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cynsworkshop's review
3.0
Originally published on Cyn's Workshop
This novel has a promising premise as it follows Lainie, a young girl who wants nothing more than to escape the backwoods of Australia and go live in the city and attend university. It is a typical coming-of-age premise of a young individual seeking out a chance to spread their wings and escape their repetitive simple lives. However, the twist here is that Lainie is not an ordinary human; she is a Cherub, a creature meant to protect the gate from humans. It is an interesting enough premise, and the book cover is beautiful enough to draw in any reader.
However, the novel itself pales in comparison.
Songlines is one of those novels that was difficult to hold my attention. The detail that went into the description of the setting and backdrop was terrific. It is beautiful how Denman can create that backdrop in such magical way without losing realism. Then there was the approach to Judeo-Christian religion. It was respectful in the way it captured religion and took the ideals of Eden and transformed them into mythology. The novel is incredibly respectful, so for that; the novel holds merit. What is hard to get a handle on is the characters and the dynamics.
Lainie’s relationship with Bane is one that is not only predictable but cliché. These are two characters who hate each other that are destined to be with one another. As a cliché trope, it is one that is fine to work with, especially when the reader can connect to the characters. However, Lainie and Bane are challenging to connect to, and their guardian-sentinel forced relationship takes away half of the magic that could have been used to build up their dynamics. As a couple, the fact that they are forced together, it does not come off well to the reader, and both characters do not jump off the pages. They are lackluster, and the reader is not given much depth to their relationship, at least not enough to make the reader care about them. Their voices are stagnant.
Now, while the detail may be incredible, the pace of the story is incredibly slow. It is hard to get a firm grip on the direction of the novel because it is almost as if two stories are going on here, but neither is built up well enough. It is as if the reader is driving between the fork on the road, looking at both roads for direction. It just takes too long to capture the reader's interest, following the slow pace and adding in scenes that do not add anything to the plot or the character development. They are, quite simply, nothing but filler, lacking any substance.
Once again, as compelling as the novel could have been, it ultimately just fell flat.
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This novel has a promising premise as it follows Lainie, a young girl who wants nothing more than to escape the backwoods of Australia and go live in the city and attend university. It is a typical coming-of-age premise of a young individual seeking out a chance to spread their wings and escape their repetitive simple lives. However, the twist here is that Lainie is not an ordinary human; she is a Cherub, a creature meant to protect the gate from humans. It is an interesting enough premise, and the book cover is beautiful enough to draw in any reader.
However, the novel itself pales in comparison.
Songlines is one of those novels that was difficult to hold my attention. The detail that went into the description of the setting and backdrop was terrific. It is beautiful how Denman can create that backdrop in such magical way without losing realism. Then there was the approach to Judeo-Christian religion. It was respectful in the way it captured religion and took the ideals of Eden and transformed them into mythology. The novel is incredibly respectful, so for that; the novel holds merit. What is hard to get a handle on is the characters and the dynamics.
Lainie’s relationship with Bane is one that is not only predictable but cliché. These are two characters who hate each other that are destined to be with one another. As a cliché trope, it is one that is fine to work with, especially when the reader can connect to the characters. However, Lainie and Bane are challenging to connect to, and their guardian-sentinel forced relationship takes away half of the magic that could have been used to build up their dynamics. As a couple, the fact that they are forced together, it does not come off well to the reader, and both characters do not jump off the pages. They are lackluster, and the reader is not given much depth to their relationship, at least not enough to make the reader care about them. Their voices are stagnant.
Now, while the detail may be incredible, the pace of the story is incredibly slow. It is hard to get a firm grip on the direction of the novel because it is almost as if two stories are going on here, but neither is built up well enough. It is as if the reader is driving between the fork on the road, looking at both roads for direction. It just takes too long to capture the reader's interest, following the slow pace and adding in scenes that do not add anything to the plot or the character development. They are, quite simply, nothing but filler, lacking any substance.
Once again, as compelling as the novel could have been, it ultimately just fell flat.
See more reviews at Cyn's Workshop and follow me on Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Tumblr | | Goodreads+ | LinkedIn
r_j_setser's review against another edition
4.0
Songlines is a fantastic weave of a common Bible story and a fantasy imagination. Bordering on the paranormal, this introduction to a unique YA adventure does more than bring the reader into its world, it takes everything we know in our world and adds “what-if?” to develop a beautiful, never-before-seen, scenario.
Though Songlines is very much based on the Bible’s Garden of Eden, I would not consider it wholly a “Christian book” necessarily. There is some mild cursing included in the dialogue and a lot of twists to the story of Eden that many Christian readers may be disappointed to see skewed in an “unbiblical” way (this is due to its Aboriginal inspiration as well). However, this book is not meant to provide a theologically sound point, it is a fantasy novel based on the concept of the sinless, perfect, paradise from Genesis. But, the author certainly kept the story of the Bible whole, as in, scripture that is quoted and explained is accurate to the actual story of the Garden of Eden, the difference is the storyline of this book. That may not make sense, but I’m trying not to post spoilers…So, long explanation short, I actually found this book to be very interesting and quite enjoyable.
It is YA, and a classic one at that. Which can be a good thing if done the right way. Predestined “soul mates” linked together in some way. Check. The most attractive characters in school banding together against a common enemy. Check. Lack of communication and a whole lot of internal, emotional conflict. Check. And of course, denying romantic attraction in the name of “they deserve better than me”. Also check.
Let me clarify, the above isn’t bad, I just found it incredibly easy to predict the storyline because so much was cliche.
So overall, I loved the unique spin off of the Garden of Eden and Songlines truly did hold my attention all the way through the book. I’m definitely interested in finishing the series, even if I found some of the character’s decisions to be predictable, so I give Songlines 4 out of 5 stars and do recommend it as a great YA Fantasy/Paranormal read!
I mentioned the very mild cursing, but it has no sexual scenes aside from a few (not-detailed) kisses. There is no action or gore worthy of being mentioned either.
I received this book from the author for the purpose of this review. All comments and opinions are entirely my own.
This is a LiteratureApproved.com Review.
Though Songlines is very much based on the Bible’s Garden of Eden, I would not consider it wholly a “Christian book” necessarily. There is some mild cursing included in the dialogue and a lot of twists to the story of Eden that many Christian readers may be disappointed to see skewed in an “unbiblical” way (this is due to its Aboriginal inspiration as well). However, this book is not meant to provide a theologically sound point, it is a fantasy novel based on the concept of the sinless, perfect, paradise from Genesis. But, the author certainly kept the story of the Bible whole, as in, scripture that is quoted and explained is accurate to the actual story of the Garden of Eden, the difference is the storyline of this book. That may not make sense, but I’m trying not to post spoilers…So, long explanation short, I actually found this book to be very interesting and quite enjoyable.
It is YA, and a classic one at that. Which can be a good thing if done the right way. Predestined “soul mates” linked together in some way. Check. The most attractive characters in school banding together against a common enemy. Check. Lack of communication and a whole lot of internal, emotional conflict. Check. And of course, denying romantic attraction in the name of “they deserve better than me”. Also check.
Let me clarify, the above isn’t bad, I just found it incredibly easy to predict the storyline because so much was cliche.
So overall, I loved the unique spin off of the Garden of Eden and Songlines truly did hold my attention all the way through the book. I’m definitely interested in finishing the series, even if I found some of the character’s decisions to be predictable, so I give Songlines 4 out of 5 stars and do recommend it as a great YA Fantasy/Paranormal read!
I mentioned the very mild cursing, but it has no sexual scenes aside from a few (not-detailed) kisses. There is no action or gore worthy of being mentioned either.
I received this book from the author for the purpose of this review. All comments and opinions are entirely my own.
This is a LiteratureApproved.com Review.
zoemperr's review against another edition
3.0
I received an ARC for an honest review.
There were quite a few things I loved about this book. The use of Aboriginal and Christian topics that merged into a lush landscape and a truly different story. However, I struggled to get into the book at first. It took about 2/3 of the story for me to completely commit to finishing the book. I found Lainie dull at times and I struggled to connect to her. Bane quickly became my favorite although, I'm not sure I really enjoyed him much of the time either. I think Aunt Lily was really the best character out of all of them.
