We Are the Song

February 15, 2022
A young vocalist with a divine gift has a crisis of faith. Elissa, a 12-year-old Singer with a mane of blond curls, has a special ability: She can channel the goddess Ca� through song and create miracles. With her Composer, Lucio, she travels through the war-torn lands, helping to repair and heal, all while spreading the love of the Goddess. Only allowed to sing, Elissa secretly begins to compose her own songs and discovers that they hold immense power. When the two warring kingdoms of Basso and Acuto learn of Elissa's abilities, they each hope to weaponize her talents to ensure their own victories. While Elissa wants the war to end, she knows that Ca� wouldn't want her to use her talents for destructive purposes, leaving her to ruminate over the Goddess' true intentions for her. Bakewell's medieval-tinged fantasy draws heavily on religious themes, exploring the struggle of having faith in the unseen. Music factors prominently throughout, with the text relying heavily on musical terminology (even using quarter rests for scene breaks); a glossary may have been helpful for those less acquainted with their meaning. At times, Elissa, with her wide-eyed innocence and Pollyanna-ish spirit, can feel a bit facile and without nuance. Elissa and Lucio are default White; secondary and minor characters are diverse in skin tone and sexuality. An exploration of devotion and finding one's voice. (author's note) (Fantasy. 9-12)

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March 15, 2022
Grades 5-8 Twelve-year-old Elissa has spent five years at the Cadenza monastery, training as one of the 12 Voices of the Goddess Ca�, gifted with the ability to perform miracles. After the king's death leaves Cadenza without an heir, the neighboring kingdoms of Basso and Acuto war for the right to rule Cadenza. The Voices travel with their Composers, performing miracles to help those affected by the war. Elissa travels with her Composer, Lucio, helping those in need. After the King of Basso discovers how powerful Elissa is, he plans to use her to defeat Acuto. Fleeing in desperation, she discovers that she has been hearing the voice of the Goddess, who guides Elissa and the Voices to end the war. This fast-paced fantasy is full of action and intrigue, taking place in a war-torn world that still holds much beauty and magic. Readers will come to love Elissa, who struggles with doubts as she faces heartbreak, tragedy, and loneliness and tries to fight for what is right. An excellent addition to middle-grade fantasy collections.

COPYRIGHT(2022) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

May 1, 2022

Gr 3-7-Music has an otherworldly power. What if there was an ethereal place where music is magic and singers and composers were highly revered? What would happen if songs were manipulated for evil? Twelve-year-old Elissa is a rare accomplished singer in fairy-tale-like Cadenza. When the king of Cadenza died without an heir, it sparked a world war. For the past two years, Elissa and her composer Lucio have been traveling performers, gifting small acts of hope and goodwill to the common people with their songs. On their journey, Elissa experiences firsthand how power corrupts. Bakewell's middle grade fantasy novel weaves mythology with Baroque backdrops replete with Christian connotations: Elissa resembles Joan of Arc guided by a goddess named Cae. While music lovers will appreciate all the harmonious vocabulary and sonorous celebration, this title lacks the romance and strong chemistry of friendship that other fantasy novels carry. It also comes off as pontifical at times. Otherwise, it's a sweet fantasy work with an independent female lead. VERDICT An alluring fantasy exploring the influence of music, the importance of listening to one's own voice, and knowing who your friends are.-Laura Dooley-Taylor

Copyright 2022 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 30, 2022
Twelve-year-old Elissa is one of the goddess Caé’s 12 chosen Singers, individuals whose voices possess bewitching power capable of healing wounds, invigorating crops, and stopping landslides through song. She travels her homeland, Cadenza, with her overprotective music tutor and composer, Lucio, providing aid and relief to the war-torn nation’s citizens. During a stop at a royal palace, Lucio shows increasing disregard for his songwriting responsibilities and agrees to perform music with the potential to incur great harm, causing Elissa to question her role as a “mouthpiece of the goddess.” Her role is further put into question when military leaders attempt to weaponize her gift. After a mysterious visitor emboldens Elissa to write her own musical spells—something Lucio disapproves of—she sets off on a harrowing journey to save Cadenza from ruin. The cast sometimes feel like vehicles for the story’s events rather than fully formed individuals, making it difficult for readers to foster connections with the protagonists. Nevertheless, Bakewell’s beguiling debut—brimming with high-stakes adventure, expansive worldbuilding, and a uniquely detailed magical system—steadily crescendos to a gratifying conclusion. Major characters cue as white. Ages 8–12. Agents: Devin Ross, New Leaf Literary & Media.

July 1, 2022
Twelve-year-old Elissa is a Singer, one of the few whose voice can channel the power of the goddess Cae and make miracles happen for her people. Lucio, seventeen, is her Composer, responsible for guiding her and writing sacred songs. Elissa has songs she wants to write, too, but she fears claiming more than one gift will displease the goddess. When their travels through war-torn Basso lead them to a governor and then a king who want Elissa to work for them, Lucio bends to their pressure (and to the pleasures of court life), even after the governor demands a song that accidentally kills an entire village. Elissa feels that performing miracles for the powerful isn't the will of the goddess -- and when the king wants to direct her magic against the enemy, she puts her foot down. Bakewell crafts a spellbinding narrative that weaves the protagonist's guilt over the fate of her parents (convicted of heresy for trying to shield her from the church) with her motivation to write a song that brings peace, despite the impossibility of success. Readers may find their own religious convictions either strengthened or challenged by the portrayal of an absolutely loving goddess who appears in the flesh to make her wishes transparently clear to Elissa; others may gravitate toward Elissa's troubled relationship with the talented Lucio or the depiction of a devoted musical community. Anita L. Burkam

(Copyright 2022 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

July 1, 2022
Twelve-year-old Elissa is a Singer, one of the few whose voice can channel the power of the goddess Cae and make miracles happen for her people. Lucio, seventeen, is her Composer, responsible for guiding her and writing sacred songs. Elissa has songs she wants to write, too, but she fears claiming more than one gift will displease the goddess. When their travels through war-torn Basso lead them to a governor and then a king who want Elissa to work for them, Lucio bends to their pressure (and to the pleasures of court life), even after the governor demands a song that accidentally kills an entire village. Elissa feels that performing miracles for the powerful isn't the will of the goddess -- and when the king wants to direct her magic against the enemy, she puts her foot down. Bakewell crafts a spellbinding narrative that weaves the protagonist's guilt over the fate of her parents (convicted of heresy for trying to shield her from the church) with her motivation to write a song that brings peace, despite the impossibility of success. Readers may find their own religious convictions either strengthened or challenged by the portrayal of an absolutely loving goddess who appears in the flesh to make her wishes transparently clear to Elissa; others may gravitate toward Elissa's troubled relationship with the talented Lucio or the depiction of a devoted musical community.

(Copyright 2022 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)