Last Song Before Night

"e;Truly epic,"e; this high fantasy about a woman's quest to restore her world's lost magic is filled with "e;great writing and great storytelling"e; (The Guardian). Her name was Kimbralin Amaristoth. 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 a pandemic both deadly and unnatural has returned to the land of Eivar. 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 known as the Red Death, destroying Eivar's connection to the Otherworld from which all enchantment once flowed. The Red Death's return can mean only one thing: someone is spilling innocent blood in order to master dark magic. Now 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. "e;Lush and lyrical. . . . Superbly paced, with vividly drawn characters and a fearless dramatic heart."e; David Mack, New York Times bestselling author of 24: Rogue"e;The core of Last Song's strength is its characters . . . but it's also a work of music itself: Lyrical, dynamic, and winningly melodic."e; NPR