Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read.

Start by marking “The Lark and the Wren (Bardic Voices, #1)” as Want to Read:

Other editions

Enlarge cover

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Open Preview

The Lark and the Wren

(Bardic Voices #1)

Mercedes Lackey

4.05 · Rating details · 9,127 ratings · 165 reviews

Ghost and bard...

With the proper schooling young Rune would be one of the greatest bards her world has ever seen. Even if only she knows it. Unfortunately, the daughter of a tavern wench at the Hungry Bear, no matter how talented, doesn't get much in the way of formal training. What she does get is frustrated.

One night, to back up a brag she probably wouldn't have made if ...more

Get A Copy

Mass Market Paperback, 488 pages

Published September 9th 1993 by Baen Books (first published 1991)

More Details... Edit Details

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Reader Q&A

To ask other readers questions about The Lark and the Wren, please sign up.

Be the first to ask a question about The Lark and the Wren

Lists with This Book

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling

The Hobbit, or There and Back Again by J.R.R. Tolkien

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

100 Science Fiction & Fantasy Books to Read in a Lifetime: Readers' Picks

2,407 books — 1,951 voters

Favorite Mercedes Lackey

111 books — 83 voters

More lists with this book...

Community Reviews

Showing 1-30

Average rating 4.05 ·

Rating details

· 9,127 ratings · 165 reviews

More filters

Sort order

Start your review of The Lark and the Wren (Bardic Voices, #1)

Feb 20, 2009 Wealhtheow rated it liked it

Shelves: fantasy, ya

Spunky gal Rune is teased in her generic medieval European village! Oh noes, but at least she has her music. In fact, she's so good that she wins a fiddling contest against an ancient and malevolent ghost. Buoyed by her success, she enters the Bardic Trials to become a licensed bard. BUT! She's a girl! And girls can't be bards! OPRESHUN! She wins the competition, but when she reveals her gender they beat her and cast her out. Luckily, she impressed Talyeson and the Free Bards. They take her on, ...more

flag 11 likes · Like · see review

Dec 27, 2020 Tracy rated it liked it

A very pleasant read. I liked Rune, although I did find her a bit judgmental at times. The first three quarters of the book were a bit slow, but the final quarter was a lot more entertaining. A nice way to spend a few hours.

flag 9 likes · Like · see review

Aug 18, 2008 Mir rated it it was ok

Shelves: fantasy

I read this on a plane while on my way to visit a prospective college. I recall this because it marked the point at which I became too old for Mercedes Lackey.

flag 9 likes · Like · see review

Oct 06, 2014 Katie rated it really liked it

Shelves: how-library, format-physical-book, books-read-in-2014-all, books-read-in-2014-new

I'd half remembered being really into one Mercedes Lackey book as a kid and finally decided to track it down. I do think it was this one, but I won't mark it as a re-read since it was basically new to me.

It's kind of an odd story. The first half is a coming of age story, really. Then it switches into a not very well built love story (though I think I liked it a lot as a kid) and then into . . . a political story, almost. So it's basically like 3 different stories that don't really fit that well ...more

flag 6 likes · Like · see review

Feb 02, 2021 Ron rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, ebook

And I've been hungry, cold, nearly penniless. I fiddled for the Skull Hill Ghost and won. If the Ghost didn't stop me, neither will Brother Pell. No one will. Not ever.
Excellent light fantasy with strong female protagonist. Rune does the best she can with what she has, which is an amazing musical talent. Supporting and conflicting characters are well-developed, if stereotypical.
What is it about the Church that it spawns both the saint and the devil? Then he shrugged. It wasn't that the Church sp ...more

flag 4 likes · Like · see review

Aug 08, 2012 Evgeny rated it it was ok

Shelves: fantasy

What is bard's magic and how does one become a bard? What is a difference between a bard and a minstrel? Read and find out as you follow a young girl Rune on a quest to become a bard. It is a Mercedes Lackey book, which means there is nothing wrong with it from a technical point of view. My problem with it: it is actually 3 books in one with Rune traveling from one location to another. As soon as she leaves, the people and events of previous location are completely discarded and almost never men ...more

