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josift's review
4.5
Beautifully written, wonderfully imagined.
A cry and a question come from the same place in a girls heart.
p43
All the descriptive language is lovely, vicious when it needs to be, singing when it doesn't. I know. I know. I know.
inqueery's review
5.0
I love this book! Truly one of the best Middle Grade reads I have seen in a long while. I appreciate the trans representation, social commentary, and the well-crafted fantasy elements. I sped through this book and it's lyrical feel blended perfectly with the musical themes. This book holds a place of great pride on my shelf. The artwork on the cover does justice to its beautiful contents. We need more books like this one!
hannah5273's review
5.0
a unique ya book that isn’t about the end of the world or a love triangle. not only does it have representation of someone that is gender non-conforming (trans is never explicitly stated but heavily implied) it also passes the bechdel test and has fantastic female empowerment. minor spoilers ahead!!!
seeing a young woman find her own strength and power and embrace who she is was so wonderful.
seeing a young woman find her own strength and power and embrace who she is was so wonderful.
kiwikathleen's review against another edition
3.0
I kept feeling that I should love this book - the writing style is lovely, it has music creating things of beauty, it has a struggle to right the wrongs of lifetimes . . . But I couldn't get clear pictures in my mind of the place, and I found that frustrating. Despite that, I'm happy to recommend it for 8-12 year-olds as there are lots of really good reviews and I don't disagree with them.
lieslstachm's review against another edition
4.0
I recieved an advance copy of this book from NetGalley.
Delphernia Undersea lives on the mysterious island of Blightsend in the Cloisters, where she and the othergirls are meant to "make shimmer" -- turn the music of the Masters into gold. Delphernia was born with a singing throat, and cannot make shimmer, but she can sing beautiful golden birds into life. Mother Nine tells her that "girls with singing throats are swallowed by the sea" so when Delphernia is chosen by a young Master to leave the Cloisters to live with him, she must keep her secret closer than ever. But outside the Cloisters, Delphernia learns more about her world -- and her past -- than she could have ever imagined.
With lyrical prose and a compelling plot, Hayley Chewins' debut is absolutely stunning
Delphernia Undersea lives on the mysterious island of Blightsend in the Cloisters, where she and the othergirls are meant to "make shimmer" -- turn the music of the Masters into gold. Delphernia was born with a singing throat, and cannot make shimmer, but she can sing beautiful golden birds into life. Mother Nine tells her that "girls with singing throats are swallowed by the sea" so when Delphernia is chosen by a young Master to leave the Cloisters to live with him, she must keep her secret closer than ever. But outside the Cloisters, Delphernia learns more about her world -- and her past -- than she could have ever imagined.
With lyrical prose and a compelling plot, Hayley Chewins' debut is absolutely stunning
treeandme's review against another edition
2.0
Blog Post: https://museofnyxmares.wordpress.com/2018/10/06/review-the-turnaway-girls-by-hayley-chewins/
2.5/5 Stars
*I was provided with an ARC of this book through Netgalley, in exchange for my honest opinion.
Oh dear, I nearly didn’t finish this, but I really try not to do that, even with books I’ve brought myself. But I really just felt like I didn’t have it in me to finish this book, for the life of me, I just couldn’t get into it. The very first paragraph had me so excited as I could tell that the author was someone who searches for the most beautiful and interesting ways to phrase everything. There were so many stand out sentences that I marveled at, but unfortunately the text as a whole just didn’t work for me. I felt as if I was constantly lagging behind the story, like I was always having to play catch up and unfortunately I didn’t manage to in the end. I was just over the halfway mark when I almost made that difficult decision to stop. But I gave myself some time away from it and decided to continue on, not because I particularly wanted to see where the story would go, but because I hate not finishing books. Especially as some books manage to turn things around by the end. However, I think that it’s only fair for me to expect to have a grasp on the story and characters this far in, but honestly I had no idea what was going on, it’s the longest state of confusion that I’ve ever experienced. I didn’t understand the characters, their world, or where the story was going at all. I’m so very disappointed about this because I truly loved some of the writing, but sadly it just wasn’t for me.
I didn’t really care for any of the characters apart from Linna maybe, as she was just so bright and full of life, compared to everyone else. And I liked the odd little Bly and how everything that come out of his mouth was poetry quotes, it was quite charming. I couldn’t quite figure out the Childer-Queen or Mother Nine and it actually really bothered me, they both seemed like they could’ve been really interesting characters if developed more. The Custodian didn’t do much for me in terms of being a villain, he was quite a disappointing one if I’m honest. And with the main character Delphernia, I mostly felt sorry for her because of the way Mother Nine treated her, it was actually quite shocking to be honest. My feelings towards her didn’t stretch beyond this sympathy though, which already made me less interested in continuing on.
