Thanks for dropping by my stop for the Chantress blog tour hosted by Shane at Itching for Books! You can follow the tour here.
Title: Chantress (Chantress Trilogy #1)
Author: Amy Butler Greenfield
Release Date: May 7th 2013
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
Source: Edelweiss
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The story followed Lucy, one of the last few Chantresses who had been hunted down to near extinction, as she discovered the truth about her identity and fought to eliminate the tyrant who haunted her country. Chantresses are very similar to witches, the only difference I can think of being that they work their spells through singing. Anyway, Lucy was a likable character, although I was never really able to connect with her. She was brave and curious, with bouts of stubbornness that often worked against her. Still, her good heart was a constant from beginning to end.
With Lucy's mission to emancipate not just her kind but the whole country gripped in terror, came equally mysterious characters, each of who I, at least at one point, suspected would stab her in the back. This doubt, added to the high stakes for everyone, only made the book even more unputdownable.
Although Chantress dragged halfway through, things picked up as it entered the climax and took a surprising turn in the end, especially for the romance, which was very well-developed and unhurried. The sizzle between Lucy and Nat was left unexplained—whether deliberately or not is unclear. And even if I felt like the plot could have been made more complicated, I'm still looking forward to reading the sequel.
MY FAVORITE PART was the ending.
About the author:
Amy Butler Greenfield was a grad student in history when she gave into temptation and became a writer. Since then, she has become an award-winning author.
Born in Philadelphia, Amy grew up in the Adirondack Mountains and later studied history at Williams College, the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and Oxford. She now lives with her family in England, where she writes, bakes double-dark-chocolate cake, and plots mischief.
Author: Amy Butler Greenfield
Release Date: May 7th 2013
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
Source: Edelweiss
Goodreads | Amazon | The Book Depository
Lucy’s Chantress magic will make her the most powerful—and most hunted—girl in England.
“Sing, and the darkness will find you.” This warning has haunted fifteen-year-old Lucy ever since she was eight and shipwrecked on a lonely island. Lucy’s guardian, Norrie, has lots of rules, but the most important is that Lucy must never sing. Not ever. Now it is 1667, Lucy is fifteen, and on All Hallows’ Eve, Lucy hears a tantalizing melody on the wind. She can’t help but sing—and she is swept into darkness.
When she awakes in England, Lucy hears powerful men discussing Chantresses—women who can sing magic into the world. They are hunting her, but she escapes and finds sanctuary with the Invisible College, an organization plotting to overthrow the nefarious Lord Protector. The only person powerful enough to bring about his downfall is a Chantress. And Lucy is the last one in England.
Lucy struggles to master the song-spells and harness her power, but the Lord Protector is moving quickly. And her feelings for Nat, an Invisible College apprentice and scientist who deeply distrusts her magic, only add to her confusion...
Time is running out, and the fate of England hangs in the balance in this entrancing novel that is atmospheric and lyrical, dangerous and romantic.I admit, what drew me to Chantress was its pretty cover—black, violet, and pink! Stunning combination, eh?—but from the start, this intensely fast-paced book proved itself so much more than physically entrancing; it was imaginative and, for some reason, it reminded me of Cornelia Funke's Inkheart. The writing was beautiful and very descriptive, perfect for the era the story was set in: England in the 1600s. I don't think I've ever read anything that went as far back as that.
The story followed Lucy, one of the last few Chantresses who had been hunted down to near extinction, as she discovered the truth about her identity and fought to eliminate the tyrant who haunted her country. Chantresses are very similar to witches, the only difference I can think of being that they work their spells through singing. Anyway, Lucy was a likable character, although I was never really able to connect with her. She was brave and curious, with bouts of stubbornness that often worked against her. Still, her good heart was a constant from beginning to end.
With Lucy's mission to emancipate not just her kind but the whole country gripped in terror, came equally mysterious characters, each of who I, at least at one point, suspected would stab her in the back. This doubt, added to the high stakes for everyone, only made the book even more unputdownable.
Although Chantress dragged halfway through, things picked up as it entered the climax and took a surprising turn in the end, especially for the romance, which was very well-developed and unhurried. The sizzle between Lucy and Nat was left unexplained—whether deliberately or not is unclear. And even if I felt like the plot could have been made more complicated, I'm still looking forward to reading the sequel.
MY FAVORITE PART was the ending.
RATING:
Amy Butler Greenfield was a grad student in history when she gave into temptation and became a writer. Since then, she has become an award-winning author.
Born in Philadelphia, Amy grew up in the Adirondack Mountains and later studied history at Williams College, the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and Oxford. She now lives with her family in England, where she writes, bakes double-dark-chocolate cake, and plots mischief.
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Good review. Thanks for participating!
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