Adi Rule

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DEOS MEOW. ¿No te ha tocado ese libro que dices “esto no me va a gustar” y luego “¿YA SE ACABÓ, YA, ASÍ, NO HAY MÁS?”? Me acaba de pesar con Sweet Strange Song. Inmediatamente al terminar lo único que me vino a la cabeza fue: “Pussssha ¿y ahora como reseño esto?”. Estoy segura que si fuera de las que hace video reseñas todo lo que sería de la reseña de Sweet Strange Song sería yo agitando el libro haciendo sonidos que no se considerarían humanos.

La única referencia que tenía de Sweet Strange Song fue una reseña del año pasado en un blog que no recuerdo el nombre y lo único que leí fue que este libro era oro puro. ¿Libro desconocido que supuestamente es una joya escondida? Debía tenerlo. El problema fue que al principio no tenía idea de qué diablos estaba leyendo, está narrado en tercera persona centrándose en diferentes personajes, de por sí es un poquito complicado acostumbrarse la transición de personajes, súmale el que como es costumbre mía no leí sinopsis, mucho más confuso aún. Estuve tentada a tirar la toalla, dejar el libro de lado y lamentarme por dejarme engañar por la publicidad de un solo blog.

Sí, Sweet Strange Song tiene un inicio difícil, son capítulos cortos pero son párrafos bastante largos, no hay muchos diálogos y al inicio la personalidad de Sing (ese nombre también) que no es exactamente querible, puede ser que a algunos lectores les haga dejarlo para algún otro momento.

PERO SIGUE LEYENDO, SIGUE, POR FAVOR, SIGUE LEYENDO EL LIBRO.

Hay libros que mientras vas leyendo, puedes detenerte y marcar tus frases favoritas, anotar las escenas que más te gustaron, dejar bien tuneado el libro que tienes, y también están los otros libros que la sola idea de parar de leer es imposible ¿Parar para marcar algo? En la re-relectura será. Lo irónico en este tipo de libros que te dan todos los feels es que a veces TIENES que parar y dar vueltas y hacer gestos y sonidos cavernícolas porque no puedes con TODO OH POR DIOS, OH POR DIOS OH POR DIOS.

Sweet Strange Song TIENE EL ship de la vida. Es lento, no es amor a primera vista, es hostilidad-aléjate-de-mi-lacra-horrible-te-destruiré-yupi-engreida a primera vista. Es hermoso. Y si alguien me viene con que hay teams para este libro se puede ir a... [FRASE CENSURADA, GOODREADS NO ACEPTA TONTERÍAS, PERO SÍ, MÁS VALE QUE NO HAYA TEAMS, APOYAMOS AL GATO COMPLETAMENTE]. No, no hay teams. No hay exactamente un triángulo amoroso, pero es fácil confundirse ¬¬

Lo que al principio fue un elemento en contra, al final terminé disfrutando los largos párrafos, se me hicieron cortos. Uno siente cuando es un libro bien trabajo, investigado y pulido, incluso si es una copia que supuestamente no es la final, cada frase, cada twist, cada acción, todo está bien pensado. Una vez que llegas al final sabes que ese comienzo un poco denso que pensaste al inicio, es el perfecto y el más acertado para un libro como este.

Algo muy resaltante, más allá de que este libro se volvió uno de mis favoritos del año, es que no solo Adi Rule se tomó el trabajo de escribir un libro, sino investigar frases en varios idiomas, investigar ópera, realmente hacer un gran trabajo de recolección de material, pero encima, encima de todo eso, crear una historia para la historia. Y una de esas veces en una que tiene el sueño de volverse escritora, se dice: “quiero seguir su ejemplo”

Al terminar de leer lo único que sé es que tengo que releer Sweet Strange Song. Y me acabo de enterar que es libro único *llora hasta el infinito*

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Strange Sweet Song by Adi Rule tells the story of Sing as she starts at a music conservatory and gets pulled into a world where creatures from stories have come alive even though she’s just trying to get the lead role in the upcoming school opera. The fantasy elements of Strange Sweet Song are pulled from a fabled opera written by the conservatory’s founder and the setting evokes imagery of mist-covered woods and bright eyes shining in the dark. If you enjoy stories involving music and singing, you definitely have to check out Strange Sweet Song.
Note: I received Strange Sweet Song from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.



