Chantress by Amy Butler Greenfield

Goodreads Blurb

"Sing, and the darkness will find you.” This warning has haunted fifteen-year-old Lucy ever since she was eight and shipwrecked on a lonely island. Lucy’s guardian, Norrie, has lots of rules, but the most important is that Lucy must never sing. Not ever. Now it is 1667, Lucy is fifteen, and on All Hallows’ Eve, Lucy hears a tantalizing melody on the wind. She can’t help but sing—and she is swept into darkness. 
When she awakes in England, Lucy hears powerful men discussing Chantresses—women who can sing magic into the world. They are hunting her, but she escapes and finds sanctuary with the Invisible College, an organization plotting to overthrow the nefarious Lord Protector. The only person powerful enough to bring about his downfall is a Chantress. And Lucy is the last one in England. 
Lucy struggles to master the song-spells and harness her power, but the Lord Protector is moving quickly. And her feelings for Nat, an Invisible College apprentice and scientist who deeply distrusts her magic, only add to her confusion... 
Time is running out, and the fate of England hangs in the balance in this entrancing novel that is atmospheric and lyrical, dangerous and romantic.

Oh my God. The cover. The synopsis. Is it any wonder I've been dying for this since the reveal? I loved the idea of this, the magic, and historical is one of my favorite genres! Of course I had to read it.
And, you guys, it did not disappoint.

I loved the worldbuilding in this, though I do wish we had dug a little deeper into it. But it was wonderfully thought out and had a haunting atmosphere that made the book so much more enjoyable than it already was! Historical fantasy is always something I find fascinating since you're both creating a world and mixing in historical references and places. Sometimes, the world is horrible--Chantress's was far from terrible!

I loved Lucy. She was a wonderful character who was real enough to believe in--she wasn't selfish and mean or whiny, but she wasn't Miss Perfect, selfless to the core, and that was a relief!
Our minor characters were my favorite though! They each had such quirky traits and individual personalities! They brought the story to life!

There was, honestly, barely any romance except on the last page. And, sadly, only one kissing scene. THIS ROMANTIC NEEDS MORE KISSING! I did love how their relationship was slow, though, and not rushed like how it usually is in YA. I can't wait to see the couple in the sequel!

The plot was, admittedly, a bit slow in the middle. It started out wonderfully, action packed already, but the pacing slowed distinctively after a hundred pages or so. Not to say it wasn't fascinating and entertaining. It was! It just wasnt as action packed as I hoped.

Absolutely enchanting and magical, Chantress is a book that will leave you absolutely speechless and dying until the sequel!

Pages:336
Genre: Historical/Fantasy
Series: Chantress Trilogy #1
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
Release Date: May 7, 2013
Rating: 3.5-->4 stars

This Song Will Save Your Life by Leila Sales

Goodreads Blurb

Making friends has never been Elise Dembowski’s strong suit. All throughout her life, she’s been the butt of every joke and the outsider in every conversation. When a final attempt at popularity fails, Elise nearly gives up. Then she stumbles upon a warehouse party where she meets Vicky, a girl in a band who accepts her; Char, a cute, yet mysterious disc jockey; Pippa, a carefree spirit from England; and most importantly, a love for DJing.

Honestly, going into this, I wasn't really sure I would love this. Yes, it sounded awesome and yes, it sounded like my kind of book. But I was in a giant book slump at the time and wasn't particularly loving anything I'd read. So of course This Song Will Save Your Life managed to break that funk!

The first chapter absolutely broke my heart and I swear there was something in my throat. Not only because I couldn't help but hurt for Elise, but also because...well. There's a scene in which Elise joins a group of friends for lunch and they...well they have all these inside stories, inside jokes and don't really bother to clue Elise in. And at the end of lunch? They do an inside thing and Elise, clueless, ends up being the one that picks up the trash. Literally. And honestly? This can almost perfectly reflect last year--and I was one of those friends. One of those that neglected this girl who sat with us at lunch. (I don't think she was bullied, but I know she was avoided because...well, she was obnoxious and started rumors about herself. I'm not trying to justify myself, but now...I think she just wanted attention. Just. Like. Elise.)

So I can pretty much vouch that the voice in this story is real. Everything that happens? I'm sure it's been played out somewhere. It's heartbreaking, but something that you can't help but relate to.
Because you can relate to the story, or at least Elise. She's alone, she doesn't belong, and she feels outcasted, lost. And I'm sure everyone's felt that way one time or another. I have a core group of friends--but there are so many times when I felt like Elise, like no one understood me and never would. And I'll admit I've thought about suicide once in a while. And now...I'm getting personal. So on with the review!

