Scan barcode
readingwithstardust's review
5.0
This was much different from what I was expecting from Ylfing's story, but definitely not in a bad way! Where I expected a romp and possible romance about a young kid who wears his heart on his sleeve, instead I got a wonderfully nuanced look at grief, and finding oneself after deep betrayal. Also I loved the literary framing device of a manuscript/document being read and annotated by an (at first) unknown person. It was extremely well done, helped to move the plot and foreshadow as well, and their footnotes frequently made me laugh out loud.
Alexandra Rowland is a helluva writer, storyteller, and world builder. I can't wait to read more from them!
Alexandra Rowland is a helluva writer, storyteller, and world builder. I can't wait to read more from them!
coriandercake's review
5.0
I enjoyed this one much more than the first book. It's cute, although it has its sad moments, and is very hopeful. Good messages on self-interest vs. community good
ella026's review
5.0
I cannot express how much I loved A Choir of Lies. The first book had been a masterpiece of political intrigue with the fate of a country in one careless man's hand. But this was an emotional gut-punch following a young man trying to recover from an overwhelming betray. It was deeply moving, achingly sweet and a true love letter to the nature of storytelling. When your main characters are storytellers for a living you can't escape that theme and the conversations between the two storytellers, done through the fantastic use of footnotes (if you wanna see how footnotes in fiction should be done then you need to read this) was a thought-provoking look at why we tell stories and the power they can carry. This series is gonna stick with me for a long time and I cannot wait to read more by this author.
hamantha's review
emotional
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
siavahda's review against another edition
5.0
Perfection.
Longer review:
A Choir of Lies is the sequel to A Conspiracy of Truths, but although Conspiracy offers context and some backstory I think Choir works as a standalone. So feel free to dive in even if you’ve skipped Conspiracy!
(Although you should definitely check out Conspiracy too, because it’s great as well!)
Basically, this is the story of a Chant – someone who travels the world collecting and selling stories – not so much settling in as washing up in fantasy!Holland, and using his storytelling powers to create a secondary-world equivalent of the Tulip Mania. He’s depressed, mostly because the events of Conspiracy of Truths scarred him, and his Master Chant emotionally abused him and then abandoned him.
And then another Chant appears. One who is the opposite of his Master – and everything he’s been taught about Chants – in every way.
Choir is one of those wonderful books that is peppered full of hilarious footnotes – the premise being that Ylfing has written all of this down himself, and now the other Chant – Mistress Chant – is reading it and scribbling very unimpressed notes in the margins. Quite a few of them go beyond funny and are genuinely meaningful; others are a good reminder that we trust first-person narration a little too much, as Mistress Chant challenges and corrects Ylfing’s portrayal of events (particularly any time the two of them interacted).
Stories about the power of stories get me every time, but it’s hard to put into words why I found Choir so compelling; partly because I really enjoyed both Ylfing and Mistress Chant as narrators, partly because I’m weirdly fond of fictional economics (watching the not-tulips Tulip Mania get more and more out of hand), and… There’s just so much heart in this book. There’s so much, not just about stories and storytelling, but about community and what it means to be good and how people are complicated and, when push comes to shove, there maybe isn’t a single objective truth, ever. I loved the growing shadow of magic getting stronger and stronger in the background; I loved the easy, casual queerness; I loved how many layers there were to the story. I loved the format, with us reading what’s effectively Ylfing’s diary, and Mistress Chant commenting on it from the future (from our perspective), giving us clues as to what was coming and also a lot more insight into what was going on, things Ylfing didn’t notice or understand.
I had to hug my e-reader to my chest after I finished reading this one. I adored it.
Longer review:
A Choir of Lies is the sequel to A Conspiracy of Truths, but although Conspiracy offers context and some backstory I think Choir works as a standalone. So feel free to dive in even if you’ve skipped Conspiracy!
(Although you should definitely check out Conspiracy too, because it’s great as well!)
Basically, this is the story of a Chant – someone who travels the world collecting and selling stories – not so much settling in as washing up in fantasy!Holland, and using his storytelling powers to create a secondary-world equivalent of the Tulip Mania. He’s depressed, mostly because the events of Conspiracy of Truths scarred him, and his Master Chant emotionally abused him and then abandoned him.
And then another Chant appears. One who is the opposite of his Master – and everything he’s been taught about Chants – in every way.
Choir is one of those wonderful books that is peppered full of hilarious footnotes – the premise being that Ylfing has written all of this down himself, and now the other Chant – Mistress Chant – is reading it and scribbling very unimpressed notes in the margins. Quite a few of them go beyond funny and are genuinely meaningful; others are a good reminder that we trust first-person narration a little too much, as Mistress Chant challenges and corrects Ylfing’s portrayal of events (particularly any time the two of them interacted).
Stories about the power of stories get me every time, but it’s hard to put into words why I found Choir so compelling; partly because I really enjoyed both Ylfing and Mistress Chant as narrators, partly because I’m weirdly fond of fictional economics (watching the not-tulips Tulip Mania get more and more out of hand), and… There’s just so much heart in this book. There’s so much, not just about stories and storytelling, but about community and what it means to be good and how people are complicated and, when push comes to shove, there maybe isn’t a single objective truth, ever. I loved the growing shadow of magic getting stronger and stronger in the background; I loved the easy, casual queerness; I loved how many layers there were to the story. I loved the format, with us reading what’s effectively Ylfing’s diary, and Mistress Chant commenting on it from the future (from our perspective), giving us clues as to what was coming and also a lot more insight into what was going on, things Ylfing didn’t notice or understand.
I had to hug my e-reader to my chest after I finished reading this one. I adored it.
kevinscorner's review
3.5
When I heard that this sequel would star Ylfing, I was really looking forward to reading the book because he was such a wide-eyed, innocent and fun character in A Conspiracy of Truths. But Alexandra Rowland just sucked out all the personality and joy from him (especially egregious in the first third of the book) with the story she was telling. The plot itself revolving around a flower really wasn’t that interesting or compelling, especially compared to the first book that involved queens and conspiracies and court intrigue. I think a better story could have been told and this was wasted potential.
josh_vanrys's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
m_e_ruzak's review
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.75
enbyglitch's review
4.0
Took me a lot longer than I expected, but I'm glad I stuck it out.
I'd be lying if I said I didn't miss the first book's point of view - his sharp wit and fast-and-loose morals were special.
However, I enjoyed the conversational tone Rowland achieves here through footnotes. Spent the first bit of the book hoping it was Ylfing's master, but ended up pleasantly enjoying the new Chant.
Love the supernatural elements creeping in from around the edges, especially the execution of the flowers and their relation to Chants.
The setting and non-Chant characters never grabbed me the way those in the first book did. I truly appreciate Rowland's inclusion of different genders and mainly depicting a gay relationship, but sadly even the Orfeo story just felt like a distraction from the plot.
Still ended up being a good sequel which followed up on a lot of the big questions I had coming from the first book!
I'd be lying if I said I didn't miss the first book's point of view - his sharp wit and fast-and-loose morals were special.
However, I enjoyed the conversational tone Rowland achieves here through footnotes. Spent the first bit of the book hoping it was Ylfing's master, but ended up pleasantly enjoying the new Chant.
Love the supernatural elements creeping in from around the edges, especially the execution of the flowers and their relation to Chants.
The setting and non-Chant characters never grabbed me the way those in the first book did. I truly appreciate Rowland's inclusion of different genders and mainly depicting a gay relationship, but sadly even the Orfeo story just felt like a distraction from the plot.
Still ended up being a good sequel which followed up on a lot of the big questions I had coming from the first book!