Strange Sweet Song

Strange Sweet Song by debut author Adi Rule.

A young soprano enrolls in a remote music academy where nothing, not even her mysterious young vocal coach, is as it seems.

Outside Dunhammon Conservatory, there lies a dark forest.  And in the forest, they say, lives a great beast called the Felix.  But Sing da Navelli never put much faith in the rumors and myths surrounding the school; music flows in her blood, and she is there to sing for real.  This prestigious academy will finally give her a chance to prove her worth- not as the daughter of world-renowned musicians- but as an artist and leading lady in her own right.

Yet despite her best efforts, there seems to be something missing from her voice.  Her doubts about her own talent are underscored by the fact she is cast as the understudy in the school's production of her favorite opera, Angelique.  Angelique was written at Dunhammond, and the legend says that the composer was inspired by forest surrounding the school, a place steeped in history, magic, and danger. But was it all a figment of his imagination, or are the fantastic figures in the opera more than imaginary?

Sing must work with the mysterious Apprentice Nathan Daysmoor as her vocal coach, who is bother her harshest critic and staunchest advocate.  But Nathan has secrets of his own, secrets that are entwined with the myths and legends surrounding Dunhammond, and the great creature they say lives there.

The Breakdown:
1.  Rule weaves the cut-throat world of opera with a magic myth in this story.  The idea had great potential, but Rule never quite pulls it off. She has flips chapters back between Sing, The Felix, and Nathan's past, and they make the book feel choppy in the flow.  At times there was a lot of opera technical stuff and inside stuff, that as someone without any experience in the area, those scenes really dragged.  Then there is the Felix which somehow fell from the heavens but is now a vicious cat that attacks things.  I felt that what the Felix is and and how it sometimes grants wishes was never adequately explained.

2. I never really grew to like Sing's character.  She spends most of the book wavering between a total diva and a mousy girl who lets everyone walk over her.  She has trouble with the concept of friendship, which annoys me to no end.  Clinging and sticking up for her rude, latter climbing friend, and pushing away the girls who are truly nice to her.  When she finally does figure out who she is, it is too late for me to like her.

3. I did like the character of Nathan.  His secrets and past were the best part of the book.  He seems to be the only one who sees the true potential in Sing, and does let her get away with this back and forth act in her personality.

To Read or Not to Read:
Skip this one

Currently Reading:
Dreams of Gods & Monsters
by Laini Taylor