Can’t Wait Wednesday: The Last Vigilant by Mark A. Latham

Can’t-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Wishful Endings to share upcoming book releases that we’re excited about! This meme is based on Waiting on Wednesday, which was created and hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

With the rise of cozy and romantic fantasy, I feel like it’s been awhile since I’ve checked out a proper epic fantasy. The Last Vigilant sounds like just the thing to fill this void, plus it has older main characters and not some young, naïve farm kid that happened to stumble on an ancient magic sword. At this time it’s not clear how long this series is intended to be, but I can only imagine The Last Vigilant is going to focus on character and worldbuilding and some epic story set up. I can’t wait to check it out! The release date is June 24, 2025.

The Last Vigilant begins an unmissable new epic fantasy series, where unforgettable characters, intricate conspiracies and ancient magic collide

Shunned by the soldiers he commands, haunted by past tragedies, Sargent Holt Hawley is a broken man. But the child of a powerful ally has gone missing, and war between once peaceful nations is on the horizon. So, he and his squad have been sent to find a the Vigilant. They are a rumored last survivor of an ancient order capable of performing acts of magic, and they’ve been lost to the world for decades. No one truly expects Hawley to succeed.

When he is forced to abandon his men, he stumbles upon a woman who claims to be the Last Vigilant. Enelda Drake is wizened and out of practice, and she seems a far cry from the heroes of legend. But they will need her powers, and each other, to survive. For nothing in the town of Scarfell is as it seems. Corrupt soldiers and calculating politicians thwart their efforts at every turn.

And there are dark whispers on the wind threatening the arrival of an ancient and powerful enemy. The Last Vigilant is not the only myth returning from the dead.