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La dissonanza
«Erano tutti sorridenti, allegri ed entusiasti: persino Athena sembrava felice, e Erin capì che, nonostante i litigi, le imperfezioni e le differenze di opinioni, quei tre ragazzi erano la sua vera famiglia. Le persone che si meritava, e che meritavano lei. La sua famiglia per sempre. Quelli che scintillavano insieme a lei nel buio.»
Una volta partiti, è impossibile tornare a casa, ma Hal, Athena ed Erin devono farlo. Ai tempi del liceo, i tre erano allievi dell’eccentrico professor Marsh per studiare un sistema magico segreto conosciuto come la Dissonanza, che si fonda sull’incanalare le emozioni negative: isolamento, rabbia, dolore. Ma poi, vent’anni prima, accadde qualcosa che mandò in frantumi la loro congrega, e i tre ragazzi finirono sparpagliati per il paese, incastrati in vite banali, da soli. Adesso, però, presagi e prodigi terrificanti (nonché un invito Facebook) li hanno richiamati a Clegg, Texas. Qui le loro strade si incroceranno con quella di Owen, un teenager omosessuale non dichiarato dell’Alabama che, mentre tentava una seduta spiritica in un cimitero con la sua cotta, ha evocato qualcosa di molto peggiore: una creatura assassina il cui unico, disperato scopo consiste nel rapire Owen e sfruttarlo come suo Renfield. Mentre Owen cerca di battere il suo rapitore con l’astuzia, Hal, Athena ed Erin scoprono che le scelte compiute da ragazzi potrebbero essere collegate all’evento apocalittico che sta scuotendo il Texas: si formano nuove, sorprendenti alleanze, si accendono nuovi e vecchi amori, e tre adulti sfigati – più un teenager impaurito – sono tutto ciò che si frappone fra la realtà e l’oblio.
From one of the boldest, most brilliant voices in modern fantastical horror, The Dissonance is a thrilling and beautifully written story of magic and monsters, forgiveness and friendship.
Una volta partiti, è impossibile tornare a casa, ma Hal, Athena ed Erin devono farlo. Ai tempi del liceo, i tre erano allievi dell’eccentrico professor Marsh per studiare un sistema magico segreto conosciuto come la Dissonanza, che si fonda sull’incanalare le emozioni negative: isolamento, rabbia, dolore. Ma poi, vent’anni prima, accadde qualcosa che mandò in frantumi la loro congrega, e i tre ragazzi finirono sparpagliati per il paese, incastrati in vite banali, da soli. Adesso, però, presagi e prodigi terrificanti (nonché un invito Facebook) li hanno richiamati a Clegg, Texas. Qui le loro strade si incroceranno con quella di Owen, un teenager omosessuale non dichiarato dell’Alabama che, mentre tentava una seduta spiritica in un cimitero con la sua cotta, ha evocato qualcosa di molto peggiore: una creatura assassina il cui unico, disperato scopo consiste nel rapire Owen e sfruttarlo come suo Renfield. Mentre Owen cerca di battere il suo rapitore con l’astuzia, Hal, Athena ed Erin scoprono che le scelte compiute da ragazzi potrebbero essere collegate all’evento apocalittico che sta scuotendo il Texas: si formano nuove, sorprendenti alleanze, si accendono nuovi e vecchi amori, e tre adulti sfigati – più un teenager impaurito – sono tutto ciò che si frappone fra la realtà e l’oblio.
From one of the boldest, most brilliant voices in modern fantastical horror, The Dissonance is a thrilling and beautifully written story of magic and monsters, forgiveness and friendship.
592 pages, Paperback
First published July 23, 2024
66 people are currently reading
8436 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 194 reviews
July 15, 2024
Very readable and a strong first half, but the last fifth or so was a MESS, with so much of the potential payoff/satisfaction sacrificed to leave room for a possible sequel that no one needs. So many random and inexplicable coincidences, so many last-second, hand-wavey explanations info-dumped on us, so many pointless revelations crowbarred in where they didn't fit and weren't necessary. To say nothing of how the very cool premise wasn't explored or utilised nearly as much as it could have been.
Failed massively to live up to its potential.
*I received this book for free from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.*
HIGHLIGHTS
~fuckups unite (I say with love)
~BFFs for real
~the more you’re broken, the more you’re magic
Hamill’s prose is very readable, his characters extremely believable (if not especially unique or interesting), and the premise is great. And I was really enjoying myself for the first half of the book! It was looking like it was going to be at least a four-star read.
But that ending. That last, what, 20, 25% or so. There were parts where I could guess what Hamill was trying to do, but it was such a train-wreck.
The Dissonance is told via dual storylines; one following the main characters in their teens back in the 80s, the other set in 2019. (And I’ve got to be honest, knowing Covid was about to hit like a hammer kind of undermined the whole saving-the-world thing for me. Which it shouldn’t, really, but…it’s hard to cheer when you know an even bigger disaster is right around the corner, you know?) Splitting the story like this was fantastic; Hamill does an excellent job of keeping the tensions high as you go back and forth between the two time periods – I was on the edge of my seat waiting for answers about how we got from there to here. The dissonance (hah!) between where Athena, Peter, Hal, and Erin started as teenagers as they begin learning magic, and where they ended up as pretty broken adults? WHAT HAPPENED? One of them has died – how?! They’ve all lost their magic – why?! I was extremely invested!
And the answers turned out to be…so extremely anticlimatic and nonsensical. I couldn’t believe that’s what happened to their magic. (Or rather, why that’s what happened to their magic.) And I was genuinely pissed off at how hand-wavey and random the character death was, and the complete lack of even an attempt at explaining what the fuck. Literally the only time the other characters try to discuss how or why it happened, Hal complains that thinking about it is hurting his head, and that’s it. It’s just hand-waved. We’re not supposed to question it, I guess.
Except that, in the lead-up to the climax and the climax itself, Hamill does nothing but throw questions at us, dropping out-of-nowhere revelations on us left, right, and centre – none of which had any groundwork laid for them, none of which make any kind of sense, none of which were necessary or even interesting. Oh, x character is evil actually??? Undines have kids how exactly??? That’s why Hal can’t use magic??? That’s what happened to the school??? You made a soul out of fucking what???
So much was thrown at us at the last possible minute that added nothing to the story, but was clearly just shoe-horned in to leave room for a potential sequel. I have no objections to writers leaving room for sequels, but for crying out loud, don’t bombard me with info-dump oh yeah AND moments in the last thirty pages!!!
The hard emphasis on being broken makes you a Dissonant (aka, gives you the ability to use magic) in the Final Battle actually did not fill me with Epic Feels the way I think it was meant to. It ended up underlining a massive wtf in the worldbuilding. See, there’s a whole Dissonant community out of sight of the rest of us. And there are BIPOC and queer Dissonant groups (which makes perfect sense). But the dominant segment of the Dissonant community are white Christians, which???
Sorry, back up. Explain to me how white Christians are in any way broken? In the sense of being out of tune with/rejected from society??? How the fuck does that work, sir? You’re telling me that THIS demographic are – in the US of A – such outcasts that they experience capital d Dissonance?
Yeah, no. I don’t think so.
It’s so frustrating, because there was so much potential in the Dissonant magic system! I was mad as hell to learn that, oh yeah, there are actual marginalised people among the Dissonants – they have their own communities, even! – but we don’t get to see those, just know that they’re there. I wanted to see those! I wanted to be hanging out with them instead of attending an, I swear to all the gods, white Christian magic convention. At which, unsurprisingly, the levels of arrogance and pretension were unbearable.
That was an actual plot point, that stupid convention, and, just – why? Why would you drag the story in this direction when we could have been seeing actual marginalised groups using magic, seeing what they did with it and how it affected their lives and communities? Why didn’t we see more Dissonance among people in poverty? There was just SO MUCH you could have done with this premise that wasn’t done, for no good reason that I can see.
(Except that it would have been too much work. Because if magic is something marginalised people can do, you have to do actual worldbuilding!!! LE GASP! The very idea! /s)
I am begging someone to tell me what the point of any of it was.
(I am being facetious, please don’t actually bother me with how this is supposed to make sense or how The Dissonance is great, actually.)
The people-y part of this book was great – the friendship between the four characters was wonderful, and they all felt fully fleshed-out. The ‘normal’-life crap they all had to deal with was done so well that I ached for all of them. The prose was good, and really easy to read. But The Dissonance self-destructs in the final quarter to the point that I just hate it. There’s no one I’d recommend it to.
Just skip it.
Trigger warnings:
Failed massively to live up to its potential.
*I received this book for free from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.*
HIGHLIGHTS
~fuckups unite (I say with love)
~BFFs for real
~the more you’re broken, the more you’re magic
Hamill’s prose is very readable, his characters extremely believable (if not especially unique or interesting), and the premise is great. And I was really enjoying myself for the first half of the book! It was looking like it was going to be at least a four-star read.
