Chime

by Franny Billingsley

"Part mystery, part fantasy, this beautifully-written page turner explores guilt, mercy, and love."—New York Times bestselling author Holly BlackBriony has a secret. It is a secret that killed her stepmother, ruined her sister's mind, and will end her life, if anyone were to know. She has powers. Then Eldric comes along with his golden lion eyes and a great mane of tawny hair. He is as natural as the sun, and he treats her as if she is extraordinary. And everything starts to change . . .A National Book Award Finalist ★ “Exquisite to the final word.”—Booklist, starred review★ “Both lushly sensual and shivery.”—School Library Journal, starred review

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Romance, Historical Fiction, Paranormal, Historical, Witches

369 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 17, 2011

About the author

While Billingsley's first novel, Well Wished (1997), was warmly received by critics, a year ago she was a virtual unknown within a publishing climate that regarded fantasy as a specialty genre. Today, her name is on the lips of booksellers and reviewers throughout the country.

Franny Billingsley was not always a writer. She graduated from Boston University law-school in 1979, and worked for 5 years as a lawyer — a profession which she “despised.” In 1983, Billingsley visited her sister in Barcelona, Spain where she was “entranced by a lifestyle in which people did not make a lot of money yet lived richly and artfully.” Realizing that she needed to change her life, Billingsley quit her job and moved to Spain with all of her favorite children's books. “Books like A Wrinkle in Time, Harriet the Spy, and The Narnia Chronicles seemed like the perfect antidote to hideously wearisome legal documents,” remembers Billingsley, who began writing children's books while living in Spain.

When Billingsley returned to the United States, she took a job as the children's book-buyer at 57th Street Books, a major independent bookseller on the South Side of Chicago. “I worked at the bookstore for twelve years and I loved it because it helped me get back to the things that matter to me: people, ideas, and imagination. I wrote throughout this period. My early books were simply awful, but I did not let rejections and criticism stop me from writing. I worked hard at learning how to write and finding my strengths. It was not until I began writing fantasy that I found my voice. I believe that, ultimately, talent is less important to writing a good book than is determination.”

Franny Billingsley lives in Chicago with her family and currently writes children's books full-time.

Reviews

[Joe · Rating 2 out of 5]

After the whole Shine/Chime National Book Award Debacle, there was no way my book club could ignore Franny Billingsley's Chime. We had already read Shine and were completely confused and underwhelmed by it. Perhaps the National Book Award committee was wrestling with similar feelings, and that is what led to the gaffe. I dunno. I'm still confused.

The first couple distinctions between these books are glaringly obvious by page 12 of Chime.

1. Franny Billingsley can write circles around Lauren Myracle and the gaggle of Giggly Supernatural Romance YA authors who are flooding the market with shite. Meyer, Stiefvater - I'm looking at YOU .

2. Franny Billingsley's brain must be an unholy swirling vortex of What The Fuckery.

My own brain hurts just thinking about the juxtaposition of those two statements, so I'll try to articulate as best I can.

If I even know where to begin. Let's begin with a quote and see where this goes, shall we?

Slicing yourself is harder than you'd think. Your skin doesn't slice, not like bread or cheese. Your flesh pushes back. It's resilient, like the skin of a mushroom.

These are the thoughts of Briony, our plucky (witch!) heroine whose musings are far wiser than her years and whose narration is peppered with tongue-in-cheek quips and whorling self-hatred. It's a jarring, off-putting narrative style that will likely turn off casual readers and will certainly shock the shit out of fans of The Meyer Omigod-A-Vampire-Loves-Me crockery. Billingsley does not trot out lusty teenagers and plop them in the middle of a heaving supernatural love triangle. If you want teens panting all over each other and you don't want to work for it, by all means stick with Twilight. Or Shiver. You will be dul(l)y rewarded*.

Briony is astutely aware of the world around her. Maybe it's because she has the second sight. Maybe it's because she's a witch. Maybe it's because she's allegedly responsible for the death of her stepmother. Maybe it's because she's allegedly responsible for her twin sister's quirks. Maybe it's because she has bartered with the Boggy Mun. Or Mucky Face. Or, hey - what's the Brownie doing in the room? Did anyone see him enter? He's just... oh, hi Wykes - did you want to call someone else to their death? As long as the Bleeding Hearts don't talk la la la I am now in a field. When did I get here? It doesn't matter. I love Eldric. I hate myself. I hope I don't get hanged!

See what I did there? THAT'S what reading this book is like. For a couple sentences you think, "Ah! I am comprehending this! My third grade reading teacher would be proud! Look at me! Quick! Ask me a question about what I just... OH MY GOD, WHAT'S GOING ON?!"

I won't lie: large parts of my brain checked out as I tried to grapple with the sequence of events, none of which are tied together by traditional means. Chapters abruptly begin, abandoning the locations, focus, or characters of a previous chapter. Things happen suddenly with no explanation. Someone loses a hand at one point and I'm still not entirely clear how it happened. There were just tendons and blood spewing all over the place. And something about a Death Hand.

But here's the truly incongruous part: Chime is beautifully written and the characters are passionately rendered. Rose, Briony's twin sister, damn near jumps off the page. Her quirks (in our diagnosis-obsessed culture, we'd slap her with the Autism label and parade her around, trumpeting her Specialness) are lively and wonderful, fully developed and crackling with life. The tender affection between the twins, despite their enormous differences, is authentic and lovely. In fact, many passages in Chime are so exquisitely written it's breathtaking. And then the fucking Brownie or Mucky Face or Old One or whatever appears at Briony's side and my brain goes all wiggly again.

Despite all the confusion, I was certain I'd give the book four stars. Then my patience started to wane and there was a bit of teenage-love-rectangley (not triangley!) stuff. So I was certain I'd give it three. Then I thought, "No. This is well written and Briony is a strong, snarky character! She makes me laugh! I shall give it four!"

Then my patience really dipped.

Then it dipped again.

Then I didn't care.

And that was its death knell.

So Chime or Shine? I. Don't. Care. (DONG! Death knell.)

*Thanks for the joke, Katie!

[Tatiana · Rating 2 out of 5]

Update 12/29/2018

I am trying to give my old DNFs another go, but I just can’t with Chime. It’s just not my type of fantasy weirdness. It seems if I reject writing on the basis of aesthetic incompatibility, it’s forever. My opinion about the plot and characters can change (see The Disreputable History if Frankie Landau-Banks), but my aversion to a certain writing style - can’t 🤔



This book received a starred review from basically every professional reviewing publication - School Library Journal, Booklist, Kirkus - and here I am, unable to even finish it.

While I acknowledge Chime's originality and high quality of writing, I believe this is a novel that will appeal to only a very specific type of reader who is looking for some eccentric fantasy. The whole cast of characters, the world, the interactions are all what you call "quirky," but many (I) would call bizarre. The main character, Briony, is a very charismatic narrator, in a vein of We Have Always Lived in the Castle's Merricat. She is funny and interesting, but at the same time infinitely odd.

To put it simply, Chime was not a book for me. The narrator's voice was so hard to relate to, I had to abandon the story after about 70 pages. I strongly recommend everyone to read a couple of chapters before buying this novel to see if it's a story to your taste.

[oliviasbooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

How happy I am that I spontaneously gave in and ordered this odd, little jewel ....
It was dark, strangely compelling and utterly beautifully written ... and completely different from what I had expected.

It’s the turn of the century in rural England. The Industrial Revolution with its affluence of metal and electricity has forced most of the Old Ones, elemental spirits, bogs, brownies, fairies and the like, to disappear. But in Swampsea and other mucky places magical creatures still roam free. Dark Muses feed on the creativity of unsuspecting males until they drop dead or go mad, monsters shoot out of slimy holes to bite off your hand, the Boggy Mun strikes people with the deadly swamp cough and flying witches screech frightening things at people who lost their way in the dark while flashing “their girl parts” at them. Consequently witch trials are still in fashion around Swampsea. Female citizens who are fond of dancing or giggling and look quite the part are swiftly hanged when not able to produce a watertight alibi.
Briony Larkin has always known that she is different, because she always felt at ease in the swamp, Brownies, Wykes and Strangers actively sought her out and “Mucky Face”, a water elemental, calls her Mistress. But it had been her late Stepmother who convinced her that she was a witch, capable of wicked things and incapable of human feelings. For great parts of the book it remains unclear why and how Briony caused the parsonage library to burn, why “Mucky Face” crashed in a huge wave down on her stepmpother and caused her spine to break and what is the deal with arsenic poisoning. But witch or no witch - inspite of her many mock-irritated complaints to the reader (“How has Rose lived for seventeen years and no one has killed her, not once?”), Briony’s love for her autistic / obsessive-compulsive twin sister Rose was apparent. Briony believed her own wicked personality to be the cause for her difficult twin’s disability and her own urge to care for her to be enforced propriety, but in everything she nonchalantly said or did, a fierce tenderness shone through.

