Book Review: THE SOUND OF SILVER by Rachelle Rea

Warning: As always, I try to stay relatively spoiler free. But it doesn’t hurt to proceed with caution.

Rating: Three and a half stars—Enjoyable

 

If any of you were wondering, THE SOUND OF SILVER (by Rachelle Rea) is the sequel to THE SOUND OF DIAMONDS, which I reviewed last week. As I mentioned before, Rea was kind enough to give me e-ARCs of both these books, for which I am extremely grateful. Thank you, Rachelle! So let’s talk about this one.

The Romance. I know that I don’t tend to be much of a romance person (since I’m Vulcan and all), but you’d be surprised by what I might actually enjoy when it comes to love stories. Without giving too much away (hopefully), I will say that the romance in THE SOUND OF SILVER was more satisfying to me than it was in its predecessor. This might result from the heightened tension between the two lovebirds, but it might also come from the impossible odds stacked against them and the difficult decisions they must make. I like that Rea involves risk in the equation, rather than just emotion.

Love Triangle? Okay, there isn’t really a love triangle in here. Or is there? I won’t say too much, but I will say that I love what Rea does with this trope, and I love the way it propels the story along while also providing a bit of a break from the romance between Gwyn and Dirk. (Because, while romance is all well and good, breathers are nice as well.)

Jealousy and Anger. Oh yeah, I’m a fan of the darker emotions (in books though—just to clarify—not so much in real life). Some of the characters in Rea’s cast aren’t huge supporters of Gwyn and Dirk and their decisions. I feel that this adds more depth and honesty, since love is never a bed of roses and life often comes with an angry bee still stuck in its honeycomb (yeah, I should probably stop talking). Anyway, when it comes to fiction, I like my sweet with a little sour, and THE SOUND OF SILVER offers a more balanced mixture than THE SOUND OF DIAMONDS.

Other Tidbits. Again we have the entertaining (and, in this case, suspenseful) issues that accompany some of Gwyn and Dirk’s poor communication. Also, as with the previous installment, the plot picks up the pace around the middle, ensuring that readers will want to pay more attention as they near the end. Rea does do a bit more with Ian and Cade, as well as Margried and Sister Agnes, which I appreciated. I’m always a big fan of getting to know the secondary characters, sometimes even more than the main ones (I’m weird like that), so I was hoping this would be the case.

Repeated Information. As with before, the story does seem to contain more repeated information than is necessary. I’m a little lazy when it comes to Kindle, and I appreciate being reminded of some tidbits from time to time so I don’t have to flip back and check for myself (#somuchwork). But I also have a decent memory for bookish details, which means the author usually only has to tell me something once. After that, I’d rather move on to newer and more interesting stuff.

The People. As for our main characters, I share the same feelings about them now as I did in my review of THE SOUND OF DIAMONDS. Again, I liked seeing them struggle with their beliefs—how to live them, how to reconcile them with other stuff, etc… On a deeper level, I love that a good half of the cast has to struggle with maintaining/surrendering some of the happy feelings from the previous book in order to face reality head on. Rose-tinted glasses are lovely and all, but life isn’t all bubble gum and bottomless coffee cups.

Anders. This guy is great. I think I can really sympathize with his weaknesses and his shortcomings. Yet he might also be the most complex and hard-to-understand guy in the book, because his actions tend toward unpredictability (for reasons I can’t give without spoiling it for you). All in all, I lived for the chapters featuring Anders Revelin.

The Ending. I like cliffhangers. I love cliffhangers. So I was really excited to find that Rea is comfortable with leaving her characters in a lurch for a few months until the final book comes out. (On the other hand, though, I have a bit of a Steadfast Love series hangover, since I got to gobble up the first two books without needing to pause for air. And now I’m stuck waiting for THE SOUND OF EMERALDS. Boo. *pouts*)

In my review of THE SOUND OF DIAMONDS, I neglected to mention that, while I have an advanced reading copy, the actual book itself was released a while ago and is available to the general public. THE SOUND OF SILVER, however, will not hit the shelves until October 15^th (at which point, I suggest you buy it).