But that ending. That last, what, 20, 25% or so. There were parts where I could guess what Hamill was trying to do, but it was such a train-wreck.
The Dissonance is told via dual storylines; one following the main characters in their teens back in the 80s, the other set in 2019. (And I’ve got to be honest, knowing Covid was about to hit like a hammer kind of undermined the whole saving-the-world thing for me. Which it shouldn’t, really, but…it’s hard to cheer when you know an even bigger disaster is right around the corner, you know?) Splitting the story like this was fantastic; Hamill does an excellent job of keeping the tensions high as you go back and forth between the two time periods – I was on the edge of my seat waiting for answers about how we got from there to here. The dissonance (hah!) between where Athena, Peter, Hal, and Erin started as teenagers as they begin learning magic, and where they ended up as pretty broken adults? WHAT HAPPENED? One of them has died – how?! They’ve all lost their magic – why?! I was extremely invested!
And the answers turned out to be…so extremely anticlimatic and nonsensical. I couldn’t believe that’s what happened to their magic. (Or rather, why that’s what happened to their magic.) And I was genuinely pissed off at how hand-wavey and random the character death was, and the complete lack of even an attempt at explaining what the fuck. Literally the only time the other characters try to discuss how or why it happened, Hal complains that thinking about it is hurting his head, and that’s it. It’s just hand-waved. We’re not supposed to question it, I guess.
Except that, in the lead-up to the climax and the climax itself, Hamill does nothing but throw questions at us, dropping out-of-nowhere revelations on us left, right, and centre – none of which had any groundwork laid for them, none of which make any kind of sense, none of which were necessary or even interesting. Oh, x character is evil actually??? Undines have kids how exactly??? That’s why Hal can’t use magic??? That’s what happened to the school??? You made a soul out of fucking what???
So much was thrown at us at the last possible minute that added nothing to the story, but was clearly just shoe-horned in to leave room for a potential sequel. I have no objections to writers leaving room for sequels, but for crying out loud, don’t bombard me with info-dump oh yeah AND moments in the last thirty pages!!!
The hard emphasis on being broken makes you a Dissonant (aka, gives you the ability to use magic) in the Final Battle actually did not fill me with Epic Feels the way I think it was meant to. It ended up underlining a massive wtf in the worldbuilding. See, there’s a whole Dissonant community out of sight of the rest of us. And there are BIPOC and queer Dissonant groups (which makes perfect sense). But the dominant segment of the Dissonant community are white Christians, which???
Sorry, back up. Explain to me how white Christians are in any way broken? In the sense of being out of tune with/rejected from society??? How the fuck does that work, sir? You’re telling me that THIS demographic are – in the US of A – such outcasts that they experience capital d Dissonance?
Yeah, no. I don’t think so.
It’s so frustrating, because there was so much potential in the Dissonant magic system! I was mad as hell to learn that, oh yeah, there are actual marginalised people among the Dissonants – they have their own communities, even! – but we don’t get to see those, just know that they’re there. I wanted to see those! I wanted to be hanging out with them instead of attending an, I swear to all the gods, white Christian magic convention. At which, unsurprisingly, the levels of arrogance and pretension were unbearable.
That was an actual plot point, that stupid convention, and, just – why? Why would you drag the story in this direction when we could have been seeing actual marginalised groups using magic, seeing what they did with it and how it affected their lives and communities? Why didn’t we see more Dissonance among people in poverty? There was just SO MUCH you could have done with this premise that wasn’t done, for no good reason that I can see.
(Except that it would have been too much work. Because if magic is something marginalised people can do, you have to do actual worldbuilding!!! LE GASP! The very idea! /s)
I am begging someone to tell me what the point of any of it was.
(I am being facetious, please don’t actually bother me with how this is supposed to make sense or how The Dissonance is great, actually.)
The people-y part of this book was great – the friendship between the four characters was wonderful, and they all felt fully fleshed-out. The ‘normal’-life crap they all had to deal with was done so well that I ached for all of them. The prose was good, and really easy to read. But The Dissonance self-destructs in the final quarter to the point that I just hate it. There’s no one I’d recommend it to.
Just skip it.
Trigger warnings:
October 22, 2025
4.5 ⭐ Shaun, dov’è il resto del libro? Shaun? Dove sono i 67 sequel? I 90 prequel?? IL FILM? SHAUN??? SHAUUNNNNBNB!!?,??.?.!
"Ventun anni dopo aver ucciso sua madre e un anno dopo aver ucciso un uomo in una rissa da bar, Hal Isaac è in piedi sui gradini della chiesa cattolica di St. Matthew a Vandergriff, Texas, e fuma una sigaretta."
Vi sentite catturati, eh? Sappiate che questa sensazione inizia a pagina 1 e non scompare neanche quando avete finito il libro. Se siete particolarmente perspicaci avrete capito che questo libro mi è piaciuto. Molto. Allo stesso tempo, penso che si tratti di una storia talmente particolare che potrebbe non fare breccia nel cuore di tutti.
La trama, semplificata al massimo, sa forse di già sentito: negli anni Novanta quattro amici scoprono un mondo di magia che neanche immaginavano, e il nonno di uno dei quattro, un professore in pensione, decide di addestrarli; nel 2019 questi quattro amici sono cambiati, scossi da una tragedia e divisi, ma si dovranno riunire per sventare quella che sembra un’imminente apocalisse.
Ho inalato questo libro come fossi in un negozio di yankee candle. Non riuscivo a staccarmi. Vi assicuro che, in qualunque momento, voi non avrete idea di dove sta andando la trama. E per una persona che legge fantasy dal cretaceo, ed è pronta a tutto, è stato meraviglioso. L’aspetto magico, la Dissonanza, è davvero interessante, ma l’autore non va mai estremamente a fondo nello spiegarla. Rimangono molte domande senza risposta, e il sistema magico è un grande calderone.
Ma il libro a cui l’autore voleva dare vita non era un racconto sulla magia, ma sull’amicizia. E ce l’ha fatta, per quanto mi riguarda. I quattro protagonisti, Peter, Erin, Athena e Hal sono profondi, grigi, sfaccettati, umani. Li amerete e li odierete. Il loro rapporto cambia nel corso del libro: sono prima preadolescenti che si affacciano al mondo, poi teenagers innamorati, speranzosi, spavaldi, poi adulti disillusi. Nonostante si parli di mostri, spade magiche e dimensioni parallele, il cuore del romanzo è terribilmente umano, e anche realistico. Non aspettatevi buoni sentimenti, tarallucci, vino, o nutella e estathe (che personalmente preferisco a tarallucci e vino).
Verso la fine, però, c’è una lieve sottotrama romantica, che più che sottotrama è un tir che entra improvvisamente in camera tua e poi se ne esce come se fosse niente. Viene fuori dal nulla, è abbastanza affrettata e ha una risoluzione…peculiare. Sicuramente originale. Se potessi strappare quella pagina lo farei. Si poteva trovare una soluzione diversa a quello che succede. Avrei anche letto cento pagine in più, se mi avesse indagato di più quella relazione, prima di arrivare a quella soluzione.
Per quanto mi riguarda, però, questa parte del libro non è che una piccola imperfezione in quello che è diventato uno dei miei libri preferiti dell’anno. Non è un libro che farà contenti tutti, è un libro che osa, e con me questo osare ha avuto i suoi frutti. Il potere dell’amicizia, Shaun Hamill…ti piace vincere facile con me, eh? EH??
"Ventun anni dopo aver ucciso sua madre e un anno dopo aver ucciso un uomo in una rissa da bar, Hal Isaac è in piedi sui gradini della chiesa cattolica di St. Matthew a Vandergriff, Texas, e fuma una sigaretta."
Vi sentite catturati, eh? Sappiate che questa sensazione inizia a pagina 1 e non scompare neanche quando avete finito il libro. Se siete particolarmente perspicaci avrete capito che questo libro mi è piaciuto. Molto. Allo stesso tempo, penso che si tratti di una storia talmente particolare che potrebbe non fare breccia nel cuore di tutti.
La trama, semplificata al massimo, sa forse di già sentito: negli anni Novanta quattro amici scoprono un mondo di magia che neanche immaginavano, e il nonno di uno dei quattro, un professore in pensione, decide di addestrarli; nel 2019 questi quattro amici sono cambiati, scossi da una tragedia e divisi, ma si dovranno riunire per sventare quella che sembra un’imminente apocalisse.