Thus I became very interested in getting to the bottom of the riddle, in Briony clearing the fog that clouded her memories since the strange illness which ailed her for a year before her stepmother’s supposed self-poisoning. And thus I cheered for Briony when self-proclaimed “bad-boy” Elderic, the swamp drainer’s lively son, moved in, treated Rose just right, promised the lesson-hungry Briony to share his private tutor with her and made her almost forget to hate herself.

Now the prominent question (after considering the average rating) is: Would you become interested and willing to cheer, too? Well, honestly, I don’t really know, but let’s take a closer look:

- I liked the unconventional writing style – clever, reflecting, a little odd, cheeky-naughty and layered with a fine coating of hidden hurt – right from the start. To be precise, by page 3 or 4 I was head over heels in love with it and almost believed the story had been composed for my benefit alone. I did not mind a bit Briony’s habit of dropping vague hints here and there and leaving blanks in the description of her family’s misfortunes and current situation. Because I somehow understood her state of mind. I strongly suggest reading a sample chapter before investing money, because the writing is pretty consistents throughout the book and you will find out pretty soon if you adore or despise Briony’s voice.
- The pacing was of the slower sort, but I did not mind a bit. On the contrary: I longed to savor each page, to let the sentences melt into my consciousness. If you crave action, film-worthy monster-fights and scenes that flash by in quick succession, better look for a different book.
- I liked the Victorian setting with its well-founded, but badly acted-upon superstitions and hidden otherworldly dangers. And I did not mind a bit that the hero did not possess superhuman qualities and the heroine did not perform magic and summonings and other acts, which are usually mandatory for the paranomal teen romance protagonist, day in and day out.
- I admit, I expect some romance from a five-star-worthy novel. It’s a personal requirement. And I enjoyed Briony’s growing infatuation and her jealousy of Elderic’s affections for Leanne. But but I did not mind a bit that the love-story did not blossom into novel-consuming proportions and that endless repetitions of the “I-Can’t-Live-Without-You-Mantra” were somehow missing altogether. If you need to melt into a kneeless puddle at least once in each chapter, go search for another book.
- In some parts “Chime” turned out to be quite “horrible”, meaning ripped out hands or swallowed people. But but I did not mind a bit. I enjoyed the gothic vibes. If you prefer your main characters unmaimed, I can help you choose another book.
- The title and the cover turned out to be exactly fitting. Seldomly a heroine’s face looks close to her description: In this case it does. Briony is porcelain-skinned with velvet-black eyes and blond hair.

I'll end this perusal with a quote:
"Once we got to eating, the idea of happiness returned to me. Not the feeling, the idea. Would a regular girl be happy simply eating a hot meal with a great deal of chew to it? Maybe happiness is a simple thing. Maybe it's as simple as the salty taste of pork, and the vast deal of chewing in it, and how, when the chew is gone, you can still scrape at the bone with your bottom teeth and suck at the marrow."

Have you decided? If not, take you time ... until the next 'Chime'.

******
My first thoughts, written right after reading (2011/08/07):
I am still wavering between four and five stars and have to let my impressions/emotions simmer for a night, because I know I liked the second half slightly less than the first, but because I am also sure that I really I loved this book, the heroine's voice and - among other things - her relationship to her sister Rose.
My copy is full of little plastic Post-it-strips that need to be typed and my head is full of thoughts to be formed, my heart is full of cravings for more works by the author and my jealous soul longs to be able to command written language to bow to my every whim like she is.

*****
2013/03/02: After my first re-read I feel so mushy and so abundantly happy inside and I can only barely refrain from quoting half the book. Briony and Rose have become even dearer to me. Knowing where the story went meant I was at leisure to savor all the tiny bits and wondrous pieces. It is probably safe to say that I've found an all-time-favorite. Or is that pretentious after only two years of infatuation? People - and readers - change, even when books do not change with them.

[Lora · Rating 2 out of 5]

If you know me then you know I love books set in this period. For that reason and others, I believed I would enjoy this. I wanted to enjoy this, I truly did. The premise sounded good; the prologue, however strange, intrigued me. But it didn't take long for me to realize that I wouldn't be able to read over 300 pages of Briony's narrative. It is undoubtedly the strangest I've ever come across. So strange, in fact, that I'm not sure I can describe it properly. It's like an odd mix of pessimism, self-hatred (which I'm sure is explained and turned around later on), and dreariness (although to be far, the book itself seemed to have a rather dreary atmosphere from what I read). Sprinkle on some idiosyncrasies and a mother-hen mentality due to her sister's issues and you've got Briony Larkin. I'm not saying that any of this is bad, it's just not for me. I prefer to be able to connect with the main character, perhaps even relate to him/her in some way. It didn't take me long to figure out that that is impossible for me with Briony.

Based on my own taste and experience, I can't recommend this; but I can't not recommend it, either. I saw a lot of potential in the story, and I'm sure a lot of people would really enjoy Chime. I recommend picking this up from your library — rather than purchasing it — if you're interested.

Note: My default rating for books I can't finish is one star, but I recognize that the writing was good and therefore I'm going with one and a half with a round up of two.

[Minli · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved Chime so much I do not have words. I stayed up late to finish it, and I re-read parts of it the next morning. Don’t let the cover fool you, it’s not a paranormal romance, nor is it about a goth girl playing Victorian dress-up…it simply does not do justice the sheer poetic loveliness of the novel. Chime feels like a retelling without being based on a fairytale: the whole timbre of the book is tale as old as time, but set in 1910s England. The closest comp titles I can think of are Juliet Marillier’s Wildwood Dancing, Laini Taylor’s Lips Touch Three Times and Elizabeth Bunce’s A Curse Dark As Gold. All of those books I love passionately, and I can happily add Chime to that list.

Seventeen-year-old Briony Larkin has a secret and feels like she ought to be hanged. That secret might have something to do with her stepmother’s death and her sister’s childhood accident, or maybe the fact that she’s a witch. Life in her small town of Swampsea is dominated by forbidden visits to the swamp, known to be mystical and dangerous; that is, until Mr. Clayborne arrives to drain it in the name of progress. His son, Eldric, quickly strikes a friendship with Briony, bonding over incorrect Latin, a “Bad Boy” fraternity, and various other goofy antics. Not only do things begin to change, Briony’s murky memories are brought to the surface to be confronted by truth and perspective.

At some point I will elaborate on the idea of book soulmates. Chime is mine—it feels like it was written just for me. My taste skews more towards fairy and folk tales, and I live for stories set on the cusp of the industrial age. The main character, usually female, must have agency. And the boy too, especially one who isn’t spineless and/or brooding, with a real personality. And writing, oh writing. It must be good writing, obviously—sometimes an unexpectedly funny turn of phrase, vivid imagery, an effortless smoothness that every writer knows only comes after countless revisions.

In a writer not as skilled, Briony’s shattered confidence and self-image could easily come off as pitying and unbearable. I never get that feeling while reading in Billingsley’s beautiful prose; Briony is headstrong, protective, and often hilarious. Ultimately, Chime is a novel about the facets of a person, about self-loathing, about love, about art. About monsters, too, and the shape they come in—and about mothers and manipulation and morality. It has beautiful moments, moments where you stop breathing, moments where you sit back and gaze at the pretty words, moments where a sigh is practically written into the page.

[Nafiza · Rating 5 out of 5]

I long deliberated about whether to review this or not. Sometimes you read something that resonates with you to such a degree, with such intensity that it feels as though you could never do it justice by reviewing it. That it just may be impossible to articulate the reasons why you loved this book and why other people should definitely try it out. But since I like doing impossible things, I am going to try. Just be warned though: No matter how lavishly I praise this book, it deserves a lot more.

