Song Quest

When a shipwreck washes up on the shore of the Isles of Echoes, the Final Years of the Echorium are tasked with finding the remnants. But for three of the students they find more than remnants. One will discover a talent to communicate with the merlee (half human, half animal creatures), one will prove to be unsuitable to be a Singer and one will uncover a plot against the Echorium and take a chance to escape the Isles of Echoes.

This is such a weird book. This is my second read. I initially read the whole trilogy as a tween. I adored the bright colours and striking artwork of the Chicken House editions and I remember liking the story even if it was a somewhat bizarre book I didn't quite understand. As an adult rereading, I'd agree that show more it was bizarre and stand by my lack of understanding.

Considered young adult, the simplicity of the plot, the naivety of the characters and the overall tone definitely are aimed at the younger side. But although a tween read there's a few questionable scenes (the butchering of the merlee - which basically sound like mermaids but maybe not quite as intelligent?, the cannibalism of eating what is clearly stated as being half human and a bizarre somewhat explicit comment that felt rather threatening upon rereading

The rider passed his pony’s rein and one of the leashes into nearby hands. He dragged the blue quetzal closer to the Khizpriest. It fought weakly against its leash, looking back over its shoulder at its mate. “This is the female,” the rider said, with a sly look at Azri. “If you care to look closely, you’ll see where she lays her eggs.”

Roberts, Katherine. Song Quest (Echorium Sequence Book 1) . Katherine Roberts. Kindle Edition. ) that I would argue aren't quite appropriate for the age. That said, I don't even remember those scenes when I read it the first time, so it'd depend on the tween.

As for the plot, there's mermaid type creatures, a musical magic system and good fighting against evil. A quest to restore peace to the Mainland and put a stop to any violence against half creatures. Fantasy fans will find it familiar, many of the usual tropes are present.

Although there is a lot of worldbuilding and fantasy-esque names, none of it is well explained. It's hinted at and touched upon but never coherently addressed. For instance, the Songs of Power. Towards the end it states that they are used to control emotions and memories. But it's repeatedly mentioned that the Songs can heal. Frenn is physically healed. There were lots of little instances like that that made it hard to follow the plot.

The inclusion of the different viewpoints helped but didn't really alleviate the issue. I liked Rialle but she irritated me with her naivety. Kherron was marginally better with adapting but he certainly wasn't in control of his situation, he just seemed to continue to try making the best out of each problem he caused. I felt rather sorry for him.

I didn't really understand why it was necessary to take away the singing skill if the men couldn't handle the entire range of songs. Or why they practically lobotomized their own people. If nothing else it certainly made Kherron's actions more reasonable. I really didn't understand why Rialle was sent on the quest without providing her any information about what she would face. She would never have lasted without Kherron there to plan a way out.

Frenn was okay. I didn't really understand why he and Rialle were dating? I felt like Rialle and Kherron had a much stronger relationship but it was a minor part of the plot - even if the romance felt unnecessary to be included.

All that aside, there is something unique about this story that keeps readers coming back and makes it memorable for years after reading. Unfortunately the coherency of the plot and worldbuilding lets it down. 3 stars. show less

I picked this up when I was about 9 or 10, and I immediately fell in love with it. I have all three of the books, and I don't think I'll ever get rid of them. The book just really stood out to me, the idea of the school, and the songs. Even now I can remember the beginning of the book in great detail, although I haven't read it for years - though writing this makes me feel like re-reading it.

Lovely fantasy adventure. It follows two young singers who are like representatives of the UN (except they sing) who set out to resolve the mysterious messages sent by the merlee (sort of mermaid things). I'm looking forward to learning more about the world in the next one.

Fantasy

Author's guest post at my blog:
http://bookfare.blogspot.com/2014/02/foodfic-please-welcome-katherine.html