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The Songmaker #1
The Last Priestess
alternate cover edition of ISBN: 9781492830153
There is a name that is uttered only in whispers. The Songmaker. A ruthless rebel mage, he is bringing civil war to the once-peaceful kingdom of Amaury, enveloping all in a tide of violence. For Maegwin, a tormented priestess, the path forward lies in forgiving her temple's enemies—but she dreams only of revenge. For Rovann, a loyal mage haunted by his failures, salvation might be found in the unthinkable: defying the very king he swore to protect. If they are to succeed they must form an unlikely alliance. For someone must stand against the Songmaker. Someone must save Amaury from his dark designs. But first, they’ll have to learn to trust each other.
And so a magical fantasy of darkness and redemption begins.
There is a name that is uttered only in whispers. The Songmaker. A ruthless rebel mage, he is bringing civil war to the once-peaceful kingdom of Amaury, enveloping all in a tide of violence. For Maegwin, a tormented priestess, the path forward lies in forgiving her temple's enemies—but she dreams only of revenge. For Rovann, a loyal mage haunted by his failures, salvation might be found in the unthinkable: defying the very king he swore to protect. If they are to succeed they must form an unlikely alliance. For someone must stand against the Songmaker. Someone must save Amaury from his dark designs. But first, they’ll have to learn to trust each other.
And so a magical fantasy of darkness and redemption begins.
Unknown Binding
First published February 2, 2013
136 people are currently reading
1208 people want to read
About the author
Elizabeth Baxter
28 books69 followersElizabeth Baxter was born and raised in England. In her spare time she enjoys reading, hiking, traveling the world and watching England play cricket. She’s been writing since she was six years old and plans to continue for as long as she’s able to hold a pen (or a keyboard).
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 67 reviews
April 24, 2013
"The Last Priestess" is an interesting tale about two characters, Maegwin and Rovann, from another time, meet during a dire event which forces their destiny to collide and take another direction leading them to fight side by side, one for venegence, the other for redemption using sometimes sorcery, sometimes brute force.
Plenty of other reviews will give more story line details but I would like to share that I really enjoyed this book because it was a page turner, it was simple to follow, the pacing was just right, the tension was perfect and never once did I feel overwhelmed with details as some writers spend too much effort being overly descriptive of something as simple as a leaf falling to the ground; you know describing the forest, the tree, the veins in the leaf, the shade of colour, the ground, the shape of the terrain, the time of day and location all in too many paragraphs. I was told just enough to picture actually being there; feeling the terror, smelling the blood, sweat and fear counter balanced by the humour and slight romance in just the right amount of doses. And that suited me just fine!
This tale has everything I enjoy about a story leaving me wanting more which I am hoping Ms.Baxter follows through with a sequel, an another and yet perhaps another. There has to be more to this story...there must be!!
Plenty of other reviews will give more story line details but I would like to share that I really enjoyed this book because it was a page turner, it was simple to follow, the pacing was just right, the tension was perfect and never once did I feel overwhelmed with details as some writers spend too much effort being overly descriptive of something as simple as a leaf falling to the ground; you know describing the forest, the tree, the veins in the leaf, the shade of colour, the ground, the shape of the terrain, the time of day and location all in too many paragraphs. I was told just enough to picture actually being there; feeling the terror, smelling the blood, sweat and fear counter balanced by the humour and slight romance in just the right amount of doses. And that suited me just fine!
This tale has everything I enjoy about a story leaving me wanting more which I am hoping Ms.Baxter follows through with a sequel, an another and yet perhaps another. There has to be more to this story...there must be!!
April 18, 2016
Enjoyable read. Good versus evil, but also a twisting of good doing bad when trying to do good.
Spoiler* Major cliff-hangar ending made me hesitant to move on. There was no wrap up, just a sudden drop during a major conflict. Not sure I'll read second in series.
For my clean readers: A bit of language, some bawdy humor, but nothing too bad, and abundant violence.
Spoiler* Major cliff-hangar ending made me hesitant to move on. There was no wrap up, just a sudden drop during a major conflict. Not sure I'll read second in series.
For my clean readers: A bit of language, some bawdy humor, but nothing too bad, and abundant violence.
