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jessideuxtrois's review against another edition
5.0
So many emotions. Loved every second of this book.
brittaniethekid's review against another edition
4.0
Solid four stars. Great for people who love Victorian romance with a bit of pulp - add a ghost story and a murder mystery and you've got a fun, exciting read.
brokenrecord's review against another edition
4.0
I'm not really sure how to feel about this book because tbh it felt like a mess a lot of the time, but somehow I still ended up enjoying it a lot. I hated Hawk for most of the book because he was so selfish and jealous and controlling, and the biggest problem with that is that I don't think I was supposed to dislike him? I think I was supposed to understand how Juliet could be torn between him and Nicolas, but in reality I just kept wanting to yell at Hawk in each of his scenes, and in some scenes he seemed emotionally abusive to me. If he had been more magnanimous and acknowledged much earlier that they could never be together (I mean, HE'S A GHOST!!!!!! He should want her to be happy and not try to doom her to being in love with someone she can never truly be with!!!), it would've worked much better for me. I was definitely into Juliet and Nicolas, even with the fact that it kind of ended up being an thing (which worked for me just because I was already invested in them before that was revealed, and I enjoyed the twist). There were lots of good moments, and I loved her family a lot. It was really just the Hawk stuff that drove me crazy. I also liked that this had a deaf heroine, but at the same time, I feel like that could've handled better, since there were so many times that I would forget she was deaf because she could hear Hawk and because she could read lips essentially perfectly (which didn't seem realistic) and could still speak to others. Anyways, basically I felt like this book was a mess and, as a result, my feelings about it are a bit of a mess, but I ended up loving it a lot regardless, so I'll definitely read the sequel at some point.
Spoiler
Also if he had volunteered to heal his brother rather than needing Juliet to basically tell him to.Spoiler
instalove as childrenbooklirious's review against another edition
5.0
"Love is inside each of us... a dormant seed. Once it has been planted, whether in the soils or the fallows, it will take root and either flourish to something beautiful and dramatic or grow dormant, content in its stasis. But there's no right or wrong season for it to bloom"
Juliet Emerline was silenced from the world at the age of six when an illness took her hearing. At Nineteen, Juliet is battling a loss that has left her stricken with grief and her sanctuary of an estate is being threatened to be bought by an Architect, Lord Nicolas Thornton. While wandering the cemetery, she stumbled upon the Architect at a grave filled with rage. When he left, Juliet found an unusual flower next to grave. Curiosity got the best of her and she took it. With the beautiful flower in her hand, she gently stroked the petal and a handsome Ghost, named Hawk appeared. In purgatory, Hawk only hears one name and its Thornton. Apparently there is more to Lord Thornton than what society deems him to be. With Hawk, Juliet will help uncover the secrets of Lord Thornton but when the truth starts to unravel, who will she trust more?
The Architect of Song was bloody brilliant. The writing was amazing, I love the Victorian dialect. It makes everything ten times more swoony from the banter and the flirting egads my heart! Although the book screams romance romance romance, it was so much more than that. The mystery between Lord Thornton and Hawk had me pulling out my thinking cap because whenever we received clues a huge twist happens and you're back at square one. A devastatingly beautiful story that kept me hooked from page one. Highly recommend :)
"It didn't matter that I couldn't hear them. For in their silence, there was a melody, sweet and pure"
The steamy scenes were a bonus, hue hue.
Juliet Emerline was silenced from the world at the age of six when an illness took her hearing. At Nineteen, Juliet is battling a loss that has left her stricken with grief and her sanctuary of an estate is being threatened to be bought by an Architect, Lord Nicolas Thornton. While wandering the cemetery, she stumbled upon the Architect at a grave filled with rage. When he left, Juliet found an unusual flower next to grave. Curiosity got the best of her and she took it. With the beautiful flower in her hand, she gently stroked the petal and a handsome Ghost, named Hawk appeared. In purgatory, Hawk only hears one name and its Thornton. Apparently there is more to Lord Thornton than what society deems him to be. With Hawk, Juliet will help uncover the secrets of Lord Thornton but when the truth starts to unravel, who will she trust more?