Ho inalato questo libro come fossi in un negozio di yankee candle. Non riuscivo a staccarmi. Vi assicuro che, in qualunque momento, voi non avrete idea di dove sta andando la trama. E per una persona che legge fantasy dal cretaceo, ed è pronta a tutto, è stato meraviglioso. L’aspetto magico, la Dissonanza, è davvero interessante, ma l’autore non va mai estremamente a fondo nello spiegarla. Rimangono molte domande senza risposta, e il sistema magico è un grande calderone.
Ma il libro a cui l’autore voleva dare vita non era un racconto sulla magia, ma sull’amicizia. E ce l’ha fatta, per quanto mi riguarda. I quattro protagonisti, Peter, Erin, Athena e Hal sono profondi, grigi, sfaccettati, umani. Li amerete e li odierete. Il loro rapporto cambia nel corso del libro: sono prima preadolescenti che si affacciano al mondo, poi teenagers innamorati, speranzosi, spavaldi, poi adulti disillusi. Nonostante si parli di mostri, spade magiche e dimensioni parallele, il cuore del romanzo è terribilmente umano, e anche realistico. Non aspettatevi buoni sentimenti, tarallucci, vino, o nutella e estathe (che personalmente preferisco a tarallucci e vino).
Verso la fine, però, c’è una lieve sottotrama romantica, che più che sottotrama è un tir che entra improvvisamente in camera tua e poi se ne esce come se fosse niente. Viene fuori dal nulla, è abbastanza affrettata e ha una risoluzione…peculiare. Sicuramente originale. Se potessi strappare quella pagina lo farei. Si poteva trovare una soluzione diversa a quello che succede. Avrei anche letto cento pagine in più, se mi avesse indagato di più quella relazione, prima di arrivare a quella soluzione.
Per quanto mi riguarda, però, questa parte del libro non è che una piccola imperfezione in quello che è diventato uno dei miei libri preferiti dell’anno. Non è un libro che farà contenti tutti, è un libro che osa, e con me questo osare ha avuto i suoi frutti. Il potere dell’amicizia, Shaun Hamill…ti piace vincere facile con me, eh? EH??
February 17, 2024
A brilliantly rendered tale of friendship, redemption, cosmic horror, and so much heart. The Dissonance cements Hamill as a master world-builder and one of the most exciting voices in fantasy today.
June 24, 2024
4.5 stars
“What do you think about the fuckups saving the day for once?”
What happens when a group of misfit teenagers unlock extraordinary powers? They unveil a world of strange and wondrous possibilities. But at what cost?
With hidden magic unlocked, a secret coven formed and the trials of love, friendship and loss to come, The Dissonance by Shaun Hamill delivers a superbly addictive read that makes the unbelievable, believable.
As teenagers, Hal, Peter, Erin and Athena were always close but during one summer sleepover they became bonded for life. When the four accidentally stumble upon a strange book, they unwittingly discover the power of Dissonance, a source of energy that can be tapped into with negative emotions. Under the tutelage of Professor Marsh, the four hone their powers, learn their strengths and weaknesses and push themselves to their absolute limits. Yet in 1999 something happened, something monumental. Now in their mid thirties the group are estranged from one another, barely on speaking terms, and their lives are not as fruitful as they had once dreamed they could be. Yet some bonds can’t ever be truly broken. Through a series of strange events they are brought back together as their fate intermingles with that of Owen, a young teenager who caught up in a seance at a cemetery, is now at the beck and call of a murderous entity possessing the body of his crush.
In the style of the 90’s cult classic, The Craft and the more modern Stranger Things (although it’s set in the 80’s) Hamill presents to us a group of outcast characters who in their subversion of social norms are able to see the world in a different light and uncover the myth and magic that lies underneath. Which in my opinion, is much cooler than being popular! Each of our main characters in The Dissonance come from either disadvantaged backgrounds, have faced trauma or had their own struggles. For Hal and Erin this meant living in poverty with parents who were volatile in their own ways. In contrast Athena came from a more wealthy household and her parents were much more supportive, yet being a Black young girl in a predominantly White community meant she faced other hardships. For Peter, well growing up an orphan and being taken care of by an unaffectionate and distant grandfather had taken its own toll. Though despite all their setbacks, this is actually what makes them perceptive to the Dissonance as Dissonant energy is more easily tapped into if the person has gone through strife and felt pain.
The magic system which Hamill depicts is something that is explored in detail and yet still contains its many mysteries. I very much liked the concept of Dissonance giving those with little power or agency in the world the means to create magic, to feel special, to feel like superheroes. Every user of Dissonance wields it in different ways and the stronger they become the harder it becomes to know when to stop, especially when the possibilities seem endless. You see not everything is known about this energy or where it comes from, there are many theories and literature on the subject, which Professor Marsh owns a substantial amount of, but ultimately there is so much of the unknown, so much to explore. I loved seeing the way the search for knowledge led our characters on some strange and pretty wildly dangerous adventures and the various ways this affected them. Having this power doesn’t instantly make their lives better, in fact things become even more complicated for them all, but it does open up new doorways—quite literally. Throughout The Dissonance Hamill really revels in blending sci-fi with elements of fantasy and horror which just add to the excitement of his story.
“She'd known the members of her coven shared a connection, but now, that truth manifested as a physical sensation. These weren't her friends. They were the rest of her soul. That was why she only ever felt complete with these three people. It wasn't sentimentality. Their connection was as real as gravity, or time.”
The novel’s structure was one of the aspects I felt Hamill executed really well. Throughout we go back and forth between the mid 90’s, where our group go through the normal trials and tribulations of teenagers and first discover the Dissonance, leading up to the catastrophic event, and the present timeline of 2019 which brings our estranged friends back together. The 2019 timeline is also where we meet poor Owen and discover his plight, which always left me wanting to know how he would fare. Some readers may find it jarring to switch timelines so often but I found it an effective and compelling way to shed light on the backstory of Hal, Erin, Athena and Peter, giving a detailed account of their growing friendship, their experiences of having a secret power and forming their own little coven whilst also creating great foreshadowing for what was to come. Both timelines held such tension and as a reader, knowing something bad is going to happen but not knowing exactly what, just makes the book unputdownable.
The Dissonance has all the staples of a cult classic with Hamil’s own blend of compelling storytelling, true to life characters, heartfelt friendships and bizarre, wondrous worlds. If you like Stranger Things, you’ll definitely want to read this.
"We all have pain," he said. "Just because mine is real doesn't mean
yours isn't."
ARC provided by Bahar at Titan Books in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for the copy! All quotes used are taken from an ARC and are subject to change on publication.
“What do you think about the fuckups saving the day for once?”
What happens when a group of misfit teenagers unlock extraordinary powers? They unveil a world of strange and wondrous possibilities. But at what cost?
With hidden magic unlocked, a secret coven formed and the trials of love, friendship and loss to come, The Dissonance by Shaun Hamill delivers a superbly addictive read that makes the unbelievable, believable.
As teenagers, Hal, Peter, Erin and Athena were always close but during one summer sleepover they became bonded for life. When the four accidentally stumble upon a strange book, they unwittingly discover the power of Dissonance, a source of energy that can be tapped into with negative emotions. Under the tutelage of Professor Marsh, the four hone their powers, learn their strengths and weaknesses and push themselves to their absolute limits. Yet in 1999 something happened, something monumental. Now in their mid thirties the group are estranged from one another, barely on speaking terms, and their lives are not as fruitful as they had once dreamed they could be. Yet some bonds can’t ever be truly broken. Through a series of strange events they are brought back together as their fate intermingles with that of Owen, a young teenager who caught up in a seance at a cemetery, is now at the beck and call of a murderous entity possessing the body of his crush.
In the style of the 90’s cult classic, The Craft and the more modern Stranger Things (although it’s set in the 80’s) Hamill presents to us a group of outcast characters who in their subversion of social norms are able to see the world in a different light and uncover the myth and magic that lies underneath. Which in my opinion, is much cooler than being popular! Each of our main characters in The Dissonance come from either disadvantaged backgrounds, have faced trauma or had their own struggles. For Hal and Erin this meant living in poverty with parents who were volatile in their own ways. In contrast Athena came from a more wealthy household and her parents were much more supportive, yet being a Black young girl in a predominantly White community meant she faced other hardships. For Peter, well growing up an orphan and being taken care of by an unaffectionate and distant grandfather had taken its own toll. Though despite all their setbacks, this is actually what makes them perceptive to the Dissonance as Dissonant energy is more easily tapped into if the person has gone through strife and felt pain.