March 20, 2016
Elizabeth Baxter’s fantasy novel The Last Priestess begins with its protagonist, the eponymous ‘last priestess’, Maegwin, in prison. A devotee of the peace-loving goddess Sho-La, Maegwin has been tried (summarily) for the killing of several men, including a nobleman named Hounsey. She is sentenced to be hanged, and gasps her last on the gallows—when a fair-haired, blue-eyed stranger named Rovann arrives, racing into town. He is a messenger from the King, and he comes bearing orders for Maegwin’s release, for Maegwin holds vital information that the King wants to hear from her.
Soon, Maegwin, puzzled and suspicious, is riding alongside Rovann (and a minstrel named Leo, who has latched on to them and refuses to be shaken off) to Tyrlindon, the capital. And along the way, she begins to discover the truth. Who Rovann really is, what evil stalks the land, what sorcery—good and evil—is at work here. And Rovann comes to know the truth behind Maegwin’s killing of those men: a truth that has a greater bearing on the future of the entire kingdom than just the destruction for which Maegwin seeks revenge.
This is a fairly interesting fantasy story, even if there’s not very much here that hasn't been done before. The hero and heroine both have secrets, including a tormented and dark past, and a suddenly-arisen leaning towards the dark side. There is battle, both sword-and-spear-fought as well as magical; there are powers channelled through the Realms, through the elements. There is dark and light, evil and good.
I liked this book, even though I found the attraction between Rovann and Maegwin too sudden to be believable (on the other hand, it doesn't go swiftly overboard, so that is a redeeming factor). The story, too, ends at just the point where you do want to read about the further adventures of these two people as they set off to save their world. I will probably be getting hold of the sequel as well.
Soon, Maegwin, puzzled and suspicious, is riding alongside Rovann (and a minstrel named Leo, who has latched on to them and refuses to be shaken off) to Tyrlindon, the capital. And along the way, she begins to discover the truth. Who Rovann really is, what evil stalks the land, what sorcery—good and evil—is at work here. And Rovann comes to know the truth behind Maegwin’s killing of those men: a truth that has a greater bearing on the future of the entire kingdom than just the destruction for which Maegwin seeks revenge.
This is a fairly interesting fantasy story, even if there’s not very much here that hasn't been done before. The hero and heroine both have secrets, including a tormented and dark past, and a suddenly-arisen leaning towards the dark side. There is battle, both sword-and-spear-fought as well as magical; there are powers channelled through the Realms, through the elements. There is dark and light, evil and good.
I liked this book, even though I found the attraction between Rovann and Maegwin too sudden to be believable (on the other hand, it doesn't go swiftly overboard, so that is a redeeming factor). The story, too, ends at just the point where you do want to read about the further adventures of these two people as they set off to save their world. I will probably be getting hold of the sequel as well.
August 4, 2015
"The never ending battle between good and evil"
An epic fantasy. If you can suspend belief in everything you know and understand, then this is going to be a book you will relish. I can appreciate the fact that it has been well-written with a tightly constructed plot. As for the story line itself; well, it's unbelievable, which prevented me from rating it any higher.
An epic fantasy. If you can suspend belief in everything you know and understand, then this is going to be a book you will relish. I can appreciate the fact that it has been well-written with a tightly constructed plot. As for the story line itself; well, it's unbelievable, which prevented me from rating it any higher.
April 3, 2021
I don't know...maybe like a 2.5 star read? It was alright, nothing major to complain about. The characters weren't very fleshed out and were hypocritical at times.
I just couldn't get myself to be interested in the plight.
Anyways, short review. Won't continue with the series.
I just couldn't get myself to be interested in the plight.
Anyways, short review. Won't continue with the series.
May 17, 2021
Started out good, but then it went downhill...
July 6, 2019
3*-
The book started OK, I was planning on giving it 4*, but then about 80% of the way through, the writing quality plummeted to 2* level.
She can't write fight scenes. And there's a fair bit of 'the outline says X has to happen, so it does', even if it wouldn't naturally flow.
The book started OK, I was planning on giving it 4*, but then about 80% of the way through, the writing quality plummeted to 2* level.
She can't write fight scenes. And there's a fair bit of 'the outline says X has to happen, so it does', even if it wouldn't naturally flow.
September 9, 2015
And I think I'm being exceedingly polite to even offer 3 stars when this felt more like 2.5. For a brief time (like...70-84%) this book held my attention and I was like "Lex you really misjudged this book" and then it all went downhill and I realized no I didn't and why did I think I did.