The Architect of Song was bloody brilliant. The writing was amazing, I love the Victorian dialect. It makes everything ten times more swoony from the banter and the flirting egads my heart! Although the book screams romance romance romance, it was so much more than that. The mystery between Lord Thornton and Hawk had me pulling out my thinking cap because whenever we received clues a huge twist happens and you're back at square one. A devastatingly beautiful story that kept me hooked from page one. Highly recommend :)
"It didn't matter that I couldn't hear them. For in their silence, there was a melody, sweet and pure"
The steamy scenes were a bonus, hue hue.
petrichor_pages's review against another edition
3.0
I had a really good time with this book. I started it fairly late at night and it (un)fortunately didn't let me rest until fairly early in the morning. It meant that I had a lovely read, but ultimately needed three cups of coffee to get through the workday.
I'm not usually too interested in books that have a heavy love triangle aspect since the hopeless romantic in me wants a happy ending for all parties, but I felt it was well done.
The prose was interesting and well-written, keeping a good tone throughout the book.
I'm not usually too interested in books that have a heavy love triangle aspect since the hopeless romantic in me wants a happy ending for all parties, but I felt it was well done.
The prose was interesting and well-written, keeping a good tone throughout the book.
alexperc_92's review against another edition
5.0
Review can be found on *Milky Way of Books*.
I have heard so much about A. G. Howard and her books, not to mention that many of my blogging friends have recommended her books to me. But "The Architect of Song" was the first book I've read of hers!
And was I amazed. Which one should I praise first? The background setting of the book? How wondeful all the characters were? Or the fact that Juliet is deaf, yet she finds a way to overcome her disability, despite the rules of society? (you really don't want to mess with the Victorian society).
Despite its dark atmosphere and the relevations which follow the book to the end, I liked how Juliet tried to help Hawk, even if that meant endangering her own safety. For a reason Thorton's name reminded me of "Jane Eyre" and even the plot had a tiny similarity to the classic.
The descriptions of the dresses and the houses and how hard it is for Juliet to be brave, despite her circumstances are the main points of the book, as also the mystery and the romance.
Despite having a love triangle, it's fairly resolved in a very quiet way you really don't expect. And some characters, despite being quite different in the start of the book, prove to be totally misunderstood!
I loved this series and I plan to get the rest of the books too! Not to mention that the upcoming release of A. G. Howard's is a retelling of "The Phantom of the Opera"! I really recommend all the books and I hope you'll enjoy them as much as I did! ;)
I have heard so much about A. G. Howard and her books, not to mention that many of my blogging friends have recommended her books to me. But "The Architect of Song" was the first book I've read of hers!
And was I amazed. Which one should I praise first? The background setting of the book? How wondeful all the characters were? Or the fact that Juliet is deaf, yet she finds a way to overcome her disability, despite the rules of society? (you really don't want to mess with the Victorian society).
Despite its dark atmosphere and the relevations which follow the book to the end, I liked how Juliet tried to help Hawk, even if that meant endangering her own safety. For a reason Thorton's name reminded me of "Jane Eyre" and even the plot had a tiny similarity to the classic.
The descriptions of the dresses and the houses and how hard it is for Juliet to be brave, despite her circumstances are the main points of the book, as also the mystery and the romance.
Despite having a love triangle, it's fairly resolved in a very quiet way you really don't expect. And some characters, despite being quite different in the start of the book, prove to be totally misunderstood!
I loved this series and I plan to get the rest of the books too! Not to mention that the upcoming release of A. G. Howard's is a retelling of "The Phantom of the Opera"! I really recommend all the books and I hope you'll enjoy them as much as I did! ;)
lorena_diaz's review against another edition
5.0
Este libro me ha maravillado!!
A.G. Howard es una de mis escritoras favoritas, me enamoró con la trilogía Susurros y con este lo ha vuelto a conseguir.
Me encanta su forma de escribir, como consigue crear esa atmósfera un poco oscura y misteriosa que te adentra en la historia desde la primera página. Este libro tiene una trama diferente y con unos personajes muy bien definidos que vamos conociendo poco a poco según va avanzando la historia. Además la protagonista me ha gustado muchísimo y he conectado muy bien con ella por lo que lograba transmitirme todo lo que iba sintiendo y sus dudas.
Hay giros en la historia muy muy inesperados (al menos para mi) que me han sorprendido y hacían que no supiera muy bien como se iba a resolver todo.
En general me ha parecido una historia preciosa y muy original.
A.G. Howard es una de mis escritoras favoritas, me enamoró con la trilogía Susurros y con este lo ha vuelto a conseguir.
Me encanta su forma de escribir, como consigue crear esa atmósfera un poco oscura y misteriosa que te adentra en la historia desde la primera página. Este libro tiene una trama diferente y con unos personajes muy bien definidos que vamos conociendo poco a poco según va avanzando la historia. Además la protagonista me ha gustado muchísimo y he conectado muy bien con ella por lo que lograba transmitirme todo lo que iba sintiendo y sus dudas.
Hay giros en la historia muy muy inesperados (al menos para mi) que me han sorprendido y hacían que no supiera muy bien como se iba a resolver todo.
En general me ha parecido una historia preciosa y muy original.
thepolybrary's review against another edition
4.0
~*Full review on The Bent Bookworm!*~
This book totally surprised me. I was not expecting to enjoy it as much as I did, though I was hoping I would. So I was delighted when this was my initial reaction:
Yep. This was one giant dark truffle of deliciousness. I started it one day, and about two chapters in decided I wanted to just sit down and devour it all in one go, so I waited for a weekend day and did just that.
First of all, don’t go into this book expecting something it’s not. This is a gothic historical romance. Period. It doesn’t try to have the next greatest plot twist. In fact it has some of the traditional YA tropes (it’s a NA, btw) that usually drive me to distraction or leave me throwing the book across the room. However, popular plot devices are popular for a reason. They resonate with a large percentage of the human population on some intrinsic level. That doesn’t mean we don’t get tired of them, particularly if you read a lot. What seems new and exciting to someone who reads 2 books a year may seem bland and unoriginal to someone who reads 200. Authors CAN, however, come up with new twists on the tried and true tropes of literature and A.G. Howard has done just that. ANYWAY. Climbing off my soapbox now.
MINOR SPOILERS AHEAD…but nothing too horrible, I promise, and I hid them.
As soon as the book starts, we’re thrown into a very melancholy, VERY Victorian atmosphere. I almost put it down, honestly. I wasn’t in the mood for another book where the heroine simpers and flutters and nearly passes out when the hero gets within 6 inches of her. But I was intrigued…and let’s just say, while yes, the time period is Victorian, the romantic intensity is SO NOT.
^My mental image of the main guy.
The characters in this book are amazing. I was attached to them ALL. I hated A.G. Howard about halfway through for making me care about them ALL, because I wanted to be able to choose. Yes, there is a love triangle in this book (that was the spoiler). Maybe I should have guessed that from the blurb, but since it said ghost…you know…how can you…well. All I can say is well done, well done indeed. I was several chapters in before I was sure that was what was happening, and by that point I was so intrigued and invested that I couldn’t stop reading!
A.G. Howard writes IN COLOR. I swear I could see the colors, the fabrics, the clothes she described just spilling out of the pages. It was amazing. This is the first of her books I’ve read, so I’m not sure if she just always writes that way or if it was a feature of this particular book, but I loved it. I’m not a “clothes person,” but damn if I didn’t want to reach out and touch some of the dresses Juliet was wearing.
The plot is…well, gothic. Semi-tragic. There were SO MANY layers and so many half-truths that about 3/4 of the way through I just wanted to SCREAM because I was just as confused as poor Juliet, whom everyone seems to think needs “protecting” in the form of an elaborately built scheme to keep her “safe.” Geez Louise, people. Our young heroine is deaf, yes, but copes remarkably well and is no shrinking violet, even if she sometimes acts the part. There’s the love triangle. At first I was skeptical, and then I was sympathetic, and then I was panicked, because these two guys…well, they get ALL the hearts. AT FIRST. Then one starts to be controlling, manipulative, and demanding and my little gun-shy heart ran away screaming…but I still felt so sorry for him and wanted him to have a happy ending.
Now, the problems. First, as soon as a guy comes into her life, Juliet loses all focus on everything else, even when at first she had a relatively big goal regarding her estate. She just tosses it all aside for TWU RUV.
I’m sure we’ve all been there, but I hate it when that’s one of the first things to occur in a book. Especially in cases like this, where, as a true Victorian female, Juliet has been sheltered and taught that women shouldn’t have sexual desires like men, and then she just falls into the arms of the first man that waltzes across her path (it takes 149 pages). Le sigh. But ok, it’s a romance. Forgiven…ish.
Then there are a few times when the dialogue sounds like it was supposed to be description. Because honestly, who describes their hair color as “My hair is the warm glimmer of golden coins beneath the sun,” instead of just “My hair is blonde (golden, yellow, fill-in-the-blank-with-one-word)?” Ugh. It was just overkill for me…the flowery descriptions were great, but in dialogue it was just a bit too much.
My hat is off to A.G. Howard for not giving her book the traditional happily-ever-after ending. Oh, there’s plenty to be happy about, don’t get me wrong! But it’s definitely bittersweet, and by being so it’s much more realistic and makes me even more excited for the next one!
Overall, 4 out of 5 stars. I love Juliet and *bleep*. They’re giant dark chocolate truffles and I want to eat them.
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This book totally surprised me. I was not expecting to enjoy it as much as I did, though I was hoping I would. So I was delighted when this was my initial reaction:
Yep. This was one giant dark truffle of deliciousness. I started it one day, and about two chapters in decided I wanted to just sit down and devour it all in one go, so I waited for a weekend day and did just that.
First of all, don’t go into this book expecting something it’s not. This is a gothic historical romance. Period. It doesn’t try to have the next greatest plot twist. In fact it has some of the traditional YA tropes (it’s a NA, btw) that usually drive me to distraction or leave me throwing the book across the room. However, popular plot devices are popular for a reason. They resonate with a large percentage of the human population on some intrinsic level. That doesn’t mean we don’t get tired of them, particularly if you read a lot. What seems new and exciting to someone who reads 2 books a year may seem bland and unoriginal to someone who reads 200. Authors CAN, however, come up with new twists on the tried and true tropes of literature and A.G. Howard has done just that. ANYWAY. Climbing off my soapbox now.
MINOR SPOILERS AHEAD…but nothing too horrible, I promise, and I hid them.
As soon as the book starts, we’re thrown into a very melancholy, VERY Victorian atmosphere. I almost put it down, honestly. I wasn’t in the mood for another book where the heroine simpers and flutters and nearly passes out when the hero gets within 6 inches of her. But I was intrigued…and let’s just say, while yes, the time period is Victorian, the romantic intensity is SO NOT.
^My mental image of the main guy.
Spoiler
There are a few scenes that left me literally fanning myself. Not just because, um, hot bearded guy, either. The history between Juliet and Hawk is just so sweet and it gives so much more intensity to every scene between the two of them. It’s amazing, and heartbreaking, sweet, and at the same time simply smouldering.The characters in this book are amazing. I was attached to them ALL. I hated A.G. Howard about halfway through for making me care about them ALL, because I wanted to be able to choose. Yes, there is a love triangle in this book (that was the spoiler). Maybe I should have guessed that from the blurb, but since it said ghost…you know…how can you…well.
A.G. Howard writes IN COLOR. I swear I could see the colors, the fabrics, the clothes she described just spilling out of the pages. It was amazing. This is the first of her books I’ve read, so I’m not sure if she just always writes that way or if it was a feature of this particular book, but I loved it. I’m not a “clothes person,” but damn if I didn’t want to reach out and touch some of the dresses Juliet was wearing.