All in all, while romance isn’t generally my cup of coffee (see what I did there?), I did still enjoy these two books in my own way, and I don’t regret the time I spent in Rea’s story world. Like I said before, if you are a fan of romance, especially Christian inspirational romance, I think this would probably be right up your ally. And I’m going out on a limb here, because I’m not Rachelle so I can’t know for sure, but I do think that if you’ve read these books and enjoyed them, she would love it if you let her know.

 Here are some links:

Website

Blog

Amazon Paperback

Kindle

Behind the Scenes Writing Tag

I know some of you may have been expecting a new Africa post right about now, but it might be a few weeks before I write another one. In the meantime, though, I still have a few tags to complete.

 

Opal technically tagged all her writer readers for this one, and I also decided I was going to steal this from Aimee if I had to anyway, so, I’m just going to nab this tag. And there’s nothing you can do about it.

Is there a certain snack you like to eat while writing?

Hmm, would you judge me if I said prunes? Probably I shouldn’t have admitted to that. Normally I don’t like to snack much while I’m writing, because I need both my hands to type, and I don’t enjoy getting random sticky stuff on the keyboard. I will go for chocolate though, or hard candy—anything that can keep my mouth busy without compromising my typing speed.

 

When do you normally write?

I seize any chance I can get. Or rather, I should say any chance I get when I have the energy. Sometimes I’m tired and I need a nap, or you know, a long therapy session with Facebook or something. But I do especially well from five in the morning till six thirty (still in the morning), and I also do well from three in the afternoon until eleven thirty at night. Unfortunately, I can’t take advantage of both these prime times every day.

Where do you write?

Often I’ll sit in my arm chair, because it has the best angle so it doesn’t make my back hurt, but I do also like to sit propped up in bed, or at my desk, or on the floor by my desk. When no one else is home, I’ll sometimes venture downstairs and write at the table or on the couch. I will also stick the computer on the windowsill and lie on my stomach while typing (just to clarify, our upstairs windows are just an inch or so above the floor—don’t ask, I don’t know why).

How often do you write a new novel?

Well, it varies. During NaNoWriMo, I’ll draft multiple novels, and sometimes I’ll partially write something during the year, but I try to keep my drafting efforts to November. The rest of the year I spend editing and accidentally calling my friends by my main characters’ made-up names.

 

Do you listen to music while you write?

For the most part, I do, although I will have to say I’m a little more distractible when I’m drafting, because I don’t like first drafts and I’d rather just listen to the pretty music. But I can’t edit at all without some sort of music. As for what I choose, it depends. If I have a migraine, I’ll tend toward dubstep. If I’m writing something sad, I’ll pick melancholy stuff, like Coldplay. Otherwise I go for bands like Imagine Dragons, OneRepublic, and The Civil Wars.

What do you write on? Laptop or paper?

Laptop, hands down. *dies laughing at awful pun* The smell of pen/pencil makes my head hurt, and my wrists can’t take that kind of strain (wow, I am super whiney today *slaps self*). Not to mention, writing by hand really slows me down. No, I need to type stuff, or I just can’t write.

 

Is there a special ritual you have before/after you write?

I bathe in warm chocolate and dye my hair a popular primary color, then I sweeten my coffee with dragon’s blood and the tears of my readers before standing on my head for fifteen minutes (to get the blood flowing to my brain). After that, I sob for a little while and treat myself to a red velvet sheet cake with a glass of crushed dreams on the side before getting down to business.

What do you do to get into the mood to write?

I sit down at the laptop and start typing. Okay, so that’s the ideal. Often I get distracted and play a few games of chess or read someone’s blog or stare at the pretty books on my shelves. But I know that the mood will usually find me if I write for long enough. Anyway, I’ve learned that my mood doesn’t generally effect the quality of my writing. (Translation: I drink coffee.)

