Review: Song by Jesse Teller

Oooh a series in the Perilisc world. Okay, that sounds alright then. It’s no doubt going to be dark AF and full of murder and shit. You know, I think I’d rather live in Westeros than Perilisc now that I’m thinking of it, but that being said, it’s still an interesting world to read about.

Also, I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. 🙂

Some of the darkest minds in Perilisc attacked Mending Keep, releasing all its prisoners. Despite his strained relationship with the crown, Rayph Ivoryfist calls old friends to his aid in a subversive attempt to protect King Nardoc and thwart terrorist plots to ruin the Festival of Blossoms. But someone else is targeting Rayph, and even his fellow Manhunters might not be enough to save him.

“There is honor as most see it, then there is honor in how you treat another, even one you do not see eye-to-eye with. That kind of honor is the kind where you do not assume yourself better than another because of your own code. In that way, he lacked. His faith did not make him better than me.”

As indicated earlier, I have read a novel in the world of Perilisc, and that one was dark, super dark, ermagherd dark, and full of all possible kinds of murder and abuse and what have you. This one has a lot of that as well, but in this case it seemed a little less the focus of the story and more part of the world in which it takes place. This was a dark story and it takes place in a dark world, but unlike the other book I read (it was Chaste), this one doesn’t seem dark for the sake of darkness, and I think that’s why I liked it more.

First of all, this one shows, perhaps just by being more recent than the last, that the author has strengthened his craft, because Song just seemed like a much more solid story. It was really well written, with mostly good characters and a plotline that flowed really well from beginning to end. Very difficult to put down. There are ups and downs and twists and turns.

Rayph Ivoryfist is… or was… the warden of Mending Keep. It’s kind of like Arkham Asylum. Kinda. More prison than asylum, but way more crazy psychovillains than your normal, everyday prison. So, he’s understandably pretty upset when someone or something breaks everyone out of it… to make a team of literal supervillains. This band of actual demons and evildoers are planning on killing the King whom Rayph once worked for but doesn’t anymore because the King is a dick. So Rayph, being an all around good guy, puts together his own band of misfits to fight them, despite the King being… well, just a monumental floppy wang. Floppy wang or not, he’s gotta live, or else the whole kingdom will pretty much collapse into chaos. Even if the King’s son would be suuuuch a better king. All things in due course and whatnot.

We also see things from the POV of Konnon, who is a mercenary out guarding caravans and suchlike so that he can make enough money to cure his daughter of a worsening paralysis. He travels with his brother, and they, as a team are rather famous for being badasses. At first one wonders how these two points of view are going to intersect in this storyline. They certainly do, in a way that I didn’t really expect.

Song is actually a city that each of our characters find themselves in for one reason or another. It’s named after the family who founded it, and has a huge, wonderful garden in it that they have a festival of every year. This particular year, the more or less League of Evil is coming to cause some shenanigans at it in their bid to kill the King and all that, and with Rayph and his Manhunters’ attempt to stop those shenanigans, even further shenanigans are abound!

I love, love, loved the epilogue! A satisfying conclusion that wraps up this volume and gears us up for more and more is fantastic, and this one definitely had that!