Isa ends up trying to investigate her disappearance for herself and learns things that are shocking and could destroy the way of life they have all been taught to expect from childhood. Elena and Jascha fight to stay hidden and stay out of the clutches of the Mage Council, as death would be all they could expect from them, but find their own upbringing brought into question, as certain powers do not occur. What exactly is the truth about male mages and what is behind the disappearance of so many female mages as well over the years?
As the truth comes out, more shocking events are revealed, others must bear witness to what is found, or no-one will be safe. Can Jascha be saved and will the place they work and live in be destroyed by the revelations to come? All is awaiting for those who read this book. I absolutely loved it and the characters are very well written. Watch out for Elena’s mother – grief can do strange things to people. A fight for the truth, best friends, family, magic and young love are all covered as well as deception on a massive scale. What was there not to like about this book? Not a thing. I would definitely want to see more books from this pair and I am happy I picked this one up. I received an ARC copy of this book from Hidden Gems and I have freely given my own opinion of the book above.
August 31, 2021
I absolutely loved The Last Culling ! This was a book that I couldn't put down before finishing it. The novel is set in a world where magic is exclusively reserved to women. All boys that show magical talents are executed. The plot revolves around a mage who finds out that her close friend has developed magic and she wants to protect him.
The world building and the character building were good. I liked how the heroes evolved and I also liked the idea of something more complicated than good heroes and bad villains in the plot. I also liked the fact that for once, we are not presented with a patriarchal society with exploited and sacrificed women.
I was actually surprised at the end of the book to discover that it was only a first volume because it wrapped up very well. It was a pleasant surprise though, I can't wait to dive into the second now.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
The world building and the character building were good. I liked how the heroes evolved and I also liked the idea of something more complicated than good heroes and bad villains in the plot. I also liked the fact that for once, we are not presented with a patriarchal society with exploited and sacrificed women.
I was actually surprised at the end of the book to discover that it was only a first volume because it wrapped up very well. It was a pleasant surprise though, I can't wait to dive into the second now.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
November 2, 2021
Elena watched her brother be executed for showing magical powers. In order to keep the male mage population under control, they execute men who show signs of magical abilities. Now she's grown up, and the man she loves is starting to show magical abilities. She has to make a choice to either turn him in or risk her own life to keep his abilities hidden.
This was a great fantasy read where the characters are written so well they feel real. I enjoyed the writing style and the way the author developed this world. Everything fit well, and the entire story was cohesive.
There were a lot of unnecessary details that could have been removed and we wouldn't have missed anything. And I would've liked to see a little more backstory on the whole culling process as well as some of the elders. I think that incorporation would've helped us understand better what was truly happening.
This was a great fantasy read where the characters are written so well they feel real. I enjoyed the writing style and the way the author developed this world. Everything fit well, and the entire story was cohesive.
There were a lot of unnecessary details that could have been removed and we wouldn't have missed anything. And I would've liked to see a little more backstory on the whole culling process as well as some of the elders. I think that incorporation would've helped us understand better what was truly happening.
May 13, 2022
5/5 Stars
In a world where boys are killed as soon as they present magic while girls get to live, Elena must decide how to navigate her friend discovering he has magic. Will she turn him in as the law states or will she help him survive?
The concept of this novel gripped me so much that I just had to read it. And I was not disappointed. As soon as the prologue starts, readers are pulled into this world and the consequences of male mages. It is filled with rich history of this world, and the writing is amazing.
Each character felt so real as I read. They were the products of their pasts and their society. When it comes to the twist, I had an inkling what it would be, but its ultimate execution was intense.
This is a pretty cohesive story, so I'm interested on how the rest will go.
Disclaimer: I received a review copy through BookSirens.
In a world where boys are killed as soon as they present magic while girls get to live, Elena must decide how to navigate her friend discovering he has magic. Will she turn him in as the law states or will she help him survive?
The concept of this novel gripped me so much that I just had to read it. And I was not disappointed. As soon as the prologue starts, readers are pulled into this world and the consequences of male mages. It is filled with rich history of this world, and the writing is amazing.
Each character felt so real as I read. They were the products of their pasts and their society. When it comes to the twist, I had an inkling what it would be, but its ultimate execution was intense.
This is a pretty cohesive story, so I'm interested on how the rest will go.