The idea of the Turnaway Girls intrigued me massively, but once I got the gist of it, I was still confused and it fell a bit flat for me. I can’t work out why, but I just expected it to be a bit more, to mean a bit more, but it all felt too metaphorical to me. When I thought that I’d understood something, I’d then learn something different, like I thought that only boys could be masters. And I thought that all men were masters, but some men can’t make music and so are treated as slaves. There just seemed to be a load of random facts that we were given that weren’t fully explored or simply didn’t make sense, like I didn’t understand Mother Nine’s conflicting actions or her connection to the Sea-Singer. I also didn’t get who the Mothers were and how and why they were chosen, as there had been nine of them all together.
I previously stated that I enjoyed some of the writing a lot and I still standby that, but the plot just wasn’t good. I felt so lost the whole way through, without a steady and strong plot to follow, another reviewer mentioned feeling liked they’d missed bits of the story and I can’t think of a better way to describe what I experienced. I keep saying confusing, but it was exactly that. The world building was patchy and the setting was non existent for me, because I just couldn’t conjure any of it in my head, it was trying to say the least. Someone else mentioned that they think that this would have worked better as a YA instead of a Middle Grade, and I have to wholeheartedly agree. There was potential here for a great book, but it lacked a certain depth and clarity, that felt masked by the beautiful writing. I don’t think I could personally recommend it, as I just didn’t really enjoy it, but most of its reviews have been four or five star ratings, so it may just be one of those subjective books that everyone responds wildly differently to.
2.5/5 Stars
*I was provided with an ARC of this book through Netgalley, in exchange for my honest opinion.
Oh dear, I nearly didn’t finish this, but I really try not to do that, even with books I’ve brought myself. But I really just felt like I didn’t have it in me to finish this book, for the life of me, I just couldn’t get into it. The very first paragraph had me so excited as I could tell that the author was someone who searches for the most beautiful and interesting ways to phrase everything. There were so many stand out sentences that I marveled at, but unfortunately the text as a whole just didn’t work for me. I felt as if I was constantly lagging behind the story, like I was always having to play catch up and unfortunately I didn’t manage to in the end. I was just over the halfway mark when I almost made that difficult decision to stop. But I gave myself some time away from it and decided to continue on, not because I particularly wanted to see where the story would go, but because I hate not finishing books. Especially as some books manage to turn things around by the end. However, I think that it’s only fair for me to expect to have a grasp on the story and characters this far in, but honestly I had no idea what was going on, it’s the longest state of confusion that I’ve ever experienced. I didn’t understand the characters, their world, or where the story was going at all. I’m so very disappointed about this because I truly loved some of the writing, but sadly it just wasn’t for me.
I didn’t really care for any of the characters apart from Linna maybe, as she was just so bright and full of life, compared to everyone else. And I liked the odd little Bly and how everything that come out of his mouth was poetry quotes, it was quite charming. I couldn’t quite figure out the Childer-Queen or Mother Nine and it actually really bothered me, they both seemed like they could’ve been really interesting characters if developed more. The Custodian didn’t do much for me in terms of being a villain, he was quite a disappointing one if I’m honest. And with the main character Delphernia, I mostly felt sorry for her because of the way Mother Nine treated her, it was actually quite shocking to be honest. My feelings towards her didn’t stretch beyond this sympathy though, which already made me less interested in continuing on.
The idea of the Turnaway Girls intrigued me massively, but once I got the gist of it, I was still confused and it fell a bit flat for me. I can’t work out why, but I just expected it to be a bit more, to mean a bit more, but it all felt too metaphorical to me. When I thought that I’d understood something, I’d then learn something different, like I thought that only boys could be masters. And I thought that all men were masters, but some men can’t make music and so are treated as slaves. There just seemed to be a load of random facts that we were given that weren’t fully explored or simply didn’t make sense, like I didn’t understand Mother Nine’s conflicting actions or her connection to the Sea-Singer. I also didn’t get who the Mothers were and how and why they were chosen, as there had been nine of them all together.
