Review – Song of the Forever Rains (The Mousai, Book 1) by E.J. Mellow (4/5 stars)
Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Historical Fantasy
Length: 423 pages
Publisher: Montlake
Release Date: July 1, 2021
ASIN: B08GC3WWQF
Stand Alone or Series: 1st book in the The Mousai series
Source: eBook for Kindle from Kindle First Reads
Rating: 4/5 stars
“The Thief Kingdom is a place hidden within the world of Aadilor. Many whisper of its existence, but few have found this place, where magic and pleasure abound. There, the mysterious Thief King reigns supreme with the help of the Mousai, a trio of revered and feared sorceresses.
Larkyra Bassette may be the youngest of the Mousai, but when she sings her voice has the power to slay monsters. When it’s discovered the Duke of Lachlan is siphoning a poisonous drug from the Thief Kingdom and using it to abuse his tenants, Larkyra is offered her first solo mission to stop the duke. Eager to prove herself, Larkyra accepts by posing as the duke’s potential bride. But her plans grow complicated when she finds herself drawn to Lord Darius Mekenna, Lachlan’s rightful heir. Soon she suspects Darius has his own motivations for ridding Lachlan of the corrupt duke. Larkyra and Darius must learn to trust each other if there is to be any hope of saving the people of Lachlan—and themselves.
Welcome to the world of Aadilor, where lords and ladies can be murderers and thieves, and the most alluring notes are often the deadliest. Dare to listen?”
Series Info/Source: This is the first book in the Mousai trilogy. I got a copy of this on ebook through Kindle First Reads.
Thoughts: I ended up enjoying this a lot, it was much different than I was expecting but not in a bad way. This is much more of a serial fantasy romance type of format and I think I was expecting more epic fantasy. I enjoyed this though, the writing style is beautiful and effortless to read…this is one of those books that practically reads itself. The next two books of the series each feature one of Larkyra’s sisters and the romance they find.
The story alternates POV between Larkyra (one of the three Mousai) and Darius (stepson of the Duke of Lachlan). Larkyra is sent to Lachlan to root out an illegal drug that’s being smuggled out of the Thief Kingdom. Darius wants to stop his father the Duke, from destroying Lachlan. Initially, Larkyra and Darius are at odds but soon learn that they might accomplish more by working together.
I really enjoyed the Mousai and their magical powers and the strange Thief Kingdom. The Thief Kingdom has a magical almost dark circus-like or fairy tale feel to it. The whole book has a gothic dreamy feel to it that felt very magical.
After the initial setup, the story does devolve into more of a dark fantasy romance. Darius and Larkyra have an enemies to lovers thing going on. The main plot is always woven through this but I would put this more into the fantasy romance category. The book is beautifully written and really sweeps the reader away into magical and desolate locations.
I enjoyed Larkyra’s relationship with her sisters and father. I also loved the magic in here and how the story wrapped up. I also liked some of the edginess to the darkness throughout the book. I plan on continuing the series.
My Summary (4/5): Overall this was very well done but different from what I was expecting. This is very much a dark, gothic, fantasy romance. I liked the characters and the magical settings. The description in here is beautiful and the story is very easy to engage in and read. This was a book I struggled to put down and I really enjoyed how dark and magical it felt. I would recommend to those looking for an effortless but magical, dark fantasy romance read. I have already picked up the next two books in the series through Kindle Unlimited to read.
