Skip to main content

The Silent Songbird (Hagenheim Series #7) by Melanie Dickerson: A Book Review

The Silent Songbird (Hagenheim Series #7)
Author: Melanie Dickerson
Genre: YA, Historical Fiction, Christian
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Release Date: 2016
Pages: 302
Source: Netgalley/Publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Synopsis: Evangeline is gifted with a heavenly voice, but she is trapped in a sinister betrothal until she embarks on a daring escape and meets brave Westley le Wyse. Can he help her discover the freedom to sing again?

     Desperate to flee a political marriage to her cousin King Richard II’s closest advisor, Lord Shiveley—a man twice her age with shadowy motives—Evangeline runs away and joins a small band of servants journeying back to Glynval, their home village.

     Pretending to be mute, she gets to know Westley le Wyse, their handsome young leader, who is intrigued by the beautiful servant girl. But when the truth comes out, it may shatter any hope that love could grow between them.

     More than Evangeline’s future is at stake as she finds herself entangled in a web of intrigue that threatens England’s monarchy. Should she give herself up to protect the only person who cares about her? If she does, who will save the king from a plot to steal his throne?

      My Review: Evangeline is a cousin of King Richard. She is forced to marry an ugly and decrepit man, Lord Shively. Repulsed, Evangeline runs aways. She disguises herself as a mute girl and meets Westley le Wyse, a kind stranger who out of compassion takes her into his household. When she arrives at the household, she gradually comes to care for the people and falls in love with Westley. However, once Wesley discovers the truth to her lies, will they finally be able to love and trust each other or will the lies tear the couple apart forever?

       I really didn’t like the main characters in this book. They were not very relatable. Evangeline was very selfish. She didn’t care that her actions negatively affected others because all she cared about was her own happiness. I loathed how she treated her servant, Muriel. She dragged her into deception, and when they were separated from each other in the le Wyse’s household, she didn’t bother to check up on her or asked to care for her. She also didn’t take the time getting to know her friend, Nicola. All she cared about was her relationship with Westley. She did not take anyone’s feelings into consideration. Thus, while she is supposed to be a good character, I thought that she was no different from the mean girl, and I didn’t understand why Westley would fall for her.

     Westley was also unlikable in this novel. He made very unwise decisions in this novel. He was very gullible. He was described by many characters as being kind, but I never really saw it. He was also very selfish. He didn’t interact much with many of the servants except for Evangeline. The only reason he hung around her and fell for her was because she was beautiful. There were no other reasons for why he loved her. Thus, their relationship felt very forced and had no chemistry. As a hero, he was very weak and was often a damsel-in-distress. His servants said he was an expert swordsman, yet nowhere in the book did it show that he was a good fighter. He always had to be saved by his enemies from Evangeline.  This leads me to the ending. The climax was a letdown. The author gave her characters an easy way out of a dangerous situation. Thus, because Westley was a weak character, he was able to save his lady love without lifting a finger or even use a little wit.

     Overall, this book is about love, choices, and hope. The characters were not very well-written. However, what I disliked most about the two protagonists was that they never really suffered any consequences in this story. Also, having read all of Melanie Dickerson’s books, this was mostly a recycled version from her other books. There was no original plot in the novel. Thus, if you have read all the major plot points from her previous novels, you will notice that there is nothing new. The same contrivances are also here. Girl is forced to marry an ugly, old man; girl is a servant in a love interest’s household; girl marries love interest. As a fan of Melanie Dickerson, I hope that she comes up with something more original. I love all her novels, and have re-read the series many times. Yet, The Silent Songbird lacks creativity. The reason why I am disappointed with this book is because she is one of my favorite authors, and I know that she is capable of doing better. I think that the reason why this book is not top quality was because she had three books released that year. I think that instead of her focusing on how many novels she produced over the year, she should focus on the quality of her product. It is not necessarily about quantity but quality. Thus, The Silent Songbird was a very promising novel, and one of my most anticipated books of 2016. Sadly, it didn’t live up to its potential. I’m still going to re-read this book again simply because I love her Hagenheim series. This novel will be sure to please many fans of her works. However, I think her previous novels are better. I’m looking forward to reading the next books in this series because I’m sure that they will be more enjoyable than this novel.

Rating: 2½ out of 5 stars

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

A Right Worthy Woman by Ruth P. Watson: A Book Review

A Right Worthy Woman Author: Ruth P. Watson Genre: Historical Fiction Publisher: Atria Books Release Date: 2023 Pages: 303 Source: Netgalley/Publisher in exchange for an honest review. Synopsis: In the vein of The Personal Librarian and The House of Eve , a “remarkable and stirring novel” (Patti Callahan Henry, New York Times bestselling author) based on the inspiring true story of Virginia’s Black Wall Street and the indomitable Maggie Lena Walker, the daughter of a formerly enslaved woman who became the first Black woman to establish and preside over a bank in the United States.       Maggie Lena Walker was ambitious and unafraid. Her childhood in 19th-century Virginia helping her mother with her laundry service opened her eyes to the overwhelming discrepancy between the Black residents and her mother’s affluent white clients. She vowed to not only secure the same kind of home and finery for herself, but she would also help others in her community achi...

The Amazons: Lives and Legends of Warrior Women Across The AncientWorld by Adrienne Mayor: A Book Review

The Amazons: Lives and Legends of Warrior Women Across The Ancient World Author:  Adrienne Mayor Genre: Nonfiction, History Publisher: Princeton University Press Release Date: 2014 Pages: 530 Source: My State Public Library Synopsis: Amazons—fierce warrior women dwelling on the fringes of the known world—were the mythic archenemies of the ancient Greeks. Heracles and Achilles displayed their valor in duels with Amazon queens, and the Athenians reveled in their victory over a powerful Amazon army. In historical times, Cyrus of Persia, Alexander the Great, and the Roman general Pompey tangled with Amazons.      But just who were these bold barbarian archers on horseback who gloried in fighting, hunting, and sexual freedom? Were Amazons real? In this deeply researched, wide-ranging, and lavishly illustrated book, National Book Award finalist Adrienne Mayor presents the Amazons as they have never been seen before. This is the first comprehensive account of warrio...

Queen of Exiles by Vanessa Riley: A Book Review

Queen of Exiles Author: Vanessa Riley Genre: Historical Fiction Publisher: William Morrow Release Date: 2023 Pages: 447 Source: Netgalley/Publisher in exchange for an honest review. Synopsis: Acclaimed historical novelist Vanessa Riley is back with another novel based on the life of an extraordinary Black woman from history: Haiti’s Queen Marie-Louise Christophe, who escaped a coup in Haiti to set up her own royal court in Italy during the Regency era, where she became a popular member of royal European society.       The Queen of Exiles is Marie-Louise Christophe, wife and then widow of Henry I, who ruled over the newly liberated Kingdom of Hayti in the wake of the brutal Haitian Revolution.      In 1810 Louise is crowned queen as her husband begins his reign over the first and only free Black nation in the Western Hemisphere. But despite their newfound freedom, Haitians still struggle under mountains of debt to France and indiffe...