THE DREAMER’S SONG – Lynn Kurland

Book Eleven: The Nine Kingdoms


The Nine Kingdoms

When we left our hero and heroine, they were making plans to enter a fortress, find the library, and steal a book. Acair of Ceangail and Leirsinn of Saraichte along with Prince Mansourah of Neroche are on a mission. For one year, Acair is forbidden from using magic, on penalty of death. To make sure he abides by this demand, the mages who ordered this have sent a shadowy watcher who is under orders to kill Acair if he so much as utters a magical word. Acair is widely known throughout the Nine Kingdoms for his nasty behavior, although he’s not nearly as evil as the man who sired him. Leirsinn has no magic, but after stepping onto a dark spot that seems to be one of many following them, she can see magic, and consequently the shadows that gave her this sense.

The quest that Acair is on is a dangerous one, and having no magic leaves both he and Liersinn vulnerable to powerful wizards out to do him harm. Thankfully, Mansourah can use his magic, although it may not be as powerful as Acair’s. Acair must rid the world of the dark magic that his father produced in abundance. Since he must do this without spells, he must use his wits to get into and out of places where books and manuscripts are hidden.

Liersinn is along for the quest because Acair has promised to save her grandfather from her uncle once Acair is allowed to use magic again. Plus, she has grown fond of the incredibly handsome, but seemingly arrogant man who wandered into her stable a while back. Her belief in magic was negligible then, but she is growing used to the fact that it’s not something fictional.

Magic is inherent in the Nine Kingdoms series, and it’s powerful and, well, magical. A shapeshifting horse who grudgingly transports the trio in his dragon form, a mother and grandmother who may or may not love Acair, their son/grandson, and the knowledge that a dark, dangerous mage is following them, keep Acair, Liersinn, and Mansourah on their toes. There is plenty of humor, too, and the banter between the three can be grin-worthy.

As are all of Lynn Kurland’s books, THE DREAMER’S SONG is beautifully written, and the characters memorable. While this book can be read alone, I very highly recommend readers who have not read this series to start at the beginning. You won’t regret it.

When I chose to read this novel I will admit I choose it by the gorgeous cover and because I misread and thought it was the First book in the series by a favorite author. Unfortunately I misread the #11 as ONE and thus I started into this series without a bit of background and in the middle of a saga. And I again confess that I didn’t know what was going on - so right off the bat I must say that this is not a stand-alone book. And because I have been a huge fan of author Lynn Kurland for many years I hate giving this a less than favorable rating.

While I was lost for much of the story and not truly knowing who was the good guy over the bad guy, I can generally say that the young horse loving Léirsinn, was my favorite, and I did get to appreciate Acair after awhile specially after being introduced to his mother and grandmother during the latter part of the novel.

I will say that after a while I did begin to enjoy the book more towards the end than the confusion I felt in the beginning and feel I will definitely have to remedy my feeling on this series by starting over again at the beginning.

Marilyn Rondeau

Lynn Kurland always enchants with this series. I don't recommend starting with this book, especially with such a great world and so many great characters that have come before, but you may be able to start just with, The White Spell. This is the beginning of Acair's story, and I love Acair more than I ever thought possible.

As always, the world is just so much fun. And I really enjoy how it deepens and becomes ever more broad with each installment.

I can't wait to see what happens next.

I love Acair. Who knew that could happen. He's not nearly as bad as he purports to be - which I think one had to expect when he became the 'hero' in this series. But he's just wicked enough to make me fall in love. His snarky and sarcastic comments and conversations kept me smiling throughout this book.

I can easily see why Léirsinn is smitten. Léirsinn surprised me. A lot, in this book. I didn't expect what happened to happen. Considering that I've become comfortable with these books, this world, that's pretty impressive. I'm still not entirely sure of what exactly happened, but it definitely surprised me the way it happened.