flag 4 likes · Like · see review

Apr 29, 2013 Lark of The Bookwyrm's Hoard rated it really liked it

The Lark and the Wren is the first in the Bardic Voices series, but it reads like a standalone, in that it basically completes the main character’s story. In fact, it’s more like two books in one. The first half deals with Rune leaving her village (where she is unappreciated and unwanted) to find a music teacher who can prepare her for the Bardic Guild trials; it covers both her adaptation to life in a small city and her musical and nonmusical education. The second half deals with what happens a The Lark and the Wren is the first in the Bardic Voices series, but it reads like a standalone, in that it basically completes the main character’s story. In fact, it’s more like two books in one. The first half deals with Rune leaving her village (where she is unappreciated and unwanted) to find a music teacher who can prepare her for the Bardic Guild trials; it covers both her adaptation to life in a small city and her musical and nonmusical education. The second half deals with what happens after the trials, and her life (romantic, musical, and magical) within the Free Bards – a group in opposition to the stodgy, hidebound Bardic Guild. (Don’t be fooled by the synopsis blurb – the enounter with the ghost is only the first of Rune’s many adventures.)

Lackey’s strengths really shine in this novel. The worldbuilding is excellent, she has created an interesting and relatable main character, and her ability to weave a story carries you along even when the action is relatively mundane – and definitely when it isn’t!

As a musician, I can easily identify with Rune, though she’s far more skilled and driven than I will ever be. Lackey has a gift for writing strong, smart, independent female characters, though their personalities, their flaws, and the ways in which they are strong vary from character to character. In Rune’s case, she’s practical, logical, passionate about her music, ambitious in the musical sense, and aware of her vulnerability as a girl on her own. Fortunately, she’s tall and slender enough to pass as a boy, and smart enough to do so when it offers more safety – when traveling or busking on the streets, for instance.

Lackey knows music, being something of a folk musician and lyicist herself, so the tunes she describes, and her depictions of Rune’s playing and her lessons, are all pitch-perfect. If you’re familiar with Irish and Scottish fiddle music and English folksongs, you can practically hear the music in the book. The details of the fantasy world are equally well-written; you can see, hear, smell, and touch it.

There is magic in this book, though (with the exception of the Skull Hill Ghost) not very much until the second half. The magic system here isn’t as well-defined as in the Valdemar, Five Hundred Kingdoms, or Elemental Magic series, but that’s not really a drawback. What we do learn of magic is intriguing, particularly in the way Rune and her teacher/partner Talaysen begin to explore it – through music. The subsequent books flesh the magic system out a little more, but the way it’s handled in this book works because the main character is so new to her magic.

One thing that bothers me is the largely negative portrayal of the Church – a church clearly modeled on the pre-Reformation Catholic Church. Lackey’s portrait here, while admittedly of a fictional rather than a historical institution, lacks nuance; she offers only a very few “good” individuals within a corrupt and power-hungry institution, while the rest are small-minded or indifferent to the common folk at best, and exploitative and bigoted at worst. I know enough of both history and Church history to know that in the real world, while widespread corruption, greed, and abuse of power certainly existed, there were also ways in which society and individuals benefited from the existence and more benevolent actions of the Church. As someone with an interest in medieval and Renaissance history, I wish Lackey had been a little more evenhanded in her portrayal. (And yes, I know it’s a fantasy world – but it’s one based very strongly on Europe at the dawn of the Renaissance, which means it evokes and invites historical comparisons.)

Despite this flaw, The Lark and the Wren remains one of my favorites among Lackey’s books. Its strengths – Rune and some of the other characters, notably Talaysen; a world familiar enough to be comfortable but different enough to be appealing and interesting; the music that weaves through the entire tale; and above all the storytelling and attention to detail which make that tale come alive – all of these far outweigh any flaws. It’s a story I happily return to every few years.

