Star of the Morning

Recent Comments

1. 

   Kathleen MacIver @ 8:56 pm

   I’m not usually a connoisseur of fantasy novels, as I often find them to be either too dark, or too hard to relate to the characters. But, since I love Lynn Kurland’s historical novels and characters, I had to try this one out.

   And it is fabulous.

   Yes, it is fantasy, with the darkness of evil… yet you are not dragged down with lurid descriptions of the evil. Rather, you experience the emotions and thoughts and feelings of the characters as THEY deal with the evil that is thrown at them. And you share in their victories, just as you share in the conversation and laughter they share when they are warm and safe around the fire.

   And of course there is magic… but it is a silvery ribbon that winds through characters that are still so human that it is easy to relate to them. They have magic and know spells… but they use them in the same utterly human ways that you or I use our knowledge and skills.

   And then there’s the romance. It is there, running beneath the surface and threatening to spill over any moment… yet it never does. That has been saved for future books. But its sweetness draws you into the story until you, also, have fallen in love with the shieldmaiden and the mage.

   So read of Morgan, an orphan who has learned to shun magic in favor of the more visible and tangible skills of swordplay… while she slowly begins to find that magic is in her, she cannot run from it, and it does have its uses.

   Read of Miach, the archmage of the powerful kingdom of Neroche, as he quietly defends the kingdom against far more danger than anyone realizes… as he is tempted the mis-use the power that few know he holds… and as he discovers a love that is more powerful still.

   And escape to a world where men and women alike answer to the calling that has been laid upon them… to save the innocent masses that are unaware of the danger that threatens them.

   (Number two in the trilogy, The Mage’s Daughter: A Novel of the Nine Kingdoms, is now out, and it makes this book even better! Don’t miss it!)

   
2. 

   jewel @ 10:43 pm

   This book is a great extension of Lynn Kurland’s writing skills! She’s moved from plain historicals into time-travel, matchmaking ghosts, etc. into a Tolkien-like world of the Nine Kingdoms. This is clearly the first book in a series that continue the stories of at least the lead couple, and hopefully others (there’s a king with six brothers, which could lead to many sequels!).

   I loved Lord of the Rings, but wished it had more romance and a more down-to-earth style. This book fits the bill and is a very enjoyable read. Look forward to what comes next!

   
3. 

   C. Widman @ 10:43 pm

   I love Lynn Kurland’s writing style- the humor, the local color, drama, and of course, the romance. Typically, I’m not a big fan of fantasies or science fiction books; I find them too confusing with the made-up languages, long names, and too many characters with too long names that just complicates the story- making it harder to read. I tend to get frustrated because I feel lost, like I missed something and need to re-read but usually give up because the story just doesn’t interest me anymore. Too much effort, too much work for pleasure reading… Here, though, there are some made-up words and one long name (that gets shortened to Miach so it’s ok), I didn’t feel lost or confused. The story kept my interest secured through to the end.

   Morgan is a mercenary by trade and is sent on a quest by her mentor/father-figure, Nicholas, to bring a magical blade to the king of Neroche. Shortly upon setting out, Morgan comes upon Adhemar, who she believes is an arrogant, blathering oaf (on which you will readily agree), but what she doesn’t know (but we do) is that he is actually the king that she is seeking. Adhemar is seeking a wielder for his own magical sword to help save his country and as it turns out, Morgan just may be what he is looking for.

   The interactions between Adhemar and Morgan are quite funny. You can definitely identify with her wanting to have him shut up about himself. Later we meet Miach, Adhemar’s brother and archmage of Neroche. Romance blossoms between Miach and Morgan but neither feel that they can have a future together. Miach is a beautiful hero- he’s sweet, gentle, sensitive and yet strong in character and of course tall, dark and handsome. (LK fans, he reminded me of Patrick-A Garden in the Rain.. Doesn’t hurt )

   My only complaint is that not much seems to happen. There is a lot of build-up with not much of any resolution, leaving a somewhat unsatisfying ending. It suggests a great prelude to what is to come, but makes you wish the next installment was sooner in coming.

