The Strings of the Violin by Alisse Lee Goldenburg

(Image found on Goodreads)

"A degree of boldness is required when one considers the gravity of the situation." -Alisse Lee Goldenberg, The Strings of the Violin

Carrie is trying to put off thinking about the future. At least for a few more minutes as she soaks in some sunshine. But when she saves a fox from her dog, Finnegan, she doesn't think it will change her world. But this fox can talk and he needs her help. His home world is cloaked in darkness and only the return of the magical strings of a violin will save it. But when Carrie and her friends enter the world, they'll find they should have listened to their grandmothers stories more. Will they be able to remember enough to save Adom's world? Find the official description on Goodreads. 

The main plot comes out pretty quickly. Or at least the beginning of the main plot. And in a shocking form. A talking fox. It is definitely different than what I'd been reading lately. The writing was well done, and easy to read. It was somewhat easy to get into although it wasn't one of those books you can just jump right into and immediately be completely immersed. It slowly builds up until you find yourself entering the world of Adom as the girls do.

The easy banter between the friends took away much of the danger of their situation until something happened to clearly bring that danger to the forefront. It made things relaxing and a bit like you were replaying conversations you had with your best friends before. It was great, and kept your attention.

Then there was learning about this world other than Earth. It was great to see a new setting and learn more about it. I had lots of questions and got answers as well.

It was very interesting to see how folklore and their grandmothers stories were actually incorporated into the story. The folklore of the situation just made things that much more interesting because you're learning about these stories in bits and pieces, as they're remembering them and it was fun to learn some about their pasts.

I was also happy that Alisse Lee Goldenberg didn't take advangtage of the fact that she is writing fantasy and thus uses it as a free pass to manipulate lief and death. I'm not saying that I don't cheer when that happens but still sometimes it seems that it's used too often or it's used as a way to please your readers. That didn't happen here and I was glad to see it. Even if I was crying and wishing it could happen.

The Strings of the Violin was a good read, and different than the books I've read recently. If you like fantasy and young adult novels than you should add this to your TBR list.