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karen_hallam's review
5.0
“There were creatures in the Hush, creatures of twisted magic, formed from the remnants of real-world sorcery. The Hush was a dumping ground for the leftovers. The residual, dregs of Music and broken tunes …”
A musician traveling with his fiddle, and searching for his father, enters the town of Hamlin. Pegasi patrol the skies. He hopes the locals will like his music enough, he’ll be able to eat that night, and he sets up in the local saloon. Never expecting what would happen when he plays the fiddle, that his music would touch the Song, and he’d be arrested. He didn’t mean to, but he was a natural, raised in the slums by his father. Only Songshapers were supposed to sense the tune of things in a physical way.
Chester is doomed, sentenced to death. The resident Songshaper explains his sentence, while locked behind bars, preparing to be hung. Chester feels music in the stone walls, in the slivers of wood, but there’s no way out. He doesn’t understand how his music connected to Music so quickly. It’s a crime for the untrained in the Song to use it.
Chester stands ready with the executioner, confused about how he got to this point, and the blade comes down, but he’s suddenly someplace else, and not in front of a horde of townspeople ready to watch him die. It’s dark, and he’s with the older teen who requested that difficult song, back at the saloon, the song that got him arrested, and now he’s helping Chester escape. They travel through the Hush, and it’s rife with Echos, and other twisted sorts of magic. Chester meets the others teens in the Nightfall Gang. The legendary gang, who steals from the rich and gives to the poor, he hopes they can help find his father, but they need Chester, and the trials begin.
An absorbing, and a beautifully imaginative world, a musical fantasy like none I’ve read before. The characters deal with tough knocks and adventure at every turn, inventing and utilizing fascinating magic devices and inventions.
A musician traveling with his fiddle, and searching for his father, enters the town of Hamlin. Pegasi patrol the skies. He hopes the locals will like his music enough, he’ll be able to eat that night, and he sets up in the local saloon. Never expecting what would happen when he plays the fiddle, that his music would touch the Song, and he’d be arrested. He didn’t mean to, but he was a natural, raised in the slums by his father. Only Songshapers were supposed to sense the tune of things in a physical way.
Chester is doomed, sentenced to death. The resident Songshaper explains his sentence, while locked behind bars, preparing to be hung. Chester feels music in the stone walls, in the slivers of wood, but there’s no way out. He doesn’t understand how his music connected to Music so quickly. It’s a crime for the untrained in the Song to use it.
Chester stands ready with the executioner, confused about how he got to this point, and the blade comes down, but he’s suddenly someplace else, and not in front of a horde of townspeople ready to watch him die. It’s dark, and he’s with the older teen who requested that difficult song, back at the saloon, the song that got him arrested, and now he’s helping Chester escape. They travel through the Hush, and it’s rife with Echos, and other twisted sorts of magic. Chester meets the others teens in the Nightfall Gang. The legendary gang, who steals from the rich and gives to the poor, he hopes they can help find his father, but they need Chester, and the trials begin.
An absorbing, and a beautifully imaginative world, a musical fantasy like none I’ve read before. The characters deal with tough knocks and adventure at every turn, inventing and utilizing fascinating magic devices and inventions.
kdow's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
kristyreadsalot_'s review against another edition
4.0
3.5 stars.
This was pretty good. There was a lot of action, and the plot moved along well. I was really interested in the world and the magic system, but I feel like they weren't explained well enough. I was left wanting more. I also couldn't really connect to the characters.
This was pretty good. There was a lot of action, and the plot moved along well. I was really interested in the world and the magic system, but I feel like they weren't explained well enough. I was left wanting more. I also couldn't really connect to the characters.
bosslern's review against another edition
4.0
I thought the romance wasn't needed but otherwise it was a great read.
bookladykd's review against another edition
4.0
I stayed up late to finish this one. Excellent worldbuilding. Although the idea of music as a source of magic isn't original by any means, the author gives it a nice twist and the idea of the Songshapers controlling music (and using is for societal and religious control) was well done. It's a typical "teen ensemble against authority motif" and could use more character development but on the whole I thoroughly enjoyed it and would certainly seek out other works by this author.
booksandladders's review against another edition
5.0
Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book and chose to review it. This in no way impacts my opinion.
Actual Rating: 4.5 stars
Full review to come on Books and Ladders!
Actual Rating: 4.5 stars
Full review to come on Books and Ladders!
jennifermreads's review against another edition
4.0
When Chester plays into The Song, he knows he’s crossed a line and he is quickly arrested. Just before Chester is executed, Sam breaks Chester out of prison and helps him escape by using the Hush – and takes him to the leader of the Nightfall Gang. Their heists are infamous. And they have a big one planned that holds Chester as its key.