Review originally published at The Bookwyrm's Hoard. ...more

flag 3 likes · Like · see review

Nov 18, 2012 LG (A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions) rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: format-ebook, 4-star, read-2011, acquired-free

Synopsis:

This book is set in a fantasy world that is very much like Europe sometime in the past.

Rune has spent her entire young life working at a small inn. When work slows down and customers request it, she can do what she loves - play her fiddle. After the inn's owner's kind wife dies, however, Rune gets fewer opportunities to play, and townsfolk start treating her worse. When her mother begins jockeying to become the inn's owner's next wife, Rune wonders what will become of her.

A dare prompts ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Jan 04, 2021 Iffah rated it it was amazing

Rereading this for the New Year. So fun!!

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Jun 30, 2015 YouKneeK rated it really liked it

Shelves: completed-series, fantasy

I had fun reading this book. It’s a light and fluffy fantasy story, but I enjoyed the writing, the story, and the characters. The main character, a girl named Rune, is a teenager living at an inn where her mother and she both work. From a young age she showed a gift for music and taught herself to play the fiddle, with the help of various traveling musicians who stopped by their inn and were remarkably generous in teaching her how to play different songs. She often played these songs for the inn I had fun reading this book. It’s a light and fluffy fantasy story, but I enjoyed the writing, the story, and the characters. The main character, a girl named Rune, is a teenager living at an inn where her mother and she both work. From a young age she showed a gift for music and taught herself to play the fiddle, with the help of various traveling musicians who stopped by their inn and were remarkably generous in teaching her how to play different songs. She often played these songs for the inn patrons during normal nights when there wasn’t a musician staying there. She had a strained relationship with her self-centered mother, and she was looked down upon by most people in the village. Her dream was to win an apprenticeship with the Bardic Guild where she imagined she’d lead a life spent learning about music and playing music, all in the company of like-minded musicians who support and help each other.

Rune was a sympathetic character. She was smart and practical, and that made her easier to sympathize with as compared to the type of character found in many books who cause most of their own problems. Rune used common sense and she listened to advice. The other major characters in the story were likable also. My main complaint with Rune was that she had an awful lot of mental monologues about the corruptness of government agencies, the church, and rich people. The author did introduce a few decent people from these groups, so my problem wasn’t that it was a completely one-sided point of view. My problem was just the repetitiveness of it. I don’t want to listen to a character complain at length about an organization, certainly not more than once. If the organization is corrupt, I want to see them engage in corrupt activities. We did in fact see that, so I didn’t need the monologues to convince me they were corrupt. Fortunately, while this occurred often enough to annoy me, it really wasn’t all that frequent.

I had read an anthology by this author last June called Fiddler Fair. As it turned out, one of the short stories in that anthology was pretty much taken straight from a chapter in the middle of this book. The story made several references to earlier events in Rune’s life, so I found that I knew a lot of the major plot points from the first half of the book. Normally this would make a book less enjoyable for me because I liked to be surprised by where things go, but the story was much more enjoyable in a full-length novel where all the details were fleshed out so I enjoyed it anyway. Everything that happened after the first half was more of a surprise and it was nice to finally learn how things turned out after the events in the short story.

The book did get really romance-heavy in the second half and it happened awfully fast in terms of page count. Weeks and occasionally months of time often passed between sections of the book, so the romance did develop over a reasonable period of time, but I as a reader didn’t get to see the slow development so I only felt mildly invested. For a little while it became very angsty in a repetitive sort of way and I started to get thoroughly tired of it. The nice thing was that it wasn’t dragged out too long. I was afraid it would be dragged out until the end of the book, but it was resolved well before the end and then the story moved back to more interesting territory.

Although this is the first book in a series, the author told a complete story and this book could stand well on its own. I’m a little skeptical about whether the author will be able to sustain my interest in this setting for five books, but I plan to continue on to the second book and see where she goes with it. For some reason I kept passing over this series in favor of other books that looked more interesting to me, but I’m glad I finally got around to trying it. ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Dec 07, 2018 Lara Lee rated it really liked it

Shelves: my-blog-books

The blurb for this book was just an excerpt from one of the most important scenes in this tale. It described the main character, Rune, playing her fiddle for the Ghost of Skull Hill. This is also the image on the cover. I was hooked.