The magic system which Hamill depicts is something that is explored in detail and yet still contains its many mysteries. I very much liked the concept of Dissonance giving those with little power or agency in the world the means to create magic, to feel special, to feel like superheroes. Every user of Dissonance wields it in different ways and the stronger they become the harder it becomes to know when to stop, especially when the possibilities seem endless. You see not everything is known about this energy or where it comes from, there are many theories and literature on the subject, which Professor Marsh owns a substantial amount of, but ultimately there is so much of the unknown, so much to explore. I loved seeing the way the search for knowledge led our characters on some strange and pretty wildly dangerous adventures and the various ways this affected them. Having this power doesn’t instantly make their lives better, in fact things become even more complicated for them all, but it does open up new doorways—quite literally. Throughout The Dissonance Hamill really revels in blending sci-fi with elements of fantasy and horror which just add to the excitement of his story.
“She'd known the members of her coven shared a connection, but now, that truth manifested as a physical sensation. These weren't her friends. They were the rest of her soul. That was why she only ever felt complete with these three people. It wasn't sentimentality. Their connection was as real as gravity, or time.”
The novel’s structure was one of the aspects I felt Hamill executed really well. Throughout we go back and forth between the mid 90’s, where our group go through the normal trials and tribulations of teenagers and first discover the Dissonance, leading up to the catastrophic event, and the present timeline of 2019 which brings our estranged friends back together. The 2019 timeline is also where we meet poor Owen and discover his plight, which always left me wanting to know how he would fare. Some readers may find it jarring to switch timelines so often but I found it an effective and compelling way to shed light on the backstory of Hal, Erin, Athena and Peter, giving a detailed account of their growing friendship, their experiences of having a secret power and forming their own little coven whilst also creating great foreshadowing for what was to come. Both timelines held such tension and as a reader, knowing something bad is going to happen but not knowing exactly what, just makes the book unputdownable.
The Dissonance has all the staples of a cult classic with Hamil’s own blend of compelling storytelling, true to life characters, heartfelt friendships and bizarre, wondrous worlds. If you like Stranger Things, you’ll definitely want to read this.
"We all have pain," he said. "Just because mine is real doesn't mean
yours isn't."
ARC provided by Bahar at Titan Books in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for the copy! All quotes used are taken from an ARC and are subject to change on publication.
October 6, 2024
I liked Shaun Hamill's debut, A Cosmology of Monsters so much that I damn near ran to the library when I found out the author released his second book, The Dissonance.
My cat woke me up last night and I couldn't fall back asleep, so I ended up reading this entire book, all in one sitting, almost before the sun came up. I have no clue why I did that to myself because this book is an absolute mess.
This is an IT knock-off about a group of young adults who don't quite defeat the evil they encountered as teens. So of course they have to come back together, now middle-aged adults, to wrap up the loose ends they left hanging.
I don't always hate books that follow this formula. It's a good trope when done right. And there's a decent, unique story here somewhere in The Dissonance, I swear. Unfortunately, it's bogged down by too many characters, a loosely defined magic system, a hyperfocus on the romantic relationships of the protagonists, and a world that isn't fleshed out enough to be believable.
If I could describe this book in a word, it would be nonsensical. Because I felt like I was scratching my head the entire time I read this.
I take that back. I loved the first 100ish pages of this. The initial setup was very intriguing.
So the Dissonance is billed as fantasy horror and I agree with that for once, though I will say it leans more into fantasy than horror. Not gonna lie, I fell immediately out of love with this story once those fantasy elements were introduced.
Because not many of the fantasy elements made sense to me. There are multiverses, magical creatures, spirits put in corpses, portals, telepathic connections, magic duels, immaculate conception, rituals, magic blowjobs, and special powers like wielding an Excalibur-like sword. Like, tf??? Was Hamill trying to fill a bingo card?
And the shift from not knowing about the magic world to knowing about it and accepting it, wholeheartedly, was SO jarring to me. I didn't feel like anything was explained properly and it certainly wasn't connected to a bigger picture. So I just couldn't buy into it 100%.
Like I said, this book is a mess. It feels both unfinished and overlong.
And I just didn't like it.
2.5 out of 5 stars, which I'm rounding down because I do what I want.
My cat woke me up last night and I couldn't fall back asleep, so I ended up reading this entire book, all in one sitting, almost before the sun came up. I have no clue why I did that to myself because this book is an absolute mess.
This is an IT knock-off about a group of young adults who don't quite defeat the evil they encountered as teens. So of course they have to come back together, now middle-aged adults, to wrap up the loose ends they left hanging.
I don't always hate books that follow this formula. It's a good trope when done right. And there's a decent, unique story here somewhere in The Dissonance, I swear. Unfortunately, it's bogged down by too many characters, a loosely defined magic system, a hyperfocus on the romantic relationships of the protagonists, and a world that isn't fleshed out enough to be believable.
If I could describe this book in a word, it would be nonsensical. Because I felt like I was scratching my head the entire time I read this.
I take that back. I loved the first 100ish pages of this. The initial setup was very intriguing.
So the Dissonance is billed as fantasy horror and I agree with that for once, though I will say it leans more into fantasy than horror. Not gonna lie, I fell immediately out of love with this story once those fantasy elements were introduced.
Because not many of the fantasy elements made sense to me. There are multiverses, magical creatures, spirits put in corpses, portals, telepathic connections, magic duels, immaculate conception, rituals, magic blowjobs, and special powers like wielding an Excalibur-like sword. Like, tf??? Was Hamill trying to fill a bingo card?
And the shift from not knowing about the magic world to knowing about it and accepting it, wholeheartedly, was SO jarring to me. I didn't feel like anything was explained properly and it certainly wasn't connected to a bigger picture. So I just couldn't buy into it 100%.
Like I said, this book is a mess. It feels both unfinished and overlong.
And I just didn't like it.
2.5 out of 5 stars, which I'm rounding down because I do what I want.
June 30, 2024
I have read a lot of novels that attempt to be their own version of IT, stories of adults brought back to their childhood to once again defeat an unspeakable evil. Most of them have felt like ripoffs, pale imitations. This is the first one I've found that actually has some magic to it. It's also one of the better Horror/Fantasy combinations I can recall. (Only Leigh Bardugo's Ninth House series comes to mind, they're similar in theme but pretty different in tone.)
I do not always take a lot of pleasure from the worldbuilding of Fantasy, the explanations of elaborate magical systems. And yet this book never bothered me, even though it has its own complex system of magic. It always feels organic, especially as we see how the different characters relate to it. This is, perhaps, the best thing about this book. Our primary protagonists--Hal, Erin, and Athena--all have profoundly different relationships to and experiences with the power known as The Dissonance. The shifting perspectives always serve a bigger purpose, not only to move the plot forward but to give us really different thoughts and experiences from the different characters. Multi POV can be done very badly but here it functions just as it should.
There are some weaknesses here that are not really weaknesses, but part of the intention of the whole package. Especially the central friend group who don't really make any sense together as a friend group, this is one of the required conceits of what the book wants to do so you just have to go with it. The romantic plots could be annoying but thankfully stay in the background until they become important for the plot or an emotional payoff. You do need to suspend a lot of disbelief here, especially imagining what would have happened right after 1999 and the destruction of an entire school and everyone in it, which the book never bothers to envision and once we have the full backstory it makes the future timelines feel like they're missing some pieces between the teen characters and the adults, but again, this is pretty typical of this type of story!
There are a lot of things I really enjoyed, that I thought this book did quite well. Even if I started with a lot of skepticism, I was very won over. I liked the movement through time, the flashes back to the past that fleshed out the backstory but are really the central story. Hamill lets us sit in them for long stretches. (The only time this book felt like it was too long or dragging was the desert stuff, I could never figure out why it had to go on for so long.) The book is great at holding on to a crucial piece of information until just the right time. And it's really good at not just making you wait, but having the reveal feel satisfying. They are not smack you over the head WTF reveals, sometimes you're not even sure exactly what is happening and why, but emotionally they hit the necessary beats. And one of this book's other strengths is it doesn't need to explain everything! I like the unexplained stuff, the missing perspectives, it leaves us feeling like everything isn't all wrapped up with a bow.
I liked Hamill's debut fine but noted that it suffered in its depiction of female characters. He's much better here, Athena and Erin are well drawn and interesting. I had just a slight quibble with the way Hamill writes about Athena's worries about her weight--it felt tacked on and not as fully realized--but these are quibbles and the gist of it all worked.
Mostly I just found this book really fun to read. I never found myself profoundly disappointed or annoyed, which is pretty impressive in a book this long. I was excited to come back to it and see what would happen. It made me wish that other people could execute this little subgenre competently instead of most books like this just not working for me at all because when they work they are fun! Hamill is one to watch, for sure, a lot of imagination, strong character development, real emotional investment, a solid work.
I do not always take a lot of pleasure from the worldbuilding of Fantasy, the explanations of elaborate magical systems. And yet this book never bothered me, even though it has its own complex system of magic. It always feels organic, especially as we see how the different characters relate to it. This is, perhaps, the best thing about this book. Our primary protagonists--Hal, Erin, and Athena--all have profoundly different relationships to and experiences with the power known as The Dissonance. The shifting perspectives always serve a bigger purpose, not only to move the plot forward but to give us really different thoughts and experiences from the different characters. Multi POV can be done very badly but here it functions just as it should.
