Representation: N/A?
Trigger warnings: Physical injury, abuse
Score: Seven points out of ten.
This review can also be found on The StoryGraph.

I've been wanting to read this for a while and this seemed interesting to me and the concept looked good as well however the execution was only ok, while some aspects were great some needed some improvement especially considering I've read better books since then, where do I even begin. It starts off with the main character Delphernia Undersea or Delphernia for short and she lives on this island alongside other characters and the masters whose true colours reveal themselves later on in the book. Everything looks fine at first until the masters are just these very cruel characters and I could almost feel bad for Delphernia except for the fact that she didn't really experience any character development. Delphernia tries to do nothing about the situation but it just keeps getting worse and worse with one of the masters even ripping her nail off, that was brutal and I wondered why the masters would even do this but maybe she broke a rule or something along those lines. The ending however was action packed as eventually Delphernia led a revolution against the masters which succeeded ending this on a high note. ( )

The Turnaway Girls by Haley Chewins was a wonderful book. After reading a couple of books that simply left me wanting more, I was grateful for such an engaging and fantastical read. Recommended for all middle-grade readers, particularly those that enjoy fantasy! ( )

4.5 stars! My video review: https://youtu.be/jr6ImAbTCR4 ( )

*I received a free copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*

What an absolutely magical, heartfelt, wonderful story. I can’t begin to describe how wonderful this book is. Even as an adult, this story is so much and if I’d read it fifteen years ago, it easily would have been a favorite. I wasn’t sure how weird this was going to be, because the description is a bit strange, but it is absolutely wonderful and if you like fantasy at all, definitely give this a read, because: Wow!

Chewins has created a fascinating world in which everything has a place and function. Girls who turn away from their reflections as infants are trained as “turnaway girls,” growing up separate from the outside world to learn how to turn music into gold. Boys with a talent for music become music-makers and get to choose a turnaway girl for themselves once they become of age. There is no room for differences or otherness. On top of that, one man is trying to take complete control for himself and is doing this by cutting down everyone else. There are cautionary tales about the one who was different and didn’t conform, so she was swallowed by the sea; children are warned by this story to make sure to fall in line. Also, not only are the turnaway girls now separate from the rest of society, but their matron has been taught how to take away all their curiosity as well; who they are as individuals are literally sucked away by a woman following orders so that they can fall into line with the rest of society.

So you have the main character who is a turnaway girl; she is supposed to be silent, but she loves to sing. I absolutely loved that Chewins added a Music-Maker who decided she didn’t want to act like a boy anymore. It was such a powerful moment when the main character realized that she wasn’t the only “other” in the universe; there were people like her who didn’t fit this mold that their society had created for themselves. Even just the descriptions of the main character hiding away to sing were so poignant and moving and so relatable; I think we’ve all had those moments where we take time for ourselves just to be ourselves without having to worry about others’ judgments.

This story speaks to a deeper sense about power, identity, and the lengths people go to in order to not rock the boat or get in trouble. It’s a powerful tale that younger people will appreciate so much, made beautiful and fascinating by the narrative Chewins has woven around these issues. I can’t recommend this book enough. It’s amazing.

Also posted on Purple People Readers. ( )

Received this Early Reviewer book a few months ago and it got buried under other items.

Delpherina grows up in the Cloister with other turnaway girls under the guidance of MotherNine. The turnaway girls are brought up to make shimmer (gold) from music but Delphernia is not like them, she stores the music in her and under the cover of night she sings it tho the cloisterbirds.

Delpherina dreams of more... of singing and sunshine but is threatened to silence with the fear of being swallowed by the sea, like the SeaSinger.

One day a Master (boy who makes music) comes and takes her out of the Cloister into the world she has dreamed of... and there her story turns...

Who is Delphernia? Why does Mothernine treat her so harshly?

A lovely tale with a very interesting ending.... a new fairy tale?

I really enjoyed reading this ARC