I previously stated that I enjoyed some of the writing a lot and I still standby that, but the plot just wasn’t good. I felt so lost the whole way through, without a steady and strong plot to follow, another reviewer mentioned feeling liked they’d missed bits of the story and I can’t think of a better way to describe what I experienced. I keep saying confusing, but it was exactly that. The world building was patchy and the setting was non existent for me, because I just couldn’t conjure any of it in my head, it was trying to say the least. Someone else mentioned that they think that this would have worked better as a YA instead of a Middle Grade, and I have to wholeheartedly agree. There was potential here for a great book, but it lacked a certain depth and clarity, that felt masked by the beautiful writing. I don’t think I could personally recommend it, as I just didn’t really enjoy it, but most of its reviews have been four or five star ratings, so it may just be one of those subjective books that everyone responds wildly differently to.
inqueery's review against another edition
5.0
I love this book! Truly one of the best Middle Grade reads I have seen in a long while. I appreciate the trans representation, social commentary, and the well-crafted fantasy elements. I sped through this book and it's lyrical feel blended perfectly with the musical themes. This book holds a place of great pride on my shelf. The artwork on the cover does justice to its beautiful contents. We need more books like this one!
graypeape's review
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
This book was just so beautiful in my brain! I know there will be readers who don't feel that way, because their brains are wired differently than mine, but for me, this book sang, I could see it, hear it, smell it, taste it, touch it. The story came alive. Thank you, Hayley Chewins, for bringing this gorgeous, beautiful into the world so I could find it!
hinalovestoread's review against another edition
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
It was a lot of fun and an intereesting concept.
Originally published on Hina Loves To Read
Hayley Chewins’ debut novel, “The Turnaway Girls,” is a lyrical and poignant exploration of freedom, creativity, and the oppressive structures that limit the roles of girls and women. Set on the stormy and enigmatic island of Blightsend, the story unfolds through the eyes of twelve-year-old Delphernia Undersea, who has been raised in the cloister of turnaway girls. These girls are trained to silently transform music into gold, in a process called making shimmer, while being shielded from the sea, sky, and the alluring danger of their own voices.
Delphernia, however, is unlike her peers; she cannot make shimmer but yearns to sing—a desire that defies the deeply entrenched laws of Blightsend where only Masters are permitted to create music. Her life takes a dramatic turn when an unconventional Master chooses her to leave the cloister, exposing her to the world’s brutal beauty and its dark secrets.
Chewins crafts a world that is as lush and vivid as it is menacing. The island, with its sentient sea and star-eyed sky, is rendered with a haunting beauty that mirrors the complex inner life of its protagonist. The narrative is rich with magical realism and fantasy elements that serve to heighten the emotional resonance of the story, making it a compelling read not just for children but for adults as well.
“The Turnaway Girls” is more than a simple tale of escape or discovery. It is a deeply feminist work that resonates with current social themes, particularly the restrictions placed on female voices and bodies. Chewins uses her narrative to weave a powerful analogy for the silencing of women and girls, making a poignant statement on the need for change and the courage it takes to defy tradition.
The novel’s prose is nothing short of enchanting. Chewins’ use of language is both sophisticated and poetic, making the book suitable for older children and teens while holding a special allure for adult readers. The story’s complexity and the elegance of its language set it apart in the genre of middle-grade literature, offering a richness that is often reserved for adult literary fiction.
Overall, “The Turnaway Girls” is a stunning debut that offers a fresh and fervent take on the themes of oppression, transformation, and the liberating power of song. It’s a celebration of breaking silence, challenging the status quo, and the redemptive power of art. This book is a beacon for young readers learning to find their voice and for adults reminded of the music hidden within them, waiting to be set free.
Hayley Chewins’ debut novel, “The Turnaway Girls,” is a lyrical and poignant exploration of freedom, creativity, and the oppressive structures that limit the roles of girls and women. Set on the stormy and enigmatic island of Blightsend, the story unfolds through the eyes of twelve-year-old Delphernia Undersea, who has been raised in the cloister of turnaway girls. These girls are trained to silently transform music into gold, in a process called making shimmer, while being shielded from the sea, sky, and the alluring danger of their own voices.
Delphernia, however, is unlike her peers; she cannot make shimmer but yearns to sing—a desire that defies the deeply entrenched laws of Blightsend where only Masters are permitted to create music. Her life takes a dramatic turn when an unconventional Master chooses her to leave the cloister, exposing her to the world’s brutal beauty and its dark secrets.
Chewins crafts a world that is as lush and vivid as it is menacing. The island, with its sentient sea and star-eyed sky, is rendered with a haunting beauty that mirrors the complex inner life of its protagonist. The narrative is rich with magical realism and fantasy elements that serve to heighten the emotional resonance of the story, making it a compelling read not just for children but for adults as well.
