Ilana C. Myer

This is a standalone, not a series. I think this book defies my every attempt to encapsulate it into a single synopsis. Let’s break it down to a cast of very unreliable narrators, every one with secrets, in a land where music is magic. A band of poets, facing down an evil censor in a battle for truth and art in the face of a plague that tells them that evil magic has once more been resurrected. The book is beautiful and lyrical and the city is atmospheric in the same way that GGK often is, and the story’s many threads weave themselves together to create an epic whole. Myer’s background as a journalist and living abroad is definitely reflected in her writing.… (mehr)

While Last Song Before Night is a remarkable first novel for Ilana C. Myer, it is also one which, for me, doesn't quite live up to what I believe is Myer's full potential as a writer.

The plot line is a good one, albeit not particularly new: old magic lost, a new menace, innocents led to suffering and slaughter, a reluctant heroine. These elements are the stuff of epic stories, and the reason we return to them over and over again.

And certainly Myer's prose proves lush and evocative.

So, why am I raining all over this parade, you ask. Well, because, and again this is purely my own perspective, Myer relies too heavily upon known tropes and literary devices. One could as easily be reading a Guy Kay novel, or any of a myriad of other fantasy novels. It is all so familiar. And one wearies of the familiar and longs for the startling.

A good escapist read. Comfortable. Familiar. But left me wanting the entrée after the appetizer.… (mehr)

I really liked this book. The world was fascinating, the characters had depth, and the idea fascinated me. However, towards the end, things got confusing. I guess I'll have to relisten to the last few chapters and pay close attention, because I have the nagging feeling that I didn't grasp everything during the first round. There were just too many portals/would-be dreams and changes of perspective to make it easy to follow. Maybe it is clearer if you actually read the book, instead of listening to it.

The narration was excellent, it left nothing to be desired.… (mehr)

Without getting into spoilers, I think this novel is poetry.

This may not be self-evident, but when we deal with poets and an academy of poets who may or may not grow into magicians, anything might happen.

It begins with death, from a highly-placed demise inside the academy to the deeply shaded returning character of Lin from A Song Before Night to the gruesome demise of many melted people. It's a lightly-stepped dance between light and shadow, life and death.

The writing is gentle and nuanced. Don't expect harsh plotting. Expect winding and weaving and storytelling that's more about paths and discoveries and the darkness that lays ahead, the light behind.

I said it was more like poetry than a novel. And it is.

For a fantasy, and specifically for being a sequel, it feels like a departure in tone and events. There were some things I missed and some things that were explored much better in this one, but I'm afraid that these are purely personal preferences.

In all, this is an exceptional novel of personal discovery within the academy and from without, following along with students on one hand and back with an older, wiser, and beset Lin on the other.

Settle in for a long tale that deserves a leisurely read or at the very least a careful one. Much can be missed by moving too fast, but know that it is worth it in the end.

More will come. The fire doesn't end in absolute ashes. :)

… (mehr)