Official Review: The Sound of the Stones by Beth Hammond

[Heidi M Simone]

[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Sound of the Stones" by Beth Hammond.]

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3 out of 4 stars

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In the young adult novel, The Sound of the Stones by Beth Hammond, we meet seventeen-year-old Francis (or Frankie). She is just your typical teenage foster girl. A little lost, a little confused, and a little lonely. That is until one seemingly mundane day, Frankie feels compelled to enter a closing bookstore on her way home. Not understanding the desire to go in, she meets a friendly, older man, Mr. Malack. Knowing there is something special about Frankie, Mr. Malack gives her an ancient book.

Beginning to read this extraordinary book, Frankie is immediately thrown into a forgotten old world where abused humans are enslaved, vowing to serve the vicious Krad, half humans, who have taken over much of this old world. Conditions are worse than ever, but there is one thing Ashra, our protagonist in this ancient world, must not share with anyone. She has an unheard of ability that if used by the wrong people, everyone's life would be in peril. As the story progresses, Ashra's role in this old world becomes more crucial. She meets a band of strangers who surprisingly have been searching for her. Together, they learn about the past and what the future can potentially hold for them.

Told in the third person omniscient point of view, the reader follows multiple storylines that at first seem jumbled, but do come together. Hammond has brought in a variety of likeable characters in her story. Personally, my favorite is Krank, the giant. Misunderstood and constantly judged, it is only when Ashra opens up to Krank do we get to see him more than this enormous monster to be feared. He vaguely reminds me of a Hagrid, who I dearly love.

Themes of love, friendship, trust, and family are all woven into this well-written plot. The author writes a fantastical world that is different from many others I've read. It is filled with giants; the half-humans, Krad; rock eaters, who you don't want to mess with; the Glasne, who you don't want to meet in your dreams; and strong-willed humans.

There is only one part of this otherwise compelling read that prevents it from becoming a 4. It is the relationship between Frankie's world and Ashra's world. It seems the author designed her story for the two female protagonists to somehow converge. Unfortunately, the conversion is somewhat weak at this point.

I rate The Sound of the Stones a 3 out of 4 stars. Even with the weak character conversion, Hammond has written about a unique world that pulls the reader within its earliest chapters. I recommend this captivating read to young adults and adults alike. Also, to those who enjoy reading about a fantasy world where young adults find they have a greater purpose in life.

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The Sound of the Stones
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[gali]

Sounds good. I like books about extraordinary books. This part reminds me of the Neverending Story.

Thank you for the lovely review.

[Heidi M Simone]

Sounds good. I like books about extraordinary books. This part reminds me of the Neverending Story.

Thank you for the lovely review.

That's a good point - when you mentioned the part that is similar to the Neverending Story. You're right, it kind of does...

Thank you for your kind words, gali!

[Bethhammond]

Sounds good. I like books about extraordinary books. This part reminds me of the Neverending Story.

Thank you for the lovely review.

You are the first person to point that out! Ding ding ding! *Gives you a cookie*

-- 15 Apr 2016, 06:23 --

Sounds good. I like books about extraordinary books. This part reminds me of the Neverending Story.

Thank you for the lovely review.

That's a good point - when you mentioned the part that is similar to the Neverending Story. You're right, it kind of does...

Thank you for your kind words, gali!

And thank you for the very well thought out review! Book two and three will most certainly reveal the link between Frankie and Ashra.

[Heidi M Simone]

And thank you for the very well thought out review! Book two and three will most certainly reveal the link between Frankie and Ashra.

You're welcome! Thank you writing such an interesting book! Thank you for clarifying that the link between Frankie and Ashra will be revealed in the later books. I was wondering that. I am definitely interested in seeing where all the characters go from here, so I'll be looking for the next two books!

[gali]

Sounds good. I like books about extraordinary books. This part reminds me of the Neverending Story.

Thank you for the lovely review.

You are the first person to point that out! Ding ding ding! *Gives you a cookie*

Cool.

Congratulations for the great review!

[Heidi M Simone]

Sounds good. I like books about extraordinary books. This part reminds me of the Neverending Story.

Thank you for the lovely review.

You are the first person to point that out! Ding ding ding! *Gives you a cookie*

Cool.

Congratulations for the great review!

Nice job in being so perceptive, gali!

[gali]

You are the first person to point that out! Ding ding ding! *Gives you a cookie*

Cool.

Congratulations for the great review!

Nice job in being so perceptive, gali!

Thank you.

[bookowlie]

I enjoyed reading your thoughtful, balanced review. Thanks for pointing out that the multiple plotlines come together even though they intially seem jumbled. Congrats to the author on receiving a glowing review!

[Heidi M Simone]

I enjoyed reading your thoughtful, balanced review. Thanks for pointing out that the multiple plotlines come together even though they intially seem jumbled. Congrats to the author on receiving a glowing review!

Thank you, bookowlie! I appreciate your kind and thoughtful words.
Definitely congratulations to Ms. Beth Hammond!

[bluemel4]

Great review! I was also immediately reminded of The Neverending Story! I love that this book is about two young girls. Congratulations to the author on such a positive review.

[Heidi M Simone]

Thank you, bluemel4! You and gali are very observant! I didn't pick up on that. It's probably because that story wasn't a big one for me growing up. Seeing part of the movie, I remember, made me nervous to watch it fully. I think if I were to watch it now, it would be a different story, I would be able to watch it and appreciate it better. Oh well! I really liked this story, and can't wait for the other two books to come out!

[Rachaelamb1]

It sounds like a good book though maybe a few things could've been better. It did make me think of the Neverending Story also even though it's been ages since I've read the book, and even longer since I've watched the movie.

[Heidi M Simone]

It sounds like a good book though maybe a few things could've been better. It did make me think of the Neverending Story also even though it's been ages since I've read the book, and even longer since I've watched the movie.

Thank you, Rachelamb1 for reading my review! It is a good book and even with that connection I mentioned that I found weak, I'm excited to read Ms. Hammond's next books in the series and see that connection grow.

[CrescentMoon]

I love books like this, where multiple story lines come together. Great review!