Strange Sweet Song by Adi Rule
Published by St. Martin's Press on March 11, 2014
Genres: Fantasy, Gothic, Paranormal Romance, YA
Length: 336 pages
How I got my copy: Publisher

A young soprano enrolls in a remote music academy where nothing, not even her mysterious young vocal coach, is as it seems

Outside Dunhammond Conservatory, there lies a dark forest. And in the forest, they say, lives a great beast called the Felix. But Sing da Navelli never put much faith in the rumors and myths surrounding the school; music flows in her blood, and she is there to sing for real. This prestigious academy will finally give her the chance to prove her worth—not as the daughter of world-renowned musicians—but as an artist and leading lady in her own right.

Yet despite her best efforts, there seems to be something missing from her voice. Her doubts about her own talent are underscored by the fact that she is cast as the understudy in the school's production of her favorite opera, Angelique. Angelique was written at Dunhammond, and the legend says that the composer was inspired by forest surrounding the school, a place steeped in history, magic, and danger. But was it all a figment of his imagination, or are the fantastic figures in the opera more than imaginary?

Sing must work with the mysterious Apprentice Nathan Daysmoor as her vocal coach, who is both her harshest critic and staunchest advocate. But Nathan has secrets of his own, secrets that are entwined with the myths and legends surrounding Dunhammond, and the great creature they say lives there.

Strengths:
Strange Sweet Song brings a fresh mythos to fantasy by basing the magic of the nearby forest on an opera that as far as I can tell doesn’t actually exist. There is a giant cat that will either grant your deepest wish or rip your throat out, crows that aren’t all that they appear, and a forest that holds secrets as old as the school itself. After reading so many fantasy books, it was awesome to encounter magic that I had never read about before.
The conservatory setting in Strange Sweet Song was a lot of fun. It leads to all the things many readers love about boarding school settings, while having a fresh spin. I’ve never learned much about that path that talented young musicians can follow, so it was interesting to see what going to a conservatory for high school might be like.
I am a huge fan of music, particularly singing, and studied it as a hobby throughout high school and college. Therefore, I loved the heavy singing element in Strange Sweet Song and the accuracy with which it was portrayed. I completely understood Sing’s fear and determination to present her voice to the world and make it the best she could.

Weaknesses:
There are several plot lines at the beginning of Strange Sweet Song and they don’t make a lot of sense until you realize that two of them are happening in the past relative to Sing’s time. This wasn’t indicated at all at the beginning of the chapters so I was quite confused for a bit. But now you know, so hopefully that will help your reading experience!
Yes, her name is Sing and she sings. There is a brief explanation for why that is the case (famous singing mother naming child that because she can), but it still led me to a bit of eye-rolling.
Sing’s chapters are written in present tense and other chapters are written in past tense. Reading present tense in third person was confusing enough without my brain having to jump between present and past tense D:.
Sing is really just not a nice girl. She struggles with how to act around other people since she was raised by a diva, but she also just makes some really foolish decisions and doesn’t have much of a moral compass.
The romance aspects of Strange Sweet Song get weird and rather uncomfortable by the end. I found myself going “no no no no, don’t go there please!” once Sing started trying to kiss a very inappropriate romantic interest and then things just snowballed from there. I don’t understand why it seems okay for teenage girls to fall in love with supernatural guys that are OOOOOOOOLD. Add to that some awkward power dynamics and other spoilery things and I was just downright uncomfortable.

Summary:
Strange Sweet Song built a beautiful and fresh fantasy world in the forest next to the conservatory, but other elements of it fell flat for me. If you are a fan of paranormal romance or enjoy stories with music or boarding school elements, Strange Sweet Song could be the perfect book for you. I look forward to reading what beautiful fantasy Adi Rule writes in the future!… (plus d'informations)

Review courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales

Quick & Dirty: Strange Sweet Song was a richly imaginative world with beautifully, lyrically written words that captured my attention from page one. Sing’s voice is so strong and introspective.

Opening Sentence: If you had been there that night, the night it happened, you might not have noticed.

The Review:

Sing da Navelli has famous parents in the music world, and she hopes to follow their footsteps and use her enchanting voice to captivate audiences as her mother did before she died. Her most passionate goal: to play Angelique in the very play that was first written at her new school, a role she’s dreamed of playing ever since she first saw the opera. In her first year at a renown music conservatory, she will discover the challenges of rival students and choking with nervousness —- but will also meet the Felix, an ancient beast, fall in love with a broken and sad man, and learn who she is.