   Though this story revolves around the Nine Kingdoms, it is not necessary to have read LK’s two previous novellas about it before reading Star of Morning. I did but they are really stand alone titles(one in Queen in Winter and second in To Weave a Web of Magic).

   This story almost defies genre designation- I think fantasy/science fiction readers will enjoy it because the romance is there but not the central focus. And romance readers will find the sweet story enjoyable- Miach and Morgan’s interactions will bring a smile to your face.

   LK could probably write any kind of book and I’d still find it delightful. Though, I love her time travel-Scotland-romances, Star of Morning was a worthwhile investment. Afterall, I’m looking forward to see what comes next. It does fill the gap until April for Nicholas’s story, if nothing else.

   
4. 

   Marie @ 11:02 pm

   While I have always been a devoted Kurland fan, I found this book had more flaws than positives. As I admire this author, I do not intend this to belittle her work, so I will try to keep needless criticisms out of my review.

   First, the story was so simplistically written that at times it seemed to be almost a young adult book. The sentences and paragraphs were short and choppy and long periods of time in the book were simply skipped. (This might work in some stories, but in this case I felt it caused the story line to lag.)

   Secondly and related to this, I felt as if she could have told the story in half the time it took her as well. It seems that all the characters do is travel, get attacked, and travel some more (with repetitions of the same). (Again, this may work in some stories, but it seemed that there was so much more that could have been done to round things out.)

   Third, the characters personalities are described as one way in the beginning and seem to have competely changed by the middle of the book. For example, the female main character is described as dangerous, fearless, and strong, yet at one point in the book she is so scared she can hardly sit on her horse? A monster does not scare her, but a big building does? Unfortunately, I saw this as a weak tool to make the female lead seem more vulnerable and more in need of the rather weak male lead (who could have displayed more backbone during most of the story while not taking anything away from his “big secret”). I have a hard time reconciling such poor character building with a writer who has done such a fantastic job of it in the past. The main characters seemed shallow and what romance there was seemed forced and rather childish. In fact, if I didn’t know better, the difference in the quality of her characters, writing style, and plot techs is so glaring, it almost seems as if this was an entirely different writer.

   Fourth, as mentioned by another reviewer, the story does literally stop cold, which is quite annoying considering I wanted to put the book down, but fought through to get some closure in the story.

   Finally, while this is rather minor, some of the names of locations and people were so hard to spell and pronounce that without a glossary (a useful tool esp. in fantasy writing), the reader spends more time than needed trying to muddle them out while not forgetting what is going on in the story.

   In summary, while Kurland has had admitted success with her historical romance series, I believe that her attempt at fantasy is only marginally entertaining and not to be considered a romance in any sense. Seasoned readers will probably not enjoy this one nearly as much as her past work. I agree with the other reviewer who suggested and hoped that Kurland would return to and stick with what she does best.

   
5. 

   j.m.s @ 1:08 am

   First off, this is not exactly like her historical romances-this is a fantasy trilogy aka Lord of the Rings. While there is a ‘romance’ between two of the characters, it’s given equal treatment to the basis of the story which is two brothers trying to find a swordweilder to help them save their country. The story had her trademark humor and the writing style was exactly like her other books so it’s being a ‘fantasy’ didn’t make the book seem foreign at all. The female character reminded me of Margaret of Falconberg, a woman warrior with great fighting skills and a soft heart. She was respected for her abilities and character without having to come across as some hard-edged, rude mannored woman as many ‘warrior’ woman are portrayed. And, as in all her books, the romance develops without them having to fall into bed or dwell on falling into bed through-out the book. Their romance develops sweetly and I can’t wait for the second book to see how it continues. She always writes romances in such a way that you could read it with your daughter, sighing and laughing, without having to worry about graphic love scenes. The story itself has a very tangible Lord of the Rings feel, so if you liked that storyline you’ll like this. Also, she writes for a female audience so don’t expect long, detailed fight scenes. She gets the point across without giving a blow-by-blow account. I like that as I do tend to skim through long fight scenes whether in books or movies. I would definitely recommend this book to any fan or new fan of Lynn’s. I am a big fan of hers and rarely disapointed with what she puts out. The book holds up on its own, but will probably be thoroughly enjoyed in conjunction with the other two books of the series.