The plot is…well, gothic. Semi-tragic. There were SO MANY layers and so many half-truths that about 3/4 of the way through I just wanted to SCREAM because I was just as confused as poor Juliet, whom everyone seems to think needs “protecting” in the form of an elaborately built scheme to keep her “safe.” Geez Louise, people. Our young heroine is deaf, yes, but copes remarkably well and is no shrinking violet, even if she sometimes acts the part. There’s the love triangle. At first I was skeptical, and then I was sympathetic, and then I was panicked, because these two guys…well, they get ALL the hearts. AT FIRST. Then one starts to be controlling, manipulative, and demanding and my little gun-shy heart ran away screaming…but I still felt so sorry for him and wanted him to have a happy ending.
Now, the problems. First, as soon as a guy comes into her life, Juliet loses all focus on everything else, even when at first she had a relatively big goal regarding her estate. She just tosses it all aside for TWU RUV.
I’m sure we’ve all been there, but I hate it when that’s one of the first things to occur in a book. Especially in cases like this, where, as a true Victorian female, Juliet has been sheltered and taught that women shouldn’t have sexual desires like men, and then she just falls into the arms of the first man that waltzes across her path (it takes 149 pages). Le sigh. But ok, it’s a romance. Forgiven…ish.
Then there are a few times when the dialogue sounds like it was supposed to be description. Because honestly, who describes their hair color as “My hair is the warm glimmer of golden coins beneath the sun,” instead of just “My hair is blonde (golden, yellow, fill-in-the-blank-with-one-word)?” Ugh. It was just overkill for me…the flowery descriptions were great, but in dialogue it was just a bit too much.
My hat is off to A.G. Howard for not giving her book the traditional happily-ever-after ending. Oh, there’s plenty to be happy about, don’t get me wrong! But it’s definitely bittersweet, and by being so it’s much more realistic and makes me even more excited for the next one!
Overall, 4 out of 5 stars. I love Juliet and *bleep*. They’re giant dark chocolate truffles and I want to eat them.
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jamietherebelliousreader's review against another edition
4.0
4 stars. After being very disappointed in a previous book by the same author, I was hesitant going into this one but I’m so glad that I did. I was pleasantly surprised and this was such a welcomed surprise.
I really enjoyed the writing. The setting of the story is great and felt so atmospheric. The plot is intriguing and I think the romance is handled fairly well. This is described as a New Adult Beauty and The Beast retelling but I honestly didn’t get that vibe until closer to the end but that could just be me. Also I think the author handled Juliet’s disability really well and with dignity so kudos to her for that.
On the flip side the beginning was really slow and I didn’t really like Hawk nor Juliet and thought their ‘relationship’ (????) was kind of weird. Not because he was a ghost but because he was a massive asshole to her a lot of the time. He had this really mean streak to him that concerned me and I just wasn’t here for it. Juliet got better towards the end when she stopped being an idiot about everything but she isn’t the best heroine I’ve read about. She’s annoying as hell but tolerable. I definitely didn’t hate her.
Lord Thornton was a great character and was easily my favorite. He was complexed and I enjoyed learning about his and Hawk’s back story.
Overall, I would recommend this. It’s beautifully written and the love story is great. I look forward to reading the next book in the series.
I really enjoyed the writing. The setting of the story is great and felt so atmospheric. The plot is intriguing and I think the romance is handled fairly well. This is described as a New Adult Beauty and The Beast retelling but I honestly didn’t get that vibe until closer to the end but that could just be me. Also I think the author handled Juliet’s disability really well and with dignity so kudos to her for that.
On the flip side the beginning was really slow and I didn’t really like Hawk nor Juliet and thought their ‘relationship’ (????) was kind of weird. Not because he was a ghost but because he was a massive asshole to her a lot of the time. He had this really mean streak to him that concerned me and I just wasn’t here for it. Juliet got better towards the end when she stopped being an idiot about everything but she isn’t the best heroine I’ve read about. She’s annoying as hell but tolerable. I definitely didn’t hate her.
Lord Thornton was a great character and was easily my favorite. He was complexed and I enjoyed learning about his and Hawk’s back story.
Overall, I would recommend this. It’s beautifully written and the love story is great. I look forward to reading the next book in the series.