I absolutely loved the setting, and the way that two stories were created and weaved together at the end. There are two different plotlines: George and Nathan, and Sing trying to find herself and her voice at a new school. Towards the last fourth of the book it all came together, hooking me more than ever. And, as I mentioned before, the setting. The forest and the school were so original and exciting! There were other multiple things in this book that kept me hooked: the lyrical, wonderful writing style that was so unique I just latched on, the life of Sing and her budding voice, Sing’s friends and enemies, drama with the school play, the love interest. Basically everything. I never got bored of the richly described world, full of imagery and music. I’ve never read a novel so orientated on music and the way the author described simple sounds made me immediately love her and her characters. Each character, even the secondary ones, developed and grew. Another great thing about this was the pacing, which while sometimes a tiny bit slow was never confusing or fast. The one thing I’d like more resolution on was the ending chapter, maybe Rule could have put in an epilogue? If only.

Something I’d like to describe in detail was the love interest. The romance was slow, developed, and made me swoon. I’m so in love with the character Sing falls in love with… Who I will not name as it will ruin the surprise. I’ll be honest, I never once saw Sing ending up with the character I cannot name. I had a few suspicions at the very beginning that were discarded until around halfway through. However, the surprise made reading it all the sweeter. The development did too, as well. The character grows stronger and more confident by the end of the book and makes sacrifices. His cute ways made me smile, especially because he starts so closed off and distant. Watching the mask melt was half of the beauty of the relationship.

And now I will talk about The Felix. The whole novel revolves around this opera that Sing loves, the same opera her mother dies performing. It describes a story in which Angelique, a simple milkmaid, meets a prince she falls in love with. The prince is then fatally injured but a man that is deeply in love with Angelique, she revives him with the help of the Felix, a mighty and sad creature in the shape of a cat. If you meet it, it either tears out your throat or, if it sees sadness deeper than it’s own, grants you a single wish. Said man uses his wish to bring back the prince. And the Felix is real, and important, in Strange Sweet Song. It is a beast that has probably one in four chapters during the story and that I fell in love with despite the overwhelming vicious instinct it cannot seem to overcome. My eyes watered when the Felix’s sadness was mentioned and I became suddenly depressed. I was so in-tune with the character’s feelings that I would feel what they were feeling.

I felt so connected on Sing’s internal journey and absolutely loved her and the other secondary characters. I loved almost everything about Strange Sweet Song and I think others will too. The plotline was well thought out. The setting and world-building was wonderful. The character’s journey and development were real and Sing was such an introspective character that I always felt like I was inside her head. Not to mention that beautiful, mysterious cover! The book isn’t very long and if you are like me, you will swallow it up, so I hope you consider checking it out!

One more thing before I leave you: yes, Sing is a stupid and ironic name. Because yes (internally groans) she is a singer. However! Do not discard this novel for such trivial reasons, for Sing mentions how she hates her name many a time and by the end she accepts it. Okay, that’s all I have to say, other than this — if you are a lover of fantasy than pick up Strange Sweet Song!

Notable Scene:

“What your sound is missing” he says, “is you.”

Her shoulders slump. “I know. I try. I’ve never been good at acting.”

“Listen to me,” he says. “I’m not talking about acting. I’m talking about you.”

She feels a familiar frustration stinging her throat. “My father is the one who said I was ready for this. I never asked-”

Now he stands and places a hand on each of her shoulders. “Sing da Navelli, look at me.” She does, and something tingles her insides. “I’m not talking about your father. I’m talking about you.“

She starts shaking. “I know, okay? You don’t understand what it’s like. My mother-”

“I’m not talking about your mother, or your teachers, or your friends. I’m talking about you.“

“I get the point,” she snaps. “All right? But what am I supposed to do? I”ve been at this school for less than three months!”

He grasps her shoulders more tightly. “I’m not talking about President Martin, the Maestro, Francois Durand, or goddamn Lori Pinkerton! I’m talking about you.”

“Stop it!” She can’t control her hands, her ribs- why won’t they stop shuddering? She can’t look at him anymore and drops her head.

His voice softens. “You can’t even stand to hear that word, can you? I . . . you poor thing. No wonder you don’t know who you are.”

FTC Advisory: St. Martin’s Griffin/Macmillan provided me with a copy of Strange Sweet Song. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review. In addition, I don’t receive affiliate fees for anything purchased via links from my site.… (plus d'informations)