Song of the Forever Rains by E.J. Mellow
Within the realm of Aadilor is a place called The Thief Kingdom. Few have actually arrived at this location, where wonder and pleasure abound. There, the enigmatic Thief King rules with the aid of the three revered and dreaded sorceresses known as the Mousai.
Despite being the youngest of the Mousai, Larkyra Bassette’s voice has the ability to slay monsters when she sings. Larkyra is given her first solo mission to stop the Duke of Lachlan after it is learned that he is stealing a toxic medication from the Thief Kingdom and using it to abuse his tenants. Larkyra accepts and decides to pose as the duke’s prospective bride in order to prove her worth.
Song of the Forever Rains by E.J. Mellow
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She finds herself drawn to Lord Darius Mekenna, Lachlan’s legitimate successor, which complicates her plans. Soon after, she begins to believe Darius has his own reasons for wanting to rid Lachlan of the dishonest duke. If there is any chance that Larkyra and Darius can save both themselves and the inhabitants of Lachlan, it is up to them to learn to trust one another.
The most seductive sounds are frequently the deadliest in the land of Aadilor, where lords and ladies can be murderers and thieves. Willing to listen?
Three snarky, strong, and loving sisters live in a fantasy country with a secret identity for their lordly father.
Larkyra, the book’s featured sister, is depicted in the opening scene having her finger amputated after she was caught stealing from the wrong person while out on a walkabout where she was not allowed to use her magic. We get to see her return to the castle and the affectionate or sarcastic embrace of her other sisters because it is her last day.
In fact, this sequence made me feel both curious and irritated, which is somewhat how I feel about this book. Even though the dance/sing/instrument music of the three sisters isn’t particularly inventive, the world’s moderately advanced development, horrifying siphoning magic, hazily derived names from Europe and Africa, and the beta-hero setup is all amusing and intriguing.
Larkyra has endured terrible things in order to restrain her magic, but having your finger amputated on the final day? The poor beta hero experiences horrific things, yet he never once considered magic or his stepfather. And since people would despise them for having magic, nobody thinks the Mousai are Larkyra and her sister?
There is a lot of suspension of disbelief required to believe that someone could be that stupid or possess such superhuman discipline, especially given the fact that Larkyra doesn’t control her kleptomaniacal urges at all.
Even though the father effectively tortures his daughters in order to teach them about magic, the sisters’ and father’s unwavering love for one another prevents interactions from being as exciting as they may be (apart from the whole Stockholm syndrome thing).
