Two girls and one boy can only equal disaster right? When
best friends, Aurora and the narrator, meet gorgeous
musician Jack, the narrator dares to hope for love for
herself, but she knows Aurora is irresistible. While they
struggle through friendship and young love, they may not
realize that Jack is awakening something else...something
not
human...
ALL OUR PRETTY SONGS reads in a way I haven't encountered
often. The narrator uses first person, but she almost seems
detached from the story at times. She sees the world and her
surroundings is a unique way. She cares about her best
friend, practically sister, Aurora so much, but at the same
time, you can hear the touches of resentment in her voice.
Up until Jack comes into the picture, it is clear that she,
at least, feels like she has taken a back seat in her own
life, even if that is what she has always wanted. I have
read of numerous characters who feel invisible or quiet, but
none quite like this narrator. Even after finishing the
story, I am not sure if I like that or dislike it. It is
merely something different at the moment.
The narrator is exceptionally deep. I love the character
development with her. She finds her own journey that she
needs to take, whether she wants to or not, or whether she
even understands it. I can't say that I liked how her story
ended, but it is not unfitting for the character. I can see
her continuing to grow once the story is done.
In the end, I didn't love ALL OUR PRETTY SONGS, but
something about it
still appealed to me. I enjoyed the journey the characters
took overall, even if I didn't always like where they went.
I will definitely still be looking for more from the author,
Sarah McCarry, to see what other directions she takes.
This is a story about love, but not the kind of love you
think. You’ll see…
In the lush and magical Pacific Northwest live two best
friends who grew up like sisters: charismatic, mercurial,
and beautiful Aurora, and the devoted, watchful narrator.
Each of them is incomplete without the other. But their
unbreakable bond is challenged when a mysterious and gifted
musician named Jack comes between them.
His music is like nothing I have ever heard. It is like the
ocean surging, the wind that blows across the open water,
the far call of gulls.
Suddenly, each girl must decide what matters most:
friendship, or love. What both girls don’t know is that the
stakes are even higher than either of them could have
imagined. They’re not the only ones who have noticed Jack’s
gift; his music has awakened an ancient evil—and a world
both above and below which may not be mythical at all. We
have paved over the ancient world but that does not mean we
have erased it.
The real and the mystical; the romantic and the
heartbreaking all begin to swirl together in All Our Pretty
Songs, Sarah McCarry's brilliant debut, carrying the two on
journey that is both enthralling and terrifying.
And it’s up to the narrator to protect the people she
loves—if she can.