There are some weaknesses here that are not really weaknesses, but part of the intention of the whole package. Especially the central friend group who don't really make any sense together as a friend group, this is one of the required conceits of what the book wants to do so you just have to go with it. The romantic plots could be annoying but thankfully stay in the background until they become important for the plot or an emotional payoff. You do need to suspend a lot of disbelief here, especially imagining what would have happened right after 1999 and the destruction of an entire school and everyone in it, which the book never bothers to envision and once we have the full backstory it makes the future timelines feel like they're missing some pieces between the teen characters and the adults, but again, this is pretty typical of this type of story!
There are a lot of things I really enjoyed, that I thought this book did quite well. Even if I started with a lot of skepticism, I was very won over. I liked the movement through time, the flashes back to the past that fleshed out the backstory but are really the central story. Hamill lets us sit in them for long stretches. (The only time this book felt like it was too long or dragging was the desert stuff, I could never figure out why it had to go on for so long.) The book is great at holding on to a crucial piece of information until just the right time. And it's really good at not just making you wait, but having the reveal feel satisfying. They are not smack you over the head WTF reveals, sometimes you're not even sure exactly what is happening and why, but emotionally they hit the necessary beats. And one of this book's other strengths is it doesn't need to explain everything! I like the unexplained stuff, the missing perspectives, it leaves us feeling like everything isn't all wrapped up with a bow.
I liked Hamill's debut fine but noted that it suffered in its depiction of female characters. He's much better here, Athena and Erin are well drawn and interesting. I had just a slight quibble with the way Hamill writes about Athena's worries about her weight--it felt tacked on and not as fully realized--but these are quibbles and the gist of it all worked.
Mostly I just found this book really fun to read. I never found myself profoundly disappointed or annoyed, which is pretty impressive in a book this long. I was excited to come back to it and see what would happen. It made me wish that other people could execute this little subgenre competently instead of most books like this just not working for me at all because when they work they are fun! Hamill is one to watch, for sure, a lot of imagination, strong character development, real emotional investment, a solid work.
November 27, 2024
Thank you to @pantheon for the gorgeous finished copy to review.
I read A Cosmology of Monsters and enjoyed it, but I think I loved The Dissonance even more. The audio for this was excellent, I did follow along with the physical copy, and was hooked on the story of Hal, Athena, and Erin, oh, and I LOVED that this was set in Texas. Told in two timelines and the POVs of Hal, Athena, and Erin, the short chapters really help keep the pace moving given this is a little on the longer side. The prose flows well, I was able to keep up with the timeline switches using the physical copy, and I loved the magic element woven in throughout this lovely genre blend of horror, fantasy, and science fiction.
I read A Cosmology of Monsters and enjoyed it, but I think I loved The Dissonance even more. The audio for this was excellent, I did follow along with the physical copy, and was hooked on the story of Hal, Athena, and Erin, oh, and I LOVED that this was set in Texas. Told in two timelines and the POVs of Hal, Athena, and Erin, the short chapters really help keep the pace moving given this is a little on the longer side. The prose flows well, I was able to keep up with the timeline switches using the physical copy, and I loved the magic element woven in throughout this lovely genre blend of horror, fantasy, and science fiction.
February 10, 2025
Okay, I liked this quite a bit. The parallel structure reminded me of It and the magicy parts reminded me of The Magicians and Lovecraft country. I don't say this very often but the book could have easily been 100 pages longer. The process of learning The Dissonance was glossed over and learning more of what happened to the gang after being cut off from The Dissonance would have fleshed things out.
November 25, 2024
I’d read Shaun Hamill’s grocery list tbh.
I’ll describe this as It meets The Raven Cycle meets The Magicians. My heart broke approximately fifteen times. Teenagers are inherently flawed decision makers but oh my god dude these kids stressed me the fuck out. Their adult counterparts were no better. Not a single good decision was made, however:
- spider monsters were battled
- the power of friendship made a magic glow-in-the-dark potato which powered a magic greenhouse
- maybe the real villain is the italicised Dumbledore character we got emotionally abused by along the way
- magic blowjob!
- necromancy
- time travels, plural
- A BABY UNDINE?? She was so cute pls
I loved Cosmology, I loved this, I cannot wait to see what Hamill writes next.
Thank you to Titan for my ARC❣️
I’ll describe this as It meets The Raven Cycle meets The Magicians. My heart broke approximately fifteen times. Teenagers are inherently flawed decision makers but oh my god dude these kids stressed me the fuck out. Their adult counterparts were no better. Not a single good decision was made, however:
- spider monsters were battled
- the power of friendship made a magic glow-in-the-dark potato which powered a magic greenhouse
- maybe the real villain is the italicised Dumbledore character we got emotionally abused by along the way
- magic blowjob!
- necromancy
- time travels, plural
- A BABY UNDINE?? She was so cute pls
I loved Cosmology, I loved this, I cannot wait to see what Hamill writes next.
Thank you to Titan for my ARC❣️
July 22, 2024
In his offbeat horror novel The Dissonance Hamill expertly captures the nostalgic and undoubtedly magical feeling from childhood that anything is possible as long as you've got your friends by your side. Even if you do form some sort of trauma bonded coven and endure unspeakable otherworldly nightmares, maybe especially so.
There has been an empty chasm in my very soul shaped like 'kids fighting evil/adults revisiting childhood to face unspeakable evil' since I read IT and more recently, Children of the Dark. I found this placated my rather voracious need for normal people to be plunged into metaphysical madness. If you're a fan of stories that have themes of friendship at their core, think Stranger Things, Stand By Me or the aforementioned IT, you will appreciate Hamills remarkable blend of horror, coming of age, fantasy, sci-fi and dark academia.
With intricate world building, complex magic systems and authentic characters, Hamill has crafted a unique story that has echoes of King but with heaps more angst and grit. In a world where what traumatizes you enables you to better harness the power of "Dissonance" which is essentially the clash between the rough edges of reality when things don't go as planned, it's not a far stretch of the imagination to assume if we peel back the layers of cosmic horror there lies a message of what doesn't kill you makes you stronger.
Rather than walking the line between horror and fantasy, Hamill brings them together in a cataclysmic collision resulting in a harrowing yet beautiful story of love, redemption, magic and monsters.
There has been an empty chasm in my very soul shaped like 'kids fighting evil/adults revisiting childhood to face unspeakable evil' since I read IT and more recently, Children of the Dark. I found this placated my rather voracious need for normal people to be plunged into metaphysical madness. If you're a fan of stories that have themes of friendship at their core, think Stranger Things, Stand By Me or the aforementioned IT, you will appreciate Hamills remarkable blend of horror, coming of age, fantasy, sci-fi and dark academia.
With intricate world building, complex magic systems and authentic characters, Hamill has crafted a unique story that has echoes of King but with heaps more angst and grit. In a world where what traumatizes you enables you to better harness the power of "Dissonance" which is essentially the clash between the rough edges of reality when things don't go as planned, it's not a far stretch of the imagination to assume if we peel back the layers of cosmic horror there lies a message of what doesn't kill you makes you stronger.
Rather than walking the line between horror and fantasy, Hamill brings them together in a cataclysmic collision resulting in a harrowing yet beautiful story of love, redemption, magic and monsters.
October 16, 2024
This book was messy. It had a great premise: three long time friends found themselves entangled again twenty years later after they broke up and they have to work together to solve this huge threat to the world.
But the execution, the reveals, the flashbacks all felt so FLAT. This book was written in two timelines: the present, where a lot of the plot mystery and tension lies, and the past where it's more of a slice-of-life friendship and magic thingy?
I don't actually see the purpose of the past scenes. A majority of the book is written in the past. I get that it was trying to show their friendship and how it ended, but honestly I couldn't believe these guys were friends at all. It feels like they're only friends because of close proximity. Where are the inside jokes? The similar interests? The funny banter? The only 'friendship' that felt developed ended up being a step-ladder for a romance sub-plot. And the way they broke up feels.. juvenile. I get it, horny teens, but c'mon. If there was enough foreshadowing I think it could have worked. But it felt like it was thrown in there out of nowhere. There was also a death that was supposed to be the big reveal but it was executed so poorly and felt so, so flat and anti-climatic. Is that really it?
And because of this, I find reading these past scenes such a slog. I keep asking myself, can we go back to the present where the plot is moving? The 'plot' in the past mostly revolves around the Professor telling the kids to go here and there. The kids don't know why they're there and neither do I. It's not even written in a 'mysterious'-kind of way either. In fact, the things they end up doing is pretty dull. An academic conference? Really?