Mercedes Lackey is a master writer with over 140 published novels, and the quality of her stories are reliable. This novel tells the story of a fourteen-year-old girl named Rune who is the illegitimate daughter of a tavern wench. Rune struggles to learn the fiddle w The blurb for this book was just an excerpt from one of the most important scenes in this tale. It described the main character, Rune, playing her fiddle for the Ghost of Skull Hill. This is also the image on the cover. I was hooked.

Mercedes Lackey is a master writer with over 140 published novels, and the quality of her stories are reliable. This novel tells the story of a fourteen-year-old girl named Rune who is the illegitimate daughter of a tavern wench. Rune struggles to learn the fiddle with the help of passing mineral who stay at the tavern on their way through town. The iconic scene in which she plays for the ghost because of a dare happens early in the book and is the turning point in which Rune runs away to try to become a Bard. She doesn't know that women are not allowed in the Bard guild and has many adventures before she finds her path in life.

The story is fascinating and interesting all the way through. My only gripe and why I can't give this book five stars on Amazon or Goodreads is the arbitrary inconsistency of Rune's morals. I don't expect non-Christian books to have Christian morals, so I don't judge this book according to that. The problem is that at the beginning of the book, one of Rune's motivations in running away is to not be like her mother and to protect herself from the boys in the village who want to rape her. Then it is mentioned in passing that she is deflowered by a passing character we hear of twice who actually has a crush on another character. The two of them are friends and come together with no expectations and leave as friends. Why? Just because? When Rune meets her main love interest, she then only has the desire to sleep with him. I am more convinced that he is in love with her than she with him. They sleep together just to marry later. This creates an emotionally dissatisfying love story, and I am left wondering if she will end up just sleeping with someone else after they are married.

The love story is not the main part of this novel, so this gripe is not enough to diminish the fun of the adventures. There isn't one plot to this novel. It is entirely a character-based story that goes from one adventure to another. The only strangeness is how Mercedes Lackey has focused exclusively on Rune's point of view for most of the book and then starts seeing the world through her love interests point of view periodically from halfway through the book on. It takes away from this being Rune's story.

Overall, the story was exciting and enjoyable. The world was full, and the magic was just enough to keep you guessing. The sex is stated or implied without a full description. There is minimal cussing. There is little violence or fighting. I would recommend this book to older teens and adults who are not too sensitive to secular morals. ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Feb 03, 2012 Hallie rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favourites-forever, oh-my-childhood

I first read this book when I was even younger than Rune, and it's surprising to realize how much it set the stage for my own beliefs - cultural, political, etc. There's the criticism of the Church, of people who abuse power structures, even the explanation of why taxes are important; a lot of stuff that I've taken to heart.

The book itself is a pretty straightforward coming-of-age, which as others have said turns into a romance novel (and political drama) in the second half. I never managed to ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Sep 04, 2012 Meagan rated it liked it

I read most of Mercedes Lackey's Valdemar series when I was younger. When I saw this book on a shelf at the used bookstore I thought I'd give it a chance. I can definitely feel a lot of the same style (not surprising) that is in Valdemar, and the worlds are set in similar king/magic/feudal fantasy land. Unfortunately, this book is more optimistic than I can really find believable, even for a fantasy novel. Nothing particularly bad ever happens, and the obstacles that are put in the way of the ma ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

May 14, 2011 Traci rated it liked it · review of another edition

This was a reread of a book I loved when I was a young teen. I lost the book and didn't remember who wrote it. But I thought of it fondly and was excited to find it again. I guess the saying is right you can never go back.
It is simplistic. Not much plot. Everything works out a little too perfectly for Rune. Not enough tragedy in her life to be the Cinderella tale it tries to be. She also comes across as a little...young now. A little bratty and arrogant. My favorite part of the book used to be ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Apr 14, 2010 ♥Xeni♥ rated it it was amazing