It is a novel's prose that attracts me. The plot and the characterization, while important in their own rights, become secondary when I decide how much I like a novel. To date, there have been only two other novels that I have loved simply for the gorgeousness of their prose. They are The History of Love by Nicole Krauss and The Ghosts of Ashbury High by Jaclyn Moriarty. Chime finds itself a niche on my shelf of awesome.

Chime creates an unearthly world, a land dominated by marshes and superstitious people. The effect is surreal as though the reader has submerged herself in a world that is determined to surprise her by its strangeness and enthrall her with its beauty. The protagonist, Briony, is by far one of the strangest, and all the more compelling for it, narrator I have had the fortune to come across. She is an unreliable narrator and her narration is less of a storytelling and more as though the readers were the blank pages of her journal on which she is scribbling her experiences, thoughts and emotions. She is intricately detailed and her individuality is delineated even despite the fact that she has a twin sister.

"I felt as though I were a music box in want of winding. Yes, as though I were a music box and the tune were my life, playing more and more slowly with every passing day. Finally, not even I could recognize it. The notes were stretched too far apart. They were no longer notes, they were plinks. I wound down to a plink."

All the characters in the novel, no matter what their importance to the greater plot, are etched out and given worth. From the little boy that Briony considers a friend to the unfortunate man murdered in the marsh, they are all superbly characterized.

The plot comes to life slowly. The story does not flow from point A to B, oh no, it blooms like flowers in a field. First you may notice a patch of daisies on one side and then later on dandelions in the center. And then at the end, suddenly, you have a field full of flowers and it is much like an epiphany you weren't certain you were going to have. It's a beautiful thing.

This book contains one of the most delicious kissing scenes ever. I adore the love interest. I can't say much more than that. Honestly. Read it for the kiss scene alone.

And finally, let me talk about the prose. Billingsley plays unabashedly with language here. She creates words, she repeats them and it is a testament to her boldness that her experimenting pays off.

"If you say a word, it leaps out and becomes the truth. I love you. I believe it. I believe I am loveable. How can something as fragile as a word build a whole world?"|

"Eldric turned away from the mirror, holding out his hand. In the cup of his hand lay his fidget of paper clips. But the fidget had blossomed into a crown. An allover-filigree crown, with a twisty spire marking the front.

I stared at it for some moments. "It's for you," said Eldric. "If you want it."

"I'm seventeen," I said. "I haven't played at princess for years."

"Does that matter ?" Eldric set it on my head. It was almost weightless, a true crown for the steam age.

In a proper story, antagonistic sparks would fly between Eldric and me, sparks that would sweeten the inevitable kiss on page 324. But life doesn't work that way. I didn't hate Eldric, which, for me, is about as good as things get." |

"Father’s silence is not merely the absence of sound. It’s a creature with a life of its own. It chokes you. It pinches you small as a grain of rice. It twists in your gut like a worm.

Silence clawed at my throat. It left a taste of burnt matches."

These are just of the delectable gems in this novel. So, if I haven't convinced you let, let those words do the job. Give it a chance. Even if you don't go in for eccentric protagonists, read this book. I guarantee you won't regret it.

[Lata · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. What a fantastic example of unreliable narrator! Main character Briony's off-kilter narration drives the story forward brilliantly. We know something is very wrong in Briony's life, and even though the story opens with her demanding to be hanged for her crimes, it becomes apparent pretty quickly that there is so much more going on than Briony originally tells us. In fact, through tiny things she says, we're led to believe the very opposite to what Briony believes about herself, and to want to get to the bottom of whatever weird happenings surround her family.
I loved the presence of the various spirits, creatures and witches in this story, instead of the usual vampires and werewolves I've come to expects. Briony's speech patterns were wonderful (I kept thinking of "This is the house that Jack Built") and her humour and commentary about everything around her was frequently funny and clear-eyed, despite her gigantic, negative view of herself.
I loved the slow way the relationship between Briony and Eldric was developed, first as a friendship before eventually, and believably, leading to romance.
I did find it a little difficult to specifically locate Briony's story in a particular time period, but enjoyed using the tiny technology clues Franny Billingsley dropped to help me find my way. Not that knowing the specific year this story takes place in is critical; it was just something I wanted to know as I was reading, and resolved things as a somewhat alternate England, early in the 20th century where spirits and various supernatural creatures are real.
I was really impressed at the way Franny Billingsley used Briony's voice to carefully and slowly and brilliantly reveal the truth behind so many actions that occurred before the story's open. I was left wanting to listen to the whole story all over again once I knew the truth.

[Erica (storybookend) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Keep your secrets, wolfgirl. Dance your fists with Eldric’s, snatch lightning from the gods. Howl at the moon, at the blood-red moon. Let your mouth be a cavern of stars.

This is the story of wolfgirl, a witch living in her dark lies she keeps hidden from the world, and lionboy, a boy-man with golden hair and lightning eyes, who sees through wolfgirl’s hardened exterior. Chime tells the strange story of these two, and the unlikely bond that slowly forms between them, despite Briony’s witchy life and her detestable background. Briony can tell no one her story, she promised her Stepmother, and the penalties of being a witch is death. But Eldric, this boy-man with his lion smile and lion leap and fidgety hands, confuses her mind. Stepmother told her to make sure she hates herself, because she is a witch, but when she’s with Eldric, she doesn’t hate herself, she laughs, she finds enjoyment. But she can never forget what she is. With her dark secrets pressing inside her, her second sight allowing her to see what others can’t, and her twin sister Rose who’s not quite right in the head, a constant reminder of the wicked things she’s done.

Chime was strangely intriguing. The writing was kindof unusual. At first, I wasn’t so sure how I liked it, but then it started to grow on me, and I found I was eagerly devouring every precious word, and really appreciating this rather unique, strange, simplistic prose.

I really liked Briony, her voice, her view and interpretation of things. She was a nice, fresh heroine, not dependent on others, fends for herself, and takes care of her twin sister, Rose. I liked the relationship between these sisters. Briony often wishes she didn’t have to take care of Rose, that she could go far away, but she really does love Rose. And though Rose acts like a child, she’s trying to protect Briony. Rose lives in a world of her own, after an incident that happened when she was young that affected her mind. She says that Briony has no birthday, though they’re twins, and she won’t let Briony listen to the clock chime twelve. And she won’t tell Briony why, she says they’re secrets, which she has lots of, that she won’t tell anyone. She prefers not to. But her secrets are unveiled at the end, and Briony realizes how much her life really has been a lie. I thought it was rather brilliant the way Billingsley connected everything in the end, and everything started to make sense.

I really loved reading this book. It was strange, but in a compelling way that pulled me into the mushy sloughs of the Swampsea, running alongside wolfgirl and lionboy as they grew, and found themselves, and found love, something Briony never thought possible. It was a very enjoyable read, though I can’t say that everyone will like it.

[Nicky · Rating 5 out of 5]

Where do I begin to talk about Chime? It's a magical story and it's not: the plot revolves around magical beings, around what are essentially soul-sucking vampires, around a girl who is a witch. The plot revolves around a stepmother, and illness, around a girl who is made to believe that she's a bitch. Sorry: Chime makes me want to play with words, makes me think a little like Briony (which was, by chance, almost my own name).

I can quite see why some people don't like it. It requires thought, patience, and a willingness to tread out new brain-paths. Briony isn't an easy narrator, and she isn't reliable either, as she constantly tells us. The narrative isn't a straightforward quest, it's a maze, it's full of funhouse mirrors.

I loved this. I found the culmination of it all satisfying, and I happily followed the maze through to the end. I loved the friendship that turned into love and also remained friendship, so much more solid-feeling than the kind of romances that fiction is enamoured of where there's a spark and then a flame without any time in between. I loved the characters, and I would prefer to read them again.

But if you read fifty pages and you're not intrigued, if you read fifty pages and you would like to kick Briony, if you'd like to stop reading, then stop. It probably isn't going to magically turn out to be the book for you.

[Lexy · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book was amazing I couldn't stop reading it once I picked it up again and managed to finish after leaving it to sit for a while unfinished. I loved how fast the book went after I picked this book up again and I'm glad I did because I like love stories.

