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3.59 AVERAGE
3.59 AVERAGE
Incandescent. Beautiful writing, fantastic world building, a truly sexy romantic thread, broken people, twists-- this has it all, and executes it perfectly. My top 2011 book thus far.
2017 reread: Yup, still pretty nearly perfect. This time I caught that it was edited by Kathy Dawson, proving once again that anything Kathy edits I will want to read.
2017 reread: Yup, still pretty nearly perfect. This time I caught that it was edited by Kathy Dawson, proving once again that anything Kathy edits I will want to read.
Amazing.. so beautifully and poetically written. Loved every moment of this book.
Chime is a rare treat.
Don't let the cover fool you, this isn't an urban fantasy with werewolves or vampires or angels, or any other YA darling.
The author has crafted an utterly unique and compelling voice in Briony Larkin.
From the first page, you are dumped head first into Briony's world; an industrialist England outback, the Swampsea, and much like the town swamp itself, the story sucks you in, mires you deep in layers of truth and falsity, and then leaves you to wonder, trying to find a way out.
Briony spends most of her days caring for her twin, Rosy, now that her Stepmother is dead and her father estranged.
But though the swamp calls, and she sees the old ones begging her to write, she has terrible secrets about her Stepmother's death, and her twin's strange, child like ways.
When a young, male border comes to stay at the Larkin family, his easy and winnning ways draw Briony out of the shell she's crafted around herself; a shell woven with lies and half truths and maybe-realities.
Briony's going to need all the help she can get if she's going to save her twin from the swamp cough, brokering a deal with a swamp spirit to keep the swamp from being drained by the town major and fend off the arsenic-crazed advances of the mayor's son.
Pick up the book, read the first three pages. If you don't like the narrative voice of Briony, with her fantastical twist on the world, her snarky, self-deprecating comments, or the local dialect, then don't read the book.
If, like me, you found them an entree into a wonderful world where you are constantly guessing what is real, what is Briony's strange view of the truth, and what memories to trust, then you're in for a wonderful ride.
Reading Briony carries the same challenge as reading Justine Larbalestier's Liar, and the same willy nilly dash into a crazed and dark world a la Dia Reeves' Bleeding Violet; without the bloodcrazedness.
But definitely swampcrazedness.
If that's a word.
Absolutely compelling and enjoyable.
This Book's Food Designation Rating: A huge bacon, blue cheese, and beet salad; a delight as the different layers of strong flavors burst upon the tongue, but if you care for the tang of blue cheese, you won't enjoy it at all.
Don't let the cover fool you, this isn't an urban fantasy with werewolves or vampires or angels, or any other YA darling.
The author has crafted an utterly unique and compelling voice in Briony Larkin.
From the first page, you are dumped head first into Briony's world; an industrialist England outback, the Swampsea, and much like the town swamp itself, the story sucks you in, mires you deep in layers of truth and falsity, and then leaves you to wonder, trying to find a way out.
Briony spends most of her days caring for her twin, Rosy, now that her Stepmother is dead and her father estranged.
But though the swamp calls, and she sees the old ones begging her to write, she has terrible secrets about her Stepmother's death, and her twin's strange, child like ways.
When a young, male border comes to stay at the Larkin family, his easy and winnning ways draw Briony out of the shell she's crafted around herself; a shell woven with lies and half truths and maybe-realities.
Briony's going to need all the help she can get if she's going to save her twin from the swamp cough, brokering a deal with a swamp spirit to keep the swamp from being drained by the town major and fend off the arsenic-crazed advances of the mayor's son.
Pick up the book, read the first three pages. If you don't like the narrative voice of Briony, with her fantastical twist on the world, her snarky, self-deprecating comments, or the local dialect, then don't read the book.
If, like me, you found them an entree into a wonderful world where you are constantly guessing what is real, what is Briony's strange view of the truth, and what memories to trust, then you're in for a wonderful ride.
Reading Briony carries the same challenge as reading Justine Larbalestier's Liar, and the same willy nilly dash into a crazed and dark world a la Dia Reeves' Bleeding Violet; without the bloodcrazedness.
But definitely swampcrazedness.
If that's a word.
Absolutely compelling and enjoyable.
