Mundie Moms

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Book Review & Giveaway- CHIME

Published by Dial/Penguin
To Be Released on March 17th, 2011
Source- ARC from publisher for review
4 stars- It's a fascinating read

Before Briony's stepmother died, she made sure Briony blamed herself for all the family's hardships. Now Briony has worn her guilt for so long it's become a second skin. She often escapes to the swamp, where she tells stories to the Old Ones, the spirits who haunt the marshes. But only witches can see the Old Ones, and in her village, witches are sentenced to death. Briony lives in fear her secret will be found out, even as she believes she deserves the worst kind of punishment.

Then Eldric comes along with his golden lion eyes and mane of tawny hair. He's as natural as the sun, and treats her as if she's extraordinary. And everything starts to change. As many secrets as Briony has been holding, there are secrets even she doesn't know (quoted from Goodreads).

CHIME is a very unique, original, YA historical, paranormal story, and unlike anything I've read before. There's not another book I can even compare it to. It's turn of the century setting in England, it's cast of characters ranging from mortals to the "old ones" like witches, the Chime Child, a Brownie, the Bogey Man and Muckey Face, and the prose in which Franny wrote it in make this a most fascinating read.

Briony is a broken, yet strong character. She's someone who's grown up being taught to hate herself and has come to believe she's a witch, thanks to her late step mother. She feels responsible for every bad thing that has happened to her family and those around her. She also has a gift, the second site and can see the various creatures/characters that live in the swamp surrounding her town called Swampsea. If anyone finds out she's a witch, she'll be hung. My heart broke for Briony. She's a hard character to relate to, as she's not one that opens up at all. I understand why she's so guarded. She has many secrets to keep, she has a fierce devotion to her twin sister Rose, and she has been made to feel she's evil, and unlovable. All that changes when Eldric enters her life and makes her see herself in a different light.

My favorite characters are Eldric and Rose. Eldric is a true turn of the century gentleman and the way he treats Briony and Rose will have readers swept off their feet. He is charming, has a slight bad boy streak, but what I loved most about him his is ability to make the characters feel at ease and open up to him. He is also the only one who really sees Briony and Rose for who they really are. Rose is a character you'd deem as mentally challenged, and slow, but she sees so much more than what people give her credit for. There's so much more to Rose than meets the eye that I loved knowing. While CHIME has a sweet, turn of the century romance, the story is truly about Briony. She's been robbed of so much, and with Eldric she slowly but surely learns she is capable of being loved and loving others. It's so heartbreaking and hopeful all at the same time.

CHIME has a brilliantly written twisted plot. There's a lot that Franny throws into the plot via her characters. There's some characters I enjoyed getting to know and others I loathed. The setting is captivating, as Swampsea is both eerie and suspenseful, and is a character in it's own right. It's so vividly described that it wasn't hard to picture it. The writing, the prose in which Briony talks gave CHIME an older feel which will be appealing to both YA fans and adult readers. The authentic writing style adds character to the story, even though in the beginning it was a little frustrating for me. CHIME wasn't a story I was able to get right into, but it's one that slowly grew on me. It's the second half of the story that I completely fell in love with.

CHIME has a lot of elements in it. The story itself will offer something different to YA readers, and it's the fact that I'm still thinking about it that has made me give it 4 stars. With it's complex storyline, interesting lore, and the way in which it's underlying message is told, make this an unforgettable, unique story. I recommend picking up CHIME tomorrow when it's out on bookstore shelves.



Thank you to Penguin, we have 1 copy of CHIME to giveaway!

13 comments:

  1. Great review, I didn't know what the book was about, but that cover is so amazing, I would've read it anyway.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thank you Ella! The cover is very fitting with the story. I hope you enjoy it!!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thanks for sharing your review! Looks interesting :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Great review and thanks for the giveaway!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Thanks for the great review. I agree. This sounds really different.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Loved the review! This sounds like a great read + I absolutely love the cover. Thanks for the contest!!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Great review! Can't wait to get my hands on this book. Thanks for the giveaway!

    ReplyDelete
  8. It's arriving in the mail!!! LOL. Thank you for a great rec!

    ReplyDelete
  9. I enjoyed reading your review - so many different characters and creatures. I would love to read it, thanks for the chance with the giveaway.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Natalie- Thank you! It is really different and good.

    Mallary- Thank you! The cover matches the story perfectly!

    CrimsonInk- Thank you! Good luck :)

    SOphie- I think you'll enjoy it!

    lulilut- Thank you so much! There is a lot of great characters. Good luck with the giveaway :)

    ReplyDelete
  11. This looks like a fantastic read. I've been dying to read this book, from the moment I found about it. So, great review and thanks for sharing with the giveaway. :)

    ReplyDelete

Labels