[Isalys B. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This may be one of the most challenging reviews I've ever had the joy of writing simply because this book is so wonderfully unique and cleverly written that it's nearly impossible to put into words why it's so unique and clever. It's one of those "you have to just trust me and read it for yourself" books to truly understand the complexity of this story.

Chime is the story of a wicked girl named Briony who does wicked things, who loves no one and feels no emotion. She is a witch you see, an Old One which is a secret that she's kept all her life. No one must know for if they find out, she will be hanged. Briony has also taken responsibility to care for her twin sister, Rose, who has the qualities of an autistic learner. I can, in all honesty, say that these are two of the most brilliantly written characters that I've ever read.

Briony is nothing if not unabashedly honest. She has such a strong and unintentionally witty voice. Her internal conversations, in which she refers to herself in the third person were fascinating. She was always reminding herself that she was not "allowed" to feel normal things because she was not a normal girl. Rose, her twin, was also a favorite character of mine. It was so interesting to see an author write about a character with a learning disability and still make her lively, playful, innocent, and interesting. Like her sister, she was too honest and she took everything literally which made for some very funny conversations between the sisters. The third most interesting character in the mix was Elric, Briony's eventual love interest. She referred to him as the boy-man which was perfect for him. He was adult and worldly enough to be part-man, but mischievous enough to be part-boy.

The setting of the book was like a character in itself. The swampsea was a place of mystery and magic where witches go to do "witchy" things. In the swamp, you will meet the Old Ones and creatures capable of manipulating the elements. One would have to be VERY careful when traversing the swamp because if not, it will gobble you up.

This is not a light read. You cannot just flit through this book. You need to sit down and spend time with it. Let your mind sift through and absorb all the deliciously creepy details.

I don't know if I'm doing this book justice with this review, but the best way for me to describe this book is by saying it's like one of those 1,000-piece puzzles. It's chock full of interesting bits that don't make much sense at first, but once you finish, you have a beautifully crafted masterpiece that was worth the time it took to put it all together.

This was my first Franny Billingsley novel but it won't be my last now that I know what a genius she is! My name is Isalys and I am a new Franny Fangirl!

[Steph | bookedinsaigon · Rating 5 out of 5]

CHIME has received countless starred reviews and a nearly equal array of praise and protestation from bloggers. Suffice it to say that I went into this book with equal parts anticipation and trepidation. A book couldn’t possibly live up to all that praise, I thought. At best, I thought, I will like this book, but I won’t love it.

But oh, I loved it. Oh, how I did. CHIME completely won me over, and I am in nonstop raptures about its genius. Seriously. It might be a good thing you are not in my vicinity right now. Otherwise I’d be floating and spinning in circles around you in my enrapturement.

When I say that CHIME won me over, it really did have to win me over. The first 150 or so pages were craAaAaAaAazy! I was really confused, because the book throws us right in the middle of Briony’s narration, and she’s not exactly the most objective of narrators. She is a great example of a successful unreliable narrator, because everything she narrates is colored by her own charged perception of things.

Briony is so vehement in her self-hatred that she very nearly makes us hate her as well. A person who spends her whole life thinking that she’s wicked and hating herself will obviously have a great deal of trouble thinking otherwise. And yet Briony also has a wicked sense of humor—and by “wicked,” I mean in the best way possible. She is like a magical, irresistible combination of Anne Shirley’s whimsy and—well, I can’t think of who her wit is like, but yeah, she’s a combination of wit and whimsy, which makes her completely and utterly cool.

Briony’s narration may be confusing at first, but if you give yourself a solid chunk of time to read CHIME, by page 200 you will be so engrossed in these characters’ stories that you will not want to put this book down. Perhaps most incredible is how well we come to know and love supporting characters such as Eldric and Rose through Briony’s voice. Eldric, the boy-man with an irrepressible love of kind-hearted playing. Rose, brain-damaged but still beautifully artistic, and all the more precious for her unique and childlike take on the world. CHIME celebrates childhood and play, and suggests that the best kind of love comes from these nearly magical moments of youthfulness.

There is so much more I could say about CHIME, and so much more within this book that deserves to be talked about. But I could go on and on for pages and pages, and nothing would compare to reading this book yourself, to see if it is, too, your brand of magic. I wasn’t expecting to love CHIME, but now it’s one of my favorite books of all time, an impressive accomplishment of writing magic. Now excuse me, while I go and reread it.

[Keertana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Briony Larkin has grown up hating herself. Before her stepmother passed away, she told Briony a secret: Briony is a witch. Briony is wicked. Briony is responsible for hurting her sister Rose. Briony is guilty. Briony must not tell her father. Briony must not tell anyone. If Briony tells, she will be hanged. Thus, Briony believes in her own inherent evil - she despises herself. Yet, when Eldric, a boy who is as different from her as sun and moon, arrives from London, Briony starts to question everything she's ever been told. Slowly, secrets begin to surface - secrets about Briony. Secrets about her life. Secrets she doesn't know.

Chime is dark, haunting, and utterly original. Billingsley's writing style can be strange at first, but it soon grew on me. I found myself devouring the pages, unable to stop reading until late into the night.

Briony, despite her own self-loathe, is an intelligent and self-reliant new heroine, able to fend for herself. Furthermore, she does everything she can to take care of her twin sister, Rose. Rose lives in her own world, acting like a child after an accident that affected her mind when she was young. She tells Briony that she has no birthday although they are twins, doesn't allow her to listen to the clock chime twelve, and has a plethora of secrets of her own. Although Briony often doesn't want to take care of her sister, she does anyway, showing an admirable sense of loyalty. Briony has so many notable characteristics that one cannot help but love and sympathize with her even though she despises herself. She is intriguing and, as the narrator, provides a refreshing new perspective.

Briony and Eldric's blossoming romance was captivating and - dare I say it - something that had not been done before. Eldric calls himself a resident "bad boy,"; yet, he is unlike any other "bad" boy we have come to know in YA literature. Eldric is a gentleman who is kind, honest, friendly, and funny. He becomes Briony's friend first and Briony, believing that she in incapable of love, does not see him as anything more than that for much of the novel. It is evident to the reader that Eldric likes Briony very much; however, as the novel is told from Briony's perspective, we cannot help but doubt him and question Briony's own feelings towards him as she does not know them herself. Eldric is so easy to fall in love with and, despite his evident weaknesses and flaws, has become one of my favorite male characters in YA literature.

To be honest, I was originally very skeptical about reading Chime. The cover is gorgeous and I wanted to like it so badly, but most reviewers had simply been unable to read it because of the writing style. I didn't want to be one of those readers. Thankfully, I was sucked in my the writing and thoroughly enjoyed it. Everything about this book is unique - its characters, its plot, its romance. Although it seems like just another paranormal romance, it is so much more. It is thought compelling, strange, and beautifully written. Certain scenes are written with such poise that they stand out, immediately making this novel one with writing that may not necessarily be poetic or beautiful, but certainly striking.Billingsley's talent for writing is evident throughout the story as she never makes Briony come across as whiny or annoying for hating herself - she truly develops and adds depth to her personality. Some authors are simply good, Franny Billingsley however, has true talent.

Chime may not be a novel that everyone may necessarily like, but it is haunting and deserves to be read. If you are looking for something that will completely blow your mind away, leaving you pondering the novel long after you are finished with it, read Chime. You won't regret it.

You can read this review and more on my blog, Ivy Book Bindings

[Khanh, first of her name, mother of bunnies · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some books are carried by the voices of the narrator alone, while I understand that this author's writing style and prose is beloved by many readers, I am not one of them. I found it stodgy, dull, and slower than molasses. Couldn't get past 1/4 of the book.

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this. (Funnily enough, I read Chime a day after realizing that there's not a single book I've read this year that I consider a candidate for the Printz. Along comes Chime and refutes that. Not that I am a good predictor of the Printz - but if there was ever a book that deserved every starred review received, it is this one.)

There is so much to this book. So much depth and color and emotion. There's clever writing, fascinating voice, and fantastic worldbuilding. Stellar characterization. Foreshadowing. Subtlety. Details and layers.

Chime is, in a word, unique. Not only in terms of its setting - which is a fantasy with 1920s technology set near a bog - but in terms of voice and expression. The metaphors are unique. The protagonist's self-awareness is unique. The protagonist herself, who believes she is evil yet never alienates the reader, is unique. The interpersonal connections are refreshing and real and possibly a commentary on 21st century views.

