There are two fantasy themes that I've always shied away from: spirits and song magic. I guess I was predisposed to disliking this one from the start, but I like Ed's other stuff so I decided to see how he handled it when he combined two of my no-fly topics. Overall, I was pleasantly surprised. Amarynth is a relatable young hero who is dealt a crummy situation to overcome. The stakes are high, the magical premise is intriguing and the writing moves along briskly to a satisfying conclusion. To my surprise, the issues that fell short for me were not the twin topics I usually dread. Instead, I found that the story raised many questions for me that were not sufficiently explored. Tell me more about how the Between world functions. Are there other forms of magic, and what can they do? What other things can Amarynth do with her magic? Overall, these unexplored side questions left me feeling that the story was under realized, although I suspect that its intended audience will not share those feelings. ( )

I was quite excited to see Iambik Audio open for review requests and a new fantasy available with a young female main character :D. What more could I really ask for right?? As many of you know, I’m always in the market for more audiobooks due to my frequent driving. While the slower fantasy pace of Spirit Singer sometimes made me need to take a break, I overall very much enjoyed this classic-style fantasy! Thank you to Iambik Audio for providing me a copy to review.
Goodreads | Amazon



Print Copy scheduled for May 2013
Title: Spirit Singer
Author: Edward Willett
Length: 4 hours 33 min
Genre-ish: Fantasy (with spirits)
Rating: ★★★★☆- solid fantasy story, audio wasn’t great
Amarynth is a spirit singer, gifted – or cursed, as she sometimes thinks – with the ability to lead the spirits of the dead from the Lower World through the Between World to the Gate of the Upper World and the Light that lies beyond it.
While she is still an apprentice her grandfather and tutor dies, slain by a mysterious creature in the Between World that is blocking access to the Upper World’s Gate. Without a spirit singer her village cannot survive, so Amarynth embarks on a hazardous quest to find out what the creature is, how it can be defeated, and how she can become a full-fledged spirit singer – a quest that takes her not only from her tiny seacoast home to the soaring mountains of the south, but across the even more rugged terrain of her own soul. — Amazon
Strengths:
I really liked the singing magic idea behind Spirit Singer. Chanting is usually a part of magic rituals, but it’s not often that it IS the magic itself :D.
Spirit Singer has some devious plot twists. I can’t say that I didn’t see them coming, because I definitely had a feeling that something was up, but then I wasn’t sure…. And then I definitely was!
The “Between World” is this treacherous place between our realm and their version of heaven and the descriptions of it were very compelling. There are all sorts of wayward spirits and traps that Amarynth had to watch out for, and some of those images are just never going to be scrubbed from my brain….
Spirit Singer had solid main characters. I wish was had gotten to know Grandpa a bit more, but you can’t have it all ;-).
Weaknesses:
I think I just have a problem with male narrators, but I just never could get used to the narrator in Spirit Singer. Male narrators never seem to be able to do female voices, and since the main character was female, this ended up being a big problem for me.
The plot of Spirit Singer ended up being a fairly typical fantasy in the end, but there isn’t anything wrong with that if that’s what you are in the mood for :).
Summary:
Spirit Singer is a fun fantasy adventure with a solid female character. The narration of Amarynth’s voice didn’t do it for me, so I suggest picking up the book in print or ebook when you can. The premise and world of Spirit Singer were quite interesting and fun to explore and I look forward to learning more about them in sequels *hopeful eyes*. If you are quite discerning, you will probably see some of the plot twists coming, but the evidence went back and forth enough for me that I wasn’t sure ;-). All in all, Spirit Singer is a great book if you are in the mood for some good ol’ fashioned fantasy! ( )

From my blog On Starships and Dragonwings

While the slower fantasy pace of Spirit Singer sometimes made me need to take a break, I overall very much enjoyed this classic-style fantasy! Thank you to Iambik Audio for providing me a copy to review.

Print Copy scheduled for May 2013
Title: Spirit Singer
Author: Edward Willett
Length: 4 hours 33 min
Genre-ish: Fantasy (with spirits)
Rating: ★★★★☆- solid fantasy story, audio wasn’t great
Amarynth is a spirit singer, gifted – or cursed, as she sometimes thinks – with the ability to lead the spirits of the dead from the Lower World through the Between World to the Gate of the Upper World and the Light that lies beyond it.
While she is still an apprentice her grandfather and tutor dies, slain by a mysterious creature in the Between World that is blocking access to the Upper World’s Gate. Without a spirit singer her village cannot survive, so Amarynth embarks on a hazardous quest to find out what the creature is, how it can be defeated, and how she can become a full-fledged spirit singer – a quest that takes her not only from her tiny seacoast home to the soaring mountains of the south, but across the even more rugged terrain of her own soul. — Amazon
Strengths:
I really liked the singing magic idea behind Spirit Singer. Chanting is usually a part of magic rituals, but it’s not often that it IS the magic itself :D.
Spirit Singer has some devious plot twists. I can’t say that I didn’t see them coming, because I definitely had a feeling that something was up, but then I wasn’t sure…. And then I definitely was!
The “Between World” is this treacherous place between our realm and their version of heaven and the descriptions of it were very compelling. There are all sorts of wayward spirits and traps that Amarynth had to watch out for, and some of those images are just never going to be scrubbed from my brain….
Spirit Singer had solid main characters. I wish was had gotten to know Grandpa a bit more, but you can’t have it all ;-).
Weaknesses:
I think I just have a problem with male narrators, but I just never could get used to the narrator in Spirit Singer. Male narrators never seem to be able to do female voices, and since the main character was female, this ended up being a big problem for me.
The plot of Spirit Singer ended up being a fairly typical fantasy in the end, but there isn’t anything wrong with that if that’s what you are in the mood for :).
Summary:
Spirit Singer is a fun fantasy adventure with a solid female character. The narration of Amarynth’s voice didn’t do it for me, so I suggest picking up the book in print or ebook when you can. The premise and world of Spirit Singer were quite interesting and fun to explore and I look forward to learning more about them in sequels *hopeful eyes*. If you are quite discerning, you will probably see some of the plot twists coming, but the evidence went back and forth enough for me that I wasn’t sure ;-). All in all, Spirit Singer is a great book if you are in the mood for some good ol’ fashioned fantasy! ( )

see http://www.sfsite.com/12b/si142.htm ( )