I’m not sure I would have ever picked this book up if it hadn’t been sent to me as part of my Once Upon a Book Club book subscription box. Like a dutiful reader, I started reading because I wanted to open the presents OUABC had sent with the book: the goodies are wrapped and you open them only when you reach the page the package specifies. Well, I’m glad that my conscious wouldn’t let me open the presents without reading the book. I was treated to a tremendous fantasy world that had me longing for more stories set within it. Hush and Meloral were so beautifully developed and described; I was haunted and enchanted at the same time.
Yes, the book subscription made this an extra treat. But the book alone is worthy of sharing with other fantasy aficionados. Within its covers lies an intriguing story set within an imaginative world.
I’m not sure I would have ever picked this book up if it hadn’t been sent to me as part of my Once Upon a Book Club book subscription box. Like a dutiful reader, I started reading because I wanted to open the presents OUABC had sent with the book: the goodies are wrapped and you open them only when you reach the page the package specifies. Well, I’m glad that my conscious wouldn’t let me open the presents without reading the book. I was treated to a tremendous fantasy world that had me longing for more stories set within it. Hush and Meloral were so beautifully developed and described; I was haunted and enchanted at the same time.
Yes, the book subscription made this an extra treat. But the book alone is worthy of sharing with other fantasy aficionados. Within its covers lies an intriguing story set within an imaginative world.
scribe391's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
In his home town of Thrace, Chester repaired musical instruments.
However it’s his ability to connect with Music that attracts the attention of Susannah, the captain of Cavatina: an Echo ship.
Susannah is also the leader of the Nightfalll Gang, a notorious group of rebels and thieves.
However it’s his ability to connect with Music that attracts the attention of Susannah, the captain of Cavatina: an Echo ship.
Susannah is also the leader of the Nightfalll Gang, a notorious group of rebels and thieves.
americangirlemmie's review against another edition
3.0
This book has me feeling all sorts of confused weird things. Because I really really liked the writing, and the story in general, but I was also very confused. I shall cover all of these topics – no fear.
To start, I did really like the writing. The wordsmith was beautiful, and really captivated the story incredibly. The style fit the story line, and the characters were very real. Also, considering the magic was an auditory kind – Music – the magic seemed very real too. You would think it’d be possible to write about sounds controlling a world, but Melki-Wegner managed it. I was very impressed by that.
The characters were beautiful and realistic. I had a clear picture of every figure and personality right from the beginning, and I was still left with enough intrigue to want more. I was very impressed with how real the character dynamics were. You had a realistic awkwardness between a group of tweens, as well as the conflict that would come from it. Melki-Wegner depicted an accurate picture of this group of wayward teens, working to make the best of their crappy world.
ON THE OTHERHAND – confusion. I am one who very much likes to have a clear picture of what world a story takes place in – I could not for the life of me figure out where The Hush took place. At the start, it seemed to be very wild-Westish, with a hint of fantasy. Then we had a mix of some steampunk and dystopian in there too. I could not, for the life of me, figure out what the world was like. Plus, was their magic also a religion? Or else why was there blasphemy against it? There were so many pieces of the puzzle that I could not figure out, as far as world building. I think that these are maybe things that are going to be smoothed out in sequels (?) but it did make me have to flip back and cross reference the previous text a few times. It didn’t hinder my liking of the novel at all, but it did make me a bit confused.
Overall, I did really enjoy this novel. I think with a second reading that some of the world building may smooth out a bit. However, I believe it should have been clearer from the beginning.
To start, I did really like the writing. The wordsmith was beautiful, and really captivated the story incredibly. The style fit the story line, and the characters were very real. Also, considering the magic was an auditory kind – Music – the magic seemed very real too. You would think it’d be possible to write about sounds controlling a world, but Melki-Wegner managed it. I was very impressed by that.
The characters were beautiful and realistic. I had a clear picture of every figure and personality right from the beginning, and I was still left with enough intrigue to want more. I was very impressed with how real the character dynamics were. You had a realistic awkwardness between a group of tweens, as well as the conflict that would come from it. Melki-Wegner depicted an accurate picture of this group of wayward teens, working to make the best of their crappy world.
ON THE OTHERHAND – confusion. I am one who very much likes to have a clear picture of what world a story takes place in – I could not for the life of me figure out where The Hush took place. At the start, it seemed to be very wild-Westish, with a hint of fantasy. Then we had a mix of some steampunk and dystopian in there too. I could not, for the life of me, figure out what the world was like. Plus, was their magic also a religion? Or else why was there blasphemy against it? There were so many pieces of the puzzle that I could not figure out, as far as world building. I think that these are maybe things that are going to be smoothed out in sequels (?) but it did make me have to flip back and cross reference the previous text a few times. It didn’t hinder my liking of the novel at all, but it did make me a bit confused.
Overall, I did really enjoy this novel. I think with a second reading that some of the world building may smooth out a bit. However, I believe it should have been clearer from the beginning.