Beyond the Wind Music

by Mary Emma Sivils

Marie has put off her dreams of being a writer for years. Now, with both of her daughters old enough for school, the time has come to make those dreams a reality…but all she can think about is the music.

It comes from the wind chimes in her backyard—an alluring melody that seems to follow her everywhere, stirring up confusing emotions inside her. Soon, it’s not just the chimes. The tree that holds them is calling Marie.

When she climbs the tree, she discovers another world full of beauty and wonder. But there are secrets, too. Strange people appear to Marie in visions. Voices whisper things only she can hear. As she tries to unravel the riddles of this incredible realm, she’s drawn in deeper than she could have ever imagined.

Her quest for answers carries consequences from one world to the other. But it also might be the only way to solve the mystery within herself.

Genres: Fantasy

277 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 31, 2024

About the author

I'm a writer of speculative fiction, and a reader of (almost) anything! My passion is to create stories that shed God's light on a dark world through the power of imagination. (And a little adventure never hurts either, right?)
When I'm not in writing-mode, I enjoy roaming the woods and working on my family's 58 acres in Michigan.

Reviews

[EllieJellyBean :D · Rating 5 out of 5]

My sister pestered me so much about writing a review I had to do it. 😜 (jk) I thought about writing a more professional review, but it’s my sister, so why would I do that?? 😆

Where do I begin…well, I’ve read this book about 5 times now. Rough drafts and alll! If you’re friends with me on here, then you probably saw that I’ve been reading it for about a month now. That’s because I’ve been busy and it just took me forever. 😂

I love the book, though!! It’s so creative, mysterious, and whimsical! The world building was also really cool!! I mean, wouldn’t you want to ride on a giant owl??

I also really liked the characters. I felt like Marie’s character development was really relatable and realistic. I think it would have been nice to get to know some of the people in the High Realm better, but it is what it isss.
I really liked Efram toooooo!

I LOVE the storyline!! It’s just…sooo good!!! I can’t think of anything else to say except that it’s really good!! 😂

Also, can I just say that I’ve been my sisters unpaid writing assistant for…a long time, and I neeeed to start getting paid!!! 😂 I mean, I’m such an amazing help, I shouldn’t come free. 😂

Anyways, I could go on and on about how great a help I was to my sister while she wrote this. I definitely didn’t distract her by talking to her while she was writing, because I was procrastinating what I was supposed to be doing. 😁

Well, I guess that’s all for now.
If you haven’t read Beyond the Wind Music, I highly recommend!!

See ya later!

~Ellie ✌️

P.S. this review is definitely not biased. I’m definitely not biased. 👀

[Mary Emma Sivils]

This book began as a secret project that I anonymously posted online one chapter at a time, wanting to see if anyone who wasn’t a family member or friend would actually like my writing. (Shoutout to that one person who read the whole thing—and even drew some fanart! I wish I remembered your name, because your encouraging words gave me the boost of confidence I needed.)

Beyond the Wind Music has grown so much since then, and I’m thrilled to finally share it with the world! This is a story for the quiet soul, for the daydreamer, for the wanderer, and for the one who is lost. I hope Marie’s journey speaks to you in some way, whether great or small.



(Note: A content guide for this book is hopefully coming to my website soon!)

[Tim Sivils · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm fairly new to the fantasy genre, so I freely admit I'm no expert. For me it was captivating, creative, well-written, and brought tears to my eyes. In my book, that's 5 stars!

[Ursi Engebretsen · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fantastic book!!! It was almost impossible to put down as I couldn't wait to see what would happen next. The characters are compelling, the worldbuilding is fantastic, and the vivid descriptions are breathtaking. Mary Emma's use of precise sensory detail makes me feel more as if I'm watching a movie than reading a book. Most of all, the heart of the story--with themes of belonging and of appreciating the beautiful and good things in one's own life--really speaks to me. I highly recommend this book! Congratulations to Mary Emma on a stunning debut novel!!!

[Katelyn Buxton · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a really fun read. It’s different in a lot of ways than what I’m typically used to picking up, but the inner conflicts of Marie and clues dropped by the other characters made it one of those books that pick up steam. (You know the ones—they start out slow and by the midway point you can’t put them down!)

Reading this book is like taking a good long sip of iced lemonade on a hot day. It’s sweet, it’s refreshing, it has a nice tang, and it leaves you wanting more. I didn’t have to think too hard while reading it (something my school-fatigued mind appreciated), but it also wasn’t too predictable. The characters were varied, and I could hear different personalities coming through in their word choices.

I really can’t say enough good about this book. Both the world Marie came from and travelled to were fully developed, and the magical abilities in Annwyl were well thought out and creative. I loved how each location in Annwyl had a name and a purpose, just like places in real life. The family relationships also had the ring of truth to them.

TL;DR — It’s a great book, so go read it already!

[Verity Buchanan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully written. Made me cry. I will read anything this author writes.

[once_darkness · Rating 5 out of 5]

Honestly, where to begin? I love portal worlds, and Sivils captured everything I enjoy about them, from an incredible alternate reality to explore, to the changes that necessarily occur in the MC and how it affects their "normal" life. The writing was descriptive and I could picture the world of Annwyl so well in my head — which was a treat because it's pretty amazing. I loved Marie's character arc, and Sivils' deft hand in revealing to the audience things that Marie can't recognize from her perspective was so well done.

