barb4ry1's review
3.0
"Music has always been something more than the sum of its notes, rhythms, and dynamics. Music has the power to create real and tangible change"
Nadja is a bright and curious young woman living in a small village. Where she lives no one appreciates music. To make matters worse, the concept of equal rights for women and men is alien to the villagers - not because they're fundamentally evil; That's how it always used to be. A girl should be good and quiet in manner, diligent in her duties and learning, and obedient to her parents until she marries.
Nadja wants more, but, evidently, not strong enough to do it. Inevitably, events develop in a way that forces her to run from her village in the middle of the night, just before her betrothal ceremony. She needs to survive in a dangerous forest and then travel some more to meet her relative living in a city of Amrantir. Along the way, she meets a young man - Pax, who'll play a significant role in a book.
She finds refuge at Music Conservatory she once thought only existed in stories. She tries to guard her identity and succeed at school. In the meantime, she needs to master one instrument, create another, deal with hormones, make friends and recognise herself for who she might be. It's possible that long gone magic didn't disappear :)
Inharmonic is a warm, nicely written YA book - first in The Music Maker series of fantasy novels. It uses tropes but twists them lightly to offer something new(ish). Instead of magic / military school, we have nicely sketched music conservatory brought to life by varied groups of students and teachers. Magic is real. It just needs someone special with a right pool of genes to channel it through music (for example singing a lullaby that'll make you sleep for days).
The story is told from Nadja point of view. She's a tenacious young woman who proves numerous times she's capable of taking care of herself. On the other hand, for a bright, intelligent girl she's slow to connect the dots leading to the final reveal. An attentive reader will figure it out in the first 30% of the book. Apart from being resourceful, she's friendly, caring and blind to boys' feelings towards her. Two boys love her - Luca, whom she was supposed to marry and Pax with whom she has great chemistry. But she doesn't want to allow anyone close to her. She has a secret, right? Anyway school relationships develop everywhere - Nadja's best friend has a crush on a boy who has a crush on her, and at times things are so sweet that they'll give you cavities. Girls are blushing, giggling, boys are noble and innocent. Treat it as an antidote for extreme violence and explicit sex found in most fantasy books nowadays.
There's some sense of danger and mystery but the stakes aren't too high, and there's not much tension. The plot is predictable, although I didn't see some twists.
Characters are easy to like, the villain is easy to dislike. Unfortunately, he's also single-minded and one-dimensional. Actually, he can be treated as a plot device that allows Nadja to discover better who she is and what kind of power is at her disposal. Secondary characters were more shallowly drawn and other than Nadja’s uncle and one teacher who have more screen time, are forgettable.
After the slow start, the rest of the novel moves along well, although it tends to lag in places. World-building is impressive, especially for YA book (don't misinterpret me here - I have nothing against YA, hoverer, given the target audience, world-building in the genre is usually a bit simplified). I think that the concept of using music to influence reality is cool and I enjoyed the way it was written.
The story is easy to read, the prose clear and precise. If you try hard enough, you'll spot some misspellings and strange sentences, but AKS Scott writing is rather impressive, if slightly purplish and lyrical in places.
CONCLUSION: In the end, I enjoyed this book and felt motivated to finish it. Sure, I was a little frustrated with contrivances in the romantic relationships in an attempt to create tension – these behaviours and problems were and felt forced. Despite some reservations, I would recommend Inharmonic to teen readers who like fantasy. Old ideas are recycled here and tuned in a smart way that should keep your attention and allow you to read it along with your kids.
Oh, and one more thing. I'm impressed by the way AKR Scott decided to develop the series. Everyone who'll sign for her newsletter will receive short story portraying Pax's time out of the screen (when he was visiting his family). The sequel will have another POV - Nadja's friend who's able to smell the sound will try to discover what's happening. I love this kind of almost 360 view of the world and events through different pairs of eyes.
Inharmonic
michellembruhn's review
5.0
I thoroughly enjoyed this book (as well as the freebie companion book, which you can find out how to get inside the first few pages of this one)! The characters are relatable and lovable (I adored Pax!), and the concept of music as magic is really fun to explore. As a musician myself, I quite enjoyed the scenes at the conservatory in classes and private lessons. There was nothing that would be too technical for non-musicians to understand, but there were some things that made my musician's heart happy and nostalgic for when I was a music major in college. I'm excited to find out what happens next!
fairytale42's review
4.0
A magic system based around music? Count me in. Although it takes a while for the story to reach the Music Conservatory and its subsequent magic, it makes up for it with an intriguing new world. The beginning of the book hints at a grand scope of cultures and nations, starting with Nadja’s own Wanderer tribe. This book was enough to satiate my deep desire for in-depth fantasy worlds, and I can’t wait to see how the world develops further.
