Name: Chantress
ISBN: 9781442457041

Amy Butler Greenfield

"Fifteen-year-old Lucy discovers that she is a chantress who can perform magic by singing, and the only one who can save England from the control of the dangerous Lord Protector"--Provided by publisher.

Chantress

Lucy’s Chantress magic will make her the most powerful—and most hunted—girl in England. “Sing, and the darkness will find you.” This warning has haunted fifteen-year-old Lucy ever since she was eight and shipwrecked on a lonely island. Lucy’s guardian, Norrie, has lots of rules, but the most important is that Lucy must never sing. Not ever. Now it is 1667, Lucy is fifteen, and on All Hallows’ Eve, Lucy hears a tantalizing melody on the wind. She can’t help but sing—and she is swept into darkness. When she awakes in England, Lucy hears powerful men discussing Chantresses—women who can sing magic into the world. They are hunting her, but she escapes and finds sanctuary with the Invisible College, an organization plotting to overthrow the nefarious Lord Protector. The only person powerful enough to bring about his downfall is a Chantress. And Lucy is the last one in England. Lucy struggles to master the song-spells and harness her power, but the Lord Protector is moving quickly. And her feelings for Nat, an Invisible College apprentice and scientist who deeply distrusts her magic, only add to her confusion… Time is running out, and the fate of England hangs in the balance in this entrancing novel that is atmospheric and lyrical, dangerous and romantic.

Monicap

Really good.

MC is smart. When I was screaming at her NOT TO GO INTO THE BASEMENT, she didn't go into the basement! How many characters do that?

THe romance was well-done, but I was pretty cynical about it, so...

And the plot. Man, I don't what it is about Historical Fantasies, but I haven't yet come across one I didn't like. 

Definitely want the next book.

Power and politics, heartbreak and danger, magic and mermaids—Lucy must conquer it all in the compelling conclusion to the enchanting series that began with Chantress and continued with Chantress Alchemy. With a song, Lucy can control the wind and the water; she can bring castles and kingdoms to their feet. Since Lucy mastered her powers, King Henry has kept her close. And now he’s called her to investigate attempted murder—by a mermaid. All Lucy can glean from the creature they’ve captured is a warning: The sea is coming. We are coming. And we will drown you all. And then the floods begin. Swaths of London are submerged as the people scramble to defend themselves against the water, and the monsters, that are flooding their streets. As mistrust of Lucy’s magic grows, the king relies on Nat, Lucy’s great love, to guide them through the storm. But Nat is cold and distant to Lucy. He swore his love only a year before, but now he calls her “stranger.” Lucy is determined to defeat this powerful new magic alone if she must. But then she hears an eerie song within the water…can it mean that she is not the last Chantress after all?

Chantress Fury

Valeria

A great ending for a beautiful story! Lucy becomes stronger and her relationship with Nat is too! Honestly, one of the healthiest couples I've ever read about ❤

"Chantress" is a lovely story with sweet magic and incredible characters!

The sea is coming. We are coming. And we will drown you all.

With a song, Lucy can control the wind and the water; she can bring castles and kingdoms to their feet. Since Lucy mastered her powers, King Henry has kept her close as he’s rebuilt England. She’s his best ally—and his workhorse. And now he’s called her to investigate attempted murder: His men claim they were almost killed on the Thames…by a mermaid. All Lucy can glean from the creature they’ve captured is a warning: The sea is coming. We are coming. And we will drown you all.

And then the floods begin. Swaths of London are submerged as the people scramble to defend themselves against the water—and the monsters—that are flooding their streets. As mistrust of Lucy's magic grows, the king relies on Nat, Lucy's great love, to guide them through the storm. But Nat is cold and distant to Lucy. He swore his love only a year before, and now he calls her “stranger.”

Lucy is determined to defeat this powerful new magic alone if she must. But then she hears an eerie song within the water…can it mean that she’s not the last Chantress after all?

