Songs of Seraphina by Jude Houghton
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult
Some battles bleed so much, and for so long, that the earth never truly forgets their dead. Some battles are born of oppression, and some of greed, and some simply because it was written in the stars.
Three sisters—Charlemagne, Cairo and Pendragon Agonistes—are sent from America to England to live with their eccentric grandparents after their mother disappears and their father falls to pieces. But before the girls have time to find their feet, Charlemagne is married off to a dead man, Penny takes a nap and wakes up as a boy, and Cairo is swept into a dangerous romance with a man who wants her for more than her considerable charm. With the girls wrapped up in a conflict they barely understand, they don’t notice that their grandmother is transforming, or that the two demigod assassins who took their mother are now coming for them—if one of them can get over his crisis of conscience.
In this richly painted tale, at whose heart is the unbreakable bond of family and blood, the world of Seraphina collides with our own as three unique girls are dragged into twilight lives past, fighting for vengeance, retribution, and the survival of their exiled people.
This turned out to be a longer read than I thought it was going to be, but I enjoyed every minute of it!
Songs of Seraphina blended fantasy, scifi, and political strife in an intriguing storytelling that reads almost like a fairytale. This sometimes dark and disturbing tale was steeped in a mystery that I found myself trying to unravel as I read. And unlike most mysteries, I didn't instantly know what was going on; this kept me guessing the whole time, which I both loved and hated.
This book was odd but wonderful, and I highly recommend it to fantasy lovers. It's rather unique in a way and was thoroughly enjoyable once it was able to hook me. I found myself very emotionally pulled in about a fourth of the way through... in fact, I stayed up until 5am simply because I couldn't put it down. I experienced all the pins and needles and stomach knotting brought on by a really good story!
I'm really hoping for a sequel! It doesn't REALLY get a resolution....
Author Bio:
Jude developed a love of fantasy from a relatively early age after realising an innate talent for making stuff up could result in something other than detention. Working across the globe in fields as diverse as journalism, data entry, sales, management consultancy and babysitting, Jude has partially succeeded in putting an English and History degree from Oxford University to good use. A somnambulist, insomniac, lover of letters, Jude writes late into the night, most nights, tumbling down the rabbit hole to dream of other lives. Jude currently lives in Pennsylvania with an over-enthusiastic family and absurdly entitled dog.GIVEAWAY!
This sounds like a unique read! Great review, Lisa! :)
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