Magic is the genius way of explaining (or not) the effect of music on people. Also why people go gaga over musicians. You might like this book if you love music (thus the five stars). And while music is the antagonist in this book (it has a life of its own!), it also made people -- reflect, at the very least.
"every note was as sharp as a bell and as simple as sunlight so that in the prism of the brain it broke up and flashed into a million colors ... and then the music unfolded in his head ... the fall of the notes conjured up memories of the mine where he'd been born and dwarf bread just like mum used to hammer on her anvil, and the moment when he first realized he'd fallen in love ... and more than anything else he wanted to be home ..."
I love the puns and references to Elvis (or in this case elvish which means elf like), rock music (Music/Band with Rocks In - hah!) and people throwing their underthings on stage. I think this book is brilliant. Wait, I think most Discworld books are brilliant.
I recently went back to listening to audiobooks to catch up on my reading list. I would put my earphones on during my commute to and from work. This, however, is not a book I would listen to in public. It makes me snigger in the most awkward moments and let's face it, anytime you snigger without people knowing the reason why is awkward.
Elijah's Mermaid is about the same as the Essie Fox's first book, The Somnambulist. I know that doesn't sound particularly enticing but I wasn't looking for anything new, really, so it worked for me. The story is still full of intrigue and of juicy, shocking tabloid material scandal. The gossip monger in me wasn't disappointed.
It's not an I-cant-put-it-down sort of book, though. It was only a bit engaging towards the end when all the secrets were coming out. There was even a part where I cried (but I think it was also because I was hormonal, heh). Admittedly, though, there are some pages where I feel like just stopping altogether. And I did, actually. I had to try a few times before I can really get to it.
And I don't get why the title has Elijah's name on it when he played such little role in the development of the story. He was the reason for the biggest conflict in the story but what did he really do other than that? Well, I suppose Elijah's Mermaid is a better title than Pearl.
I thought it's safe to start reading Strange the Dreamer because I only have to wait until October for the Muse of Nightmares to come out. Should've waited longer before I did because this book ended with the mother of all cliffhangers. Am I'm exaggerating? Yes. Is the ending a cliffhanger. A big fat YES. I haven't really read like really, really, really read in a long time and I thought Laini Taylor will save me from this reading slump. She did. But at a price. The one star I knocked off is for the ending (d'oh). I loved the book, of course (because Laini Taylor). I mean, I can't not love a book that makes me want to ugly-cry in public (as in inside the tram while I was heading home from work) merely because of the words that it used.
I'll be honest. The concept can be compared to the Smoke and Bone trilogy if you think about it.
One species falling in love with another ... remember the whole "Once upon a time, an angel fell in love with a devil" thing? In Smoke and Bone it's angels and monsters. In Strange the Dreamer, it's humans and gods. The beauty, however, lies in how she created a whole new world (not the song, heh) that somehow equals the Smoke and Bone trilogy. Something THAT amazing is hard to top but lo and behold, she creates another world that you cannot help but care about with a whole new set of characters that you cannot help but fall in love with. I don't mean to be poetic (wait, is that poetic enough?) so ... gaaaaaah for the lack of more coherent words.