Shelves: ebook, 2014-books-read, fantasy, music

Read August 2, 2014

---

Read 2009: As the first of the Bardic Voices, it was a bit confusing as to what was going on (world set up and all that). Still, the characters are true to Mercedes Lackey (full of passion, life, goals and good-will) and the plot moves forward pretty well, although at some points I had to really wonder if the whole "mystical" aspect (ghosts, for instance) really fit. At the end, though, everything made one complete circle and it was just awesome.

Also, the romantic love-sto ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Aug 20, 2009 Gin rated it it was ok

I always get the feeling that some high fantasy authors crank out books without much of a quality check. Just mix a few mythical creatures, magic, a quest or conspiracy, and a powerful person or two traveling incognito, and you basically have a fantasy novel. It can be done well, I guess, but The Lark and The Wren reminded me somewhat of an average fictionpress.com story: entertaining if skimmed, containing a few frustrating cliches, and not quite meeting my standard.

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Aug 02, 2011 Julie rated it it was ok

Shelves: read-since-august-2006, fantasy-sf, read-in-2011

Lackey utterly ignores the old advice to show, not tell. The book suffers for it.

And the pacing in this thing is an utter mess. The plot meanders and stumbles and wheezes along and is just weirdly disjointed.

There are germs of something better here, but this is like a rough draft that hasn't been pared and fleshed out and thoroughly edited. ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Jun 02, 2011 Katy rated it it was ok

What you have to understand is I really love a lot of Mercedes Lackey's work - but for some reason, the Bardic Voices series left me absolutely cold. I read this book sometime in the mid to late 1990s and then abandoned this series and went back to her Valdemar books. ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Nov 18, 2007 karinajean rated it liked it

Shelves: 2007, 2011

comfort book left over from high school. YA fantasy at it's best/worst!

9/1/2007
...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Mar 24, 2009 Rebalioness rated it really liked it

You'll really get annoyed with the zealots and the sexism in the countries attitudes in the book, but the book is a blast. This is a number three on the ML rating system. ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Sep 05, 2010 Kathy Davie rated it it was amazing

Shelves: urban-fantasy

Wow! Excellent story. Intense, fascinating. To employ a device...Could. Not. Put. It. Down!

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Sep 27, 2013 Jenne rated it liked it

Shelves: fantasy

It was kind of like eating a whole box of Kraft Dinner. Starts out amazing, then devolves into what-was-I-thinking. But you know you're going to want it again. Yes you are. ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Apr 05, 2012 James rated it it was amazing

Recommends it for: Lackey fans and fantasy fans

I decided to reread an old favorite from about 20 years ago and still love it.

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Jan 10, 2021 Tim Lucier rated it it was amazing

4.5*

I was really pleased with The Lark and the Wren.
A longtime fan of Mercedes Lackey books, for some reason I always had it in my head that Bardic Voices wasn't for me. I think it was the bit about playing for the ghost in the flavour text that seemed to turn me off - and I always wished for her to do a series about Bardic College in Valdemar. Finally, I picked it up and was very pleasantly surprised. Don't know what I was thinking.

In the Lark and the Wren we are introduced to another classic f 4.5*

I was really pleased with The Lark and the Wren.
A longtime fan of Mercedes Lackey books, for some reason I always had it in my head that Bardic Voices wasn't for me. I think it was the bit about playing for the ghost in the flavour text that seemed to turn me off - and I always wished for her to do a series about Bardic College in Valdemar. Finally, I picked it up and was very pleasantly surprised. Don't know what I was thinking.

In the Lark and the Wren we are introduced to another classic fantasy world created by Lackey. Rune is a great protagonist, and her "call to adventure", playing all night for this ghost, sets her off on a journey across the country, training as a minstrel and pushing forward with her goal of joining the Bard's Guild. When I say this world is classic - I mean I was reminded both of Valdemar, and the world of Fable, and our own world history, in a way that felt like wrapping yourself in a warm blanket by the fire. She is truly gifted at creating stories that feel comforting.

