Last Song Before Night, Ilana C. Myer
Last Song Before Night, Ilana C. Myer
1 Rating(s)
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Last Song Before Night
The Harp and Ring Sequence #1

Author: Ilana C. Myer

Narrator: Alison McKenna

Unabridged: 17 hr 48 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 09/29/2015

Categories: Fiction, Fantasy, Epic


Synopsis

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.

About Ilana C. Myer

ILANA C. MYER lives in New York City. Under her real name, Ilana Teitelbaum, she has written for The Globe and Mail, the Los Angeles Review of Books, Salon, and The Huffington Post. Previously she was a freelance journalist in Jerusalem for the Jerusalem Post, the Jewish Daily Forward, Time Out Israel, and other publications. Fire Dance is her second novel, following Last Song Before Night.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Bradley on February 09, 2017

This was one hell of a pleasant surprise! I expected an interesting fantasy, having thought the premise looked promising, but I hadn't realized I was stepping into a wonderfully pure story. Every character was crystal clear and everyone changed naturally, proving to be much more than any single trope......more

Goodreads review by Seth on July 07, 2015

Reading Last Song Before Night was like chasing a mirage. I came into the story and I thought I saw the shape of it: a heroic young poet-man named Darien fighting to win his love Rianna away from her cold arranged marriage to nebbish Ned. A young woman named Lin who wants to be a poet, even though h......more

Goodreads review by Kelly on February 17, 2016

I didn't finish more than half of this, but from what I saw, this is poor man's Kay, mostly. Same beats, similar characters and interests, same fascinations, some stylistic influences... just not as good. It's just close enough for everything to ring false. I might finish it later, but putting it as......more

Goodreads review by Thomas on December 30, 2015

2.5 stars Last Song Before Night comes so close to being a brilliant debut it nearly brings me to tears. Ilana Myer lures you into her extravagantly mounted epic with the promise of a tale of a rebellion inspired by poetry and led by musicians. But what emerges is just another tropey quest novel, wit......more

Goodreads review by Jessica on June 01, 2015

Gorgeous, finely-wrought fantasy that reminded me of Kay's A SONG FOR ARBONNE. If you know me, you know that's high praise indeed! Luminous writing, well-developed characters, strong world-building, all come together to create a wonderful debut- in fact, I was stunned to realize that this was a debu......more


Quotes

“In this pitch-perfect debut, Myer has created a world of knife-wielding poets, bloody bards, and songs so important, so dangerous, that women and men are willing to die to sing them or hear them silenced. Myer writes with a music that lingers, even after you close the book for the night.” —Brian Staveley, author of The Providence of Fire

Last Song Before Night is a chilling tale of censorship out of control, set in a realm where music is magic, and a crackdown on bards may spell the end of enchantment for everyone. Lin, Ilana C. Myer's unforgettable songwriter-heroine, must survive in a society that limits what men can sing and forbids women to perform outright. Despite this, she strives to restore a musical and mystical balance before plague--and worse--can crush an already stifled society. A riveting debut novel from a promising newcomer.” —A. M. Dellamonica, author of Child of a Hidden Sea

“In the kaleidoscopic Last Song Before Night, Ilana C. Myers' poets, nobles, and rogues fight for power in a world where blades may cut deep, but words are the most powerful weapon of all. A lovely debut.” —Fran Wilde, author of Updraft