Disclaimer: I received a review copy through BookSirens.
September 10, 2022
I found out my brother didn’t need culled! They lied and over aThousand boys died.
I’m an apprentice mage, so when my best friend turned mage I was supposed to turn him in. I couldn’t do that so instead I taught him how to control. Thats when I found my brother died in vain. Now its up to me to prove to others that the lies must stop. Its up to me to find the answers and put a stop to the slaughter. So I turned to my aunt just to find she was also having doubts so now there were three of us to stop this slaughter of young people. So this is our story.
I’m an apprentice mage, so when my best friend turned mage I was supposed to turn him in. I couldn’t do that so instead I taught him how to control. Thats when I found my brother died in vain. Now its up to me to prove to others that the lies must stop. Its up to me to find the answers and put a stop to the slaughter. So I turned to my aunt just to find she was also having doubts so now there were three of us to stop this slaughter of young people. So this is our story.
June 17, 2019
I just finished the Epilogue of The Last Culling, and really enjoyed the book!! I did not expect the twists that happened when the feces hit the fan, and I really appreciated how the world and the magic was — in an interesting way — understated and practical rather than overly sparkly and “ready for CGI.” And, as I said when I started the book, I found the writing lovely. Based on the teaser chapters at the end, I really want to read "Blood Rose" by Vaughn.
August 13, 2019
The Last Culling has a very creative plot and an inventive new world to explore. For me, though, what I loved most, were the characters. Like all the best novels, regardless of genre, this author made me care about her characters. I love that the book actually finished - but, there is room for a sequel...several - and I really hope there will be some. If so, I’ll be among the first to read it/them!
October 21, 2021
While entertaining and robust this novel dragged for me. The extensive amount of character development that I found unnecessary in certain areas.
I didn’t feel the connection to the main character, the resentment of her Magic ability the almost broken mentality going say to say in a mindless task.
The last 30% of the book I had more connection but I feel this was more stand alone then a series. I’m not sure I want to continue. Maybe later.
I didn’t feel the connection to the main character, the resentment of her Magic ability the almost broken mentality going say to say in a mindless task.
The last 30% of the book I had more connection but I feel this was more stand alone then a series. I’m not sure I want to continue. Maybe later.
November 13, 2021
Honestly I don't really like the characters, especially Elena. The beginning of the book was boring. Nothing actually captured my interest. She kept on talking about her best friend's brother. But as you continue to read on it does pick up the pace a little. What got to me was the beginning of the book, I generally lose interest in books that start off boring.
I received an advance review copy, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I received an advance review copy, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
December 22, 2021
The ending…
I enjoyed the first half but the last half fell flat. Unfortunately I can’t even say what was lacking. It just became difficult to connect with the characters or plot somewhere after she started helping him. I just wasn’t as interested or invested in the story and found myself skimming the last part just to finish.
I enjoyed the first half but the last half fell flat. Unfortunately I can’t even say what was lacking. It just became difficult to connect with the characters or plot somewhere after she started helping him. I just wasn’t as interested or invested in the story and found myself skimming the last part just to finish.
February 13, 2022
I am not the target audience for this tale of magic and intrigue, so I felt the descriptions of actions andfeelings lacked a little depth when they arose. Otherwise a fantasy of magical, powers, strange customs and fauna all within the walled city controlled by the powerful female council of mages.
February 18, 2020
Fun book. Worth reading.
Only females can wield magic. Once a male came into his magic he was killed. Murder, lies, magic , intrigue, mystery. I enjoyed this book. Quick paced. Good characters. Good against evil...
Only females can wield magic. Once a male came into his magic he was killed. Murder, lies, magic , intrigue, mystery. I enjoyed this book. Quick paced. Good characters. Good against evil...
January 28, 2020
This book would be interesting for those of you out there who like The development of characters within books. If you like to identify with the characters This would be your read.For those of you who are looking for an action intensive bock I would choose another 1.I enjoyed it Simply because I enjoy both kinds of books.
It's the kind of book that you would read on a nice quiet day.It is not a page turner that you can't put down but it is definitely the kind that you can relax with a joy.
It's the kind of book that you would read on a nice quiet day.It is not a page turner that you can't put down but it is definitely the kind that you can relax with a joy.
April 5, 2023
Good book,
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews