Chantress I can't deny that what drew me into Chantress was really the premise. I love when books stray away from the norm, and Lucy's story sounded like one that had awesome potential! Sadly about halfway through the book I found myself flagging in wanting to finish it.
 
It's not that the premise isn't fresh. I've never heard of a Chantress before, and Amy Butler Greenfield does a great job of sharing their background. The problem is that in order to build this world, there is a huge info dump required. I learned so much about what it meant to be a Chantress, but never really fell in love with the concept.
 
My other issue was that Lucy didn't seem real to me. Although this is marked as a young adult book, I felt like her character would have done better as a middle grade character. Her whole personality is very young. I understood that she grew up secluded from the world. I was willing to give her that. However I never felt like she evolved at all as a person.
 
By the time the romance aspect came into play, I just wasn't feeling it.I did ultimately finish Chantress, so it kept me reading. I can't say that I'll be back for more of Lucy's story though. ( )

Really good.

MC is smart. When I was screaming at her NOT TO GO INTO THE BASEMENT, she didn't go into the basement! How many characters do that?

THe romance was well-done, but I was pretty cynical about it, so...

And the plot. Man, I don't what it is about Historical Fantasies, but I haven't yet come across one I didn't like.

Definitely want the next book. ( )

First I have to say that I adore this cover. It’s stunning! Secondly, I thought I knew what kind of magic this book would be talking about, and I was wrong. But wrong in a good way, because this was so much better than what I went in thinking.

I love Lucy. Her innocence is so sweet, and she only wants to try to help free the kingdom the Lord Protector. I think she was naive is some parts thinking she could use her magic on others without their permission. She begins to realize that she shouldn’t do that. It’s fun watching her interact with people because she’s been isolated for most of her life, and is pretty awkward. The secondary characters were done well, also. I love Nat. He’s cautious, and isn’t sure how he feels about magic. Penebrygg is so sweet, and Lady Helaine is crazy. Well, maybe not crazy, but drives you nuts because she’s so pushy.

Chantress starts off pretty slow, but events pick up pretty quickly. She’s constantly on the run, and trying to hide. I like that there was a bit of history mixed into the story to make it more real. We also see how awful, and enchanted, people can get when it comes to power and magic.

I enjoyed Chantress, and hope the next one is just as good. ( )

I was lucky enough to read an early copy of this and truly enjoyed it. I am a sucker for magic that relates to music, and I love how detailed the Chantress magic is, and I am intrigued by the mysteries left to explore. This wrapped up with a satisfying ending, but I am eager to see what will come in the sequel!

Lucy, shipwrecked on an island at 8, is forbidden to sing by guardian Norrie. On All Hallows Eve 1667, at 15, she sings, and is swept into darkness. She wakes to hear powerful men hunt Chantresses who sing magic into the world. At the Invisible College she finds sanctuary, plots to overthrow the evil Lord Protector, and distrustful scientist-apprentice Nat. Only a Chantress can overcome the Protector, and Lucy is the last in England.

The story opens with young Lucy living virtually alone on an island. It would seem that she has lived here her entire life. But why you ask? Well to protect her from danger of course! Her mother put her here for her protection, telling her to never remove her pendant, but not why. And then of course mom disappears, leaving Lucy lost and confused, and certainly unaware of the risk she takes by removing said pendant.

Immediately upon removing the pendant she hears music, and automatically sings in response. Her song transports her almost directly into the hands of the Lord Protector, no place any Chantress ever wants to be, even one who doesn't know that she is a Chantress. For the evil Lord Protector has done his best to eliminate Chantresses, women who sing magic, as only a Chantress can destroy him. Now she must hide, and try to learn a lifetime's worth of spells to protect herself, all the while the Lord Protector searches all London for her.

Personally I found this book to be lacking in the plot department. Aside from a slow and somewhat tepid romance with Nat, very little seems to happen, especially in the middle of the book. Sure, Lucy is learning to use her powers and her character grows as part of the process, but I don't think any of us needed the process to last for more than one hundred pages. It would have been nice if some of that time had been devoted to giving us more of the Invisible College and it's members.

What action there was came and went so quickly that it was difficult to find myself invested in the results. Part of the problem was the lack of a strong villain - we are told how wicked and terrible he is, when we should have been shown. And while the characters were interesting, at least what parts we saw, they felt a bit out of step with the time period for me. The characters came across as being a bit too modern for the era they live in.

Also, the creative license taken with the historical era and the strong leanings towards fantasy made the book come across as conflicted. It seemed as if it wanted to be historical fiction sometimes and fantasy at others, ending up leaving both its characters and readers confused. I'd have preferred if the author had just picked one genre and stuck with it throughout.

With all that said, I did still enjoy the book as a whole. It was creative and felt fresh, which was a nice change of pace from several books I had read in the same period of time. And upon finishing I learned that is just the first book in a series, so hopefully all that lengthy, careful, world-building will payoff in future books. ( )