The myth/truth portion of Eden was what truly made the book captivating. That an escape was possible and could save everyone from death or keep them from remembering hard things. However, I think I'm okay with not continuing on. I just don't think I connected enough with much of the book.
There were quite a few things I loved about this book. The use of Aboriginal and Christian topics that merged into a lush landscape and a truly different story. However, I struggled to get into the book at first. It took about 2/3 of the story for me to completely commit to finishing the book. I found Lainie dull at times and I struggled to connect to her. Bane quickly became my favorite although, I'm not sure I really enjoyed him much of the time either. I think Aunt Lily was really the best character out of all of them.
The myth/truth portion of Eden was what truly made the book captivating. That an escape was possible and could save everyone from death or keep them from remembering hard things. However, I think I'm okay with not continuing on. I just don't think I connected enough with much of the book.
kat1124's review against another edition
2.0
Overall, a decent read. The story line kept me interested, and as someone who is not religious I appreciated that she treated the religious aspects of the story more like mythology. The characters were likable, however, I just didn't feel a connection to them enough to make me want to continue with the series. The writing was good. If you're looking for a new take on a mythology type story, then I recommend this book for you, however, It just wasn't for me.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
vellichorbee's review
5.0
Guys, this book. This book!
I honestly don't even know where to start with this I enjoyed it so much. It took me a little while to get into it but once I did I was hooked. I don't think that had anything to do with the writing or plot either, I just wasn't expecting the direction it took with the Garden of Eden and it took me a while to get used to it. Once I hit the 50 page mark though I could hardly put it down.
In summary, the story follows a girl named Lainie who lives in Victoria and is undertaking her last year of high school and busy studying for her VCE (read: SATs if you're American). A mining company shows up in her small town and wants to mine on land which is technically part of her aunt's sheep farm. This is when things start to get strange and Lainie discovers that not only is her mother, who she thought died when she was a baby, still alive but also that she herself has powers.
I am not someone with Indigenous Australian heritage but the concerns I had about this book being culturally appropriative or exploitative in my humble opinion were largely unwarranted. I'm totally happy to be corrected on this but my impression of this book was that the author was respectful of Indigenous Australia culture and included elements of the Dreaming without purporting herself to be an expert on the subject. One of the central characters was an Indigenous Australian elder and Lainie herself had Indigenous ancestry but didn't appear to be part of the community.
I thought it was an interesting use of the Indigenous Australian worldview in terms of protecting the environment and acknowledging their connection with the land without the author using traditional stories as a foundational element of the plot. Instead, the plot was largely centred around the Judeo-Christian story about the Garden of Eden.
Lainie showed great character development throughout the story. She started off disliking her male best friend's girlfriends which is a form of pitting girls against each other that I usually hate to see in young adult books (or any books for that matter). Here though, her feelings were acknowledged and she came to recognise that her behaviour was unwarranted and she ended up becoming good friends with the girl her friend ends up with. It was a realistic and ultimately wholesome exploration of jealousy that was resolved quite well.
One of the other things I really liked about this book was that her best friend wasn't left behind or tossed aside when Lainie's love interest arrived. Instead, her childhood best friend is an integral part of her story and the two friends and their love interests ended up forming a pretty badass quartet.
Carolyn Denman's writing was beautifully vivid and I could picture all the settings perfectly, from the caves to the bush and even Eden itself. This combination of poetic description and Australian cultural references made for an enjoyable and sometimes pretty amusing read. The writing voice was authentic and addictive, I can't wait to pick up the next book and more of Denman's work.
I honestly don't even know where to start with this I enjoyed it so much. It took me a little while to get into it but once I did I was hooked. I don't think that had anything to do with the writing or plot either, I just wasn't expecting the direction it took with the Garden of Eden and it took me a while to get used to it. Once I hit the 50 page mark though I could hardly put it down.
In summary, the story follows a girl named Lainie who lives in Victoria and is undertaking her last year of high school and busy studying for her VCE (read: SATs if you're American). A mining company shows up in her small town and wants to mine on land which is technically part of her aunt's sheep farm. This is when things start to get strange and Lainie discovers that not only is her mother, who she thought died when she was a baby, still alive but also that she herself has powers.