Plot
As in all the novels of this saga, a thousand and one things happen through the pages, one after another. As more information comes out, the plot picks up until you can't put the book down. However, I think the last third of the novel has not been up to the task.
It becomes quite repetitive and it seems that everything the protagonist does is useless. There are things that could be easily solved and although these decisions and these turns are understood by Lucy's feelings, I think that the author could have avoided repeating certain situations (for example: a ruse that happens twice practically the same, you understand that Lucy falls once and again, but it seems unnecessary to me). It seems like an attempt to lengthen the moment of maximum tension and I think the effect is the opposite: it loses "power".
There are also elements that I think could have been better used.

Main character: Lucy

I have liked Lucy since I know her and it seems that this will never change. From this part, I have loved her fears and doubts, which are as human as she (although other people do not think the same). I think she has grown a lot from the first page to the last and has come to understand a very important value which is self-esteem and trusting oneself regardless of whether others do or not.
In Chantress Fury they also offer us some touches of how her life was like before everything; the author reveals information about her mother and father. She also talks about much older ancestors and about what Lucy carries in their blood.
I love the relationship she has with her magic and how she embraces it as part of her, as something that she is and as something that she cannot separate from other parts of her being, like her feelings.

Nat
Nat is, and always will be, Nat. He is always there for anyone who may need help. Still, he is also a character who makes mistakes, who sometimes says things that should have been kept quiet, but he is not loved less for that.

The villain
Strong, evil and feared. It takes a lot to get to her and understand everything that has been weaving around her. I think this time Amy Butler has managed to please me with a villain that we can understand and even try to convince, but who is so broken inside that she will destroy the whole world to get revenge.

Other characters
This time Norrie has a little more prominence and I think for the first time I felt that she was necessary in this whole plot. In addition, we meet again with Sybil, with a plot of her own that softens your heart. And, of course, always ready to get as much information from Lucy as possible about Nat. The one that perhaps loses a bit of importance is the figure of the King Henry, who was one of my favorite characters; although there is a specific phrase with which he has just won all my tenderness, and which shows us that he has become a strong leader and concerned for his people, but also a man with a heart in which love reigns.
The last character I want to talk about is Gabriel. We already met him in the last book, but the truth is that I never gave much importance to him; I liked him a lot more in this part. It seems that the great gallant of the court also has some weaknesses.

Romance
Again, the romance comes and goes throughout the entire novel and it seems like it's never going to end well. Apart from this, what I have always liked has been the smoothness and delicacy of its story. But in this third part what stands out the most is how healthy their relationship is: they always try not to hurt each other, or depend on each other, there is no jealousy or possession... Their love is well built in every way.

Magic
In Chantress Fury, many new details are discovered about magic and also about the story of how the Chantress came about, which I find well crafted and quite credible. The best part is that, as always, there is not a single version of the story.
I think that, after looking at the cover, I am not spoiling you if I say that the book goes deeper into that magical connection that Lucy has with water. I liked this a lot because I love the sea and of course the fantastic creatures related to it.

The end (without spoilers)
The end returns to its usual relaxed point and we can really see it is a conclusion. That is why I expected a little more of everything. I think it is a good ending for a book, but perhaps not enough for a trilogy that aimed so high.

Composition
Unlike in the first two books, in Chantress Fury the description prevails over the dialogue. I am not complaining because I believe that many new elements are discovered that require that part and they are not very extensive descriptions either.
Perhaps it is my impression, but I would also swear that the chapters were much longer and the vocabulary somewhat more complex.

General appreciation
Despite the fact that the climax of the novel becomes extremely long and heavy, overall I got a good impression of the book. The first 200 pages are great and the end (although lazy) quite good, it would only need to synthesize what is in between.

Question
For anyone who has read the book I launch this question: Would you have liked to read an epilogue?

"Beware the songs in the sea."

Here you have my review of "Chantress".
A little spoiler for those who feel lazy: I really liked it.

Plot
Generally speaking, the plot is pretty simple, but it doesn't seem bad to me. It makes it super fast to read and entertaining (the overall rate of the novel is very fast). If it were a stand-alone it would be too plain, but taking into account that it is the first book of a trilogy I believe that the objective is just to introduce us to this entire magical world and to give us some type of story to follow, though the best will come later.

