Anna is a music instructor from Iowa - she aspired to be a singer, but didn't quite make the cut before she had children and quit trying. Unfortunately, nothing in her life is going quite right - her oldest daughter has died, her marriage has ended, and her career is at a standstill. The same moment she wishes she were anywhere else, a sorceress in Erde is casting a spell to summon a sorceress from another world. Anna suddenly finds herself in a foreign world where music causes magic to happen - her training means that she is a formidable sorceress. But trouble is brewing - a neighboring country is destroying the land and planning to invade. The defenders hope Anna will help them and she reluctantly realizes that people will be out to kill her whether she fights or not and steps up to build a life in the midst of the chaos.
I have to admit that the premise of the book was interesting. I kept reading because I was curious about how things were going to wrap up. But other than that...it was kind of boring. There was a sort of pattern because every time Anna meets someone new, they don't believe that she's a sorceress, so she does a spell; they comment on how young and pretty she looks, she explains that she's much older than she looks and has grown children; the youngsters and servants are suspicious, she wins them over; she doesn't like things so she forces them to change... Perhaps part of it was just my mood, but as 'realistic' as it was (assuming it could happen in the first place), it was kind of repetitive and, for some reason, I couldn't even bring myself to be sympathetic with Anna. Honestly, I think that if it sounds interesting, you're going to have to decide for yourself - if you like it, great, but if you think it's too slow to start, just know that it doesn't get any better.
A note: this is the first in The Songspell Cycle, followed by The Spellsong War, Darksong Rising, The Shadow Sorceress, and Shadow Singer.
- If this book sounds interesting, consider these: Princess Nevermore, The Harper Hall Trilogy, or The Keys to the Kingdom
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