I am not someone with Indigenous Australian heritage but the concerns I had about this book being culturally appropriative or exploitative in my humble opinion were largely unwarranted. I'm totally happy to be corrected on this but my impression of this book was that the author was respectful of Indigenous Australia culture and included elements of the Dreaming without purporting herself to be an expert on the subject. One of the central characters was an Indigenous Australian elder and Lainie herself had Indigenous ancestry but didn't appear to be part of the community.
I thought it was an interesting use of the Indigenous Australian worldview in terms of protecting the environment and acknowledging their connection with the land without the author using traditional stories as a foundational element of the plot. Instead, the plot was largely centred around the Judeo-Christian story about the Garden of Eden.
Lainie showed great character development throughout the story. She started off disliking her male best friend's girlfriends which is a form of pitting girls against each other that I usually hate to see in young adult books (or any books for that matter). Here though, her feelings were acknowledged and she came to recognise that her behaviour was unwarranted and she ended up becoming good friends with the girl her friend ends up with. It was a realistic and ultimately wholesome exploration of jealousy that was resolved quite well.
One of the other things I really liked about this book was that her best friend wasn't left behind or tossed aside when Lainie's love interest arrived. Instead, her childhood best friend is an integral part of her story and the two friends and their love interests ended up forming a pretty badass quartet.
Carolyn Denman's writing was beautifully vivid and I could picture all the settings perfectly, from the caves to the bush and even Eden itself. This combination of poetic description and Australian cultural references made for an enjoyable and sometimes pretty amusing read. The writing voice was authentic and addictive, I can't wait to pick up the next book and more of Denman's work.
miki_fourinterests's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
margo666's review against another edition
3.0
I bought this book because I fell in love with the cover art - yes, on kindle.
The story is aimed at young teens and is very predictable.
The story is aimed at young teens and is very predictable.
firstbreaths's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
This was a gift from a lovely donor as part of the 2019 r/fantasy bingo (which I probably should have gotten around to reading sooner, oops). So of course, I wanted to love it, but unfortunately it was a huge disappointment.
It's not a badly written book (though some of the metaphors made me cringe), but it just had so many elements that didn't work for me: a portal fantasy set-up where they don't even go through the portal until two-thirds of the way in, not one but two magically-induced insta-love pairings, and a bad habit of forgetting that the MC was part-indigenous until it was suddenly convenient for the plot. Surprisingly, as an atheist, I didn't mind the overt Christian themes (this is literally a book about the Garden of Eden, though none of the characters show much connection to religion), but I couldn't take the idea of our main characters being called Cherubs seriously, either. Which, admittedly, says more about me than this book or its portrayal of religion.
Fingers crossed the next Aussie fantasy I pick up works better for me.
It's not a badly written book (though some of the metaphors made me cringe), but it just had so many elements that didn't work for me: a portal fantasy set-up where they don't even go through the portal until two-thirds of the way in, not one but two magically-induced insta-love pairings, and a bad habit of forgetting that the MC was part-indigenous until it was suddenly convenient for the plot. Surprisingly, as an atheist, I didn't mind the overt Christian themes (this is literally a book about the Garden of Eden, though none of the characters show much connection to religion), but I couldn't take the idea of our main characters being called Cherubs seriously, either. Which, admittedly, says more about me than this book or its portrayal of religion.
Fingers crossed the next Aussie fantasy I pick up works better for me.
calissa's review against another edition
This book is an entry in the Aurealis Awards for 2016, for which I am a judge. Any review will be withheld until the results of the awards are announced.
messywitch's review against another edition
5.0
OH no. OH NO.
I cannot with this book. It's wonderfully written, the plot is so compelling, the setting is magical, and the characters are so damn stubborn and complicated I want to wrap them up in cotton wool and not let them do anything because otherwise, the ending of this book will happen.
I hate that I stopped reading it for a bit there, but oh man I am so glad I read this book, and I NEED to know what happens
I cannot with this book. It's wonderfully written, the plot is so compelling, the setting is magical, and the characters are so damn stubborn and complicated I want to wrap them up in cotton wool and not let them do anything because otherwise, the ending of this book will happen.
I hate that I stopped reading it for a bit there, but oh man I am so glad I read this book, and I NEED to know what happens
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