Book Review: Songkeeper by Gillian Bronte Adams
The book lived up to the cover, although the characters did not spend as much time in the desert as I had thought they would. The story was fast paced and connected with my emotions and allover I would rate it as even better than the first book, Orphan's Song. It is darker though, but in that darkness there is a faint hope. It is a Christian fantasy but none of the characters are actually 'Christian' instead there is Emhran, who is like God, and even that is all very subtle and in the background. Which is just how I like fantasy books, any book actually. It is telling the story and not being preachy about something other than the story.
Songkeeper was a lot more violent than Orphan's Song and at times gruesome too, but not really any more than was necessary. They did go into the most evil place in the land though and that was quite horrible and at the beginning one character was tortured a little to try bend another character to the bad guys will.
The characters are the best bit though, especially Amos, Gundhrold and Migdon, Ky oh and Birdie too. I really liked how the 'voice' of the writing changed to be like the way Amos talks whenever we followed him, although it was still in third person. That also left no doubt when switching which character we were now following. The characters have a perfect amount of complexity relative to how much we see them in the story.
There were funny moments, quite a few actually and usually involving my three favourite characters Amos, Gundhrold and Migdon. A few quotes for example:
“Hurry, aye, but hurry where?" Amos halted midstride and spread his arms wide to encapsulate the view. The Vituain desert surrounded them, vast in its nothingness.”
Ky glared at the dwarf. He lunged for the bank, landing with the upper half of his body flat on at least partially dry ground. The edge sank beneath his weight and cold water crept up his shirt. By the time it reached his ribs, he was shivering. But he hung on, and between digging his elbows in and kicking his heals like a frog in a wallow, he managed to crawl clear of the muck and roll over on his back.
Migdon stooped over him, jaw jutting in a frown. "You could've just asked for help."
Ky spat out a mouthful of mud and stayed where he was, gazing up at the ice blue sky of mid-morning.”
Why did the sand-blasted catbird have to be so seaswoggling
logical? It was downright infuriating.” ~Amos
I could go on with them, and on about the characters, but instead you should buy the book and go read it because it is one worth reading. (And buying so the author can write more.) I highly recommend it. The plot is not vastly complex but there is a lot to find out and you care about the characters. You really do, they are so alive ..... ah the irony of that statement. But as I said there is hope in the story and that makes it beautiful.
Oh and I should say that I received an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review and this is that. Five full stars!
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4 comments
Woah, those photos are really epic! I particularly love the last two.
ReplyDeleteSongkeeper is GREAT, I so want it on my shelf. Like, an actual copy of it, not just the arc pieces of paper. :)
Thanks, I do try. It is mostly the book that makes them so epic though, I mean they are good shots but the actual book lends the word epic to the look I think.
DeleteI quite like the second last photo.
ReplyDeleteThanks, it is an interesting angle.
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