The Poet King

December 2, 2019
Myer concludes the Harp and Ring Sequence (after Fire Dance) with this opulent, ambitious fantasy. Political upheaval in Kahishi leads to Elissan Diar declaring himself the land’s first Poet King, capable of weaving magic into his odes. Embittered Lady Rianna Gelvan plots to kill Elissan before he takes the throne. Lin Amaristoth, who was Rianna’s mentor before becoming the former King’s Court Poet and whisking Rianna’s husband into a political whirlwind that ended with his disappearance and presumed treason, also works toward Elissan’s downfall, believing that no king should be able to wield the magic power of poetry. Myer’s intricately braided plot strands culminate in a clash of supernatural Otherworld powers. Those new to the series will have no trouble connecting with the well-drawn protagonists but may struggle to untangle the history of this rich universe which draws from a welter of world mythologies. Still, readers will be blown away by the lush, lyrical prose and epic scale of this novel.

February 1, 2020

The nation of Tamryllin has a new ruler: Ellisan Diar, who has enchanted his way into power as Poet King while claiming the support of the people. Not everyone is happy with the change, including Lady Rianna Gelvan, who plots to kill Ellisan before his coronation. Rianna is still struggling with the betrayal of her husband Ned, who left with the former king's court poet Lin Amaristoth during a political scheme that led to his disappearance. Rianna uses her position in the court to gain Ellisan's favor and trust, and Lin brings allies into the picture to end Ellisan's reign before it begins. But there's more at stake than the crown--the coronation is linked with a sinister prophecy that threatens to take the civil war to devastating extremes. Intriguing characters, diverse relationships, and political intrigue course through this lyrical, winding final volume in the trilogy (after Fire Dance). VERDICT Myer's lush prose and imagery amplifies a layered plot filled with magic, prophecy, and power.--Kristi Chadwick, Massachusetts Lib. Syst., Northampton

Copyright 2020 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 1, 2020
The common thread of Myer's previous two books--don't bargain with dangerous extradimensional magical beings--expresses itself in new and surprising ways in this conclusion to a trilogy melding music, enchantment, and dark ambition. Having employed such bargains to take over the Poets' Academy and foment civil war in the distant land of Kahishi (Fire Dance, 2017, etc.), Archmaster Elissan Diar now uses his power to take the throne of Eivar. But his magics have opened a portal for the White Queen, an icy, bloody being who has her own ideas about what Diar is entitled to. Peace and stability in both Kahishi and Eivar depend on former Court Poet Lin Amaristoth; Syme Oleir, a young man possessed and driven insane by an Ifreet; and two previously ignored and despised Academy students: Julien Imara, a shy young woman unexpectedly gifted with prophetic magic, and Dorn Arrin, whose unwilling part in a sacrificial ritual could mean his doom. And somewhere in the mix there is Etherell Lyr, a beautiful man of uncertain loyalties and Dorn's decidedly unrequited love, whose tortured past as a sexual abuse victim has left him mercurial, vengeful, and sociopathic. These fully drawn characters negotiate complicated choices in a world that intriguingly intermingles Middle Eastern and Celtic folklore as well as a fantasy equivalent of the Jewish Diaspora. Myer delicately threads a steady path through a complex, ever shifting plot while maintaining a consistent throughline of theme that condemns the heedless and selfish choices of the powerful and pointedly underscores the folly of ignoring the quiet, seemingly insignificant people whose unexplored depths and considerable strengths might be poised to strike against those very same people at the top. A fitting end to a gorgeous experiment in art, worldbuilding, and character, growing in strength from book to book.

COPYRIGHT(2020) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.