 

What is always near the place you write?

Coffee, water, coffee, the disembodied souls I keep in a row of jars to my left. Coffee.

 

Do you have a reward system for your word count?

No, unless you consider the finished product a reward. With me, it’s usually like, “Liz, if you write ten thousand more words tonight, you’ll have written ten thousand more words tonight. Now do it.” I find this to be a very effective system.

Is there anything about your writing process that others might not know about?

While I usually write the rough draft for a given novel in about a week, I take at least a year to edit. For my second draft, I rewrite my entire book line by line, word for word, cleaning up all the problems as I go (well, all the problems I know about). To be honest, though, I spend more time playing virtual chess and researching random, useless bits of information than I do anything else. When I’m drafting, I don’t tend to read much because I don’t like to take my mind out of my own story world, but I will compare the lengths of my works in progress with the other books on my shelves because I’m obsessive like that.

So there you have it, little coffee beans—all my eccentric and not-so-eccentric writing habits, wrapped up in a blog post you never knew you needed to read.

You’re welcome.

Book Review: THE SOUND OF DIAMONDS by Rachelle Rea

Warning: As always, I try to stay relatively spoiler free. But it doesn’t hurt to proceed with caution.
 

Rating: Three and a half stars—Enjoyable

Before I say anything, I’d just like to point out that Rachelle Rea is very nice and personable, and she gave me e-ARCS of THE SOUND OF DIAMONDS and THE SOUND OF SILVER (I’ll review that one next week, if all goes well) in exchange for reviews. Thanks, Rachelle! Let’s all just take a moment to applaud her three-book deal with her dream publisher. *claps loudly*

I debated long and hard about whether to give this book three stars or four, because I honestly didn’t hate it. In fact, THE SOUND OF DIAMONDS is super sweet and thoughtful, and I look forward to the sequels. So let’s talk about the story. (Here's a link to the Goodreads page if you'd like to read a summary of the book.)

Gwyn. Gwyn makes for an interesting character. On the one hand, she’s out-going, spirited, and fiery, and on the other hand she’s timid, fearful, and rather weak (both physically and emotionally). I felt I could relate to her inner struggle as she wrestles with her growing knowledge of God and her desire to treat him as holy. Her fear of desecrating the divine by reaching for a personal relationship with God makes her human, and I like that—the way she tries to find how her religion fits in with what others tell her about God. I also like the symbolism of Gwyn’s diamond rosary. Every time she clings to it (usually in moments of distress) I remember her spiritual struggle and her tendency to latch on to her beliefs as a safety blanket against religious disagreement.

However, I wasn’t always happy with Gwyn. She may be able to speak her mind and hold on to a grudge, but she also seems rather too breakable. Quite often she is unable to walk and therefore needs to be carried, or she ends up in some sort of mortal danger and needs to be saved. While I’m not saying these instances are boring/unbelievable/whatever, I do think she fails to stand on her own a little too often (both literally and metaphorically). And while I have no issue with her being helpless from time to time, I would have liked to see her rescue herself at least once. After all, it’s nice to have a man around to save you, but you also need to cultivate your own survival skills. I don’t know—she just seems a little too soft.

Dirk. I like Dirk’s struggle between his desire to clear his name and his desire to make sure Gwyn stays safe and happy. I appreciate that he doesn’t force himself on Gwyn in any way or pressure her to be at a place where she just isn’t emotionally. He’s a super sweet guy, and he’s always there for Gwyn when she needs him. But I also feel like he ends up being her crutch most of the time, and I would have liked to have seen him as less of a savior and more of a person. I liked the glimpses I got of his shameful past and his desire to avoid backsliding. Often that got pushed to the back burner, though, in favor of him thinking about Gwyn and how to meet her needs. I get that that happens in relationships, but I felt that he didn’t shine so much as an individual as I would have liked—instead he seemed to be only half of a package deal.