Chime about self-esteem and family, acceptance and love. About courage. About the importance of communication. It's wonderful and gripping and thrilling. Read it.

[Allison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chime by Franny Billingsley is one of those books I discovered on Goodreads and immediately knew I'd love based on the synopsis (and the gorgeous cover). Briony has a guilty secret - she is a witch. A witch who has destroyed her family: she blames herself for her sister's mental disability, her home being victim to both fire and flood and the death of her stepmother. She only feels at home in the swamp, but before her stepmother died she warned Briony that the swamp only made her powers worse. Then handsome Eldric moves into town and makes Briony question everything.

Well, I was so right: I did love this book! I fell in love with it from the first sentence and remained enchanted through the whole story. Briony is one of a kind - her narration was at times angry, sad, eerie, hopeful, scary...but always bewitching. Always interesting. There is no way to see the world through her eyes and not feel drawn to her and wonder about the things she believed she has done. I knew early on that things were not as they seemed - certainly not exactly how Briony saw them - but I definitely did not expect things to unfold the way they did.

Eldric is a great character too - I absolutely adored the different ways Briony described him. The descriptive language she uses is very original...but very Briony. I don't remember the last time an author was able to so successfully create someone so complex and layered (not to mention quirky and oddball) and keep the characterization so consistent. Her voice is very distinctive - the blend of wit and irony kept me constantly entertained:

In a proper story, antagonistic sparks would fly between Eldric and me, sparks that would sweeten the inevitable kiss on page 324. But life doesn't work that way. I didn't hate Eldric, which, for me, is about as good as things get.

I also loved her descriptions of the other characters:

Father's silence is not merely the absence of sound. It's a creature with a life of its own. It chokes you. It pinches you small as a grain of rice. It twists your gut like a worm.

Silence clawed at my throat. It left a taste of burnt matches

No, our family doesn't talk much.

***

She spoke in a dark-river sort of voice, as though her throat were filled with dusk. She was staying in a village not twenty miles off, but her dusky voice made it sound like an island of spicy winds and bursting pineapples. Just the place to be marooned.

I really cannot recommend reading this book enough - a constantly compelling fantasy plot, an intriguing and malevolent swamp setting and a set of the most quirky and captivating characters you'll ever come across.

[Hirondelle (not getting notifications) · Rating 4 out of 5]

"If I were an author, I´d write about people who sit on the floor. About people who look at mouse droppings and don´t care. About people who only feel a black hole inside."

This is a very good book, though it does not start too pleasantly. Bryony is full of hate and guilt, and we must go along with her and figure out the whys of it. The writing is beautiful and sharp, there are many layers here of plot and clues, some of the characters are fascinating and the setting interesting (though with some off-putting words now and then like "genetic").

But for a relatively-short book this one was a bit too long, it dragged a bit around the middle when we readers had our clues already (including the title of this book, which is surely a spoiler) before it our narrator understands it, all is explained and cleared up. The action could have been tighter, the revelations could have been more surprising, there is a lull in action midways.

I liked it very very much, though I did not actually loved it. 4.5 stars I guess.

PS - and a quibble with plot, if anybody wants to discuss it I don´t get how the stepmother could have been hanging around since they were children without any other sort of sustenance. Stepmother married their father when they were what? 12, 13, 14? Started to destroy the father and narrator? But surely she would have caused more damage in the village, than just the stone carver, if she was hanging around for many years before.

[Kathryn (Beastie Books) · Rating 2 out of 5]

The idea behind Chime was a very original one and had a lot of potential. Unfortunately it wasn't my cup of tea.

There was so much going on in this book that it was hard to keep up. The plot seemed choppy and there were a lot of different things going on. Between finding out who killed Briony's step-mom, who was trying to kill her, and everything else, some things got lost. I found myself looking back at previous pages to see if I'd missed something because I would frequently get lost.

The characters were interesting, but I couldn't connect with them. There seemed to be a wall for me between myself and the character that didn't allow me to see through their eyes.

I also didn't see any chemistry between Briony and Eldric. They spent a lot of time together, but they seemed more like friends or siblings to me.

The overall story of Chime was original and intriguing, but I think it could have had a better execution. The plot was a little choppy and unclear, and I didn't get a lot out of the characters, but this was a good fantasy type novel for those who enjoy them.

[TheBookSmugglers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Originally Reviewed on The Book Smugglers: http://thebooksmugglers.com/2011/04/j...

Why did we read this book: Chime has received starred reviews from Publishers Weekly, Kirkus, Booklist and School Library Journal, and with every new review our interest only grew. Plus, isn’t that cover GORGEOUS?*

Review:

First Impressions:

Ana: Listen. Come close and I will tell you a love story: my love story with this book. It wasn’t love at first sight because it wasn’t what I was expecting at first and the writing is different so it took me a while to adjust. But by page 50, I was a goner. Chime is a true gem: it has wonderful, beautiful, unique prose; an unreliable narrator; a wholly original mythology; an amazing, fascinating heroine; and a swoon-worthy romance. As you can see it has “Ana” written all over it and I loved it, I loved it so much I want the entire world to know about it.

Thea: I wholeheartedly agree with Ana that the writing style for Chime is a bit offputting at first, but once you become accustomed to Briony’s strange, almost poetic voice, it is what makes this book. I truly enjoyed Chime – even if the plot was a little bit lacking, the characters (particularly the narrative voice) are absolutely fantastic. It’s not really a “Thea” book, so I’m not swooning and head over heels in love (unlike, say Rachel Neumeier’s The City in the Lake), but it’s a solid Good Book and one that certainly deserves attention.

On the Plot:

Ana: Briony is a witch – and a truly wicked one. Her crimes are numerous, amongst them her twin sister Rose’s condition which requires 24/7 care and attention. Her penance is to hate herself, to carry the guilt and fear at all times and to deny herself the pleasures that a young woman might enjoy. She no longer runs wild in the swamp, nor does she talk with the Brownie who used to be her friend. She also knows that is truly incapable of love, tears and joy. In any case, what matters is to take care of Rose like she promised her late Stepmother. But then Rose gets the dreaded Swamp Cough, an infectious, incurable disease and perhaps Briony can help – but that would mean breaking that promise to Stepmother, wouldn’t it? To complicate matters even further, there comes along a boy-man, Eldric, with his mane lion-hair, and his wonderful boy-man allure. What is a wicked girl to do?

It is going to be hard to talk about Chime’s plot without spoiling too much so you will have to excuse us for the cryptic attempt to review the plot that will surely follow.

Chime begins thusly:

I’ve confessed to everything and I’d like to be hanged. Now, if you please.

How can anyone resist an opening line like that? It had that something that makes you want to keep on reading right? The story progresses as Briony recounts the events that lead to that moment. As aforementioned, it took a while to get accustomed to the writing style and to Briony’s voice but I did eventually, to the point where the prose is one of the aspects I love the most about the book. My copy is completely earmarked. Wait a minute, let me show you what I am talking about:

“I’m awfully tired,” I said. “Can you be quick about it?”

Poor Cecil, consumed by a grand passion, only to be told to compress his love manifesto into a haiku.

“I won’t try to excuse my behaviour,” he said. “It was despicable.”

Or a limerick.

There was once a rotter named Cecil,
Whose Love Interest wished he could be still.

Oh well. Unlike some, at least I’ve never pretended to be a poet.

Or

We were to have new clothes.

We were to have new clothes because I tried to bargain with the Boggy Mun and he outwitted me. I should feel guilty, but I don’t. Father shouldn’t feel guilty, but he does. We were to have new clothes because I made Rose sick.

This, to me, is Hell.

On and on ring the lunatic bells.

This is the sort of writing that I LOVE. But that is not all that I loved about the book, oh no. The story itself is riveting because it has wholly unique original mythology with nary a vampire, werewolf, fairy in sight. Instead, you have stuff like the Old Ones, and Swamp things and a Chime Child who is half way between human and the Old Ones. You also have witches like Briony who are to be hanged in public and Dark Muses who suck the life of men. Horrible things happen in this book and there are real repercussions from dealing with the paranormal world within the story.

