serenam's review
4.0
Although no books can be compared equally with The Chronicles of Narnia, this book seems to be heavily influenced by the series, and I do not count that a disadvantage at all. And despite being a middle-grade book, The Place of Voices is a well-written Christian allegory that even my critical mind enjoyed. The diverse characters were developed sufficiently to keep me interested, and Lauren Lynch painted a clear picture of their surroundings without going into a boring amount of detail.
As suggested by the cover, The Place of Voices includes a significant amount of Mayan history and culture, which Lauren Lynch researched thoroughly. I applaud her for portraying the Mayan culture honestly without demonizing the characters (except, perhaps, the villain) despite their pagan practices. Tzutz Nik, one of the main characters, is not asked to wholly reject her Mayan culture, but to love the one true God and also honor her parent's wishes. Her soul is nurtured and her culture respected, which is a difficult, delicate balance to find.
This review was originally posted on poetree.
As suggested by the cover, The Place of Voices includes a significant amount of Mayan history and culture, which Lauren Lynch researched thoroughly. I applaud her for portraying the Mayan culture honestly without demonizing the characters (except, perhaps, the villain) despite their pagan practices. Tzutz Nik, one of the main characters, is not asked to wholly reject her Mayan culture, but to love the one true God and also honor her parent's wishes. Her soul is nurtured and her culture respected, which is a difficult, delicate balance to find.
This review was originally posted on poetree.
hlburke's review
5.0
This was a unique and beautifully told story that really sucked me in. It had a less traditional plot arch and to me was more about exploring the characters which I appreciated. Too many books go too fast.
The fact that it has allegorical elements does lead to some expected plot twists but I definitely read it for the writing and characters more than the plot, so I didn't mind this.
The fact that it has allegorical elements does lead to some expected plot twists but I definitely read it for the writing and characters more than the plot, so I didn't mind this.
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