This Book's Food Designation Rating: A huge bacon, blue cheese, and beet salad; a delight as the different layers of strong flavors burst upon the tongue, but if you care for the tang of blue cheese, you won't enjoy it at all.
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Writing about Chime is rather hard for me, because it’s one of those books I loved so much, I feel like no review will ever do it justice. I bought Chime on release day, and devoured it. I was three hours late to a friend’s party because I just had to finish it before leaving.
For the past few weeks, every time someone I follow on twitter asked “what should I read next” I’ve suggested Chime. I’m so glad to see that it looks like word has spread, and more and more bloggers are reviewing it. It is, in my opinion, the best book of 2011 thus far.
Chime is one of the most magical and romantic stories I’ve read in a long time. It is reminiscent of a fairy tale, but with none of the fluff. Because if you can say one thing about Chime, it’s that it doesn’t shy away from the darker side of life. Death, loss, and lies abound.
Read the full review on my blog
For the past few weeks, every time someone I follow on twitter asked “what should I read next” I’ve suggested Chime. I’m so glad to see that it looks like word has spread, and more and more bloggers are reviewing it. It is, in my opinion, the best book of 2011 thus far.
Chime is one of the most magical and romantic stories I’ve read in a long time. It is reminiscent of a fairy tale, but with none of the fluff. Because if you can say one thing about Chime, it’s that it doesn’t shy away from the darker side of life. Death, loss, and lies abound.
Read the full review on my blog
magical. unlike anything else i’ve ever read before. worth a few re-reads.
What a voice--offers a tantalizing, lyrical mix of cynicism and playfulness.
I loved this so much I can hardly find words to explain why. Just stayed up all night reading it -- a little stunned by how many different levels it registered with me.
This one stars an incredible female hero. It's billed in the promo stuff as a romance, but really it's a story about a hero who saves herself.
It's more about Chime, a witch more comfortable talking to spirits in the swamp than dealing with people. I think we can all relate.
Chime's journey is thrilling and cathartic, while also being sweet and fun.
It's more about Chime, a witch more comfortable talking to spirits in the swamp than dealing with people. I think we can all relate.
Chime's journey is thrilling and cathartic, while also being sweet and fun.
I truly adore Franny Billingsley's style. Lyrical, strange, a little surreal--metaphors that don't quite make sense, but bring wonderful images to your head. It's gorgeous. I actually had no difficulty comprehending it--the only time I tripped up was when I, in my trying-to-anticipate-everything ways, went, "Aha! This must be a dream sequence!" when in fact, it was not a dream sequence.
I loved how the story unfolded, and I truly enjoyed the dynamics of the characters. I also highly appreciated the presence of disabled characters, who are often absent from fantasy. That said, I'm not quite sure how I feel about the handling of Rose--while there was no specific condition named, it was pretty clear that Billingsley was pushing very hard for "autistic." And I think she pushed a little too hard, because it came across as pretty stereotypical--more like someone went down a list of autism symptoms and threw them down on the page than really spent time understanding it.
I also didn't appreciate the "woe is me, it sucks to be a caregiver, disabled people are awful for existing" undertones throughout most of the story. Now, some of that was alleviated by the reveal towards the end, and the understanding that Briony is not a reliable narrator. But I feel like that should have been explored more in the end to better clarify where those feelings came from. Still, it was an enjoyable and beautiful novel, and I'm excited to read more of Billingsley's work.
I loved how the story unfolded, and I truly enjoyed the dynamics of the characters. I also highly appreciated the presence of disabled characters, who are often absent from fantasy. That said, I'm not quite sure how I feel about the handling of Rose--while there was no specific condition named, it was pretty clear that Billingsley was pushing very hard for "autistic." And I think she pushed a little too hard, because it came across as pretty stereotypical--more like someone went down a list of autism symptoms and threw them down on the page than really spent time understanding it.
I also didn't appreciate the "woe is me, it sucks to be a caregiver, disabled people are awful for existing" undertones throughout most of the story. Now, some of that was alleviated by the reveal towards the end, and the understanding that Briony is not a reliable narrator. But I feel like that should have been explored more in the end to better clarify where those feelings came from. Still, it was an enjoyable and beautiful novel, and I'm excited to read more of Billingsley's work.