And the world and the stories are disclosed to the reader little by little, because Briony’s narrative is full of SECRETS and what is she not telling us and WHY, which brings me to another aspect that I loved about the book which is one of my favourite narrative formats, that of an unreliable narrator; which then brings me to a halt here because I can’t say anything more for fear of spoiling the surprises and the twists but OMG, when the time comes and you realise what is happening and what has happened, it is brilliant and the clues ARE there and have been there since the start and yeah. It is seriously good stuff right there, my friends. I was up to 2 am to finish this book and it has been a long, long time since I did that because my beauty sleep is precious and I do not renounce it to just any book, it has to be for something really special and special this one is.

If I had to pick anything remotely negative about Chime, I would say that there are some awkward transitions between scenes. Plus, the story is supposed to be set in England but I never got the feeling of location. To be honest, it felt like I was reading a story set in America. But those things? Did not really matter to me at all.

Thea: From a pure writing perspective, Chime is fantastic. Written entirely in Briony’s unreliable first-person narrative, we are given a strange, filtered view of Briony’s swampy world, rife with Old Ones and spirits. Although I disagree with Ana – this is a traditional witch/spirit/fairy tale (Brownies are fairies!), albeit of a darker and more earthy/marshy variety – I think the way in which this universe with its spirits are presented is fascinating. Briony’s turns of phrases, from astute observations such as:

This is what I want. I want people to take care of me. I want them to force comfort upon me. I want the soft-pillow feeling that I associate with memories of being ill when I was younger, soft pillows and fresh linens and satin-edged blankets and hot chocolate. It’s not so much the comfort itself as knowing there’s someone who wants to take care of you.

to her graduated sentences:

This is the girl called Briony.
This is the girl called Briony; who lived in a swamp that was being drained.
This is the girl called Briony; who lived in a swamp that was being drained; which angered the Boggy Mun.
This is the girl called Briony; who lived in a swamp that was being drained; which angered the Boggy Mun; who sent the swamp cough.
This is the girl called Briony; who lived in a swamp that was being drained; which angered the Boggy Mun; who sent the swamp cough; which Briony found out about through the ghost-children.

And so on and so forth. Awesome. Simply awesome.

This said, the book stands at a significant 350+ pages, which is lot of pages for a book in which nothing really happens. In this Smuggler’s opinion, the plot was wonderfully executed, but the “twist” was kind of predictable. I mean…it’s pretty obvious. That said, being cognizant of the twist does not detract from the pleasure of reading the book, and the manner in which Briony discovers the truth is what makes Chime work in spite of its simplicity and lack of true plot.

The only negatives I had with regards to the book lay with the setting (as Ana mentioned above) – I wasn’t exactly sure where this was supposed to be, although from Briony’s many London references, it must be in England (although the witch hangings, swamps, spirit magic, and Briony’s manner of speaking/thinking DO scream American New England to me). Also, while I think the romance develops between Briony and Eldric in a wonderful way, I thought the ultimate tearful declaration of love to be a little bit…cheesy. Then again, that’s just me (and probably a minority opinion!).

On the Characters:

Ana: I think we can agree by now that we can forget about any semblance to a collected, coolheaded review, right? Excellent, let me tell you then my favouritest thing about the book. Briony.

She is the best female protagonist I have seen in a long long time in YA. She is AWESOME. She is a flawed, complex character. She truly believes she is wicked and admits to many things like petty jealousy or hating her father and how she loves the fact that is smart and has no problems with that. She also knows the difference between lust and love and admits to the first with a flair and easiness that I don’t usually see. Which is totally cool. And let me tell you: the things this girl goes through; no scrap that, the things she puts herself through, she is expert at torturing herself with her guilt for the things she believes she has done. I love how she says that she is incapable of love and has no feelings inside of her but then in one of my favourite scenes, when a boy teases her sister, she proceeds to beat him up to a pulp. She is fierce, (my) Briony is and I felt fiercely protective of her and was completely on her side. She is also a little bit weird and I loved her even more for that.

And then, there is the romance. OH, FINALLY MY SWEET LORD OF TOTALLY AWESOME BOOKS, finally a YA romance I can get 100% onboard of. It starts slowly (no insta-love or insta-attraction) and it builds towards love from friendship as Briony and Eldric (*swoon*) share stuff like BOXING LESSONS and a bad-boy/bad-girl club in which they speak Real Latin (Real Latin = made up words like “Stupidubus”) and even as she says she can’t love him (because you know how she is incapable of love? Apparently she is also unlovable *sobs for my Briony*), you see she is totally falling in love and so is he and it is completely and totally swoon-worthy and then the ending has one of the BEST declarations of love I have seen and I hugged the book when I was done and could feel little love bubbles coming from eyes. Seriously.

Thea: [Dodges love bubbles]** Ok. I agree completely that Briony is an awesome specimen of a character. I personally don’t love her and want to put her in my pocket or anything like that – but she’s a fantastic narrator, and her multiple issues after years of self-loathing and emotional/psychological abuse are completely understandable and so ingrained in Briony’s psyche. I LOVED the way this was handled, how her memories are faulty, how she blocks the truth and replaces them with other scenes – because that is who Briony is, and her narrative is what makes this book.

I also enjoyed Eldric as a character, and I, too, was relieved that these two begin the story as friends (not as insta-drool-I-must-have-you-or-I-will-DIE attraction). The fraternitus they create, the gradual emergence of feelings – it’s good stuff. That said, I was a little less impressed with the “boxing lessons” (which is actually just one snippet of a scene), and the thing that always bothers me in these types of romances is how fragile the female character is. Even though Briony learns how to “box” (really, she lears how to make a fist without breaking a thumb, which is kind of intuitive, isn’t it?), it doesn’t really amount to anything because she can’t defend herself against anyone. Yes, she beats up a boy that teases her sister, but he’s younger and much smaller than her (which is actually kind of disturbing when you think about it, but it does make sense with Briony’s character).

And as for that final scene…I will just chalk it up to different tastes. I am probably one of the most immature people out there with regards to romance, so when it comes to dramatic, mutual-tearful declarations of love, I tend to crack up. I understand that this is a personal failing – but if you, dear readers, are anything like me, you’ll probably feel similarly at the end of Chime. There’s a whole lotta nacho cheese coming at you. You’ve been warned.

Final Thoughts, Observations & Rating:

Ana: If you can’t tell it by now, I loved this book with a force of a thousand supernovas. If I had to compare it with other books, I would say that Chime is a mixture of The Girl with the Mermaid Hair by Delia Ephron, Bleeding Violet by Dia Reeves and Liar by Justine Larbalestier and I LOVED all these books so of course I was bound to love Chime so much. As of now, it is my favourite 2011 book and I would not be surprised if it made my top 10.

Thea: I truly enjoyed Chime and think it is one of the most refreshing contemporary YA paranormal novels out there at the moment. To put things in Ana’s astronomy terms, let’s say, I enjoyed it with the force of the planet Mars. Accessible(-ish), somewhat familiar, ultimately really cool – but not my favorite astral body in the solar system.***

Rating:

Ana: 9 – Damn Near Perfection (and leaning toward 10)

Thea: 7 – Very Good (leaning towards an 8)

-----
* Thea’s Note: I disagree, I intensely dislike the cover, which feels like a bad cover of Seventeen or something.
** Thea’s Note: I always feel like the bad cop, the downer Scully to Ana’s Mulder, in these reviews!
*** Thea’s Note: In case you were wondering, that would be Titan.

[Lori · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just a small warning: this review is bound to be full of praise, fangirly gushing, and positive adjectives. I will not apologize for this...

This book was absolutely gorgeous. Every word was an indulgence along the same lines as chocolate. And just like chocolate I wanted to savor it and gobble it up at the same time.
I knew from the first page that Chime was something special. Something completely different than other books I have read and that knowledge only intensified as I continued to read. The writing was completely incredible. I was a little awestruck. Franny Billingsley has a amazing gift and I hope that she continues to share it for a long time to come.

Chime is about the very wicked girl named Briony. She's so wicked because she's an Old One, a witch. This is a secret she has kept for years. Briony hates herself. She doesn't love anyone. Shes incapable of crying, and she tells you these things countless times, but you as the reader can see all the things that Briony can't. You will probably figure out the truth about her long before she does, but watching the story unravel and the puzzle pieces fit together is the beautiful thing about this book.

