Chime by Franny Billingsley

Title: Chime
Author: Franny Billingsley
Published: March 17, 2011 by Dial
Pages: 320/Hardcover
Source: ARC from publisher


Summary: Before Briony's stepmother died, she made sure Briony blamed herself for all the family's hardships. Now Briony has worn her guilt for so long it's become a second skin. She often escapes to the swamp, where she tells stories to the Old Ones, the spirits who haunt the marshes. But only witches can see the Old Ones, and in her village, witches are sentenced to death. Briony lives in fear her secret will be found out, even as she believes she deserves the worst kind of punishment.

Then Eldric comes along with his golden lion eyes and mane of tawny hair. He's as natural as the sun, and treats her as if she's extraordinary. And everything starts to change. As many secrets as Briony has been holding, there are secrets even she doesn't know.

Review: The idea behind Chime was a very original one and had a lot of potential. Unfortunately it wasn't my cup of tea.

There was so much going on in this book that it was hard to keep up. The plot seemed choppy and there were a lot of different things going on. Between finding out who killed Briony's step-mom, who was trying to kill her, and everything else, some things got lost. I found myself looking back at previous pages to see if I'd missed something because I would frequently get lost. 

The characters were interesting, but I couldn't connect with them. There seemed to be a wall for me between myself and the character that didn't allow me to see through their eyes. 

I also didn't see any chemistry between Briony and Eldric. They spent a lot of time together, but they seemed more like friends or siblings to me. 

The overall story of Chime was original and intriguing, but I think it could have had a better execution. The plot was a little choppy and unclear, and I didn't get a lot out of the characters, but this was a good fantasy type novel for those who enjoy them.