I found, when I started this book, that I'd forgotten quite a lot of the previous book, The White Spell, in the interim. Which was both unfortunate, and awesome. Unfortunate, because it made this book slightly confusing for me - I would NOT recommend starting here. I think you could probably start with The White Spell, and not be too lost - though Acair's "evilness" might be lost on you if you don't see how he behaved in the previous 3 books (Series 3). But picking the series up at this book would be a mistake. Not to mention that you'd miss out on all the wonderfulness that is Morgan and Miach (Series 1).

And it was awesome that I couldn't remember everything, because it gives me a handy, legitimate, excuse to go back and re-read. I can't wait to dive into this again. Lynn Kurland always enchants in the Nine Kingdom Series'. I am eagerly awaiting the conclusion to this series, and the start of the next. Perhaps Sollier will finally meet his match? I'll never tire of reading books set with characters in this world. No matter who. It's always like coming home.

These tales set in the Nine Kingdoms fascinate me. The stories are very reminiscent of the fairy tales that I enjoyed as a child full of magic and beauty balanced by darkness and evil.  Ms. Kurland delivers taking her readers far away from modern confines into a fantasy world of her imagination.
Acair of Ceanagil comes from dark stock and presents himself as a black mage. As the story proves he has many redeeming features. In fact, Liersinn's inner eye can clearly see his soul perfectly balanced between dark and light. Given his propensity to do good while on this quest and his history of black wizardry readers wonder where he'll end up on the light to dark spectrum. Unfortunately we'll have to wait till the next chapter of the quest to find the answer to that question.  This middle chapter of their story is really about Liersinn's awakening as Acair and Liersinn advance their quest.  It's apparent that she's more that the simple horse maid with no magic.  Sollier's strong interest in her definitely  indicates that she has a background that while still shrouded in mystery is key to the fabric of the nine kingdoms.   I loved the scene where she's walking like in a dream picking up threads of magic and twirling them like curls in her hair as she's walking along.  And who is the beautiful lady who partners with Sollier to lend a hand where and when she can?
Even as so many questions still remain we have answers too.   We know why the pools of shadow are being created.  Of course the question of who is creating these and why is still shrouded in mystery.  I enjoyed the portrayal of the pieces of Acair's soul and his spells that he's left behind in so many interestingly  dark places. Of course the retrieval of such spells often ends up with the three companions fleeing in terror along with their shape changing horses.
If you are a fan of the series one of the things you will find interesting is how perceptions are re-shaped of certain characters that we've met in other books in the series.  The witchwoman of fas who I viewed as evil is painted in a much kinder light through her interactions with her son and Liersinn. She's not above taking advantage of a prince of Neroche in her cottage and the benefit it might bring her but even that is not in a truly evil way.
As always the ending leaves me agape and anxiously panting for the next chapter.

Acair is the son of a black mage and witch. He is conflicted about his black magic heritage but when a strange shadow shows up and prevents him from performing magic, he is more than a little concerned. On a quest, with companions, is no place to be without your abilities.

Leirsinn is a woman who hopes that Acair can find a cure for her grandfather. Her encounter with the shadow gives her the ability to detect magic.

Acair seems to be captivated by Leirsinn but knows she is completely oblivious and doesn’t seem to mind. He watches her carefully and gives her what she needs to nudge her toward change without forcing it on her.

The Dreamer’s Song is a complex, engaging, fantasy. The journey is as much about self-discovery as it about the quest.

This was a difficult series to jump into on book 11. I highly recommend starting from the beginning. It took awhile for me to connect with the characters which I believe would not have been an issue if I had been reading their plight from the start.

I received this ARC copy of The Dreamer's Song from Berkley Publishing Group. This is my honest and voluntary review. The Dreamer's Song is set for publication December 5, 2017.

