Martha
2 1/2 stars. I didn't buy the whole “no more magic” thing, or the “I can learn magic with a pronunciation guide” thing, or the secondary romance (which I won't name to avoid spoilers), or the “we can't arrest the uncle much, much sooner” thing, or the magic world. On the other hand, I did like the primary romance (as far as it went), and Ash's pranks & ways around her uncle's dictates.
1: I could be wrong, but I don't think there's any such thing as Major or Minor NOTES. Chords, scales, intervals, & other such RELATIONSHIPS, yes. But not single notes. And yet they show up over and over and over in the book. Considering that the entire science system of the Atlanteans is music-based, I would have guessed they'd know music theory better. And for the Yellows having a system based on sharps, they're sure singing a lot of natural notes.
#2: Mezzo-sopranos have a vocal range between sopranos and contraltos. They are not higher-sopranos. So if the main character is surprised by how high of a note she can sing, the logical conclusion is NOT “Oh, wow, I'm a mezzo like my mother.” Even when they CAN hit the high notes (and some can), that is not where they are most comfortable. But Gwen is, so I doubt she's a mezzo.
#3: I realize teenagers are, shall we say, less discriminating in their attention, but Gwen is bugging me with the way she drools over allllll the hot guys. “I'm blushing. My knees are weak. My IQ just dropped to the floor.” Even when she gets a boyfriend who has been her crush for years. Even when she's in a qualify-or-die scenario. Even when the hot guys are aliens and/or people she doesn't even know. Yup, still have to drool over every shirtless, chiseled body & every beautiful face, to the point of turning into a blithering idiot.
#4: Gwen's sister should have been cut. Good grief! And since the aliens wouldn't have made an exception for Gwen's rare voice, they wouldn't have made an exception for her sister with much less cause.
#5: I totally agree with the other reviewers who mentioned the high improbability of all of Gwen's friends and enemies making the cut. And the annoying “Gwen always has the answers and the skills” issue.
Things I liked: Merrill was a very realistic smart-mouthed teenager, but he wasn't afraid to make a fool of himself to protect a friend. Most of the gentle plot twists were easily believable (the culmination of the website situation feels just a bit less plausible, and the finding-the-new-agent part seemed much too easy & perfect). The characters were, in general, nice people (flawed, normal, nice people). There was a happy-but-not-all-perfect ending.
Things I didn't like: What good does it do to buy off someone if they not only don't know WHY, but don't even know they ARE being paid for their silence? Okay, that isn't really a book issue–it's a “that character is stupid” complaint. The pace is a little slow, but that can be considered a style choice rather than a true flaw.
If you want a book with action-packed adventure, this is not that book. If you want a glitzy, exciting book, this is not that book, even with a couple of trips to L.A. If you want a book about good & bad families and about people who are mostly trying to do what is right in hard situations, this might be that book. If you want a book about worthwhile choices in real life and loyalty under pressure, this might be that book.
