Official Review: The Songbird and the Secret

Delaney35 · Post by **Delaney35** » 23 Apr 2019, 16:42

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Songbird and the Secret" by Celena Marie Janton.]

3 out of 4 stars

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The Songbird and the Secret by Celena Marie Janton is a unique blend of historical fiction and contemporary Christian fiction. It started off telling the story of Katharina, a young woman living in 18th century England. Her childhood friends, Daniel and Francis, both fall in love and wish to marry her. After giving a background of Katharina, the narrative jumps forward 200 odd years. It then tells the story of Melly, a descendant of Katharina. Melly has an ancestry project for school. This assignment leads Melly to discover secrets about her parents and Katharina.

Katharina and Melly have lives that parallel each other in several ways, despite living hundreds of years apart. They both struggled to understand their place in the world and how their lives fit into God’s plan. They both were honest in their struggle to understand their religion and its importance.

My favorite part of this novel was the way Janton seamlessly wove the narratives together. The reader learns Katharina’s story as Melly discovered it a bit at a time. Janton would give a snapshot of Katharina and then dive back into Melly’s life and issues. This method of storytelling highlighted the similarities of today’s world and that of the past.

The main issue with this book was the ending. I won’t mention specifics, but it felt very rushed. It made sense and followed the general arc of the book. However, I think expanding the end would have improved it significantly. Slowing the pace, even a little bit, would have helped a great deal. The way it ended was logical, and I did like it despite the rush to wrap everything up.

In regards to grammar, I only noticed two small issues. I could tell the book had been professionally edited. The issues did not take away from my understanding at all and are hardly worth mentioning. Overall, I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars. I am taking away a star because of the rushed ending. If I could, I would rate it 3.5 stars. However, it isn’t quite worthy of 4 stars, so I’ll cut it to 3 for the official rating. I think both readers of historical fiction and contemporary Christian literature would enjoy this book. It is a historical fiction novel, but about half the book takes place in the present. It is a blend of time periods, and that makes for an interesting read.

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The Songbird and the Secret
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gen_g · Post by **gen_g** » 25 Apr 2019, 08:19

This seems like quite the book! I like that the author was able to weave the narratives seamlessly, but it would probably have been better if time was taken to develop the ending (like you have mentioned). Great review!

Post by **kandscreeley** » 25 Apr 2019, 08:48

I love Christian fiction, and this one sounds like it's done well, except for the ending. The ending is so important to a book that I'm not sure if I want to read it just for that reason. At least it makes sense; I just wish it wasn't so rushed. Thanks for the review.

Delaney35 · Post by **Delaney35** » 25 Apr 2019, 08:53

gen_g wrote: ↑25 Apr 2019, 08:19 This seems like quite the book! I like that the author was able to weave the narratives seamlessly, but it would probably have been better if time was taken to develop the ending (like you have mentioned). Great review!

It's a very interesting book. Thanks for commenting!

Delaney35 · Post by **Delaney35** » 25 Apr 2019, 08:54

kandscreeley wrote: ↑25 Apr 2019, 08:48 I love Christian fiction, and this one sounds like it's done well, except for the ending. The ending is so important to a book that I'm not sure if I want to read it just for that reason. At least it makes sense; I just wish it wasn't so rushed. Thanks for the review.

I think the ending was satisfying and it's worth reading, at least in my opinion. Thanks for commenting!

Bluebird03 · Post by **Bluebird03** » 25 Apr 2019, 14:02

I'm glad the author was able to pull off seamlessly blending the two different time periods. Like you, I am not fond of rushed endings to a story. Great review!

Prisallen · Post by **Prisallen** » 25 Apr 2019, 14:09

A story of two young women, who lived 200 years apart, sounds intriguing. Thank you for a wonderful review!

Delaney35 · Post by **Delaney35** » 25 Apr 2019, 14:47

Bluebird03 wrote: ↑25 Apr 2019, 14:02 I'm glad the author was able to pull off seamlessly blending the two different time periods. Like you, I am not fond of rushed endings to a story. Great review!

Thanks for commenting!

Delaney35 · Post by **Delaney35** » 25 Apr 2019, 14:48

Prisallen wrote: ↑25 Apr 2019, 14:09 A story of two young women, who lived 200 years apart, sounds intriguing. Thank you for a wonderful review!

It's an excellent book. Thanks for commenting!

Janelle Juncos · Post by **Janelle Juncos** » 25 Apr 2019, 20:44

The way you describe it reminds me of a Lawana Blackwell novel. It's a pity about the ending. I feel like your last impression of a book is even more important than your first.

ElizaBeth Adams · Post by **ElizaBeth Adams** » 25 Apr 2019, 21:38

This sounds like a great read. I like that the present day character is the historical character's descendant. It seems like that would add a lot of weight to the outcome of the love triangle. If it had gone a different way, the modern character wouldn't exist. Thanks for an excellent review.

Fazzier · Post by **Fazzier** » 26 Apr 2019, 01:16

It quite unfortunate the author rushed the ending. However, from your review, this book sounds interesting . Thank you for given us an overview.

Delaney35 · Post by **Delaney35** » 26 Apr 2019, 06:31

Janelle Juncos wrote: ↑25 Apr 2019, 20:44 The way you describe it reminds me of a Lawana Blackwell novel. It's a pity about the ending. I feel like your last impression of a book is even more important than your first.

Thanks for commenting!

Delaney35 · Post by **Delaney35** » 26 Apr 2019, 06:33

ElizaBeth Adams wrote: ↑25 Apr 2019, 21:38 This sounds like a great read. I like that the present day character is the historical character's descendant. It seems like that would add a lot of weight to the outcome of the love triangle. If it had gone a different way, the modern character wouldn't exist. Thanks for an excellent review.

It's a very interesting take on historical fiction. Thanks for commenting!

Delaney35 · Post by **Delaney35** » 26 Apr 2019, 06:34

Fazzier wrote: ↑26 Apr 2019, 01:16 It quite unfortunate the author rushed the ending. However, from your review, this book sounds interesting . Thank you for given us an overview.

It is pretty interesting. Thanks for commenting!