Chantress

By: Amy Butler Greenfield

Narrated by: Mary Jane Wells

Lucy’s Chantress magic will make her the most powerful - and most hunted - girl in England. “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 soon she is swept away into the darkness.

When she awakens in England, Lucy hears powerful men discussing Chantresses - women who can sing magic into the world. They are hunting her, but she escapes and is able to find sanctuary with the Invisible College, an organization plotting to overthrow the nefarious Lord Protector. But, 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 audiobook that is atmospheric, lyrical, dangerous, and romantic.

©2013 Amy Butler Greenfield (P)2013 Audible, Inc.

Wonderful story for a long car ride

My children and I listened to this on a long car ride. I'm 37, my son is 15, and my daughter is 10 and all of us were really engrossed in the story and truly enjoyed the narrator's voice and performance! It was a very well written book and made a fantastic audiobook.

A magical, musical read, that will leave you encha

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

4 Stars

A hypnotic and alluring read, that delivers magic, corruption, rebellion, a kingdom in turmoil, an evil dictator, and the fight for survival that could possibly end it all for the better or worse...

The CHANTRESS was an enticing blend of fantasy and historical fiction, that intertwined magic with a splash of romance to keep the reader reading well into the night. I was instantly hooked from the very first page. And I was VERY surprised of how much I liked the CHANTRESS, as I was always reluctant to read it for numerous reasons. And I've never really been too intrigued by the plot description from the synopsis either. But fortunately as my love for the fantasy genre grew, so did my open mind for other fantasy books I've always shunned in the past and was reluctant to read. But the CHANTRESS has proved me wrong even with it's minor flaws.

The first small issue I had with the CHANTRESS was the pacing of the plot. It was VERY slow paced, and felt like it was taking baby steps to progress at some points. The plot was interesting, but the paced it moved threw me off a bit. I would of liked a faster plot, and it definitely could of benefited with an increase of action and adventure. Though it did have it's fair share of adventure, it needed, in my opinion more action.

The other issue I had with the CHANTRESS was the romance. Now don't get me wrong, I liked that it was slow burning and not rushed at all. But it was too slow, and barely even any romance at all, at least not until the last chapter or so. And even then, it wasn't even really there either. But I did think that Lucy and her "kinda" love interest Nat made a cute couple, and I really hope we get more from their relationship in the next book, CHANTRESS ALCHEMY.

But slow pace and lack of romance aside, I really enjoyed the foundation of this world and the things that did happen, even with the lack of suspense. The characters, especially Lucy, Nat, and Nat's adopted father figure Penebrygg were awesome characters and had such a strong voice that it would be nearly impossible not to like them. Even though none of them were the "normal" type of characters I usually read. I still enjoyed their voices and character traits, and the fleshed out development that Butler instilled in her wonderful cast of characters that I just loved to pieces.

THE PLOT:

"Sing, and the darkness will find you."

Lucy has lost everything because of one man, now it's time to awaken the power pulsing inside, and save London from the monsters unleashed to devourer it from the inside out...

Shipwrecked on a island since she was eight-years-old, Lucy remembers very little of her life before then. She knows that her mother was lost at sea when they boarded that dreadful ship that deserted them to this abandoned island they now call home. Only other person she's seen since that shipwreck seven-long-years-ago, is her mother-like nurse Norrie that has kept her alive all these lonely years. But Lucy yearns to be free, to return to her hometown of London where her memories hide. But with no hope of rescue, Lucy and her nurse are destine to remain on that island for the rest of their days. Until the darkness she's been warned about finds her. And she's swept into a tornado of wind that tosses her in the very place she desired most, London. But right in the middle of grave danger...

Back in London and more alone then she's ever been, Lucy finds the hard way that the kingdom has fallen into vengeful hands. Crowned to a boy-king in name only, but ruled by Scargrave and his vile creatures the Shadowgrims that are capable of tearing a man apart from the inside out, stripping him of all sense of sanity and humanity, and making him into a walking talking Shadowgrim lackey, only breathing to do their bidding...

But that's not all Lucy discovers on her journey back to her hometown of London. It's revealed that she is a Chantress, and the very last one of her kind after Scargrave and his creatures the Shadowgrims, the only thing capable of defeating a Chantress hunted down every last one of them, and killed them all. Being the last Chantress, and an untrained one at that, Lucy is playing with fire, and is bound to get burned...

But then Lucy stumbles upon members of a rebellion, working from the shadows to find ways with their intelligence to outwit Scargrave and his creature army. But now with a Chantress walking right into their needing hands, they may have just found the ultimate weapon to defeat them once and for all...

Lucy will have to discover her true self and what it truly means to be a Chantress to stop the evil threatening to tear London apart. Being the only one strong enough to even stand a chance against Scargrave and his pet Shadowgrims, Lucy must learn as much as she can about herself and the power she possess within if she's going to have any chance of standing against them and prevailing once and for all.

The CHANTRESS was a GREAT start to an amazing series that I absolutely adored! I plan to binge read book two and three as soon as possible. Because I'm dying to know what Lucy and her little gang will endure next. And the limits to which Lucy will be tested to achieve whatever new threat awaits her at the end of this epic trilogy that I know will NOT disappoint.

Overall, the CHANTRESS was more then I anticipated, and though it was very slow paced, and I wanted a little bit more from the romance, I still found myself easily engrossed in the story and characters no matter it's flaws. And I am so happy I decided to give this book it's fair shot, and I'm eagerly anticipating continuing this series and the next journey it brings!! If you like magical worlds with VERY slow burning romance, a kingdom on the verge of self destruction, with evil lurking from the sky and around the corner, then CHANTRESS is one read you DON'T want to miss!!

NOTE: I received a physical ARC from Simon & Schuster for reviewing purposes! All opinions express are my own and are not influenced in any way!