I don't know if you guys remember the "Griffin's Daughter" trilogy by Leslie Ann Moore I reviewed like 2 years or so ago, but yeah. This is giving me shades of that (in terms of up and down consistency of interest) except this is rather more predictable and Baxter is somewhat better at setting up the fighting.
Totally not forgiving her for what happened to my 2 favorite characters though. And letting certain other characters run amok.
I don't know if you guys remember the "Griffin's Daughter" trilogy by Leslie Ann Moore I reviewed like 2 years or so ago, but yeah. This is giving me shades of that (in terms of up and down consistency of interest) except this is rather more predictable and Baxter is somewhat better at setting up the fighting.
Totally not forgiving her for what happened to my 2 favorite characters though. And letting certain other characters run amok.
March 20, 2022
I found this book to be way too fast paced.
There was absolutely no explaining the world to readers, even with context clues in the moment. Everything I learned from this book was from me guessing what the hell was going on and assuming I’m right when nothing proved me wrong.
The wording in this book is also a bit strange at times, especially with the inclusion of sound effects. I don’t know in what world hearts go “schloop” and birds go “pee-wit” (I mean… besides this one), but each sound effect took me out of the story as I questioned what I was reading.
The characters themselves are also a bit strange for the story. Maegwin is the more understandable main character as a priestess who wants revenge for her sisters’ murder. But Rovann, who is the King’s Mage and therefore the most powerful mage in the kingdom, seems much too dumb for his title. There are a lot of people relying on Rovann, but he never really seems like the kind of person you can (and should) rely on. He’s bested in battle in ways he should have the experience to look out for and dives into things much too quickly.
Finally, the romance in this book is a perfect example of the fact that men and woman can be just friends. It’s okay. Really. Rovann and Maegwin don’t have any sort of chemistry, and I spent this book actively hoping they wouldn’t get together. One’s focused on revenge, and the other has a dead wife he’s devoted to. This does not equate to a romance.
I didn’t enjoy this book and I will not be continuing on with the series.
There was absolutely no explaining the world to readers, even with context clues in the moment. Everything I learned from this book was from me guessing what the hell was going on and assuming I’m right when nothing proved me wrong.
The wording in this book is also a bit strange at times, especially with the inclusion of sound effects. I don’t know in what world hearts go “schloop” and birds go “pee-wit” (I mean… besides this one), but each sound effect took me out of the story as I questioned what I was reading.
The characters themselves are also a bit strange for the story. Maegwin is the more understandable main character as a priestess who wants revenge for her sisters’ murder. But Rovann, who is the King’s Mage and therefore the most powerful mage in the kingdom, seems much too dumb for his title. There are a lot of people relying on Rovann, but he never really seems like the kind of person you can (and should) rely on. He’s bested in battle in ways he should have the experience to look out for and dives into things much too quickly.
Finally, the romance in this book is a perfect example of the fact that men and woman can be just friends. It’s okay. Really. Rovann and Maegwin don’t have any sort of chemistry, and I spent this book actively hoping they wouldn’t get together. One’s focused on revenge, and the other has a dead wife he’s devoted to. This does not equate to a romance.
I didn’t enjoy this book and I will not be continuing on with the series.
October 17, 2020
Loved it; I love a good dark story and this impressed me, could not put it down. Both main characters were amazing where one who had lost everything and sees death as the only soft bed to lay on decides to take her enemies with her and she does this the only way she knows how; with a sword in her hand, a battle cry from her lips and the pool of her enemies blood under her feet.
Next we have a mage or rather the King's mage willing to do anything for his kingdom only starts having doubt of everything when his beloved moves on to the after life blaming him for his self absorbed duty to his kingdom than to her.
The two meet in an unusual way- or not, then start their journey meeting a very talkative bard along the way. I was curious and on edge as to how our last priestess would fare when it comes to being good or evil. Then there was King's mage who knows his enemies are more powerful than him and his fellow mages combined.
Ugh why did this have to be so short!?
Anyway hope I didn't spoil much, grab your copy if you haven't and only if you enjoy a story about mages and priests.
Next we have a mage or rather the King's mage willing to do anything for his kingdom only starts having doubt of everything when his beloved moves on to the after life blaming him for his self absorbed duty to his kingdom than to her.
The two meet in an unusual way- or not, then start their journey meeting a very talkative bard along the way. I was curious and on edge as to how our last priestess would fare when it comes to being good or evil. Then there was King's mage who knows his enemies are more powerful than him and his fellow mages combined.
