Author: Amy Butler GreenfieldTitle: Chantress
Publication:May 7, 2013
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult
Pages: 324
Audience: 13 and up
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
Source: Public Library
Synopsis (from the cover): Shipwrecked n an island seven years ago, Lucy has been warned that she must never sing or disaster will strike. But on All Hallow's Eve when she is fifteen, Lucy hear tantalizing music in the air. When she sings it, she unlocks a terrible secret: She is a Chantress, a spell-singer, brought to the island not by shipwreck but by a desperate enchantment gone wrong.Her song lands her back in England-and in mortal peril, for the kingdom lies in the cruel grasp of a powerful Lord Protector and his mind-reading hunters, the Shadowgrims. The Protector has killed all Chantresses, for they alone can destroy the Shadowgrims. Only Lucy has survived.
In terrible danger, Lucy takes shelter with Nat, a spy who turns her heart upside-down. With his fellow scholars of the Invisible College, Nat has been working to overthrow the Lord Protector, and they have long hoped to find a living Chantress to help them. But Lucy is completely untrained and Nat deeply distrusts her magic. If Lucy cannot master the songspells how long can she even stay alive?
My thoughts:
For once, a young adult novel that is not a series. This book wraps up the story nicely enough that author could write an additional novel, but it is not necessary. It was nice reading something without a cliff hanger and having to wait impatiently for the next novel to come out. The story line is interesting as Chantress are born from faerie blood, but that is about the only explanation that you get. The characters are interesting themselves, but I did not feel myself connect with any of them. Not the main character Lucy or the other characters. Lucy is naive and ignorant at times, but considering her circumstance it is understandable. I felt like there was not enough information about them for me to really connect. There was not really enough about the villain, Scargrave to really truly hate him. Nat, Penebrygg, Norrie, Lady Helaine were all neat characters, but I only knew a little about their occupation and their nature...nothing more. I really wish there was more about the characters and a chance to really develop them. I also felt their was a lack of the Chantress history, which would have really knocked this book out of the park for me. I love learning about mythical creatures and their histories. The one thing that I loved about this novel was that is was clean. There was no sex, bad language, drugs, or any of that. It was a simple, clean young adult fantasy novel. It is something that I would be comfortable to share with my twelve year old niece.
For once, a young adult novel that is not a series. This book wraps up the story nicely enough that author could write an additional novel, but it is not necessary. It was nice reading something without a cliff hanger and having to wait impatiently for the next novel to come out. The story line is interesting as Chantress are born from faerie blood, but that is about the only explanation that you get. The characters are interesting themselves, but I did not feel myself connect with any of them. Not the main character Lucy or the other characters. Lucy is naive and ignorant at times, but considering her circumstance it is understandable. I felt like there was not enough information about them for me to really connect. There was not really enough about the villain, Scargrave to really truly hate him. Nat, Penebrygg, Norrie, Lady Helaine were all neat characters, but I only knew a little about their occupation and their nature...nothing more. I really wish there was more about the characters and a chance to really develop them. I also felt their was a lack of the Chantress history, which would have really knocked this book out of the park for me. I love learning about mythical creatures and their histories. The one thing that I loved about this novel was that is was clean. There was no sex, bad language, drugs, or any of that. It was a simple, clean young adult fantasy novel. It is something that I would be comfortable to share with my twelve year old niece.
Hmm. This one has been on my TBR for awhile now. I love the fact that it's a stand alone, BUT the only negative is sometimes the characters/world buildings not as extensive.
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Diamond Dee @ Dee's Reads