Review: Last Song Before Night, by Ilana C. Myer
Last Song Before Night by Ilana C. Myer
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
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.