
Last Song Before Night The Harp and Ring Sequence #1
Reviews

I liked this! This story did a wonderful job of twisting what I assumed would be the (admittedly plain) narrative into a subversion of itself while thumbing its nose at me. For at least the first third of the book, I was certain it would be a typical quest fantasy, but then shit starts to hit the fan for every single character. No one is spared! My main complaint is that the world-building was unimaginative. Surely there are better ways to create a world than, "North is COLD! East is PSEUDO-ASIAN & ~MYSTERIOUS~! Near East is MIDDLE-EASTERN & ~EXOTIC~!" I mean really. Where Last Song Before Night shines, though, is in its ensemble cast. All of the characters are compelling, because all of the characters are unreliable & are lying to themselves about their true natures & desires. The 'quest' ends up being more a journey of self-exploration and acceptance as much as a journey toward a specific goal (or running away from a certain fate). I also liked how the characters mostly journeyed in pairs, only to find themselves at the end all woven together by fate & circumstance. Finally, the writing is fantastic. It's flowing, rapid, and lyrical - vital elements given that this is a story about the importance of poetry and song! It was so easy to read this, and not because nothing bad ever happened (bad things happen. often. it gets bloody. people die.) I will keep track of this author's future releases for sure.