As Rune learns more about music and the world surrounding her, we are introduced to music as a form of magic - a way for Rune and her friends to influence the world around them. It's neat to read a fantasy novel where the characters train in instruments rather than weapons. The way the world works with the taxes, guilds, and a corrupt church is all really interesting. Lackey has a gift for sharing her ideas and opinions through the lenses of her characters, creating complex female characters, and unique magic systems.

My biggest complaint with this book is it seemed like time was moving too fast. I could see the events of this book taking place as a trilogy of longer books, with much more detail fleshed out in the various areas. As many have mentioned - the structure of this book does feel like a series of sequential short stories that are woven together - particularly in the second half. What didn't ring right sometimes was that characters and relationships developed between "tales" as if months or years had passed - when we're then told it's only been a matter of days or weeks. I think a lot of what transpires would come across better if the timeline had been stretched out more - to cover, say, 5 years instead of 2.

The age gap between Rune and [her partner, who I won't name due to spoilers] is pretty big. While not an issue for me in one book, I've read a lot of Lackey's works - and this dynamic of an older man and younger woman has been repeated quite a bit (Talia & Dirk, Misty & Alberich, etc) which is starting to create a pattern. In this book, Lackey brings attention to it through a whole chapter dedicated to the characters' feelings about the age gap. This all connects to my earlier words about the timeline, because I was still imagining her as 15 when this transpired. It seemed to me that Lackey aged Rune from 13 to 19 in just the 2 years I mentioned above.

I wonder if I should also take issue with the use of the term "gypsies" (recognizing this was written in 1991) - I know it's considered a slur now but I don't know enough about the Romani people or the use of the word gypsy in 1991 to comment more.

One element of Lackey's writing that is not a hallmark of great writing - but IS a really good thing when you're looking for a particular kind of comforting read, is that the conflicts never last for long. If a character is stressing about their relationship, or a character is held captive, or doesn't have the funds to get out of their bad situation - you can always rest assured that this will be resolved by the end of the chapter. At a time when our collective anxiety is so high - It's encouraging that the character who's just been turned into a bird against her will is rescued almost immediately. From a critical perspective, this is "bad writing" -- but from my perspective, it contributes to the whole of how Lackey's writing makes me feel - which keeps me coming back.

As an entry to the series, introduction to the world, and a backstory for a core character, The Lark and the Wren definitely works. More than works, I felt really welcomed into it's world and I am excited to read more. Once I get on a Mercedes Lackey kick, it's hard to read anything else for a while - so I'm glad to have some "new to me" Lackey material to turn to. ...more

flag Like · see review

Sep 27, 2020 Stephen rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: acquired-bought, format-paperbook, read-in-2020, reviewed, genre-fantasy

2.5 stars rounded down. It's fine, but ultimately not committed enough to any direction.

In one sense it's a bildungsroman about a musically inclined village girl who sets out to prove herself to the Bardic Guild. In another sense, starting about halfway through, it's a more straightforward fantasy adventure. Running through it is some amusingly didactic political opinions, and a very offhand touch to the fantasy elements, that makes the worldbuilding feel somewhat awkward.

The two books it remind 2.5 stars rounded down. It's fine, but ultimately not committed enough to any direction.

In one sense it's a bildungsroman about a musically inclined village girl who sets out to prove herself to the Bardic Guild. In another sense, starting about halfway through, it's a more straightforward fantasy adventure. Running through it is some amusingly didactic political opinions, and a very offhand touch to the fantasy elements, that makes the worldbuilding feel somewhat awkward.

