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Morgan of Melksham hates magic, but as a favor to her old friend and mentor, she agrees to deliver a magical blade to the King of Neroche. Soon after she begins her quest, Morgan is joined by a stranger, Adhemar, then by three old friends, and later by a man called Miach, who says he is Adhemar's brother. Unbeknownst to Morgan, both Adhemar, who really is the king of Neroche, and Miach, who is actually the archmage of Neroche, have been searching for the person who can wield the sword of Neroche and push back the tide of black magic that threatens their kingdom. Neither Adhemar nor Miach expected that Morgan would be the warrior they sought, nor that one of them would fall hopelessly in love with her. With the first in a splendid new series, Kurland returns to the world of the Nine Kingdoms, which she used as a setting for two earlier novellas, and presents a superbly crafted, sweetly romantic tale of adventure and magic. John Charles
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Book Description
Darkness covers the north, since the black mage has begun his assault on the kingdom of Neroche. Legend has it that only the two magical swords held by Neroche's king can defeat the mage. Now the fate of the Nine Kingdoms rests in the hands of a woman destined to wield one of those blades...
In this land of dragons and mages, warrior maids and magical swords, nothing is as it seems. And Morgan will find that the magic in her blood brings her troubles she cannot face with a sword-and a love more powerful than she has ever imagined.
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Most helpful customer reviews
3.0 out of 5 stars
Entertaining read,
By
This review is from: Star of the Morning (Paperback)
All in all not a bad book.I found the beginning was a little bit rocky it read slightly unpolished and was harder to get into but once I got past that I started to enjoy it. The story follows two character's perspectives for the most part, that of Morgan the sheildmaiden and that of the archmage Miach. Both are fairly likeable characters and both play off well together. The kingdom of Tor Neroche is beset by great peril as the king loses his magic and can no longer wield the famed blade that augments his power. The archmage Miach's spells that hold evil at bay are failing an so he sends his brother on a journey to find the one to weild the other great sword of the kingdom and save them all. Enter Morgan, a beautiful and well trained mercenary who is sent on a mission by her mentor to return a ensorcerelled dagger to the king. On the way she gathers her fellow mercenaries as well as the actual king of Tor Neroche who is disguised as a regular man, Adhemar, who incidentally is obivious that he has already found what he was seeking. Together they travel northward on their journey and they meet run into Miach who reveals himself as the disguised king's brother and pretends he is a farmer with some small talents. He suspects that Morgan is the one to weild the sword but fights accepting this because he dosen't want to force her onto this path and because of the way that she feels about magic and he feels about her. Morgan hates magic and thinks that Miach is weak for his lack of swordplay skills and detestable use of magic but Morgan and Miach gradually fall in love with eachother. Together they face the challenges they encounter great and small until the reach their final destination. Upon reaching the kingdom things escalate quickly and slightly akwardly leaving the readers with an unfinished ending that clearly indicates a sequal. Problems: 1. Everything happens little too easy, everything just falls into place. For example the way that all the party members come together is entirely too seamless they don't (aside from Morgan and Miach) seem to have any reason to be there in the story aside from filler. 2. (SPOILER) the end of the book culminates when the heroine Morgan at last reaches the castle and falls into an exhausted sleep. At this point Miach having taken care of her must go and see to the wards of the kingdom and discovers a hole which takes all night to repare. This of course prevents him from seeing Morgan in time and telling her that he is not in fact a farmer but the archmage of the kingdom. She then of course is heartbroken by his betrayal and lack of truthfullness. My main problem with this is that it happens all too frequently in both romance and fantasy. That is, the characters always hide something and are about to tell it until something prevents them from revealing the truth. Then of course the other character, morgan in this case finds out from someone else. They never even kiss once despite the fact that they are supposedly attracted to one another. Their wasn't a lot of sizzle with them. I just feel it was a pat and overplayed ending to the book. 3. Perdictability and lack of fleshing out of the bad guys. Having laid out my problems i do still think that was an entertaining read once i got past the beginning. The characters were entertaining enough, particularily Miach, who was in my opinion the best character in the book. Most importantly I did still want to know what happened next despite my misgivings. Hopefully the next book will be more polished...we shall see.
5.0 out of 5 stars
An enjoyable fantasy adventure with a touch of romance,
By Fé (Québec, PQ) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Star of the Morning (Paperback)
I bought this book a bit on an impulse after noticing the genre was 'fantasy romance'; something I had never read before. I've read many romance, a few adventure novels and I have to say I loved the mix of both in Star of the Morning.Morgan is a hardened mercenary who trusts her sword more than anything else, especially magic. She is sent on a quest against her will by the man who raised her because she simply can't refuse him anything. Along the way she meets up with old friends and makes new ones including the handsome mage Miach. As to be expected the simple quest turns out to be a lot more than anyone could have imagined. The story ends a bit quickly and with a few loose ends. Although it stands well on its own, it seems to me as if this book is awaiting another (or more!?) to complete the story. I'm eagerly waiting to see if Lynn Kurland writes more. I have read that this is not her first book in this universe but having read none of her books before I can say that there is no need to have read them to understand this book. It stands very well on its own. I loved this book and had a hard time putting it down. Unlike many romance novels I have read the heroine has a head on her shoulders and can think for herself. Also, the romance interlaced into the story is neither overwhelming nor the main focus of the book.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta) Amazon.com:
4.1 out of 5 stars (52 customer reviews) 68 of 69 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
The beginnning of an outstanding series!,
By Kathleen MacIver "reader/author" - Published on Amazon.com
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Star of the Morning (Paperback)
First, since some confusion exists regarding the progression of the Nine Kingdom's books, here's a current list (as of Jan '10):Two Prelude short stories, found in anthologies with other authors: The Queen in Winter (When Symon, the first king of Neroche, woos and wins Iolaire) To Weave a Web of Magic (The Tale of Two Swords where Mehar and Gilraehen fall in love) Miach and Morgan's story is told in: 1- Star of the Morning (The Nine Kingdoms, Book 1) (this book) 2- The Mage's Daughter (The Nine Kingdoms, Book 2) 3- Princess of the Sword (The Nine Kingdoms, Book 3) Ruith and Sarah's story (which OVERLAPS Miach and Morgan's story in the timeline) is told in: 4- A Tapestry of Spells (The Nine Kingdoms, Book 4) 5- Spellweaver (The Nine Kingdoms, Book 5) 6- Gift of Magic, due to be published in January 2012 And she's said there are more Nine Kingdoms trilogies planned for successive Januaries. 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. Then, when the cliff-hanger gets you, go get the next two books in the trilogy so you can follow them to Miach and Morgan's Happily-Ever-After! 14 of 14 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Wonderful romantic fantasy,
By jewel - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Star of the Morning (Paperback)
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! 10 of 10 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great story- leaves you wanting more, now!,
By C. Widman - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Star of the Morning (Paperback)
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. |
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