However, I do understand that what I’ve seen of their relationship takes place in that rose-tinted-glasses period where you’ve just formed a bond and your significant other can’t do any wrong and they’re all you think about, and so on and so forth. I also know that I generally process love as more of an action than an emotion, so I’m not going to relate as well to the butterflies-in-stomach, heady feeling that accompanies falling for someone. It all depends, I guess, on what you like to read in a romance.

The Factual Bits. Rea does an excellent job of filling us in on the historical setting without dumping an enormous pile of information on our laps. Her descriptions of the era feel natural, rather than forced. In much of the historical fiction I’ve read, the author’s awareness of the setting becomes too obvious, like we’re getting the view from an outsider who feels the need to describe every little detail so we know what we’re dealing with. But Rea places us right down in the fifteen hundreds and frees us to wander through the story without tripping on any awkward, scene-building material. Fortunately, she steps in from time to time and leads us around with the air of an experienced tour guide, just so we don’t get too lost.

Also, while I am familiar with many of the differences between Protestantism and Catholicism, I’ve always been a little vague on some of the more general Catholic doctrinal points. So I appreciated Rea’s easy, laid-back way of explaining Gwyn’s religion.

Other Tidbits. I spent a good portion of the book snickering to myself because Gwyn and Dirk are rather bad at communicating their feelings to each other. So that made for some interesting misunderstandings. I also liked how the second half of the book picks up and broadens the scope of the book from just romance to an interesting little dysfunctional family element thingy (I don’t want to say too much because I don’t want to ruin it for you). Both these aspects of the story serve to broaden the plot and the characters, because they touch on humanity itself rather than just idealism.

Repeated Information. I do think that Gwyn’s backstory gets repeated a tad too often. I like that she’s been through some super tough experiences and has had to deal with some trauma, but I think the effect of what she’s experienced can be dimmed a little when it’s referenced too many times.

Secondary Characters. I enjoyed the tension between Margried and Sister Agnes in the latter half of the book, because, again, it deepens the humanity of the story and offers a bit of a break from the romance. Gwyn has a neat little relationship with these two, and I like the dynamics between these characters and all the rest. I do think I would have enjoyed more depth in the male secondary characters, but this is only the first book and maybe Rea will broaden her scope more in the two sequels.

 

All in all, THE SOUND OF DIAMONDS is not a debut novel to be ashamed of, and I think it will really resonate with the romance-loving crowd, specifically the inspirational-romance-loving niche. Even though I’m more Vulcan than dreamer, I did still enjoy this story. I just happen to be super nitpicky and annoying and you should probably slap me (or give me chocolate and whisper nice things to me). Despite my persnicketyness, I did enjoy this book, as I’m sure I’ll enjoy the next two.

 

I don't normally promote authors (you now, beyond a positive review or a shout-out or whatnot), but since Rachelle was kind enough to give me the two e-ARCs, I will share these links so you can buy her books.

 

Website

Blog

Barnes & Noble

Amazon Paperback

Kindle

Books a Million

The Bookshelf Tag

I was nominated for this exciting tag by the lovely Victoria @ Stori Tori’s Blog. Thanks, Victoria! (Also, you should totally check out her blog, just sayin’.)

Here are the rules:

 

The book(s) you answer with must be from your bookshelf.

Include a picture of your bookshelf, if possible, or you could include pictures of your dream shelf. (I'm not actually going to follow this last rule, because this post is long enough as it is.)

*Cue slightly crazed laughter.* Okay, so one thing you need to know about me is that I don’t just have one bookshelf. (In my case, perhaps we should call this tag The Library Tag.) I have, technically, three bookcases in my room. They are full. They are beyond full. They are so beyond full, I have taken to constructing rudimentary bookshelves out of sideways stacked cardboard boxes—AND I HAVE STILL RUN OUT OF ROOM. I mean, this is insane, and I love it, but I will soon have to surrender the luxury of having a bed so I can gain space for another bookshelf (only I’m moving next month, so that’s a non-issue).

Let’s skip to the questions before I lose my mind completely.

