Originally intended to be a single book, Huntsong and Ghostsong are the second story arc in the Singer of Terandia series. I thought the first book, Gravesong, was slow to get started but the setting and action of the second half were enough to keep me reading even though Cara herself felt a bit lackluster as the MC. I thought these two books were great, partially because there are essentially three MCs now and Haeight's story is particularly compelling, the fascinating setting in Noelictus just keeps getting deeper, and Pirateaba's writing has really improved since she wrote The Wandering Inn. Ashamed of her role in the near total destruction of Afiele, Cara heads to the capitol of Noelictus and it's famous theater, The Synphasium. In Menorome she is disgusted by the corrupt Hunters Guild that failed to protect Afiele, the seemingly mad royal family, and the Helpful Servants who have somehow taken control of another girl from Earth. Its all tied together in a complex web that leads back to the sociopathic [Witch] Belavierr that we met in The Wandering Inn series.

The dysfunctional performers of the Synphasium are occasionally amusing but fade into the background compared to the more dramatic issues facing Noelictus. Unlike it's neighbors Noelictus doesn't have any knightly orders. Instead it has the Hunters who's primary duty is to protect people from the undead that are constantly rising. As Cara and everyone in Afiele noticed they don't seem to be doing much and Haeight is a young [Axe Hunter] determined to root out the corruption in the Guild. Hunters like Haeight go from one undead hunt to the next with little rest while the Veteran Hunters relax and enjoy their Indulgences, representing the seven deadly sins, and the insane amount of gold the crown gives them. While the people of Menorome despise the Veteran Hunters they still love their Queen despite her seeming madness and Cara finds the entire royal family and the Court of Dusk bazaar, incompetent, and simply appalling. Then there are the creepy Helpful Servants who smile mindlessly while they work the most menial of jobs and the Elena who somehow became one that Cara is determined to save. On top of all of that an ongoing border skirmish with a neighboring kingdom is about to explode into an invasion but every faction is too busy protecting their secrets to deal with it.

These two books are the best that Pirateaba has written yet. The separate plots come together in a self contained story arc that sets the stage for a final showdown with one of this world's greatest evils. Cara and Haeight are joined by a varied collection of supporting characters from an ancient hunter thousands of years old to half-elf hobbyist who spent hundreds of years perfecting his opening move with his longsword and then moved on to perfecting a single piece on the violin. Note, he only ever practiced the opening swing. Evil villains, traitors, ancient powers of the world, sarcastic Hunters, scheming nobles, stupid hothead nobles, and more clash in this epic tale where a few hundred zombies is a minor problem left to the rookie Hunters and one young [Gravesinger] defiantly singing Earth's pop songs.

The reviews agree with my assessment and these books are sitting at five stars across the board.