Name: Sheila's review of Last Song Before Night by Ilana C. Myer
Item: Last Song Before Night
Rating: 4
Author: Sheila

Ilana C. Myer

A high fantasy following a young woman's defiance of her culture as she undertakes a dangerous quest to restore her world's lost magic in Ilana C. Myer's Last Song Before Night. Her name was Kimbralin Amaristoth: sister to a cruel brother, daughter of a hateful family. But that name she has forsworn, and now she is simply Lin, a musician and lyricist of uncommon ability in a land where women are forbidden to answer such callings-a fugitive who must conceal her identity or risk imprisonment and even death. On the eve of a great festival, Lin learns that an ancient scourge has returned to the land of Eivar, a pandemic both deadly and unnatural. Its resurgence brings with it the memory of an apocalypse that transformed half a continent. Long ago, magic was everywhere, rising from artistic expression-from song, from verse, from stories. But in Eivar, where poets once wove enchantments from their words and harps, the power was lost. Forbidden experiments in blood divination unleashed the plague that is remembered as the Red Death, killing thousands before it was stopped, and Eivar's connection to the Otherworld from which all enchantment flowed, broken. The Red Death's return can mean only one thing: someone is spilling innocent blood in order to master dark magic. Now poets who thought only to gain fame for their songs face a challenge much greater: galvanized by Valanir Ocune, greatest Seer of the age, Lin and several others set out to reclaim their legacy and reopen the way to the Otherworld-a quest that will test their deepest desires, imperil their lives, and decide the future.

Last Song Before Night

celeste

A high fantasy following a young woman's defiance of her culture as she undertakes a dangerous quest to restore her world's lost magic in Ilana C. Myer's Last Song Before Night. Her name was Kimbralin Amaristoth: sister to a cruel brother, daughter of a hateful family. But that name she has forsworn, and now she is simply Lin, a musician and lyricist of uncommon ability in a land where women are forbidden to answer such callings-a fugitive who must conceal her identity or risk imprisonment and even death. On the eve of a great festival, Lin learns that an ancient scourge has returned to the land of Eivar, a pandemic both deadly and unnatural. Its resurgence brings with it the memory of an apocalypse that transformed half a continent. Long ago, magic was everywhere, rising from artistic expression-from song, from verse, from stories. But in Eivar, where poets once wove enchantments from their words and harps, the power was lost. Forbidden experiments in blood divination unleashed the plague that is remembered as the Red Death, killing thousands before it was stopped, and Eivar's connection to the Otherworld from which all enchantment flowed, broken. The Red Death's return can mean only one thing: someone is spilling innocent blood in order to master dark magic. Now poets who thought only to gain fame for their songs face a challenge much greater: galvanized by Valanir Ocune, greatest Seer of the age, Lin and several others set out to reclaim their legacy and reopen the way to the Otherworld-a quest that will test their deepest desires, imperil their lives, and decide the future. At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

The Harp and Ring Sequence #1

Sheila

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.

celeste &
Last Song Before Night by Ilana C. Myer

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Last Song Before Night by Ilana C. Myer