My Rating: 4 stars
Written by: Lynn Kurland
Series: A Novel of the Nine Kingdoms (Book 11)
Paperback: 336 pages
Publisher: Berkley
Publication Date: December 5, 2017
ISBN-10: 0425282198
ISBN-13: 978-0425282199
Genre: Fantasy

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Reviewed for: http://tometender.blogspot.com

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I’ve never read Lynn Kurland but I’ve heard a lot of good things about her, and her books seem right up my alley. However, I should not have started with her book The Dreamer’s Song. I received an advance reader copy from Netgalley. I was intrigued by the description (“Acair of Ceangail, still dodging his reputation as a notorious black mage, has undertaken the ultimate quest: ridding the world of a mysterious, terrible dark magic while using no magic of his own. But he never bargained for three maddening complications: attempting to safeguard his beautiful but horse-obsessed companion, Léirsinn; trying not to slay a profoundly irritating prince of Neroche; and slipping in and out of places he knows will spell his doom if he’s caught.”)

In my experience this was definitely not a book for someone who had not read the previous 10 books in the series. There were many references to people and events that didn’t make sense to me and that were presumably from previous titles. The world building was too dense and unexplained for this newbie to the Nine Kingdoms.

In addition, I got tired of hearing how black Acair was, and his mother, when neither of them seemed “bad” in the least. Comments about expecting her to poison him and all the “terrible” things he has done weren’t borne out by behavior and deeds in this book.

And the bigger issue for me was I expected a complete story. The tale of Acair and Léirsinn ends very abruptly, presumably to be continued in book 12. I read 229 pages only to be left hanging.

Long-time readers of Lynn Kurland may love The Dreamer’s Song, but it was not the right book for me.

Acair of Ceangail is the son of an infamous black mage and a witchwoman. He reluctantly sets off to search for the enigmatic source of the strange shadows cropping up throughout the Nine Kingdoms. A weird, humanoid-shaped spell follows Acair and prevents him from performing any magic. He worries about his beautiful companion’s safety during their perilous quest. Acair revisits the places of his past misdeeds to collect the remnants of himself left behind. Will Acair manage to gather the figments of his lost soul? Can he collect them in time to confront the mysterious person behind the shadows?

Leirsinn of Saraichte is a modest and no-nonsense horsemiss. She desperately hopes Acair of Ceangain can discover a cure for her grandfather’s peculiar malady. Leirsinn embarks on the quest to keep the roguish mageling from harm and to discourage him from using magic. An altercation within the mysterious shadows allows her to detect magic’s presence. Will Leirsinn’s new ability help Acair gather his soul fragments? What other discerning discoveries will she learn on this journey?

Acair is still the scintillating roguish rascal I remember and love from THE WHITE SPELL, book ten. For a man proud of his despicable deeds, he is quite protective of Leirsinn and mindful to her needs. I love how Acair accepts his growing fascination with Leirsinn while she remains oblivious. I adore how in tune he is to Leirsinn’s reservations and how he instinctively takes action to ease her misgivings. But what I enjoy the most about Acair is his interplay with his witchy mother because it is not the usual mother-and-son interaction.

Leirsinn is still the practical and straightforward miss I remember from the previous book. She is, however, slowly adapting to the many changes she encounters on her journey. I like that Leirsinn gradually comes to grips with the new ability she developed, along with the fact that magic truly exists. I also enjoy how she often likens Acair and Mansourah’s bantering to that of surly stallions. I like that Leirsinn starts to realize just what Acair means to her. But what I adore the most about Leirsinn is how she often humors Acair whenever the mageling brags about his dastardly reputation.

THE DREAMER’S SONG is book eleven in Lynn Kurland’s winsome fantasy-romance series, NINE KINGDOMS. I love how the journey ends up more about self-discovery for both Acair and Leirsinn. This tale reminds me of the epic, high-fantasy books where the characters grow into their own while on their quests. The only problem I have with this story is that I really did not want it to end.

THE DREAMER’S SONG is an engaging tale about an unlikely couple learning not only about themselves but each other also. I honestly could not put this book down. I eagerly anticipate the next installment of Acair and Leirsinn’s quest.