Ugh why did this have to be so short!?
Anyway hope I didn't spoil much, grab your copy if you haven't and only if you enjoy a story about mages and priests.
February 10, 2021
The Last Priestess: The Songmaker - Book 1
Author: Elizabeth Baxter
Publisher: KDP
Year: 1st Ed 2013, 2nd Ed 2018
I really enjoyed this fantasy adventure, travelling on a journey with the characters. Elizabeth is a wonderful visual storyteller. I did get lost in the story with the magic, the battle scenes, the banter of the characters, but I felt like the ending of this book was cut very quickly to a point where you will have to read book #2, The King’s Mage, to find out what happens next.
This is in a way an encouragement to buy the two books together with 333 pages in book #1 and 242 pages in book #2, so if you are happy to settle into a longer read, this would be a good collection to get your teeth into in one purchase.
The book is very beautifully written and there is a great story going on amongst the characters. I will be reading book #2 as I would like to find out what happens next.
Author: Elizabeth Baxter
Publisher: KDP
Year: 1st Ed 2013, 2nd Ed 2018
I really enjoyed this fantasy adventure, travelling on a journey with the characters. Elizabeth is a wonderful visual storyteller. I did get lost in the story with the magic, the battle scenes, the banter of the characters, but I felt like the ending of this book was cut very quickly to a point where you will have to read book #2, The King’s Mage, to find out what happens next.
This is in a way an encouragement to buy the two books together with 333 pages in book #1 and 242 pages in book #2, so if you are happy to settle into a longer read, this would be a good collection to get your teeth into in one purchase.
The book is very beautifully written and there is a great story going on amongst the characters. I will be reading book #2 as I would like to find out what happens next.
February 16, 2021
I really liked this series until it got into the logistics of the final battle and saving the city. Too many knit-picky little details that didn't aid anything or move the story forward. I liked the world building and the style of magic with the different Realms, especially the avatars. A huge wolf, a dragon, angels? And Prince Owen, who was blinded during his torture, saw so much more than most people. The Songmaker was well disguised and I liked his comments at the end. I felt badly for Maegwin who was so badly manipulated by so many, including, Rovann. Favorite characters: Lady and her many knives, PrinceOwen and his blind sight, and the Shinnar Shaman and his "hairy ass crack and goddess teats" language. It took all kinds to make this round trip journey and Ms. Baxter provide all kinds! Recommended as a series.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 2, 2019
the book was good but it left me with so many unanswered questions which obviously it's a series so it's going to continue in the next book. however I was very disappointed with the all of a sudden romantic tie between the two main characters I thought it wasn't necessary for the book I actually really enjoyed her vendetta and her needing to get revenge and not necessarily need a man she can do it on her own but this just random oh I'm going to kiss him and we're going to kiss thrown into it without any inclination of caring or finding him attractive in previous chapters was a little unsettling for me as a reader I thought it very just thrown in there and not justified at all based on the past chapters.
December 21, 2022
The Last Priestess may start off a bit slow, but after a few chapters the story grabs hold. Three characters in particular are developed nicely, with several secondary characters fleshed out enough to provide a compelling narrative.
The storyline is fairly straightforward; no real surprises there (though I do have my suspicions about Leo) but it's told well and has enough individual character to keep it from feeling trite. I do think the magic system could be described in a bit more detail early on, but it didn't really affect the readability of the story too much. (I suppose I'm just curious.)
The writing is good, and other than a few fragments and instances of misplaced punctuation, the editing is sound. 3.5 stars, great for a causal read!
The storyline is fairly straightforward; no real surprises there (though I do have my suspicions about Leo) but it's told well and has enough individual character to keep it from feeling trite. I do think the magic system could be described in a bit more detail early on, but it didn't really affect the readability of the story too much. (I suppose I'm just curious.)
The writing is good, and other than a few fragments and instances of misplaced punctuation, the editing is sound. 3.5 stars, great for a causal read!
December 24, 2019
A solid fantasy adventure with plenty of magic. Excellent plot of good v evil.
Great leading lady but the leading man was a bit of a disappointment. Kept thinking, "come on when you going to become the typical hero." Does he finally do it? Well, you'll have to read it for yourself to find out but I was happy with the ending.