The two books it reminded me of were THE HEALERS' ROAD and A SONG FOR ARBONNE. Like ROAD, there's a lot of slice-of-life elements and interpersonal relationship stuff, although here it's done much better, if a bit too matter-of-factly. Mostly it's like SONG, in a lot of amusing ways: published the same year, both about music and freedom in a quasi-medival romantic fantasy world. But Guy Gavriel Kay is a much more lyrical and emotive writer than Mercedes Lackey, so I got more of a heartfelt feeling from SONG, even if the climax of that story was a bit cheesy. Then again, the conclusion of THE LARK AND THE WREN is pretty cheesy, too.

The political elements are weird, too: we only really see the side of people who dismiss the Church as obviously corrupt and useless (religiosity, even in a world with actual if secretive magic, is background noise if it's present at all), who are fixing to bust the trade union of Bards, but who several times agree that people should pay taxes. There's not a lot of rich development here, no real gray areas: at most we get token reformer-type characters (Ardis, e.g.) and more Bohemian revolutionary types (the main protagonists and pretty much all of the rest of their allies). There's not an obvious storyline at any point, though Rune (our main POV character, the aforementioned village girl) has several mini arcs (i.e., the village, the first city, the Faire and the Bardic contest, etc.).

So while there's nothing really wrong with the book, and I kept a steady pace reading it, nothing really grabbed me, and a few things confused me.

Oh well. Still neutral on the author. ...more

flag Like · see review

Jun 01, 2020 Ria Bridges rated it really liked it

This book reads like it was originally a collection of related short stories put together into one longer books, much like Oathbound felt to me, only in this case Lackey managed to avoid the problems that Oathbound faced. The transitions from section to section are smooth, little to no repetition, and by the end it felt very much like I had been with the main character on one long adventure, the ending of which really couldn’t be foretold at the beginning.

However, this book was not without its f ...more

flag Like · see review

Jan 19, 2019 Michele rated it it was ok · review of another edition

1.5 stars.

This book was a hot mess. It has some interesting characters, but three different antagonists, and goes from Bildungsroman to Romance to 'let's foment rebellion against a foreign King', but does it REALLY badly, really messily, and really tiresomely.

One major point against it (aside from the aforementioned) - it has a group of Romani, but the author insists on using the G-word slur about them, both in the 'formal' version and the informal version - which was frankly infuriating.

One mi ...more

flag Like · see review

Jan 15, 2015 Jennifer Brass rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorite-authors

I read this book soon after it came out in paperback. I loved it and have read it at least three times. Of all three bardic voices books, this one is my favorite. I loved the protagonist Rune. I liked all the people who helped her on her journey. I loved the free bards so much! The story follows Rune who was born to a bar tavern 'worker'. She was fed but not taken care of. She loved music and would sit with the minstrels who would frequent the tavern. She knew she wanted more than her current li ...more

flag Like · see review

Feb 11, 2021 Terralyn Brown Barfield rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: own, a-review-written, v-off-world, library-read, read-on-my-kindle, 4-to-5-avg-rating-finished, c-sci-fi-fant-occult-para, author-new-1st-book

4 stars ✨
Although I’ve had Mercedes Lackey on my radar for decades, this is my first time reading her. I was hoping for something very much like Anne McCaffrey’s Dragonriders of Pern series which is my very favorite off-world saga. The draw of a society with a bard class is something I can never pass up.
I find that I enjoy Ms. Lackey’s writing style. The story line and characters are very appealing. I was impressed enough to order the rest of this series even before I finished this book. The ...more

flag Like · see review

Mar 26, 2019 Annie rated it really liked it

I started off dubious of this series. I love Mercedes Lackey's Five Hundred Kingdoms series and I was hoping to find something with the same style as that. My mother and sister recommended this series so I definitely was willing to give it a try. The first couple chapters of The Lark and the Wren the main Character Rune AKA The Lark is a teenage girl in a small town, I had a hard time getting connected with her as a character but I stuck with the story and I'm very glad that I did. The story tak ...more

flag Like · see review

« previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

topics	posts	views	last activity
What's the Name o...: SOLVED. YA/ fantasy. About a violinist girl who dresses up as a boy to compete in music at a fair. [s]	3	15	May 19, 2018 09:36PM

