Chime

Briony knows that she is the cause of all of her family's troubles, including her sister's developmental problems as her stepmother's death. Of course it's her fault - she's a witch. Briony knows that she can never reveal what she has done to her family because being a witch is punishable by death, and despite everything she has done Briony fears being hung. So instead, she bottles up her self-loathing and instead focuses her efforts on protecting her twin sister, Rose. But things change with handsome bad boy Edric arrives in Swampsea. Soon Briony's life becomes a little more complicated as she fights her attraction to him, knowing that she does not deserve the pleasures that come with love. When Eldric's father's attempts to drain the swamp result in anger from swamp-spirit Boggy Mum, Briony knows that she'll have to do something drastic to save her sister from Boggy Mum's deadly revenge, the swamp cough. And in the meantime perhaps, with Eldric's help, she can make peace with her ugly past.

Franny Billingsly's novel Chime is extraordinary. The language is a bit eccentric as it darts from one vivid image to the next, but it is this very strangeness that makes it lovely and pulls readers in. Even though her shockingly staggering guilt, Briony's narration also somehow manages to be darkly funny and I enjoyed some of her snide remarks. If all of this somehow isn't enough to grab the average teen reader, the supernatural themes, early 20th Century setting, and a swoon-worthy love interest certainly will seal the deal. No wonder Chime received glowing starred reviews from nearly every major book review publication - I can't think of another book like it.

Overall Grade: A