A few tiny editing issues but nothing to distract from the adventure within the pages.
Great leading lady but the leading man was a bit of a disappointment. Kept thinking, "come on when you going to become the typical hero." Does he finally do it? Well, you'll have to read it for yourself to find out but I was happy with the ending.
A few tiny editing issues but nothing to distract from the adventure within the pages.
July 22, 2024
I feel like this had a lot of potential, a priestess hell bent on revenge, so she gave herself to a dark goddess, a wizard like man mourning for his lost wife searching through different dimensions for her lost soul??? Sounds awesome.
It never read like that.
Rather we have a romance that shouldn’t exist and a wizard/sorcerer/magician/mage/whatever who is meant to be the first but he makes the stupidest decisions and a bad guy who is so OP with a lack of motives.
It never read like that.
Rather we have a romance that shouldn’t exist and a wizard/sorcerer/magician/mage/whatever who is meant to be the first but he makes the stupidest decisions and a bad guy who is so OP with a lack of motives.
August 18, 2025
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Clean
Triggers:
Loss of a spouse
Grief
Attempted sexual assault
Murder/death
Public execution
Imprisonment
Magic use
Kidnapping
From the noose to trying to save a kingdom.
"The Last Priestess" is dark and moody with a hint of possible romance. It is an interesting book one of the Songmaker series. Maegwin is a complex character as is Rovann but somehow Elizabeth Baxter manages to make you root for them. I look forward to continuing the series.
Clean
Triggers:
Loss of a spouse
Grief
Attempted sexual assault
Murder/death
Public execution
Imprisonment
Magic use
Kidnapping
From the noose to trying to save a kingdom.
"The Last Priestess" is dark and moody with a hint of possible romance. It is an interesting book one of the Songmaker series. Maegwin is a complex character as is Rovann but somehow Elizabeth Baxter manages to make you root for them. I look forward to continuing the series.
September 30, 2019
I really didn't enoy this book at all, but at least I could force myself to read to the end. The style of writing isn't as sophisticated as other authors in this genre and the formatting (particularly at the end) leaves a lot to be desired - it doesn't look professional at all. A few spelling mistakes as well.
Not recommended.
Not recommended.
October 17, 2019
kinda loved it. took a while, drags a bit much of the time. when it picks up it's pretty intense, n beautiful at times. was reminded of Tolkien at times(with mebbe less drag, n mebbe more intensity). was work at times to get thru it(almost gave up), but she turned out to be worth it. not a patient reader myself, so if you like swords n sorcery I think you'll love this one
March 24, 2020
This is a beautifully written fantasy novel, the characters are really well written and the story is one of loss, darkness, light and all the bits in between. You develop a love-hate relationship with the characters, but you still want to know what will happen next. It is a fast paced, but well written book.
October 5, 2020
The Last Priestess was a well written story that pulls the reader in. There are sword fights and mages. There is good and evil, not just the everyday kind but real evil. I enjoyed the book quite a bit and then it just ended. That was an extreme disappointment. Obviously the inducement to read the rest of the series, but I was so disappointed it probably won't happen.
August 30, 2017
The book is a good adventure story, well-written with interesting characters. However, it doesn't go any deeper than that and could use meaning and purpose. Additionally, the love-story tacked on at the end is completely unnecessary.
December 14, 2019
This is a well written fantasy with interesting characters and a good plot. The magic is handled well. If you like a rollicking story of revenge and fighting against the odds this is the book for you
July 29, 2024
An interesting read. The magic system has potential. It was almost confusing but somehow was revealed in a way that made it relatively simple to understand. There just wasn’t anything to really grab my attention and make me want to keep reading
July 10, 2019
Headline
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Wordy words to fill the wordsWordy words to fill the wordsWordy words to fill the wordsWordy words to fill the words mouse
June 20, 2020
I read this as part of a set called Sword & Magic and thoroughly enjoyed it. I have already bought the next book in the series.
August 26, 2020
Great!
This is the first of this kind of book that I've read and I have to say that I loved it. Can't wait to read the next two!
This is the first of this kind of book that I've read and I have to say that I loved it. Can't wait to read the next two!
February 1, 2021
A slightly slow start but a good enough intro into the trilogy that I'm gonna pick be picking up the remains two books.
February 21, 2021
Awesome book lots of excitement. An epic fantasy full of magic, light and dark gods, angels and dragons.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 67 reviews