Review Detail

*My thanks to the author, publisher, and Netgalley for the review copy*

*3.5 stars*

12-year-old Elissa was more than a good singer. Her song carried the magic power of the Goddess. As the war raged on, she found herself deep in the center of two power-hungry monarchies…

We Are The Song is a decent middle grade fantasy about trusting your inner voice and doing the right thing. Elissa was told to be a “good girl” and not to question things. Her opinions were ignored because she was young. As readers follow her adventure, they would understand that the opinion of young people are as important as that of adults. I love the strong message conveyed through this simple and quick read.

Another thing I liked about the book was the magic. As a lover of music, the idea of human songs being magical was very appealing to me. I also liked how the author played with the notion that the line between good and bad wasn’t as clear as we think, and that some powers, when used in the wrong way, might become a deadly weapon.

As much as I liked the themes, I found this book a bit hard to get into. The premise about magical songs was what drew me in, yet the fantasy aspect felt a bit flat. I wish there was a more complex magical system, but as this was meant to be a middle grade novel, I did understand why things were kept simple. Another thing was that I didn’t feel attached to the characters, partly because of the long monologue of Elissa. I know the monologue showed her struggle and self-doubt, but it could feel slow and dull at times. It did pick up at the last 30%, though, at which point I really enjoyed.

Overall, I like We Are The Song but didn’t enjoy it as much as I thought I would. I do believe it would be an inspiring standalone fantasy for younger readers.