Book Review: "Songkeeper" by Gillian Bronte Adams

Description

Songkeeper (Songkeeper Chronicles #2)
by Gillian Bronte Adams
Genre: YA/NA Fantasy
Release Date: April 15, 2016

Synopsis from Goodreads:

War ravages Leira and the Song has fallen silent.

Freed from the hold of a slave ship, Birdie, the young Songkeeper, and Ky, a street-wise thief, emerge to a world at war. Hordes of dark soldiers march across Leira, shadowed by whispers of plague and massacres, prompting Ky to return to his besieged home city in hopes of leading his fellow runners to safety.

Desperate to end the fighting, Birdie embarks on a dangerous mission into the heart of the Takhran's fortress. Legend speaks of a mythical spring buried within and the Songkeeper who will one day unleash it to achieve victory. Everyone believes Birdie is the one, but the elusive nature of the Song and rumors of other gifted individuals lead her to doubt her role. Unleashing the spring could defeat the Takhran once and for all, but can she truly be the Songkeeper when the Song no longer answers her call?

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Review

As the Takhran continues to wage war on the nations, Amos, Birdie, and Ky do whatever they must to thwart his plans. Amos, Birdie, and several companions set out on a dangerous quest straight into the Takhran’s own city while Ky returns to the Underground hoping to help them escape the now-besieged city. But what hope is there of success when their enemy is so powerful?

Songkeeper, by Gillian Bronte Adams, was everything I expected it to be and more. It, of course, continued the journey of the characters as they grow internally and wage war against insurmountable odds. There is a collection of new characters as well, each one as unique and full of depth as the previous ones. Gillian Adams certainly knows how to create believable, distinguishable characters whose personalities, even down to their accents, draw captivate the reader.

This book is everything a fantasy novel should be. It has a well-thought-out storyworld, complicated politics, insurmountable odds, unique characters in a myriad of races, danger at every turn, and so much more. The characters struggle with their pasts and their destinies. Plans fail and comrades betray. But the characters struggle on to what will hopefully be a glorious conclusion in a following novel.

I love fantasy, and Songkeeper is a great example of the genre. But for some indefinable reason, this book did not draw me in like some of the others fantasy books I have read. Songkeeper has awesome characterizations, a great plot, a fantastic storyworld, great morals, and so much more to offer, yet it did not captivate me as much as I had hoped. That is not to say the author is not a good writer. Gillian is an awesome writer (which I know from her books and blog posts) but it was not the right book at the right time, I suppose.

I recommend Songkeeper to fantasy lovers, especially of the YA and Christian sort.

I received a free copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.