Scan barcode
booksborrowed's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
But sixth days were special. Sixth days were for music."
Sofi is a 16 year old girl whose only dream is to become a Musik, like her father, Frederick Ollenholt. The only five people allowed to perform with an instrument in public were Musiks. Sofi's father played a bone lute, and Sofi is eager to earn it. She is forced to quickly learn more about herself and her father as things don't go quite as planned at the auditions.
I thought the magic system was portrayed uniquely. Magic is open for public to use, as long as civilians are able to aquire "Papers." The Papers have individual spells attached by witches, who have disappeared for many years, and once used the papers word would tattoo itself on to the user so everyone were to know of the spell. Musiks were expressly forbidden from using magic. Thus, Sofi loathed those who had used it.
The story is medium paced in the beginning through middle chapters. However, this changed, and the plot felt very rushed towards the end. The rushed resolution was a major reason this book didn't receive 5 stars, along with repetitious wording.
I would have asked for more relationship building with certain family members, and the resolution expanded on in the end, but overall, I really enjoyed this book. It's generally different than most other plots and easy to read. I will recommend listening to the Audiobook because the narrator does a devine job bringing a tonality to each character.
Minor: Child abuse
alishav's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
The things you love shouldn’t hurt you… You don’t have to hurt yourself to be worthy of pursuing your dream. You don’t have to deny pieces of yourself in order to be good.
An easy-to-read, young adult fantasy with a rivals-to-lovers, grumpy-sunshine sapphic romance. But more than that, this book delves into what defines success and touched the heart of this forever recovering perfectionist, overachiever (and music lover). Sofi grapples with her future being upended time and time again as choices and discoveries challenge everything she knew about herself, her world, and her art. Lara and other lovable - and despicable - characters influence Sofi’s journey and help her uncover a new, healthier relationship with herself, her past, her music, and ultimately her future.
I really appreciated Tooley’s ability to weave a story together and immerse readers in an interesting world with a very cool magic system and fantastic characters.
I think there is a parallel that could be drawn between the themes in this book and the current dialogue about the use of AI in art… could be an interesting book club discussion.
Graphic: Death of parent, Child abuse, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Suicide
emily_mh's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Death of parent, Self harm, Domestic abuse, Child abuse, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Physical abuse, Death, Suicide, Confinement, and Grief
Minor: Alcohol, Pandemic/Epidemic, Murder, Blood, Animal death, Fire/Fire injury, Drug use, Vomit, Sexual harassment, Ableism, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: imprisonment Minor: capital punishment, childbirth, self-injury, menstruation, theftgardens_and_dragons's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I think the book is more strong in terms of Sofia’s growth , and how she is able to work through her past.
Graphic: Child abuse and Emotional abuse
trickphoenix's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
I discovered while reading that I only like the enemies-to-lovers trope if BOTH characters dislike each other from the start. In this book the "enemies" part was very one-sided and it felt more like bullying than real rivalry or enmity. I didn't get very invested in the romance or the characters, just found them more vexing than lovable, and felt like their bonding was hard to believe. I also realized partway through that it hadn't given me any occasion to laugh, and I prefer a romance to involve some witty banter.
The plot didn't leave me guessing much, mostly as predicted with a slight twist at the end, so just a little too predictable for my tastes but not to an extent unusual for YA.
I enjoyed the world building, interesting setting, magic system, and culture built around music. The diversity of the characters was great, and there were some difficult topics handled quite tactfully. No complaints about the writing style itself either. Unfortunately just not to my taste.
Moderate: Classism, Emotional abuse, Self harm, and Child abuse
Minor: Bullying, Death of parent, Abandonment, and Death
a_ab's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
It also suffers from "all fathers are monsters" syndrome - not a single father mentioned in the book (in their fatherly capacity), even in passing, could be described as even a half-decent person. It got a little weird there.
But otherwise this was an interesting young adult fantasy book with some thoughtful observations about talent, excellence and self-discovery.
Graphic: Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Child abuse, and Self harm
Moderate: Suicide, Death of parent, and Grief
Minor: Toxic relationship
empng's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Child abuse
Moderate: Death of parent
kuurankero's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Self harm, Emotional abuse, and Child abuse
Minor: Sexism and Suicide
mwager's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Moderate: Death of parent, Suicide, and Child abuse
beautifulpaxielreads's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Before I begin this review, I will now describe the plot. I don't really consider it a spoiler, given that most of the information can be found in the official blurb. But if you don't want to know anything about the plot at all, I've highlighted in bold where the plot summary begins and ends, so feel free to skip those parts if you wish.
PLOT SUMMARY
In the fantasy kingdom of Aell, the use of magic has run wild, with people using it for just about everything from composing poetry to styling their hair. Only one thing remains sacred and untouched - music. To ensure it remains so, the only people allowed to play music publicly are the five individuals who have been elected to the Guild of Musiks, and the Apprentices of their choosing.
Sixteen-year-old Sofi is the daughter of Frederik Ollenholt, one of Aell's most revered Musiks, and like her father, Sofi is a skilled lutenist. She has been raised by her father to believe that to be anything less than technically perfect is unacceptable.
When it comes time for the Musiks to choose their respective Apprentices, Sofi has no doubt that her father will choose her - so it comes as a terrible shock when after a round of auditions in which Sofi performs flawlessly, her father chooses another. Laravelle "Lara" Hollis is well-connected, beautiful, and charming, and offers up a compelling audition - despite having never played an instrument in her life.
Sofi is outraged at the decision, believing all her years of training were for naught. But worse is to come - the very next day, her father is found dead
END OF PLOT SUMMARY
A love of music infuses every page of Sofi and the Bone Song, which makes sense, given that author Adrienne Tooley is also an accomplished singer/songwriter of indie folk music - and has also majored in musical theatre! I loved how Tooley incorporated this love into the novel, via
But the more Sofi comes to know Lara (and begins to
My reading experience of Sofi and the Bone Song wasn't perfect. I kind of wish I hadn't left such long time gaps in my reading of it, as it affected my ability to follow the plot and character development. I did feel at points that Sofi
Anyway, despite my issues, I did very much enjoy this novel.
Graphic: Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Self harm, Suicide, and Child abuse
Quoted from the author, Adrienne Tooley in the title pages: "This book contains depictions of emotional abuse at the hand of a parent, death by suicide (off-page), and descriptions of self-harm." I should also note that as well as the MC's father