Reviews

The Song that Sings Us by Nicola Davies

blazeofredfiree's review

4.0

A very sweet book! The story was a thinly veiled allegory about climate change and people destroying the earth but it worked pretty well- all of the characters were likeable and the action scenes were tense.
I wasn’t sure which ages this book is meant for because I got it from a YA section but I’ve also seen it in the 9-12 section. It did feel aimed at a younger audience, but I think that was a good thing for it because the message definitely works more for a younger audience than a YA one.
The villain didn’t really have any motivations- he just kinda seemed evil for the heck of it- and that bothered me a little bit but he was still effective and entertaining to read about.
The ending was a little confusing but I think that was intentional- it’s meant to feel mystical and wondrous.
The worldbuilding that we got was good but I wanted more!!! What I did really like was how the powers of Listening and Speaking were described- especially with Captain Skrimsli.
So, overall, this was a solid, entertaining book! It’s worth checking out if you just want a feel-good read!

lia123's review

4.5

I really enjoyed this book. It’s honestly a slightly cheesy but beautifully written fantasy that is just calming to read. The magic isn’t hard to understand, the characters are likeable in my opinion and overall there’s nothing stopping anyone from reading it. 

the_bookishmum's review

4.0

The Songs that sings us follows three siblings after their world is turned upside down and they become separated not knowing if their mother has survived the attack on their mountain cottage. They are listeners with the ability to communicate with animals , an ability that is shunned by society. The book deals with themes of environmental issues in a fantastical setting, the songs that sings us is in every living thing and by destroying it we destroy ourselves. This is a YA fantasy, there are life and death moments, a pirate tiger and found family. I enjoyed the story and personally think it’s an important one.

Lovers of Phillip Pullman’s Northern Lights will probably enjoy this one

Thank you NetGalley for the arc

kzbx's review

adventurous hopeful inspiring medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.0

bookish_redpanda15's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

the_bookishmum's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful informative mysterious sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

The Songs that sings us follows three siblings after their world is turned upside down and they become separated not knowing if their mother has survived the attack on their mountain cottage. They are listeners with the ability to communicate with animals , an ability that is shunned by society. The book deals with themes of environmental issues in a fantastical setting, the songs that sings us is in every living thing and by destroying it we destroy ourselves. This is a YA fantasy, there are life and death moments, a pirate tiger and found family. I enjoyed the story and personally think it’s an important one. 

Lovers of Phillip Pullman’s Northern Lights will probably enjoy this one

Thank you NetGalley for the arc

sarahinreaderland's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

I had no idea what to expect from this story or its characters before I started and I'm happy to report that it ended up being a truly magical story. I really liked the concept of all living things being connected somewhere and humans having the ability to communicate with animals. What I liked most about the story was the dystopian angle and the face that the automators were destroying the world by making people think that nature was actually the thing that would eventually wipe us all out.

Harlon was definitely my favourite character. The love she had for her siblings was so lovely and she really did go to the end of the Earth and back in order to try and save them. I could relate to her as an oldest sibling and the responsibility that comes with that. 

The thing I did like best about the book was how beautiful the writing was. The language and even individual words used at specific moments was gorgeous and felt quite special to read. I'll definitely be picking up another Nicola Davies book in the future; for this reason alone.

zedd's review

3.0

Unfortunately this book is just mid. I understand that this book is written for a younger audience but that doesn't excuse several things happening because plot.

The premise is a lot of fun and the animal characters are the best part of the story, a pirate Tiger is an incredible inclusion and honestly holds the second half of the book together but even that can't earn more than 3 stars.

_beanastronaut_'s review

didn't have a lot of freetime when I started reading and then forgot about it

viksbooksandlifestyle's review

5.0

An amazing, thought provoking story!