Briony tells you her story and her recount of the events is honest and witty. Her relationship and romance with Eldric was well developed.The banter between the two of them was fantastically done. It had me smiling many times. Rose, Briony's twin sister played a very big role in the story and I though she was a great addition to the already wonderful cast of characters.

The world in which Chime takes place is perfectly created. I saw no flaws in it whatsoever. The Swampsea and the Old Ones were unique. I won't say that I have read lots of Fantasy, but I will say I have read my fair share and the world in Chime is one of my all time favorites. It left me dying for more!

I'm going to stop now because I could probably continue gushing for a long time to come. I just want to say that you must read this book! I hope you love it half as much as I did. (That would still be a lot!) I will definitely be reading Billingsley's past books and devouring anything that she writes in the future.

[Cas | casreadz · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can honestly say I've never read anything like Chime. Everything in this imaginative fairy tale, from the language to the plot to the pacing, has a style and rhythm all its own. It's clear that Franny Billingsley delights in language, using it in inventive amd unusual ways, and her incredible wordsmithery gives a special flair to this gritty story. Chime is an intelligent novel, but also earthy and intuitive, accessible to anyone who enjoys the monsters and magic that lurk in the human imagination.

This book is dark and grim and macabre, definitely not a bedtime story for the faint of heart, and Billingsley's unflinchingly visceral descriptions will be emblazoned on readers' minds. Life can be cold, hard, and unfair — and in this story, it is. Yet there's always light at the end of the tunnel, and Briony's journey out of the darkness is heartening, if harrowing.

It's difficult to pin down the novel's time period — it feels almost timeless. While the Swampsea seems colonial, the allusions are more modern, and the tale itself seems ancient. Briony embodies this ethereal quality, both wise and naive, selfish and selfless. She lays it all on the table for the reader, and her authenticity is undeniable and bracing. She can be cold and cynical, yet her life is so spectacularly harsh that readers can't help but sympathize with her. Briony's wonderful imagination shines through in every word, from her wry use of understatement to her personification of the Swamp that lies at the heart of the novel.

Eldric, the electric boy with the lion's eyes, is like a cross between Henry Tilney and Prince Po — carefree and playful, yet surprisingly worldly. Readers will fall in love with lion-boy and wolfgirl, and their spine-tingling romance. Though readers may foresee the final truth, it's impossible to tell what twisting path the novel will take to reach it; just hold on tight and enjoy the ride. Chime is utterly unique and brilliantly creative — a masterclass effort from a phenomenal talent.

[Natverse · Rating 5 out of 5]

Alright, so I was going to do a proper review, but I just can't. I'm punned out, folks.

Besides I fear I love this book too much to be silly about it. And I have to say, when I first started I wasn't sure if I loved it or hated it. I was struck by how Briony was so annoyingly self-loathing. But then there was the pity and how she pathetically claimed she felt nothing because of witchery.

I found myself appreciating her character much more when she and Eldric created this secret society of awesome swamp-friend-creatures (the lion and the wolf). It was like freaking Adventure Time, but for realsies.

But srsly, this book reminded me much of my favourite Scottish ballad Tam Lin. It was probably influenced by such work, in fact, without the focus on a faerie queen or any of that.

People who loved this book will want to read Diana Wynne Jones' Fire and Hemlock. You will find that Jones' book is what teen was probably like in the 70s to early 90s: just a good damn story.

The characters were not one-sided and were much more complicated than the usual young adult novels out there. Eldric and Briony form a friendship first and romance later. They can verbally volley and Eldric certainly challenges Briony at every opportunity. And not challenging like a slap to the face and making her agree with his overt manliness. In fact he doesn't try to be overtly "manly", which in turn makes him seem more of a man than others.

Yeah wrap your head around that one, boys. :D

[Steph · Rating 2 out of 5]

Chime came highly recommended to me by the wonderful Anna at YA in the Second City. So it is while begging her forgiveness that I say I just didn't like it. Hear me out! Let me explain! Anna, put down that torch! Just a moment...

Franny Billingsly can write circles around a great many YA authors. This woman can write. I saved many passages from the book just because I enjoyed them so much. She has a way of making words come to life that not many authors are capable of. She says things in new ways instead of relying on standard sentences. This I appreciate. Here are some examples:

"I want the soft-pillow feeling that I associate with memories of being ill when I was younger, soft pillows and fresh linens and satin-edged blankets and hot chocolate. It's not so much the comfort itself as knowing there's someone who wants to take care of you."

"He reached through the window, his beautiful hand, his five beautiful fingers outspread. If I were a poet, I'd write about hands, nothing but hands. I touched the whorled petals of my fingertips to his; our hands made the roof of a house."

"Now a kiss, deep and soft, and deeper still. Eldric was never hard and crushing; he was only soft and deep. Only that. Time flew by on fringed moth wings. I was blooming, petals unfurling, soft as cream. Those silk-and-butter lips slid down my neck, traced the margin of my neckline. Only that."

"If there were such a thing as a vampire-puppy-dog, it would be Cecil. Big pleading eyes, asking for an ear-scratch and a nice warm bowl of blood."

Pretty, no? While we're talking up the positives I'd like to also commend Franny Billingsly on crafting a very original story. I am also very pleased with where the story ended up. The subject of emotional abuse from a parent, and fighting the resulting self-hatred that inevitably stems from being told you are terrible over and over at such a young age, is something that I am unfortunately intimately familiar with. I felt that Briony's inner thoughts and actions made sense and were an entirely accurate representation of what the lasting effects of emotional abuse can do to a person. This is not something I've seen approached much in the books I've read, and I enjoyed seeing it here, because it happens more often than you'd like to think it would.

So why didn't I like this book? Don't get me wrong, I did really like some things (as you can see above) but overall, I just didn't enjoy the story. It felt like torture to read and I had to push myself forward. This was largely in part due to the voice the novel is written in. The language was odd, to say the least, and I often found myself confused. There were two instances in this novel where someone's hand was either mangled or lost and I still couldn't tell you how or why it happened. Perhaps Franny just assumed her audience would be familiar with certain terms and ideas that she presented, so she did not need to be clear and elaborate on certain things, or maybe it was just part of the quirky thing she was going for. I'm not sure, but I do know that she lost me as a reader. I think it's important to make your book accessible. What about a new young reader who might stumble upon this book? I mean, I had a very high reading level in school. I know because I toted around those books with the AR sticker that declared my "college reading level" like a badge of honor in middle school. I mean, when I wasn't busy sneaking copies of Nancy Drew. I did very well on reading comprehension tests, I swear! Yet, I was entirely lost here. I generally love quirky but this book was just too much. I wouldn't recommend it to others because I know several of my friends would likely be just as lost as me, and I honestly did not really enjoy it at all, so how could I recommend it?

So, to sum it up: Great writing. Wonderful approach to the subject of emotional abuse. Weird plot and pacing and dialogue and everything else. Just too weird for me. Maybe not for you?

This review and more shenanigans at my blog: The Night Bookmobile

[Angela · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a free arc copy of this book from Penguin Group (USA). Thank you.

Normally, after I've read a book, I sit down and write the review in a passionate rush. Whether I loved a book or frankly hated it, my fingers just itch like crazy to get all my feelings out at once. After reading Chime, I had a completely different experience. My mind just needed time to process. To allow the story to wash over me. Much like coffee, my brain needed a lil time to percolate. And while I still am not sure I am ready, I figure I better give it a go. Melodrama ftw. Let's do this thing!

a description: There once was a girl named Briony who lived in the Swampsea where the Old Ones lived. And she could see them and they could see her. And she kept this a secret. She kept a lot of secrets; secrets about how her step-mother died; secrets about how her twin sister Rose became ill; witchy secrets that if told might kill her; secrets that were buried deep within her soul. There once was a girl named Briony, the wolf-girl, who met a boy with a lion's smile who would make her feel again and maybe bring those secrets out.

a gushing review: First and foremost, Chime is a beautifully written novel. Each word picked for not only its meaning, but its sound. Each phrase carefully crafted to grab our attention, keep us hooked, move us, delight us. I'm failing here to describe the simple beauty of this novel, and I'm not sure one can completely understand unless they've read it. What struck me about this novel was the attention to detail. Ms. Billingsley makes each word count, creating a magic through her carefully crafted story that only a true wordsmith can accomplish.