The Professor is supposed to be the linch pin here with all the mysteries, but there's so little foreshadowing that his character boils down to grouchy, unlikeable mentor that tells you to shut up and not ask questions.
The magic system is fine. There was a small explanation by the Professor in about 80% of the book that I thought was interesting. I just have no idea why it was told to us so late. Throughout 75% of the book, the magic system is only magic words written in magic letters. I have no idea what the limitations are or how to tell someone is powerful or weak. It's all arbitrary, kinda like spells in Harry Potter. And because of this, the magic can be quite convenient to use as a plot device (I wrote a teleportation command!) or as an obstacle (oh no, I don't have the command for healing!). It's too convenient. No tension whatsoever. I wished there was more exploration in this secret society and magic.
Some say this was horror fantasy and it honestly felt that way about 10% of the book which was really cool. And then it starts to veer off into this weird academic setting (the magical conference), but it's not quite dark academia either, even though it appears to be coded that way. All the academic talk is by the Professor which refuses to divulge information until the much latter half. At that point, I stopped caring. I wished they stayed in the horror lane, having these outwordly creatures be the focus of the story. The creatures ended up having quite a significant role in the plot but the way they were written feels like they were also shoe-horned at the last minute. Honestly, if the characters were told to learn this magic to keep the dark creatures at bay, I think THAT would have been a way more entertaining read and answers a lot of questions that I felt would have been necessary.
Overall, I was very disappointed in this book. I didn't like its execution to a great premise. Oh what it could have been.
But the execution, the reveals, the flashbacks all felt so FLAT. This book was written in two timelines: the present, where a lot of the plot mystery and tension lies, and the past where it's more of a slice-of-life friendship and magic thingy?
I don't actually see the purpose of the past scenes. A majority of the book is written in the past. I get that it was trying to show their friendship and how it ended, but honestly I couldn't believe these guys were friends at all. It feels like they're only friends because of close proximity. Where are the inside jokes? The similar interests? The funny banter? The only 'friendship' that felt developed ended up being a step-ladder for a romance sub-plot. And the way they broke up feels.. juvenile. I get it, horny teens, but c'mon. If there was enough foreshadowing I think it could have worked. But it felt like it was thrown in there out of nowhere. There was also a death that was supposed to be the big reveal but it was executed so poorly and felt so, so flat and anti-climatic. Is that really it?
And because of this, I find reading these past scenes such a slog. I keep asking myself, can we go back to the present where the plot is moving? The 'plot' in the past mostly revolves around the Professor telling the kids to go here and there. The kids don't know why they're there and neither do I. It's not even written in a 'mysterious'-kind of way either. In fact, the things they end up doing is pretty dull. An academic conference? Really?
The Professor is supposed to be the linch pin here with all the mysteries, but there's so little foreshadowing that his character boils down to grouchy, unlikeable mentor that tells you to shut up and not ask questions.
The magic system is fine. There was a small explanation by the Professor in about 80% of the book that I thought was interesting. I just have no idea why it was told to us so late. Throughout 75% of the book, the magic system is only magic words written in magic letters. I have no idea what the limitations are or how to tell someone is powerful or weak. It's all arbitrary, kinda like spells in Harry Potter. And because of this, the magic can be quite convenient to use as a plot device (I wrote a teleportation command!) or as an obstacle (oh no, I don't have the command for healing!). It's too convenient. No tension whatsoever. I wished there was more exploration in this secret society and magic.
Some say this was horror fantasy and it honestly felt that way about 10% of the book which was really cool. And then it starts to veer off into this weird academic setting (the magical conference), but it's not quite dark academia either, even though it appears to be coded that way. All the academic talk is by the Professor which refuses to divulge information until the much latter half. At that point, I stopped caring. I wished they stayed in the horror lane, having these outwordly creatures be the focus of the story. The creatures ended up having quite a significant role in the plot but the way they were written feels like they were also shoe-horned at the last minute. Honestly, if the characters were told to learn this magic to keep the dark creatures at bay, I think THAT would have been a way more entertaining read and answers a lot of questions that I felt would have been necessary.
Overall, I was very disappointed in this book. I didn't like its execution to a great premise. Oh what it could have been.
October 7, 2024
2⭐️
My mother taught me: if I don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all.
My mother taught me: if I don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all.
July 25, 2024
The biggest thanks to the author for getting an ARC in my hands!
Dark fantasy, horror, dark academia, coming-of-age themes. The Dissonance is a combination of many things, but most of all, it's an enthralling time spent in a fantastical world brought to life through authentic characters. Athena, Hal, and Erin were trained in a specitic system of magic back in the 90s as teens known as the Dissonance. Flash forward to 2019 and an invitation arrives marking the anniversary for some unknown event back in their hometown of Clegg, TX.
The past is never as far away as we think, something that's inherently true for Hal, Athena, and Erin as they face the music of their youth in addition to the real threats of today.
No one's writing familial, cyclical dynamics and character arcs like Shaun Hamill, something I noticed in his previous book, A Cosmology of Monsters, and confirmed with The Dissonance. The levels of authenticity in which he crafts his characters are noteworthy, enhancing whatever plot he may choose.
For The Dissonance, themes of reckoning, weight of power, and friendship are examined under the close lens of the fantastical.
As if Hamill's character work isn't impressive enough, a certain ease of access exists with this novel's world building. What I mean to say is that I normally struggle reading fantasy for how complex some of the "rules" are, but this certainly isn't the case here. Immediately, I was immersed within this world grounded in reality.
This is also not to say this is a "simple" magic system featured by the Dissonance. In fact, this world is so expansive and the possibilities so endless, I simply want to read more about unique brand of magic that exists in the in-between spaces of humanity.
I really can't say enough great things about this novel.
My investment in these characters was categorically off the charts, and those same feelings of being a young reader flying through the Percy Jackson series or The Hunger Games reemerged. Hamill exhibits the beauty in the broken, the magic in the mundane with The Dissonance.
Dark fantasy, horror, dark academia, coming-of-age themes. The Dissonance is a combination of many things, but most of all, it's an enthralling time spent in a fantastical world brought to life through authentic characters. Athena, Hal, and Erin were trained in a specitic system of magic back in the 90s as teens known as the Dissonance. Flash forward to 2019 and an invitation arrives marking the anniversary for some unknown event back in their hometown of Clegg, TX.
The past is never as far away as we think, something that's inherently true for Hal, Athena, and Erin as they face the music of their youth in addition to the real threats of today.
No one's writing familial, cyclical dynamics and character arcs like Shaun Hamill, something I noticed in his previous book, A Cosmology of Monsters, and confirmed with The Dissonance. The levels of authenticity in which he crafts his characters are noteworthy, enhancing whatever plot he may choose.
For The Dissonance, themes of reckoning, weight of power, and friendship are examined under the close lens of the fantastical.
As if Hamill's character work isn't impressive enough, a certain ease of access exists with this novel's world building. What I mean to say is that I normally struggle reading fantasy for how complex some of the "rules" are, but this certainly isn't the case here. Immediately, I was immersed within this world grounded in reality.
This is also not to say this is a "simple" magic system featured by the Dissonance. In fact, this world is so expansive and the possibilities so endless, I simply want to read more about unique brand of magic that exists in the in-between spaces of humanity.
I really can't say enough great things about this novel.
My investment in these characters was categorically off the charts, and those same feelings of being a young reader flying through the Percy Jackson series or The Hunger Games reemerged. Hamill exhibits the beauty in the broken, the magic in the mundane with The Dissonance.
August 8, 2024
I am not a fast reader so the fact that I got through these 473 pages in like 11 days says a LOT.
This was one of those books that I needed to see what happened next but also didn’t want it to end.
It was so good. I just put it down and my mind keeps going back to this group of friends. It’s a wonderful cast. Each beautiful and flawed in their own ways. They discover that they have a strength and power that they could have never fathomed.
This book deals with magic but it feels so natural. It made me believe that the happenings are a possibility.
The pacing was good for me. I had no problem keeping up with the back and forth of the timelines. I also REALLY liked that each chapter was a reasonable length as I’m one of those readers that don’t like to stop midway through a chapter.
Thanks to the author, Shaun Hamill, for writing another book that I could get completely invested in.
Time for number 3… but no pressure 😉
This was one of those books that I needed to see what happened next but also didn’t want it to end.
It was so good. I just put it down and my mind keeps going back to this group of friends. It’s a wonderful cast. Each beautiful and flawed in their own ways. They discover that they have a strength and power that they could have never fathomed.
This book deals with magic but it feels so natural. It made me believe that the happenings are a possibility.
The pacing was good for me. I had no problem keeping up with the back and forth of the timelines. I also REALLY liked that each chapter was a reasonable length as I’m one of those readers that don’t like to stop midway through a chapter.