 

Describe your bookshelf (or wherever it is you keep your books—it doesn’t actually have to be a shelf!)

My shelving arrangement is a little bit idiosyncratic, and by a little, I mean a lot. Who needs the Dewey decimal system or the alphabetical system? Not me. I arrange by preference, author, color, height, and any other aesthetic/intangible quality I so desire. This ensures that book thieves will struggle to find any sort of rhyme or reason to my system, and their hesitation will be my chance to take them out. *bows deeply*

What’s the thickest (most amount of pages) book on your shelf?

My copy of The Lord of the Rings is 1,193 pages long, and I get carpal tunnel syndrome just thinking about it. But more on that later.

What’s the thinnest (least amount of pages) book on your shelf?

My copy of The Velveteen Rabbit is 44 pages long, and, by complete coincidence, at some point I decided to keep two little rabbit statuette things right in front of it. Clearly my subconscious knows what it’s doing a lot better than I do, so I will let it finish this post for me.

 

Is there a book you received as a birthday gift?

My birthday is on New Year’s Day, which isn’t all that far from Christmas, so I’m pretty sure I haven’t received all that many physical birthday gifts (not counting money—seriously, having birthdays is so lucrative, I’m thinking of turning it into a business). Many of my gifts are more like, combination birthday/Christmas presents. I have received books for Christmas, though, and I couldn’t even list them all here because I usually get around twenty or so every year. I’ll just stick with The Peculiar by Stefan Bachmann, because it’s the first one that comes to mind.

 

What’s the smallest (height and width wise) book on your shelf?

My copy of Persuasion is six inches tall, three and three quarters inches wide, and half an inch thick. Incidentally, I don’t get carpal tunnel syndrome thinking about that one.

 

What’s the biggest (height and width wise) book on your shelf?

That would be The Lord of the Rings again (although I have a few others that come close—can you hear my wrists sobbing?) It stands ten inches tall, six and a half inches wide, and two and three quarters inches thick. It clocks in at exactly 2,397 pounds (I know because I checked).

 

Is there a book from a friend on your shelf?

One friend gave me The Peculiar, another gave me A Pleasure to Burn by Ray Bradbury. I have a few others from friends, but those are the ones that stick out.

Most expensive book?

Hmm, this is an interesting question. The list price for my LOTR edition is 70 dollars, but I have some very old books that are in super good condition, so I’m not sure whether their value might be a little higher or not. *shrugs*

 

The last book you read on your shelf?

I just finished Inkdeath by Cornelia Funke a few days ago.

Of all the books on your shelf, which was the first you read?

I’m leaning on either one of The Chronicles of Narnia, one from A Series of Unfortunate Events, or maybe Matilda. I’ve been collecting books for so long, I’m not sure.

Do you have more than one copy of a book?

 

I have two copies of Emma by Jane Austen, two copies of Northanger Abbey (also by Jane Austen), and two copies of Lorna Doone by R. D. Blackmore. And no, you can’t have one. They’re mine. *hugs books possessively*

 

Do you have the complete series of any book series?

I have all the following: the Hunger Games trilogy, the Divergent trilogy, the Legend Trilogy, A Series of Unfortunate Events, the Gallagher Girls books, the City of Ember series, Madeleine L’Engle’s Time Quartet, C.S. Lewis’s Space Trilogy, the Peculiar duology, and the Chaos Walking trilogy. There are several more series I have almost all of—just, you know, aside from that one book in the middle you can never seem to find in stores. Yeah. 

 

What’s the newest addition to your shelf?

The newest addition to my shelf would be Ruthless by Carolyn Lee Adams.

What book has been on your shelf FOREVER?

I have had the Hunger Games trilogy, the Gallagher Girls books, and my collection of Jane Austen books for a long time. I’m thinking, though, that I might have owned Watership Down by Richard Adams for even longer. I can’t really remember, and my theory is that I had collected at least a hundred or so books before I was even born.

