Lora Jones has always known that she’s different. On the outside, she appears to be an ordinary sixteen-year-old girl. Yet Lora’s been keeping a heartful of secrets: She hears songs that no one else can hear, dreams vividly of smoke and flight, and lives with a mysterious voice inside her that insists she’s far more than what she seems.
England, 1915. Raised in an orphanage in a rough corner of London, Lora quickly learns to hide her unique abilities and avoid attention. Then, much to her surprise, she is selected as the new charity student at Iverson, an elite boarding school on England’s southern coast. Iverson’s eerie, gothic castle is like nothing Lora has ever seen. And the two boys she meets there will open her eyes and forever change her destiny.
Jesse is the school’s groundskeeper—a beautiful boy who recognizes Lora for who and what she truly is. Armand is a darkly handsome and arrogant aristocrat who harbors a few closely guarded secrets of his own. Both hold the answers to her past. One is the key to her future. And both will aim to win her heart. As danger descends upon Iverson, Lora must harness the powers she’s only just begun to understand, or else lose everything she dearly loves.
There are a few ways to guarantee that I will pick up a copy of your book, or download a kindle copy: have it set in Victorian or early 20th century England, use an asylum as a setting, and have a main character that I can emotionally connect to.
This novel has two of those three criteria, and I can tell you that these aspects are used excellently.
Things that Worked: Lora’s background, while still being somewhat of a mystery, is still explained wonderfully through her childhood at the orphanage. Plus, if you know anything about English orphanages at the turn of the century, then you know how hardened a character raised in one would be. Lora is hard-headed, self-sufficient, and a fish out of water at the boarding school she attends. Did I mention how much fun boarding schools can make a plot line? As stereotypical as it sounds, I always tend to enjoy stories that include them. Also, the fact that the boarding school is in an abandoned castle really helped the setting become more enigmatic with the hidden tunnels and the ridiculously romantic underground cavern.
Jesse and Armand: the complete opposite of one another. Jesse is poor and humble while Armand is rich and cocky. Can I say that both boys worked wonderfully and that I adore them both? I suppose there should be part of me that likes Jesse more since he was the obvious choice for Lora, and the fact that their secrets are entwined. In addition, the reader spends more time with Jesse than Armand, and the romance between Lora and Jesse is almost immediate. Armand and Lora’s relationship burns like a slow fire, and develops over the course of the book.
The paranormal aspect of this novel was something I wasn’t necessarily expecting considering the rarity of YA novels on the topic. However, if I had looked into Abe’s previous works, I would have been able to guess. I’m not going to spoil it for you, but the world building is solid, and there are just enough questions left to keep you intrigued and your appetite whetted for the sequel.
Things that didn’t work: Well, to be honest there wasn’t a whole lot about the book I didn’t like. I will say that the rising action was slow at some points, and I was so excited by the synopsis that I just wanted to get to the good stuff. However, some exposition is necessary! I really was disappointed in the fact that there was a large number of “mean girls” in this text, and that Lora really didn’t make any real female friends. Every girl needs a best friend to have their back. I really hope Abe includes a girlfriend for her in the subsequent books.
4.5 Bards
Moving! 