Although this book drew out the plot through a significant number of chapters, it was easy to get sucked into Nadja’s story. She fights to succeed as a musician while keeping her secrets safe and avoiding getting too close to the charming woodsman, Pax. When her past starts to encroach into her new future, Nadja must decide who to trust, what to hide, and how to protect those she loves. It was a joy to watch her grow and find her voice as a woman, a friend, a warrior, and a musician.
ACTION: This book doesn’t waste much time in the action department. By the end of chapter three, Nadja’s world has already crumbled to pieces with the discovery of abuse within her tribe. Nadja soon learns to hold her ground both in the classroom and in the real world, whether it be with words or weapons. From there, the action ebbs and flows with plenty of fighting, fleeing, and adrenaline-fueled moments in between. Just when it seems that Nadja is safe, something happens that shakes her world anew. Readers who prefer light violence might wish to avoid this book; although nothing is overly detailed, there are multiple mentions of abuse and physical harm.
ADVENTURE: One of the best parts about this book is the rich setting. Although most of the book occurs in Cantio, Nadja’s world expands rapidly as she discovers more about her new home and the world around her. The references to other places and cultures sprinkled throughout give it a constantly fresh feel. Even within the walls of the music conservatory, the structure of the school and the magic system excited me enough to keep reading. The people Nadja meets also give her world brighter color. Each character feels completely different from each other, mimicking the variety of the world we see every day. It’s a refreshing treat to see such a beautiful example of worldbuilding.
ROMANCE: I wouldn’t classify this a slow-burn by any means, but Nadja does take quite a while to acknowledge her feelings for Pax. Watching him fall for Nadja and constantly be pushed away really touched at my heartstrings. The communication between the two is handled very well, with both protagonists using logic as well as emotion, which is rare in most YA books. And although there is a slight love triangle, rest assured, it does not fall into the common trap of wavering unnecessarily between two love interests for the entirety of the book. Some silly miscommunications occur, but nothing that waver into full reader frustration. On a final note, a later chapter does contain one kissing scene that is still considered clean but is not entirely grandma-approved.
FINAL THOUGHTS: I feel like it’s rare to see such a varied world with a different magic system than what fantasy usually describes. It was a fun read that both entices and frightens with its fun characters and serious misfortunes that Nadja experiences. Although some moments felt a little too close to common YA tropes, the author pulled them off well and wove them into a complex story that I am eager to see more of. This book is more PG-13 with its descriptions of violence and one romantic scene, but it is still clean.
Although this book drew out the plot through a significant number of chapters, it was easy to get sucked into Nadja’s story. She fights to succeed as a musician while keeping her secrets safe and avoiding getting too close to the charming woodsman, Pax. When her past starts to encroach into her new future, Nadja must decide who to trust, what to hide, and how to protect those she loves. It was a joy to watch her grow and find her voice as a woman, a friend, a warrior, and a musician.
ACTION: This book doesn’t waste much time in the action department. By the end of chapter three, Nadja’s world has already crumbled to pieces with the discovery of abuse within her tribe. Nadja soon learns to hold her ground both in the classroom and in the real world, whether it be with words or weapons. From there, the action ebbs and flows with plenty of fighting, fleeing, and adrenaline-fueled moments in between. Just when it seems that Nadja is safe, something happens that shakes her world anew. Readers who prefer light violence might wish to avoid this book; although nothing is overly detailed, there are multiple mentions of abuse and physical harm.
ADVENTURE: One of the best parts about this book is the rich setting. Although most of the book occurs in Cantio, Nadja’s world expands rapidly as she discovers more about her new home and the world around her. The references to other places and cultures sprinkled throughout give it a constantly fresh feel. Even within the walls of the music conservatory, the structure of the school and the magic system excited me enough to keep reading. The people Nadja meets also give her world brighter color. Each character feels completely different from each other, mimicking the variety of the world we see every day. It’s a refreshing treat to see such a beautiful example of worldbuilding.
ROMANCE: I wouldn’t classify this a slow-burn by any means, but Nadja does take quite a while to acknowledge her feelings for Pax. Watching him fall for Nadja and constantly be pushed away really touched at my heartstrings. The communication between the two is handled very well, with both protagonists using logic as well as emotion, which is rare in most YA books. And although there is a slight love triangle, rest assured, it does not fall into the common trap of wavering unnecessarily between two love interests for the entirety of the book. Some silly miscommunications occur, but nothing that waver into full reader frustration. On a final note, a later chapter does contain one kissing scene that is still considered clean but is not entirely grandma-approved.
