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Goodreads Synopsis:
A lush and beautiful fantasy set in a world where music is magic and the fate of many thrones lies with one girl…
Twelve-year-old Elissa has been raised in seclusion as a devotee of the Mother Goddess. She is a special child, a blessed child, a child who can sing miracles into being. Her voice can heal wounds, halt landslides, cure hunger–and even end wars.
But there are those who would use her gift for darker things. And when Elissa finds herself the farthest from home she’s ever been–along with her vain and jealous music tutor, Lucio–she will have to develop the judgment to decide who wants to use her song to heal… and who wants to use her song to hurt.
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ WE are the song Review:
I requested this book for the cover (and lyrical magic!) and I am so happy I did! This book made me remember why I fell in love with fantasy as a young reader and I can’t wait to gift it to the middle-graders in my life.
As a lonely and weird middle schooler, I first was drawn to fantasy because it promised a world where good and evil were clearly defined and everyone had something magical inside them. I remember the first time I read Alanna and felt seen as a rough and tumble horse girl. We Are the Song took me back to that same place.
Elissa’s growth and self-discovery powered a well-crafted plot and richly described world. My usual fantasy fare is gritty and dark, so the hope and goodness of Elissa was a refreshing break. Without going spoiler-y, I related to how she had to learn how to find her own voice amid other, louder, ones trying to dictate the path her life should take.
Thank you to NetGalley & Holiday House for the digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Meet Author Catherine Bakewell:
Catherine Bakewell is a writer, artist, freelance editor, and an opera enthusiast. She has lived in Spain and in France, where she romped through gardens, ate pastries, and worked on her novels. She is represented by Jordan Hamessley at New Leaf Literary and Media, Inc.
Her debut middle-grade fantasy, WE ARE THE SONG, is slated for publication with Holiday House in Spring 2022.
Her YA Fantasy, FLOWERHEART, debuts with HarperTeen in Winter 2023.
Photo from Goodreads