The main character: Lucy
I honestly think I like everything about Lucy. I love those moments in which her feelings are transcribed literally, as we see her believe in herself sometimes and distrust her talent in others. It is so real that it is impossible not to connect with it.
It is only the first book of three, but we can already see some evolution in her. The story starts with a fifteen-year-old girl who only wants to live a great adventure and who is very lost in a world that is completely unknown to her. In the end, however, she is a sixteen-year-old who knows what she wants for herself and for her loved ones, and who is not carried away by everything she could do, (the possibilities) but by what she feels she must do.
 I think she is one of the strengths of the novel.

Nat
Lucy and Nat are the only two characters that I can feel as real apart from one of which I will speak later. In future books, though, I really want to know more about Nat's past, since in this book they tell us very little.
I really like the antithesis between Lucy and Nat. I know that it is something that is usually done in the vast majority of romantic books, but I think that in this one it is very well managed. It does not seem that it is done on purpose, they are simply different and, in addition, their relationship is built on two natural enemies: magic and science.

The villain: Scargrave
Closely related to what I have commented about the plot: the villain is simple, and even superficial. Although I can understand the reasons why he became evil I find that everything else about his personality is quite loose.
However, I think this plot only serves to present the magical world and the laws that govern it, so I think it can still be fixed in the future.
Without any doubt, the weakest point in the entire novel.

Other characters
Like the villain, they seem quite simple to me, although it is true that in general they appear rarely. Who is something more relevant and maybe deeper than it seems is Lady Helaine.
Of course this is my own opinion, but I think she has a very important background and that it affects the protagonist in a way that I think will be very important in the future. Lady Helaine presents herself as a strong person, and she appears to be that way, but for me she is a coward and I think deep down she feels weak and afraid.

Romance
The way the protagonists feel at one point may have nothing to do with how they feel two seconds later, but these changes are perfectly understood. In the end, life is just like that, we never fully understand what happens and we do not always know how to feel, and Amy Butler has captured it perfectly in these pages.
Like the plot, it seems to me that the romance is simple, but also perfect. Everything is very sweet and when you read the story you see that it is impossible that they do not end up liking each other. However, I would like to see if it becomes true love. Remember: it's just the beginning.

Magic
Before I started reading it, I thought it would be quite complex to understand the magic system, but nothing could be further from the truth. Everything is explained in a very simple and detailed way, but without becoming annoying.
Magic has a lot to do with music and the author takes advantage of it to make beautiful metaphors.

The end
Sweet and bitter at the same time. It gives a lot of clues about what may happen later but I really want to see it by myself in the next books.

Composition
Very short chapters and a lot of dialogue which I really liked.

General appreciation
The novel is quite simple, although it seems perfect that way if we consider that it is the first book of a trilogy (and there will surely be a bigger plot in the next two books). The villain is quite plain, but I think the end is just wonderful.

"Sing and the darkness will find you."

Jessica Nottingham

Chantress I can't deny that what drew me into Chantress was really the premise. I love when books stray away from the norm, and Lucy's story sounded like one that had awesome potential! Sadly about halfway through the book I found myself flagging in wanting to finish it.
 
It's not that the premise isn't fresh. I've never heard of a Chantress before, and Amy Butler Greenfield does a great job of sharing their background. The problem is that in order to build this world, there is a huge info dump required. I learned so much about what it meant to be a Chantress, but never really fell in love with the concept.
 
My other issue was that Lucy didn't seem real to me. Although this is marked as a young adult book, I felt like her character would have done better as a middle grade character. Her whole personality is very young. I understood that she grew up secluded from the world. I was willing to give her that. However I never felt like she evolved at all as a person.
 
By the time the romance aspect came into play, I just wasn't feeling it.I did ultimately finish Chantress, so it kept me reading. I can't say that I'll be back for more of Lucy's story though.

Chantress

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