It was easy to feel for her and easy to understand where she came from. I may not be playing her role in the story of my school, but I can't help but hurt for her and cry for her. She's such a real character and one that just hits close to home. She's annoying at times, you can't help but love her other times, and sometimes it's just a mix of both. And that's the beauty of her. She's so flawed and I'm almost a hundred percent sure that there's a bit of her in everyone.

And we got to see her grow as a character, as a person. We see her on her new adventure, her new life. It's uplifting and, once in a while, hilarious. We meet the people who help her along the way, and the ones who'll try to tear her down. And in the end, we get an ending that's just...perfect.

This Song Will Save Your Life is an absolute must read for anyone and everyone. Even if it doesn't sound like your book--you have to read it. Somehow Leila Sales manages to reach into you and twist your heart. It's just...one of those books everyone has to read.

Pages: 288

Genre: Contemporary

Series: Standalone

Publisher: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux

Release Date: Sep 17, 2013

Rating: 10/5 stars

Dirty Little Secret by Jennifer Echols

Goodreads Blurb

Bailey wasn’t always a wild child and the black sheep of her family. She used to play fiddle and tour the music circuit with her sister, Julie, who sang and played guitar. That ended when country music execs swooped in and signed Julie to a solo deal. Never mind that Julie and Bailey were a duet, or that Bailey was their songwriter. The music scouts wanted only Julie, and their parents were content to sit by and let her fulfill her dreams while Bailey’s were hushed away.
Bailey has tried to numb the pain and disappointment over what could have been. And as Julie’s debut album is set to hit the charts, her parents get fed up with Bailey’s antics and ship her off to granddad’s house in Nashville. Playing fiddle in washed-up tribute groups at the mall, Bailey meets Sam, a handsome and oh-so-persuasive guitarist with his own band. He knows Bailey’s fiddle playing is just the thing his band needs to break into the industry. But this life has broken Bailey’s heart once before. She isn’t sure she’s ready to let Sam take her there again…

After reading Such a Rush I was absolutely ecstatic to find out that Echols was writing another YA--especially since the cover was gorgeous and matches Such a Rush so well! And I was not let down.
Dirty Little Secret definitely has a lot in common with Such a Rush and right away, we can tell that this isn't going to be one of the lightest reads. While it wasn't heartbreaking and raw like I'd hoped, it had a nostalgic and sort of bittersweet feel to it that made me fall in love with the story.

Bailey was definitely a fierce and a seemingly independent person and I loved that about her, but she got pushed around way too easily sometimes. Not in the sense that she did what others did, but she let others control her emotions really. One mention of her sister or parents and she would just clam up or get angry, and that sort of ruined her image of a calm and headstrong character (though she did retain that image well at times!) She was a rebellious character who, overall, I did enjoy reading about! Her snark was definitely hilarious though and I absolutely loved her snips at Charlotte (a band member).
I alternated between empathizing Charlotte to hating her, to loving her, but I guess she acted like any of us and, I think, out of all the characters, I connected with her more than anyone else. Bailey's parents were absolutely ridiculous and I wanted to punch them while I wanted to slap some sense into Julie sometimes.

The romance was definitely a bit insta-lovey. I didn't really appreciate how easily Bailey broke under Sam's begging and how quickly they fell in love (a steamy kiss on day one was apparently in order). Their relationship was also sort of built on lies (then Sam said he would never lie to Bailey (though at least he admitted he was a liar!) and seemed really rushed with conditions set. "If you don't do this or that, we'll break up." But the romance definitely had it's sweet moments that I enjoyed and their relationship was by no means easy.
Sam was...sort of a douchebag in all honesty. He kept asking Bailey for things and got angry or mainuplative whenever he didn't get his way. At first, he reminded me of a cute puppy, but it got tiring after the first few times. He also, several times, chose music over Bailey which, by the way guys? Isn't going to make a girl like you more. He's definitely a selfish guy (and I definitely think they'd break up in the near future) but he was exactly what Bailey needed to realize her own needs and dreams.

What impressed me was definitely the musical part of this. It was well written and it seemed as if Jennifer Echols experienced it first hand!
Not only that, I found it sort of amazing how she made it so that half the book was one day and still absolutely captivating. The second half of the bookw as definitely drama filled and definitely made me anxious, but the ending was absolutely perfect!

Jennifer Echols digs up another romantic story that isn't as perfect as some people like to believe, but with heartrendingly real characters. A fun read that I definitely recommend, it's filled with laughs and heartache--you could say it's one of the perfect summer reads!

The musical part of the story
Pages: 288

Genre: Contemporary/Romance

Series: Standalone

Publisher: MTV Books

Release Date: July 16, 2013

Rating: 3.5-->4 stars