This attention to detail; this dedication to a well told story gives this novel an amazing setting. Think Tim Burton's Legend of Sleepy Hollow with its almost otherworldly feel and magical yet sinister setting. Ms. Billingsley invites us to enter a world where the Boogy Man is real and witches run wild.

Into this setting, each character is placed lovingly. Their pain, joy, and sorrow felt. Told in the first person, Briony shares with us her life, her misgivings, her hopes, her dreams, her heart, her sorrow. At first, one could view Briony as an emo whiner, yet as the story progresses and we weigh her actions against her inner turmoil, we find that she is a heroic protagonist who is trying to take care of those she loves, including herself. Eldric complements Briony completely and grows through the story, going from a carefree bad boy with a lion's grin to a loving, protector willing to do anything to help those whom he adores.

And what of the plot? What of the story telling? It is seamless in my humble opinion, twisting and turning from point A to point Z in a satisfying way, the conflicts which arise are organic and the characters dealing with them in realistic ways. The mystery of this story churns just under the surface, presenting itself over time, and alerting the reader to the reality that all is not as it seems, and that our protagonist might not know fiction from non-fiction any more. While I was able to guess at a few of the "big reveals" it took me more than half the novel to even begin to understand what was going on, and even then I couldn't grasp it all. Yet, it wasn't a frustrated confusion, more of an enlightenment over time.

The ending of the novel left me wanting more and I am DYING to get my hands on the next book!

To be honest, I am in love with this novel. I have nothing negative to share. It was the perfect book at the perfect time. One of those reads you find to be an absolute joy and are sad to put down. I highly recommend this novel.

[Lucy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I fell in love with this magical book. CHIME is unique, funny and utterly original and completely deserving of the 6 starred reviews it has earned. The characters are eccentrically wonderful and the story is charmingly written and full of surprises. CHIME is a YA paranormal historical set in Swampsea village in turn of the century England. It includes fantasy and romantic elements that captivated me from start to finish. In addition to the mystery and romance, mystical creatures including Witches, Dark Muses, and Old Ones help to set the stage.

The characters in CHIME really bring the story to life. Briony is unusual in that she is self-loathing, but with a witty and clever sense of humor. As a narrator she is at times misleading as she leaves out some details. Briony believes she is a witch and that she is responsible for the sickness and death that have fallen upon her family. She keeps her fears to herself to avoid a witch’s prosecution. Briony carries around a lot of guilt for the pain she believes she causes to those around her. She feels a terrible responsibility to protect the swamp creatures whose lives are threatened by the plans for the railroad that threaten their swamp home. She must stop the progress of the railroad before more children can be cursed with the dreaded swamp cough.

Briony starts to see herself in a new light when Eldric arrives to live with her family. Eldric is a burst of sunshine in Briony’s life that refuses to believe anything negative about her. The relationship between Eldric and Briony is very sweet and unique and one of my favorite parts of the book. They have a fun banter and respect for one another. Briony lives with her father and her identical twin sister named Rose who has some charming quirks about her. Rose is another one of my favorite characters that made me smile with her off the wall behavior. Their stepmother recently died under mysterious circumstances, and it seems like Rose knows more than she lets on.

The fantasy elements add a dark and eerie sensibility to the story. Briony tries to stifle her witch side, but keeps getting pulled into the supernatural world by the creatures that follow her around.

CHIME is a lovely and inventive story that is sure to appeal to fans of YA fantasy and fans of adult fiction. As soon as I finished the story I wanted to start reading it again. CHIME is one of my favorite reads so far this year.

[Ferdy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Briony lives in a town called Swampsea, where witches are put on trial and hung. Briony thinks she is a witch - a wicked one..she believes that she's to blame for her twin sister's mental health issies, her stepmothother's illness & death and the fire which destroyed the family library. Briony has kept her belief that she is a witch a secret. Briony is full of hatred and self-loathing, we're reminded of this constantly.. after a while this becomes beyond tiresome. Briony claims to love no-one, not even her own twin siser Rose and especially not her father, with whom she has a strained and distant relationship with. With the introduction of Eldric, who labels himself as a 'bad boy', Briony opens up more and forms an unlikely friendship.
The prose was part brilliant, part annoying and part weird.. Briony's many many inner monologues were challenging to get through. Her refusal to see what was in front of her irritated me no end.. she was a difficult character to like. Eldric's and Briony's friendship and banter was immature and child like.. it was bizarre to read as Eldric was an experienced, educated and worldly 22 yr old and Briony was a cold, unforgiving, self loathing 17 yr old. Eldric's flirtation with Leanne felt unnecessary.. it only convinced me that his feelings for Briony were weak.
The reveal at the end was predictable and expected.. Briony's father's reasoning behind his abandonemnt of her, Rose and her stepmother made little sense, why would any father leave his children with someone he knows is evil.. his excuse was flimsy and I didn't buy it.
This will probably appeal to a lot of readers, but it just wasn't for me.

[Liz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chime is not a book that every reader is going to love. I spent the first 150 pages trying to decide whether or not I even liked Billingsley’s novel, but kept reading because I’d heard it was good and my book club was reading it. While it took me a while to adjust to Briony’s novel, Chime turned out to be a well-plotted and lyrically written novel.

The world of Chime is an intoxicating mix of enchanting and dangerous. Billingsley’s setting had an ambiance that was both historical and magical. I was never able to guess exactly what was going to happen, which was a major plus.

Briony is one of the quirkiest characters in young adult literature. She has quite a bit of internal dialogue, and it took me a while to adjust to that. I’ve since picked up the audiobook of Chime and while I’m not done yet, the story flows much more smoothly when it’s read out loud. It’s probably because the narrator is amazing and does Briony perfectly.

Finishing Chime was like polishing off a rich chocolate dessert. The writing made this story delicious, and the ending left me feeling content. I didn’t want more or less--I was happy with Chime as it stands. This is the perfect novel for readers who like their magic blended with quirkiness and poetic language.

[Katy · Rating 1 out of 5]

So, I finished this book. I finished this book, and I understood Billingsley was going to for a lyrical style. I finished this book, and I understood Billingsley was going for a lyrical style, but the repetition was killing me. I finished this book, and I understood Billingsley wsa going for a lyrical style, but the repetition was killing me, and I just couldn't stand it anymore.

And the ambience was just so dreary, and Briony was so depressing as she fretted over foolish, foolish things (like the Bleeding hearts not using articles and proper sentence structure). She kept going on and on, and I just wanted to yell at her to stop it. Stop dragging herself down. Stop dragging me down. Stop dragging everyone else down.

I wish I could say that I liked Billingsley's brilliance in the hints around the mystery, but I just couldn't. And the big reveal would have been more mind-blowing if that person would have had a more significant role in the book instead of a few rare appearance.

Overall, I just thought the story was okay. But the way it was written was totally not for me.

Can I give this book 1 star without finishing it? This book is going to make me bang my head against the steering wheel and cause a multi-vehicle pile-up!

[Jake Rideout · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book. In fact, several times I caught myself reading the same passage (or page) over and over because I liked the way it sounded. Billingsley has such a way with words, both real and made-up. This is a novel that reads like one long song with lots of strings and minor chords.

Briony has two secrets that she must never forget: one, she is a witch. And two, she hates herself. Remembering these two things will help keep her family safe, because when she forgets, bad things happen. She believes that she is responsible for the unusual amount of tragedy that has befallen her small family, and she will do anything to make sure they are safe. However, when her father takes on a new (young, vibrant, and male) tenant, it becomes harder for Briony to accept her fate.

If this story had been written by another writer, it could have been trite and overwrought. Billingsley makes it creepy yet romantic, sad yet funny, small-town yet epic. This is the best book I've read in a long time.

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

AHHH. I don't know if I'll ever be able to write a proper review, but here are a couple of thoughts!

This is just such a COMPLETE story. There's a love story (which I adore), but it's also a coming of age story and a story about family and it has a plot! It makes me realize that most stories I read aren't that complete.

And I think this is very much worth reading if you've ever been depressed. That's not--exactly--what it's about, but the feelings it describes are so familiar.

Re-Read October 2021

Still just wonderful <3