Thanks to the author, Shaun Hamill, for writing another book that I could get completely invested in.
Time for number 3… but no pressure 😉
June 21, 2024
Unpredictable from most dark fantasies, Hamill’s latest work is another breath of fresh air.
August 3, 2024
An enjoyable read with some action packed highlights, but there were many parts that were an absolute slog to read in a book that didn't need to be this long.
Read
October 17, 2024Hal Isaac is an alcoholic facing prison time. Athena Watts is a teacher of sex magic in her occult café. Erin Porter struggles to hold down a job. The one thing they have in common is that their lives peaked as teenagers, when they discovered the magic of Dissonance, a source of power rooted in disharmony and pain. They form a coven that is eventually disbanded by tragedy, the consequences of which haunt them in adulthood with apocalyptic magnitude.
From the author of his well-received debut A Cosmology of Monsters , this is another bold and bizarre tale that follows the misadventures of a cataclysmic coven. With exceptional plotting, the drama shifts backs and forth between their teenage years and adulthood, and palpable menace seeps through the pages. This is dark academia that takes place in their friend’s backyard, and they’re swept into a whirlwind of cosmic horrors and alternate dimensions. It’s also a moving tale of friendship between believable characters that are rough around the edges.
Click here to place a hold: The Dissonance .
This is great for fans of It by Stephen King, only with a more fantastical and angsty edge.
From the author of his well-received debut A Cosmology of Monsters , this is another bold and bizarre tale that follows the misadventures of a cataclysmic coven. With exceptional plotting, the drama shifts backs and forth between their teenage years and adulthood, and palpable menace seeps through the pages. This is dark academia that takes place in their friend’s backyard, and they’re swept into a whirlwind of cosmic horrors and alternate dimensions. It’s also a moving tale of friendship between believable characters that are rough around the edges.
Click here to place a hold: The Dissonance .
This is great for fans of It by Stephen King, only with a more fantastical and angsty edge.
July 30, 2024
I ended up really enjoying The Dissonance.
We follow Hal, Athena, and Erin who were students of the Professor Marsh, trained in a magic known as the Dissonance, Twenty years ago, something happened that shattered their coven, scattering them across the country.
But now they are summoned back to their hometown where their paths collide with Owen, a closeted teenager whose cemetery seance with his crush summoned a murderous entity.
The book is a dark fantasy with some cosmic horror elements and follows two different timelines, one that was set in the 90s and the other 20 years later.
I'm usually not a big fan of multiple timelines in books, but it was done brilliantly in The Dissonance. I loved following both timelines and was always excited to see what would happen next!
My favourite part of the book was definitely the magic and the world building. It was phenomenal and unique. I just loved everything about it!
I did find the ending was a little messy, but other than that, I really enjoyed everything in the book.
The characters were great (especially Hal he was my favourite!), and the plot was so much fun to read, and I could hardly put the book down.
I'm not sure if there will be a sequel, but some things at the end made it feel like there could be one in the future.
I would be so happy for there to be a sequel as I really would love to read more!
The Dissonance is definitely a book I highly recommend!
We follow Hal, Athena, and Erin who were students of the Professor Marsh, trained in a magic known as the Dissonance, Twenty years ago, something happened that shattered their coven, scattering them across the country.
But now they are summoned back to their hometown where their paths collide with Owen, a closeted teenager whose cemetery seance with his crush summoned a murderous entity.
The book is a dark fantasy with some cosmic horror elements and follows two different timelines, one that was set in the 90s and the other 20 years later.
I'm usually not a big fan of multiple timelines in books, but it was done brilliantly in The Dissonance. I loved following both timelines and was always excited to see what would happen next!
My favourite part of the book was definitely the magic and the world building. It was phenomenal and unique. I just loved everything about it!
I did find the ending was a little messy, but other than that, I really enjoyed everything in the book.
The characters were great (especially Hal he was my favourite!), and the plot was so much fun to read, and I could hardly put the book down.
I'm not sure if there will be a sequel, but some things at the end made it feel like there could be one in the future.
I would be so happy for there to be a sequel as I really would love to read more!
The Dissonance is definitely a book I highly recommend!
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August 28, 2024📚 Book Review 📚
Dissonance by Shaun Hamill
The cool thing about this book is that it takes place in Texas! I’m a Texan. Hamill lives near Dallas- Fort Worth, where I spent most of my adult life!
The book follows Hal, Athena and Erin, students to professor Marsh. They were trained in a special magic known as the Dissonance when they were kids.
Twenty years later they go back to the town of Clegg, Texas. They come face to face with an evil entity that they must stop.
This was a story that was completely different than my normal reads. The thing I liked was the magical realism mixed with horror. There were situations that were really frightening. The characters really drew me in as well!
I believe Shaun Hamill has a fascinating imagination! I would love to read more of his work that’s for sure! It was a nice change diving into something a little different as well! If you enjoy fantasy or magical realism, I highly recommend checking this one out!
4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Thank you so much @shaunhamill @pantheonbooks @penguinrandomhouse for the #gifted copy! I absolutely love the cover!
Dissonance by Shaun Hamill
The cool thing about this book is that it takes place in Texas! I’m a Texan. Hamill lives near Dallas- Fort Worth, where I spent most of my adult life!
The book follows Hal, Athena and Erin, students to professor Marsh. They were trained in a special magic known as the Dissonance when they were kids.
Twenty years later they go back to the town of Clegg, Texas. They come face to face with an evil entity that they must stop.
This was a story that was completely different than my normal reads. The thing I liked was the magical realism mixed with horror. There were situations that were really frightening. The characters really drew me in as well!
I believe Shaun Hamill has a fascinating imagination! I would love to read more of his work that’s for sure! It was a nice change diving into something a little different as well! If you enjoy fantasy or magical realism, I highly recommend checking this one out!
4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Thank you so much @shaunhamill @pantheonbooks @penguinrandomhouse for the #gifted copy! I absolutely love the cover!
November 12, 2024
A trio of adults return to their hometown in east Texas to confront evil they were unable to vanquish as teens. If this recalls Stephen King's It you're on the right track. The Dissonance is a horror fantasy marketed as It meets The Magicians and while I can't personally speak to the Magicians comparison it absolutely recalls It.
Horror fantasy is a hard sell for me (it's the fantasy), but the blend really works here. I liked the 90s setting in the flashbacks and the world building throughout. The balance of magic and horror was just right and there are even some gothic elements to appreciate including an intimidating Victorian house complete with a library of magic situated on the edge of haunted woods.
Horror fantasy is a hard sell for me (it's the fantasy), but the blend really works here. I liked the 90s setting in the flashbacks and the world building throughout. The balance of magic and horror was just right and there are even some gothic elements to appreciate including an intimidating Victorian house complete with a library of magic situated on the edge of haunted woods.
November 9, 2025
3,5 stelline ✨️✨️✨️
GOODREADS DACCI LE MEZZE STELLINE!!!!
Quante emozioni contrastanti per questa lettura! Dopo una prima metà veramente buona con una storia e dei personaggi che ti catturano subito, si nota davvero una ... dissonanza xD nel ritmo e nella narrazione che decresce ulteriormente nelle ultime 100 pagine fino ad una risoluzione che risulta persino un poco anticlimatica. Peccato!
Ciò che rimane invece forte ed intenso fino alla fine è il rapporto fra i quattro protagonisti, il cui legame e caratterizzazione rimangono la cosa più bella del romanzo (vorrei poter dire lo stesso dei personaggi di contorno, ma purtroppo...)!
Bello bello, ma lascia un po' di amaro perché avrebbe potuto essere persino di più! ✨️🕯🔮
GOODREADS DACCI LE MEZZE STELLINE!!!!
Quante emozioni contrastanti per questa lettura! Dopo una prima metà veramente buona con una storia e dei personaggi che ti catturano subito, si nota davvero una ... dissonanza xD nel ritmo e nella narrazione che decresce ulteriormente nelle ultime 100 pagine fino ad una risoluzione che risulta persino un poco anticlimatica. Peccato!
Ciò che rimane invece forte ed intenso fino alla fine è il rapporto fra i quattro protagonisti, il cui legame e caratterizzazione rimangono la cosa più bella del romanzo (vorrei poter dire lo stesso dei personaggi di contorno, ma purtroppo...)!
Bello bello, ma lascia un po' di amaro perché avrebbe potuto essere persino di più! ✨️🕯🔮
November 13, 2025
I enjoyed it, and I found the world building to be fascinating (and curious at times). However, a loooooooot of questions left unanswered by the end, so much so that I thought the author was angling for a sequel, but it doesn't look like any is planned? And the pacing-- the last quarter of the book is a slog, which is weird, because it should be the most exciting part. However, I still enjoyed it overall.
