Last Song Before Night By Ilana C. Myer

Audiobook version, narrated by Alison McKenna

Finished on 12/29/2016

3 Poets and 2 Seers out of 5

Spoiler-tastic Review

Oh, what might have been? I wanted to love this book. I’m a big fan of Patricia McKillip’s work and this book is at least superficially similar to her work. A book of poetry and competitions and harpists, this story was going to be my niche!

It’s characterization was stellar. Each and every Point of View character is as deep and wonderful as a flavorful curry. You get to know the corners and crannies of all the major and minor characters. You root for some characters to succeed and plead for the deaths of others.

But unfortunately the characterization was also the main source of the book’s problems. There are TOO MANY WONDERFUL CHARACTERS. It’s like a buffet where the appetizers are more delicious than the main courses. With five POV characters and a book of normal length, there wasn’t enough plot to go around. It was like a series of interconnected short stories instead of one major story with one or two side plots.

I’ll read more of this author’s books in the future, hoping that the complex juggling act that she’s practicing will be perfected in the no-so-distant future.

Don’t let my halfhearted review get you down. If you think this sounds like your cup of tea, go ahead and read it. There is no rose without thorns, and in this case the beauty is worth the cost of admission.