Last year, Lynn Kurland became one of my favorite authors. I've read quite a few of her novels now, and the majority of them have been fantastic. I've only come across a couple of Kurland's books I haven't liked as much as the others, and one was a short story. With her newest offering, A Tapestry of Spells, the next in the Nine Kingdoms series that I adore, Kurland proves that she's a master of fantasy romance.Sarah of Doìre, daughter of the village witch, worries her brother will use his dark magic to destroy the Nine Kingdoms, so she requests the help of the local mage, a man most of the villagers fear. His name, Sarah learns, is Ruith, and he's not the crotchety, centuries-old mage everyone thinks him to be. After a horrible incident at a well when he was ten years old, Ruith buried his magical powers and happily spent the next twenty years in seclusion. When Sarah arrives on his doorstep, begging his assistance in stopping her brother from wreaking havoc on the Kingdoms, Ruith strangely finds himself wanting to aid her on her quest.
I loved this book. I loved the unfolding layers of plot and character, and was fascinated to discover that Ruith and Sarah's story takes place at the same time that Morgan and Miach's story does in Star of the Morning. Kurland isn't just a storyteller, she's a story weaver, and the threads she weaves together create the most breathtaking, enthralling stories. I was hooked from the beginning, and was left craving more Sarah and Ruith at the end. I cannot wait for the next book in the series to come out!
5/5