FINAL THOUGHTS: I feel like it’s rare to see such a varied world with a different magic system than what fantasy usually describes. It was a fun read that both entices and frightens with its fun characters and serious misfortunes that Nadja experiences. Although some moments felt a little too close to common YA tropes, the author pulled them off well and wove them into a complex story that I am eager to see more of. This book is more PG-13 with its descriptions of violence and one romantic scene, but it is still clean.
cpark2005's review
4.0
I received a copy of this book through TBRindr.
The world of Inharmonic is interesting. There is a lot of potential here, especially with a magic system based in music and where vocal music and instrumental music provide different types of magic. It’s an intriguing concept wrapped in a cozy young adult tale.
A.K.R. Scott has managed to sprinkle a number of intriguing concepts for a magic system throughout this novel. She keeps things mysterious with the magic while doling out enough information, especially in the second half of the book, to fill the imagination. I’m very curious to see where future books take the magic system and how the details are fleshed out. We don’t see many bardic magic systems outside of D&D so this read was fun for that alone. The characters have equal potential, especially as I hope they’ll be further developed in subsequent novels. Nadja is young and naïve and makes plenty of decisions that reflect her innocence. While that could be frustrating at times, it also fit her character. Scott also tweaks tropes just enough to keep them fresh (e.g., magic school is a music conservatory) which made for a read that felt familiar but fresh.
While there is a lot of potential in this novel, it suffers a little from first novel syndrome in that it obviously leaves a number of things unexplained and some things feel like they are all setup with little pay off. The worldbuilding was sparse at times, especially outside of the magic system and some history specifically relevant to the plot. The characters are well drawn, but—other than Nadja—don’t grow a great deal in this first novel. There is a romantic subplot throughout the book that helps us gain insight into Nadja’s character, but I’m afraid I found it a little juvenile. This makes sense given Nadja’s inexperience, but I did find myself at times wanting to skip the romance part to get back to the main plot. On the bright side, that meant that I was interested in the main plot. While the book took a while to get going, once it did, I finished it in one sitting.
If you enjoy coming-of-age stories and are interested in a magic system with some fun potential, Inharmonic is worth your time. It’s a hard one to rate for me as I would have liked more depth across the board. In the end, however, I received more personal enjoyment than I typically do from a three star book so I’m calling it 3.5/5 stars.
5 – I loved this, couldn’t put it down, move it to the top of your TBR pile
4 – I really enjoyed this, add it to the TBR pile
3 – I liked it, depending on your preferences it may be worth your time
2 – I didn’t like this book, it has significant flaws and I can’t recommend it
1 – I loathe this book with a most loathsome loathing
The world of Inharmonic is interesting. There is a lot of potential here, especially with a magic system based in music and where vocal music and instrumental music provide different types of magic. It’s an intriguing concept wrapped in a cozy young adult tale.
A.K.R. Scott has managed to sprinkle a number of intriguing concepts for a magic system throughout this novel. She keeps things mysterious with the magic while doling out enough information, especially in the second half of the book, to fill the imagination. I’m very curious to see where future books take the magic system and how the details are fleshed out. We don’t see many bardic magic systems outside of D&D so this read was fun for that alone. The characters have equal potential, especially as I hope they’ll be further developed in subsequent novels. Nadja is young and naïve and makes plenty of decisions that reflect her innocence. While that could be frustrating at times, it also fit her character. Scott also tweaks tropes just enough to keep them fresh (e.g., magic school is a music conservatory) which made for a read that felt familiar but fresh.
While there is a lot of potential in this novel, it suffers a little from first novel syndrome in that it obviously leaves a number of things unexplained and some things feel like they are all setup with little pay off. The worldbuilding was sparse at times, especially outside of the magic system and some history specifically relevant to the plot. The characters are well drawn, but—other than Nadja—don’t grow a great deal in this first novel. There is a romantic subplot throughout the book that helps us gain insight into Nadja’s character, but I’m afraid I found it a little juvenile. This makes sense given Nadja’s inexperience, but I did find myself at times wanting to skip the romance part to get back to the main plot. On the bright side, that meant that I was interested in the main plot. While the book took a while to get going, once it did, I finished it in one sitting.
If you enjoy coming-of-age stories and are interested in a magic system with some fun potential, Inharmonic is worth your time. It’s a hard one to rate for me as I would have liked more depth across the board. In the end, however, I received more personal enjoyment than I typically do from a three star book so I’m calling it 3.5/5 stars.
5 – I loved this, couldn’t put it down, move it to the top of your TBR pile
4 – I really enjoyed this, add it to the TBR pile
3 – I liked it, depending on your preferences it may be worth your time
2 – I didn’t like this book, it has significant flaws and I can’t recommend it
1 – I loathe this book with a most loathsome loathing
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