I have mixed feelings about this book, but first, the reasons why I enjoyed this.
The setting was absolutely perfect for this book. It would have lost a ton to character if it were anywhere else. Carolyn Denman perfectly captures the beauty of the Garden of Eden and I was transported into the garden. I would highly recommend that you have a Bible near you while reading this due to the fact that it is a what-if kind of story.
The characters were engaging and I liked the wide variety of personalities that they have. The distinct voices all add to the story in many ways. The friendships are captured throughout the novel and it gives the reader a clear understanding of the characters and adds more meaning.
One thing that I was not expecting was the language. Honestly, I was shocked by how much there was.
Another shocker that I was NOT expecting was the ending. Wow. It fell a little flat but I was pleased by the fact that it was pulled out of nowhere.

Personal Rating: 3.5 Stars
Content Rating: 2.5 Stars

*I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. A positive review was not required and all thoughts are my own. ( )

I got to page 28 and had to stop. I really put off reading this book and I thought it was because I had no time. But it was because it was so boring. When I started reading it again, I just couldn't get into it. I didn't care for the characters or the story... whatever it was leading to was taking forever... just saying. Not my type of book I would enjoy.

‘I got four angry strides away before Harry changed the course of my life with six easy words.
“Can you hear the river crying?” Lainie, Ch. 8’

Lainie’s days are filled with study for exams, repairing fences, ‘pulling stubborn lambs out of angry ewes’, and contemplating a future beyond this one-grain-silo town.

‘Your mother’s grave is a lie.’ Harry to Lainie.

When the two important adults in her life, Aunt Lily and Harry, try to tell her that the mother she never knew is actually alive in some ‘Eden’, she reacts with anger. Though not clued up on the Book of Genesis, Lainie is sure the original Garden was not in the Great Southern Land (Australia). Besides, her mother lies buried. Harry, though, disappears. This is the catalyst for Lainie to seek out her roots.

This unusual adventure, aimed at Young Adults, is so thoughtful it deserves a wide readership. It mixes a coming-of-age tale and romance with ancient memories, religious motifs and mythologies.
The slow slow burn narrative begins in a nowheresville ‘where the creeks are named after dead animals’. Carolyn Denman builds the details of school life, farm work and hikes through the fire-prone bush until the fantastical elements seem to arise quite plausibly from this backdrop .

I see it as an engrossing story of protecting the one Eden we all have now, our Earth. Lainie and her friends, Bane, Noah and Tessa, represent our only hope – young people. Earth’s enemies are symbolised by the mining giant Kolsom. But there is more going on than the struggle between these Sentinels of a special place and Kolsom’s devious agents. Something seems to be going badly wrong with the nature of Eden itself.

‘I smiled at him, winked, then stepped across the boundary into Paradise.’

Don’t be fooled by the early steady pace; the acceleration toward the utterly unforeseeable events took me by surprise. You are bound to want to know what on earth – and Eden – is going to happen next. Fortunately, the sequel is now available too.

A note about song lines
To Indigenous Australians, a songline, or dreaming track, is one of the paths across the land or sky which mark the route followed by creator-beings. These made the earth and everything in it. This early time is called the Dreamtime or the Dreaming. Carolyn Denman says in the foreword, ‘My desire is that this tale reflects the co-existance and interconnectedness of belief systems.’ I think she suceeds remarkably well. ( )

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If you’re imagining things like Garden of Eden, Tree of Life, Adam and Eve, Cherub and the like, you’re up for Songlines! The book (and the whole series) fall under Clean YA and even without all the swearing, drugs, violence, etc. I loved it! This book proved that YA does not need stuff like those in order to be a great YA read. I’ve studied for years in a Catholic school so the book’s context (kinda religious and historical) were pretty easy to me.

It started with Lainie but as I typed that, I think it all started with their family. Lainie is just another graduating girl who is under her aunt’s care. Her mother died a year after her father and their deaths are really questionable. She grew up with her friend, Noah, and with their farmhand whom they call Harry. The things is, Harry revealed everything that Lainie would never believe and by the time she started believing, he’s gone. Without Harry, it’s only Lainie, Noah (who’s freaking smart), Tessa (a shy, strong lady), and Bane (the one I loved the most!).

Generations are tasked to protect Eden from human beings. And some human beings are tasked to protect them no matter what. I just want to emphasize that since I loved the whole idea of it! Imagine a person so attached to you that when you’re far from him/her, it’s making that person physically sick? Imagine, that person can also heal you and know where you are without having to see you? Imagine that the person knows if you’re hurt or if you’re better than some of your days? And imagine how you’d feel when that person started loving you but you couldn’t love him/her back cause you feel like that person is actually tasked, forced, AND compelled to love you? You know how complicated it’s getting? Read the book and tell me I’m wrong for loving this idea.

Hmm, just had so much feels that I haven’t been having for a long time. I may have spoiled you, but no. I just told you the main reason why I’m amazed by this book! The adorable thing about this book is everything about this book. Plus, the characters are naturally funny! A li’l immature and li’l mature, maybe, but do take note of their age. They’re still blooming and knowing who they are, give them time.

The question is: am I interested in its second book? Third book? Fourth book?
The answer is: COUNT ME IN!

I’m giving Songlines a lucky 5☆! ( )

With a unique setting, background and twists, this is a young adult fantasy/paranormal novel to enjoy and devour.

Lainie lives with her aunt near a small town on a farm in Australia. Not only does she face the normal troubles of school and farm life, but experiences visions and has a quirky sense of intuition. When miners arrive and start taking over the land, not only Lainie's aunt has her hands full with a battle to stop them, but Lainie notices things around her are growing stranger. Her past and future are nothing like she thought, and the truth is almost impossible to believe.

This was a refreshing read. Lainie is full of spunk, humor and a fire-ball of quirky wit. She's down-to-earth, hard working, can handle sheep like nobodies business and still, isn't unsure of herself in many ways. In some ways, she's immature in her actions while, in others, she's beyond her years. It's an interesting mixture which makes her easy to like and tons of fun to follow.

The setting is in Australia, and the author does a fantastic job at bringing the surroundings to life. The scenes are vivid, and it's easy to feel at home in Lainie's world. The unique twist with the Garden of Eden, gives this a whole new direction with lots of unexpected surprises and turns. While some aspects of the read are familiar in this YA genre, others are completely new and unexpected. There's never a boring moment, and it's impossible to see where everything is heading or what will happen next.

There is a love triangle of sorts, but this is a romance which builds, learns, forms friendships and holds all of the necessary building blocks before nearing anything comparable to a fresh bud of love.

In other words, this is an intriguing read and one YA paranormal fans are sure to enjoy. ( )