What’s the most recently published book on your shelf?

Ruthless—it was released in July. And you should go read it.

The oldest book on your shelf (as in, the actual copy is old)?

My older copy of Lorna Doone hales from 1913, according to the date someone wrote in the inside cover. Perlycross (also by R.D. Blackmore) comes from 1894 and my collection of various Sherlock Holmes stories comes from 1892. My collection of Livy’s works says it was printed in 1890. And my copy of Daniel Deronda by George Eliot (from the time they printed books in multiple volumes instead of a whole book) dates back to 1901. I’m sure I have a few more older ones, but the farther back you get, the less likely you are to find a date on the copyright page, or anything like that. And, unlike the Doctor, I can’t just lick the paper and figure out what year it was made. Unfortunately.

A book you won?

I won Dove Arising (Karen Bao), Ruthless, Joshua and the Lightning Road (Donna Galanti), and The Canary Room (Edwin and Linda Casebeer).

 

A book you’d hate to let out of your sight (aka a book you’d never let someone borrow)?

All my books, most specifically my older ones (okay, okay, I let my sister and my mom borrow what they like, but only when I’m feeling benevolent and merciful).

Most beat up book?

I’m not sure I can really pick out one, because most of my books are in excellent condition. The ones that I do buy used will have some wear and tear, but I prefer not to buy anything ratty. So, maybe I’ll just go with my copy of Evangeline (Henry Wadsworth Longfellow). It’s old and it’s beautiful, but at least one page has sought independence and emancipated itself from the rest of its family.

Most pristine book?

Basically, any book that I bought new and read without sharing. Seriously, when I read books (even multiple times), they rarely look like they’ve been used.

 

A book from your childhood?

We’ll go with Watership Down on this one, although there are many.

A book that’s not actually your book?

I have one book, sitting on my shelf, that I’ve been meaning to read for ages and haven’t yet. It belongs to my mother. You’ve probably never heard of it, but it’s called Power Perfected in Weakness by Christopher J. Klicka.

A book with a special/different cover (e.g. leather bound, soft fuzzy cover etc.)?

Well, I have nothing special really, but some of my older books have different textured covers, and it’s possible the cover for Daniel Deronda is some sort of bonded leather that’s become flexible and papery over time. (Let’s just pretend I actually know what I’m talking about.)

A book that is your favorite color? But what if I don’t know what my favorite color is?

My newer copy of Lorna Doone would be my favorite color, but I cheated a bit on that one. You see, when I got it, the cover was this gross, generic beige, so I fixed that egregious, bookish crime with lime green duct tape and contact paper (to keep the duct tape from loosening or anything), and now it’s really pretty and I love it.

A book that’s been on your shelf the longest that you STILL haven’t read?

I bought A Tale of Two Castles by Gail Carson Levine when all the Borders stores in my state were going out of business years ago, and I still haven’t read it yet, although my sister has. Actually, I spend so much time rereading books, I haven’t gotten around to reading about 35% of the books in my personal library. I should probably do something about that.

Any signed books?

Let’s see, I own a signed copy of Ruthless, a signed and personalized copy of Dove Arising, and a signed and personalized copy of The Rook by Steven James. I have another signed book, but I haven’t read it and I’m unfamiliar with the author (I just picked it up in a thrift store), so, meh.

 

And there you have it—all my delightful, inspiring answers. Now for the tags. Let’s see. *brandishes regal sword* I hereby nominate:

Tessa @ Books, Bubbles, & Arohanui

Heather @ Sometimes I’m a Story

Opal @ Opal Swirls

Cait @ Paper Fury

Alexa @ Summer Snowflakes

Aimee @ To the Barricade!

 

 

And that’s it, my little coffee beans. If I haven’t nominated you, and you’d like to do the tag, go for it. Just let me know in the comments, and I’ll include you in the list. Or, you could answer the questions here. Have you read any of the books I mentioned? What do your bookshelves look like? Have you ever had to resort to creative bookshelf-making?