A Tapestry of Spells (Nine Kingdoms Series #4)

Lynn Kurland takes her audience back to the Nine Kingdoms with a strong opening act

When his family died (see the Nine Kingdoms trilogy), Ruithneadh of Ceangail vanishes behind a shroud of being a fierce raging wizard; ironically he personally vowed to never use magic again. His reputation enables him to be left alone to wallow in self pity and grief as he fears being an offspring of the evil Gair might mean going dark.

His hermit like existence ends when the daughter of a witch Sarah of Doire arrives. She has no paranormal skills whatsoever, but demands Ruith act to stop her brother Daniel who has turned to the darkest magic, threatening to destroy the Nine Kingdoms. Ruith wants to ignore his unwanted visitor but concludes Daniel is using his father's magic. As they search for Daniel, others stalk them.

Starting a new trilogy that focuses on the youngest son of the evil Gair, Lynn Kurland takes her audience back to the Nine Kingdoms with a strong opening act. Fans will feel the author magically transported them to her realm as Ruith now fights against what his father wrought while concealing secrets from his new ally who does likewise. Fantasy fans will enjoy Ruith's quest to prevent another catastrophe tied to his father's legacy.

Harriet Klausner

4 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

A wonderful new beginning!

Ruithneadh, called Ruith, is the youngest of Morgan's older brothers. (Morgan being the heroes in Star of the Morning, The Mage's Daughter, and Princess of the Sword.) A Tapestry of Spells is the first in a new trilogy telling his story.

After the terrible events at the well, Ruith was so horrified by what his father did and so mistrustful of himself, his temper, and his own power that he buried all three near Diore, a village which "lay to the south in the county of Shettlestoune, which found itself comfortably to the south of anywhere else." And there they stayed buried...until the very pretty and fiery and mysterious Sarah comes along.

Sarah has been carefully hiding both secrets and gold toward the day when she can escape Doire and make a life somewhere without thieves and thorns and everything else that Doire is filled with. She'd rather weave her patterns of beauty elsewhere and hopefully leave before her brother brings his evil magic home again. But Daniel arrives with more than she'd bargained for, forcing her to abandon her carefully laid plans and set out to stop him instead.

The result is a quest led by a woman who doesn't seem to have magic, though she does have the steadily-increasing ability to see magic that others have wrought...guarded by a mage hiding vast amounts of elvin power and his past behind a heavy cloak and every non-magical weapon available...and accompanied by the extremely odd assortment of companions they pick up along the way. Their aim at first is merely to stop Sarah's brother, but it isn't too long before we discover that Gair of Caingail's reach extends beyond the grave, and only Sarah's sight and Ruith's knowledge of his father are capable of stopping the evil that Gair's spells have planted.

Why do I love it? Well, though some might call it a bit slow in places, it is (as all of Lynn Kurland's books are) a beautiful unfolding of characters and relationships, as well as a careful weaving of a tale that must have all of it's anchoring threads in place for the beauty and power of it to be shown. It's intriguing to discover that this story actually takes place WHILE Star of the Morning and The Mage's Daughter are happening.

A Tapestry of Spells is also nicely different from the first trilogy. Ruith is not just another Miach, Sosar, Turah, or whatever other mage or elvin prince you care to name. His fear of what he might do is very real, and his weaknesses and what holds him back are very justified. Sarah is also quite different, possessing a gift that seems to be quite rare in the Nine Kingdoms...a gift that even mages with vast amounts of power do not have. Her past is still a mystery, and at this point in the story, we do not even know if she, herself, knows why she has the gift she does. She is fiery and independent without being irritatingly so, and she still has a soft heart.

The romance between Ruith and Sarah has only just begun. In fact, you will not find even so much as a kiss between these pages. You WILL, however, be swept into their hearts as those magical first moments of love keep weaving themselves into their quest.

Finally, I'll warn that this book leaves off with a cliffhanger, just like Star of the Morning did. But like that one, this is the first in a trilogy (the next two are set to be released in January of '11 and '12), and I am confident that together, they'll be another story that we can't help but love.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Lynn Kurland is a Genius!

This is the fourth book in the series and while the cliff-hanger ending is frustrating, it is so exciting to have something to look forward to! I have re-read the first three books in the series numerous times and everyone I have recommended them to loves them as well. You can't go wrong with a Kurland novel!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Really great!

Kurland writes with the same humor and emotional impact that lives in all her books. A good romance story, and a good fantasy tale. I cared about the characters and was engaged in the plot from the begining.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Another great trip to the Nine Kingdoms!

Lynn Kurland, while she writes wonderfully enjoyable time-travel romance, has hit the jackpot with the Nine Kingdoms novels. A Tapestry of Spells gives us new characters and a new adventure which promise to be just as exciting as the previous series. The characters are rich with a hero who is flawed but still heroic and a damsel who deserves to be rescued and loved. There are mysterious men and evil men, and, of course, Kurland makes the magic seem very real. I especially enjoyed the collection of wounded mages who provide just the right touch of humor. I impatiently await the continuation of the tale!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Back to the Nine Kingdoms for another Epic Romance and Adventure

Lynn Kurland has done it again. I loved this book from about the first paragraph. She has once again created a great world with wonderful characters that you love from the start. Since, this is the first book in probably another series, there a few loose ends but that only makes the story more wonderful. This book is great for a rainy, snowy, dreay cold days. Rutih and Sarah will make you feel so warm inside with their simple yet heartfelt romance. There are many other great characters as well. If you enjoyed Star of Morning, The Mage's Daughter and Princess of the Sword, A Tapestry of Spells is a must read.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

A Must Read!

This is another GREAT book in the Nine Kingdoms realm. I love the tail that parallels the first trilogy giving some other insights. I love Lynn Kurland's writing style, the character development and the world in which they live, their values and desires. I find myself continually looking up words for a greater understanding (very fun). I can not wait for the next one. And yes, she loves to leave you hanging at then end of the book. I am glad I had the next one waiting for me, which I have delved in as well.

I like learning about Morgan's youngest brother. I was wondering about him after the first trilogy. I find the similarities in the two stories intriguing.

Great Read

I love all of Lynn Kurland's books. I didn't think anything could be better than time travel but the fantasy books are great

Awesome!!

Wow! Another brother! Wonderful read! Can't wait until Jan for next in series! Lynn has done it again!

awesome

I love all the Nine Kindgom books! This added the perfect addition to the Morgan and Miach story! I can't wait for the next one!

Always Good

This, like all her Nine Kingdoms books, is really good, I can't wait for the next one.

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