Readers also enjoyed

See similar books…

Genres

Fantasy

797 users

Fiction

63 users

Science Fiction Fantasy

40 users

Romance

29 users

Fantasy > High Fantasy

26 users

Fantasy > Magic

25 users

Young Adult

11 users

Adult

10 users

Music

8 users

Fantasy > Epic Fantasy

7 users

See top shelves…

About Mercedes Lackey

Mercedes Lackey

7,549 followers

Mercedes entered this world on June 24, 1950, in Chicago, had a normal childhood and graduated from Purdue University in 1972. During the late 70's she worked as an artist's model and then went into the computer programming field, ending up with American Airlines in Tulsa, Oklahoma. In addition to her fantasy writing, she has written lyrics for and recorded nearly fifty songs for Firebird Arts & M Mercedes entered this world on June 24, 1950, in Chicago, had a normal childhood and graduated from Purdue University in 1972. During the late 70's she worked as an artist's model and then went into the computer programming field, ending up with American Airlines in Tulsa, Oklahoma. In addition to her fantasy writing, she has written lyrics for and recorded nearly fifty songs for Firebird Arts & Music, a small recording company specializing in science fiction folk music.

"I'm a storyteller; that's what I see as 'my job'. My stories come out of my characters; how those characters would react to the given situation. Maybe that's why I get letters from readers as young as thirteen and as old as sixty-odd. One of the reasons I write song lyrics is because I see songs as a kind of 'story pill' -- they reduce a story to the barest essentials or encapsulate a particular crucial moment in time. I frequently will write a lyric when I am attempting to get to the heart of a crucial scene; I find that when I have done so, the scene has become absolutely clear in my mind, and I can write exactly what I wanted to say. Another reason is because of the kind of novels I am writing: that is, fantasy, set in an other-world semi-medieval atmosphere. Music is very important to medieval peoples; bards are the chief newsbringers. When I write the 'folk music' of these peoples, I am enriching my whole world, whether I actually use the song in the text or not.

"I began writing out of boredom; I continue out of addiction. I can't 'not' write, and as a result I have no social life! I began writing fantasy because I love it, but I try to construct my fantasy worlds with all the care of a 'high-tech' science fiction writer. I apply the principle of TANSTAAFL ['There ain't no such thing as free lunch', credited to Robert Heinlein) to magic, for instance; in my worlds, magic is paid for, and the cost to the magician is frequently a high one. I try to keep my world as solid and real as possible; people deal with stubborn pumps, bugs in the porridge, and love-lives that refuse to become untangled, right along with invading armies and evil magicians. And I try to make all of my characters, even the 'evil magicians,' something more than flat stereotypes. Even evil magicians get up in the night and look for cookies, sometimes.

"I suppose that in everything I write I try to expound the creed I gave my character Diana Tregarde in Burning Water:

"There's no such thing as 'one, true way'; the only answers worth having are the ones you find for yourself; leave the world better than you found it. Love, freedom, and the chance to do some good -- they're the things worth living and dying for, and if you aren't willing to die for the things worth living for, you might as well turn in your membership in the human race."

Also writes as Misty Lackey

Author's website ...more

Other books in the series

Bardic Voices (5 books)

Books by Mercedes Lackey

Arrows of the Queen (Heralds of Valdemar, #1)

Arrow's Flight (Heralds of Valdemar, #2)

More…

News & Interviews

Meet These Highly Anticipated March Romances

Some people love books. Some people fall in love. And some people fall in love with books about falling in love. Every month our team...

Trivia About The Lark and the ...

No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »

Quotes from The Lark and the ...

“In general, though, I would say that when a government is more concerned with keeping itself in power, and keeping its officials in luxury, whether they were elected to the posts, appointed, or inherited the position, then that government is abusive as well. Government is what takes care of things beyond you. Good government cares for the well-being of the people it serves. Abusive government cares only for its own well-being. The fewer the people, the less government you need. Does that seem clear to you?” — 2 likes

More quotes…