“The Turnaway Girls” is more than a simple tale of escape or discovery. It is a deeply feminist work that resonates with current social themes, particularly the restrictions placed on female voices and bodies. Chewins uses her narrative to weave a powerful analogy for the silencing of women and girls, making a poignant statement on the need for change and the courage it takes to defy tradition.
The novel’s prose is nothing short of enchanting. Chewins’ use of language is both sophisticated and poetic, making the book suitable for older children and teens while holding a special allure for adult readers. The story’s complexity and the elegance of its language set it apart in the genre of middle-grade literature, offering a richness that is often reserved for adult literary fiction.
Overall, “The Turnaway Girls” is a stunning debut that offers a fresh and fervent take on the themes of oppression, transformation, and the liberating power of song. It’s a celebration of breaking silence, challenging the status quo, and the redemptive power of art. This book is a beacon for young readers learning to find their voice and for adults reminded of the music hidden within them, waiting to be set free.
oxuria's review against another edition
4.0
Hayley Chewins w „Odwróconych” przedstawia historię Delpherni wychowującej się w zamkniętym klasztorze pod surowym okiem Matki Dziewięć. Jest tu jednak coś więcej – sekrety zaczynają wychodzić na wierzch, kiedy dwunastolatka zaczyna działać. Walka o jej wolność przemienia się w starcie o wolność Blajbakanu. Zaakcentowano tu mocno też kwestię władzy – bo przecież nie zawsze jest tak, jak wydaje się poddanym, bo pozory często mylą – tak jest również i w przypadku Królowej Młodzianny.
Historia utrzymana została jakby w onirycznej (sennej) konwencji, zastosowano piękny język – niemal liryczny – z wieloma metaforami służącymi do opisywania i przedstawiania stworzonego przez autorkę Blajbakanu. Cała ta otoczka daje wrażenie, jakby poznawało się jakąś nową baśń – tylko jak skończą się losy Delpherni? Czy w świecie, gdzie powinna ciągle milczeć, ta kochająca śpiew dziewczyna będzie potrafiła się odnaleźć?
Oryginalne nazwy, melancholijny nastrój, odkrywane tajemnice, ale czegoś do tego wszystkiego mi brakowało. Książka liczy niecałe trzysta stron – to niewiele, zwłaszcza jeśli tworzy się całkiem nowe zasady, do których dostosowuje się świat i właśnie to mi tu nie do końca pasowało. Zabrakło mi większego rozwinięcia, zagłębienia w problemy bohaterki; autorka niektóre wątki potraktowała zdawkowo, nie wchodząc w szczegóły – a ja pragnęłam detali, bo ten świat mnie zaintrygował! W książkach przeważnie spotkać można przesyt informacji, tutaj jednak stało się odwrotnie.
Mimo wszystko uważam, że dla młodszego Czytelnika historia Delpherni będzie wystarczająca – nie znudzi się, a przy okazji pozna parę zasad, które kierują nie tylko Blajbakanem ale i również naszym. Takiej lirycznej przygody może nie zapomnieć przez jakiś czas.
Historia utrzymana została jakby w onirycznej (sennej) konwencji, zastosowano piękny język – niemal liryczny – z wieloma metaforami służącymi do opisywania i przedstawiania stworzonego przez autorkę Blajbakanu. Cała ta otoczka daje wrażenie, jakby poznawało się jakąś nową baśń – tylko jak skończą się losy Delpherni? Czy w świecie, gdzie powinna ciągle milczeć, ta kochająca śpiew dziewczyna będzie potrafiła się odnaleźć?
Oryginalne nazwy, melancholijny nastrój, odkrywane tajemnice, ale czegoś do tego wszystkiego mi brakowało. Książka liczy niecałe trzysta stron – to niewiele, zwłaszcza jeśli tworzy się całkiem nowe zasady, do których dostosowuje się świat i właśnie to mi tu nie do końca pasowało. Zabrakło mi większego rozwinięcia, zagłębienia w problemy bohaterki; autorka niektóre wątki potraktowała zdawkowo, nie wchodząc w szczegóły – a ja pragnęłam detali, bo ten świat mnie zaintrygował! W książkach przeważnie spotkać można przesyt informacji, tutaj jednak stało się odwrotnie.
Mimo wszystko uważam, że dla młodszego Czytelnika historia Delpherni będzie wystarczająca – nie znudzi się, a przy okazji pozna parę zasad, które kierują nie tylko Blajbakanem ale i również naszym. Takiej lirycznej przygody może nie zapomnieć przez jakiś czas.