Another highlight of this story for me were the themes of belonging and identity, of searching for place and purpose. Between seeing how those themes would play out, and the mystery Marie must uncover, this story had me turning pages eagerly. The ending was really moving, for a lot of reasons I can't say because of SPOILERS, so I'd suggest you pick this book up for yourself.

I can't wait to read more from this author in the future!

[Rapier Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yay for a story with a mom as the main character! Emotional and filled with hope. Highly recommend, esp. for moms, or just anyone feeling discouraged by routine life or feel like they’re not getting anywhere.

Read my full review:
https://leannarapier.com/book-review-...

[Brittnee · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story drew me in; I flew through this book! It was unique from the fantasy I typically read. It felt like a dream + fairytale + mystery. This story was all about emotion and tension and ambiance.

[D.T. Powell · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed some aspects of this book. Teo was endearing, and touring the High Realm was often interesting with its magic and beauty.

For me, there were elements of this story that didn't make as much sense as I'd like. I'm not big on a lot of mythology or Eastern religion, and while this book doesn't really portray either of those in a traditional sense, there were a number of spots that seemed to pull inspiration from both sources as well as, to a very minor and non-traditional extent, astrology.

I didn't care for the odd theology element of God giving dominion of the High Realm to the Sun and Moon. That just struck me as a tad problematic. Especially since it's never made clear whether that statement is true and whether the Sun and Moon have good or evil intentions toward the people they're supposed to be looking after. That element of ambiguity was something I didn't care for and would like to have seen clarified. Either that, or leave God out of the picture altogether and just set the story in a world governed by Sun and Moon. But pulling God into it just didn't sit super well with me.

I did appreciate the condemnation of escapism. That's something that doesn't get brought up nearly enough in fiction. However, I'd like to have seen this story told a bit more clearly.

[Claire · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing and un-put-downable and I loved every second of it. This was such a whimsical yet heartbreaking story, but it was beautiful in the message it tells. Literally deserves to be a bestseller. One of my top reads of the year so far for sure!

(I want a sequel or something now, it was so good!!!😁)

[Allison Hilleson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVED this book. I cried at the end (I never cry at books). Mary Emma does a brilliant job building tension and suspense until the last moment before revealing the painfully beautiful resolution. I loved the worldbuilding and the themes of feeling lost and finding truth. The author also touched my Mama heart and made it ache several times.

[Becky Harris · Rating 5 out of 5]

There were some neat twists and turns in this one, and I enjoyed the atypical main character. The Narnia-esque idea of climbing into a tree and finding another world was a neat concept, too.

[Julia Garcia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful and poignant. Two words to describe a story that touched me deeply.

This book sucked me in fast, and before I knew it, hours had gone by, and I was more than halfway done.
The mystery in this book kept me guessing and trying to fill in the pieces until close to the end and then WOW.

It's such an amazing book!

[Mbilmey · Rating 3 out of 5]

This books was not for me specifically. The copy editing thought was flawless, and I admired it greatly. There was also a sort of beauty to the transient nature. It's quiet the metaphysical wander.

But while I have felt depression, I could not relate to this character's experience specifically. This book might be better for someone who relates more closely to that kind of lost self, but I would be warned that the MC is in fact quiet broken. It's....a bit depressing.

It also felt like I was getting two different pictures of reality within the portal fantasy in order for the author to preserve the twist which lead to mixed messages. Like it was hard to reconcile a lot of what I was being told, which I think might be part of my issue. We are told a lot of things instead of shown them, so that when we are told other contrasting things, there's dissonance.
I also had a really hard time grounding myself in the fictional world. The real world was better, and I think the author would write great modern day fiction. The most invested I was was in Tanner and her relationship. I feel bad for him because he is so good.

The moon is evil? Misguided evil at least

[Mary Ellen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story is stunning. The descriptions are beautiful. The writing is visceral. The sentence structure is easy to comprehend and concise. Sivils uses precise and engaging language that draws one in. I was able to picture things vividly. I love the ideas and the creative adventure. I found myself in tears at one point. I highly recommend reading "Beyond the Wind Music". I wish I could read it again for the first time.

[Hannah Cabrera · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story SHOOK me in all the best ways

Wow. This is a MUST READ for any mom who has felt trapped or weighed down by the day to day, as I suspect so many of us have. A perfect blend of fantasy with the hardships of every day life. Absolutely entrancing, I couldn’t stop reading it. Seriously, I cannot say enough about this book. Truly incredible story.

[Monica Macomber · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a fun story! A wholesome fairytale for adults.

The best part of the book by far was the main character, she feels authentic and relatable and wrestles with difficult emotions throughout the story, silently inviting you to wrestle with your own.

I also loved the beautiful prose (is this really a debut novel??) and the charming, whimsical setting. The ending even made me tear up which I did not see coming!

[Leanna Rapier · Rating 5 out of 5]

An emotional journey. Also made me cry.

[˚༚✧ ☆ Liza Lee ☆ ˚༚✧ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best book ever!