Review of Music to My Ears (Pre-Release Beta Edition)
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Erin Dydek
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Review by Everydayadventure15 -- Music to My Ears (Pre-R...
[i][Following is a volunteer review of "Music to My Ears (Pre-Release Beta Edition)" by Heidi M. Simone.][/i]
[rwc=id399844-125]2 out of 4 stars.[/rwc]Haunted by nightmares of the beach incident four years ago, 21-year-old Sophia Andrews feels somehow responsible for the injuries suffered by Jeremy, her former classmate. Her guilt drives her to visit him in the hospital where he is still recovering after spending two long years in a coma. But are her visits helping or hurting his recovery?
Sophia pushes her worries about this dilemma aside as she focuses on her upcoming trip to New York. There she will audition to play the music for a movie soundtrack and pursue her dreams to become a professional musician. The musical talents she inherited from her grandfather will come in handy as she competes against other new musicians and professionals alike. But what effect will the secrets of her past have on her promising future?
[i]Music to My Ears[/i] is the first novel of the [i]Sirens Song[/i] series by Heidi M. Simone. In this fiction novel, Simone takes music and mythology and creates an aura of mystery around Sophia. As a former musician, I was excited to watch Sophia's story unfold. The author's creative idea to add mythology to the plotline was extremely appealing to me.
The first section of the book began with some delightful development of character relations between Sophia, her family, and her friends. I loved the heart-warming relationship between Sophia and her little brother Noah. Not only did Noah provide some comic relief, but he also expressed concern for Sophia when she was distressed. Sophia also had a very likable grandfather who came from California to visit Sophia in Rhode Island before her big audition in New York. You could feel his compassion for Sophia in his encouragement of her music. Best of all, Sophia had a beautiful little bird named Rhea, a whimsical addition to Sophia’s life. Even her friendship with Jeremy, though complicated, made me excited to see what would develop between them.
When Sophia arrives in New York, the plot changes drastically. As a whole new world of possibilities opens up for Sophia, a new storyline begins. I found the storyline engaging, but I kept looking for a connection back to all the well-developed characters from the first part of the book. They never made an appearance. I felt as though the author got me fully locked into the first story, then abruptly changed direction and never looked back. I couldn’t connect with the second part of the book and the next round of characters because I was distracted by my unaddressed concerns for Grandpa, Jeremy, and Noah. All that Sophia mentions are a few emojis from Grandpa and ignored calls from Jeremy. Rhea remains by Sophia’s side, but there seems to be a secret about her that is never satisfactorily addressed.
The author did, however, open a door for exciting possibilities in book two. I enjoyed Simone's well-edited writing style, but this book needs to have the structure edited to some extent. As it stands, I gave[i]Music to My Ears[/i] a [b]2 out of 4[/b] . While I enjoyed the concept of the book, I still see the need for some loose ends and inconsistencies to be addressed. This debut novel overflows with potential, but the story structure left me disappointed. With additional development between the two storylines, I believe that this would be an excellent book.
The Disney-princess vibes at the beginning of the novel didn’t prepare me for the darker elements of the New York portion of the book. The most intense scene was one of an attempted rape that may be disturbing to some readers. There is no sexual content aside from a few kisses, and a total of two swear words through the entire book. I would recommend this book to fans of mythology and music. Fans of a Disney-meets-Twilight story may also enjoy this novel.
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[i]Music to My Ears (Pre-Release Beta Edition) [/i]
View: [url=http://forums.onlinebookclub.org/shelves/book.php?id=399844]on Bookshelves[/url] | [amazon=B07W8CZVY3]on Amazon[/amazon]
[rwc=id399844-125]2 out of 4 stars.[/rwc]
Sophia pushes her worries about this dilemma aside as she focuses on her upcoming trip to New York. There she will audition to play the music for a movie soundtrack and pursue her dreams to become a professional musician. The musical talents she inherited from her grandfather will come in handy as she competes against other new musicians and professionals alike. But what effect will the secrets of her past have on her promising future?
The first section of the book began with some delightful development of character relations between Sophia, her family, and her friends. I loved the heart-warming relationship between Sophia and her little brother Noah. Not only did Noah provide some comic relief, but he also expressed concern for Sophia when she was distressed. Sophia also had a very likable grandfather who came from California to visit Sophia in Rhode Island before her big audition in New York. You could feel his compassion for Sophia in his encouragement of her music. Best of all, Sophia had a beautiful little bird named Rhea, a whimsical addition to Sophia’s life. Even her friendship with Jeremy, though complicated, made me excited to see what would develop between them.
When Sophia arrives in New York, the plot changes drastically. As a whole new world of possibilities opens up for Sophia, a new storyline begins. I found the storyline engaging, but I kept looking for a connection back to all the well-developed characters from the first part of the book. They never made an appearance. I felt as though the author got me fully locked into the first story, then abruptly changed direction and never looked back. I couldn’t connect with the second part of the book and the next round of characters because I was distracted by my unaddressed concerns for Grandpa, Jeremy, and Noah. All that Sophia mentions are a few emojis from Grandpa and ignored calls from Jeremy. Rhea remains by Sophia’s side, but there seems to be a secret about her that is never satisfactorily addressed.
The author did, however, open a door for exciting possibilities in book two. I enjoyed Simone's well-edited writing style, but this book needs to have the structure edited to some extent. As it stands, I gave
The Disney-princess vibes at the beginning of the novel didn’t prepare me for the darker elements of the New York portion of the book. The most intense scene was one of an attempted rape that may be disturbing to some readers. There is no sexual content aside from a few kisses, and a total of two swear words through the entire book. I would recommend this book to fans of mythology and music. Fans of a Disney-meets-Twilight story may also enjoy this novel.
******
[i]Music to My Ears (Pre-Release Beta Edition) [/i]
View: [url=http://forums.onlinebookclub.org/shelves/book.php?id=399844]on Bookshelves[/url] | [amazon=B07W8CZVY3]on Amazon[/amazon]
Latest Review: Sylvia’s Garden by Diana Yu