December 18, 2024
An interesting premise, but a letdown. It felt like a book for adults written like a YA novel. (I love YA, nothing against it, but it's jarring when it seems the author can't decide their audience). The most irritating, stereotyped cast of characters and a back and forth present to past storytelling that often undermines the story itself, spoiling key moments of the past through the future. I also didn't check the author, but I knew from the way all the women were written that the author was a man. Lo and behold...
It had fun, interesting moments, but everything cool about this book (magic, aliens, alien worlds, etc) takes a far backseat to the petty squabbling of teenagers and their boring romances.
I had no expectations going in, but somehow I was still disappointed.
It had fun, interesting moments, but everything cool about this book (magic, aliens, alien worlds, etc) takes a far backseat to the petty squabbling of teenagers and their boring romances.
I had no expectations going in, but somehow I was still disappointed.
October 10, 2025
DNF have 53%. Then I just skimmed a little bit of the rest. Such a promising start, but then it just became a mess.
August 23, 2024
one of my new favorite books of all time. genuinely at a loss for words because everything about this book was so incredibly perfect and it feels immensely special to me. it’s a book i’ll find myself rereading over and over again and always finding a piece of home in these characters. i am devastated because i know i will never find another book that does exactly what this book did but im also amazed by that fact. i hope so many more people discover this gem
July 21, 2024
Ahhhh!!
This book had so many things I loved! Maybe my favourite read of 2024?
I'm going to need some time to put my feelings into suitable words!
This book had so many things I loved! Maybe my favourite read of 2024?
I'm going to need some time to put my feelings into suitable words!
September 9, 2024
I have to say I had trouble getting through this one which was disappointing because I was so looking forward to it. I loved A Cosmology of Monsters so much, but I was not connecting to anything or anyone in The Dissonance. The premise started out great but somehow, I got lost.
July 10, 2024
The Dissonance is a contemporary horror/dark fantasy told in two timelines. During the summer before the start of high school, childhood friends Athena, Hal, Peter and Erin find a missing boy in the forest surrounding their small Texas town and are suddenly plunged into the secret world of sorcery where they are taken under the tutelage of Professor Marsh in the secret art of the Dissonance. But when tragedy strikes on the first day of their senior year, they go their separate ways. Now on the 20th anniversary, they are drawn back into their hometown for the memorial when they encounter Owen, a teenage boy taken hostage by an undead entity. They must face the sins and mistakes of their past if they want to save Owen, themselves, their hometown, and reality itself.
There was something that felt endlessly cool about the book, channeling horror classics like The Craft and even IT. It starts out with very strong horror vibes with the missing boy in the past and dreary and bleak tone of the friend’s lives in the present, but it does mostly taper off thereafter and goes for more a dark fantasy feel. I am personally not that big on horror so I liked the direction it went to. I liked the contrast between the characters from young adolescents who are still hopeful and growing into their potentials to these broken and traumatized adults who carry the heavy burden of their past. It’s a bleak but hopeful story of enduring friendship, unfulfilled love, and tragic loss. Anyone can find someone to latch on to here as the characters are all very diverse and imperfectly human with very relatable troubles despite the grand powers they wield.
In following two timelines, the book is essentially telling two stories, and this does limit the depth I was wanting or expecting from it. It is going for this very character-focused story, constantly shifting perspectives between chapters, but the propulsive plot was really rushing it along. The mystery element is satisfying as it builds towards two reveals—the tragic event in the past that has been teased and what is currently transpiring in the present. Unpredictable, inspired, and insidiously dark are how I would describe the reveals, but I am still uncertain about some things. I don’t know if this is meant to be a standalone, but it certainly feels like the start of a series. While it does tie up the main storylines, it feels like so many threads are still left open and many questions left unanswered.
The Dissonance is a dark occult fantasy with strong horror elements that is both bleak and hopeful.
*Thank you to Titan Books for the eARC via NetGalley
There was something that felt endlessly cool about the book, channeling horror classics like The Craft and even IT. It starts out with very strong horror vibes with the missing boy in the past and dreary and bleak tone of the friend’s lives in the present, but it does mostly taper off thereafter and goes for more a dark fantasy feel. I am personally not that big on horror so I liked the direction it went to. I liked the contrast between the characters from young adolescents who are still hopeful and growing into their potentials to these broken and traumatized adults who carry the heavy burden of their past. It’s a bleak but hopeful story of enduring friendship, unfulfilled love, and tragic loss. Anyone can find someone to latch on to here as the characters are all very diverse and imperfectly human with very relatable troubles despite the grand powers they wield.
In following two timelines, the book is essentially telling two stories, and this does limit the depth I was wanting or expecting from it. It is going for this very character-focused story, constantly shifting perspectives between chapters, but the propulsive plot was really rushing it along. The mystery element is satisfying as it builds towards two reveals—the tragic event in the past that has been teased and what is currently transpiring in the present. Unpredictable, inspired, and insidiously dark are how I would describe the reveals, but I am still uncertain about some things. I don’t know if this is meant to be a standalone, but it certainly feels like the start of a series. While it does tie up the main storylines, it feels like so many threads are still left open and many questions left unanswered.
The Dissonance is a dark occult fantasy with strong horror elements that is both bleak and hopeful.
*Thank you to Titan Books for the eARC via NetGalley
August 31, 2024
"The Dissonance" is the first novel I've read by Shaun Hamill and hope it will not be my last. The sheer scope of unique background and worldbuilding which went into this novel is surpassed only by the quality of the author's ability to seamlessly create compelling, rich and profoundly flawed characters which any reader could identify with.
The chronology of the novel took a few chapters to fall into and understand. There is a bit of 'yo-yo'ing going on in the novel and it threw me off at first. But it is worth it.
Hamill does a killer job of creating conflict, whether it be a slow burn insidious sort of "oh, yeah - they're going to regret doing that" to more immediate almost jump scare, instant crisis, just add water approach. Maintains the pace at a breakneck pace at some points, until the author allows one to take a breather and learn more about the world of Dissonants. And it is worth it, learning more - utterly unique perspective on a magic system, especially in a more magical realism slanted work.
There were a few issues which tossed me out of the book momentarily, possibly a major plot hole which I could not find resolution for. Hamill writes with such depth and skill that I noticed a number of reveals almost slipped past me due to the flow and rhythm of his prose. The end of Act III was a bit too chaotic and I found myself having to re-read passages two and three times to really understand what was happening. And there were multiple twists which were telegraphed chapters earlier - still great reading, but not quite the aloud moment.
But those are minor points; I'd recommend this book to anybody who enjoyed The Magicians (Grossman) or really any other contemporary magical realism novels. So worth the read.
The chronology of the novel took a few chapters to fall into and understand. There is a bit of 'yo-yo'ing going on in the novel and it threw me off at first. But it is worth it.
Hamill does a killer job of creating conflict, whether it be a slow burn insidious sort of "oh, yeah - they're going to regret doing that" to more immediate almost jump scare, instant crisis, just add water approach. Maintains the pace at a breakneck pace at some points, until the author allows one to take a breather and learn more about the world of Dissonants. And it is worth it, learning more - utterly unique perspective on a magic system, especially in a more magical realism slanted work.
There were a few issues which tossed me out of the book momentarily, possibly a major plot hole which I could not find resolution for. Hamill writes with such depth and skill that I noticed a number of reveals almost slipped past me due to the flow and rhythm of his prose. The end of Act III was a bit too chaotic and I found myself having to re-read passages two and three times to really understand what was happening. And there were multiple twists which were telegraphed chapters earlier - still great reading, but not quite the aloud moment.
But those are minor points; I'd recommend this book to anybody who enjoyed The Magicians (Grossman) or really any other contemporary magical realism novels. So worth the read.
June 17, 2025
Oh boy, thoughts on this one:
- the first half promises weird magic and teenage adventure and heartbroken adults finding their way back to each other and it DELIVERS.
-were the teens sometimes really stupid? Did they sometimes fail to communicate? Yeah, but not in a way that bothered me or messed up the plot. It felt...wholesomely realistic. They made a mistake, then realized it, then fixed it. Or at least tried to.
-that being said, some things are oddly glossed over--like Athena's dieting and the physical and mental effects it might have on her or on her magic, or I don't mind if the focus is on things other than the action, but I did feel that the action would have had obvious consequences that were just...not really present in the story. I know the author can do it--like how he wrote Athena's bum leg--so why is that the only example I can think of?
-so magic in the world comes from the disconnect in how people understand the would should be versus the way it is. The emotional/psychological distress we get when things aren't fair or just or logical. Ok. Got it. Cool. But then why do only some people use the Dissonance, when all of us have felt this disconnect at some point in our lives? These teens, especially the most powerful, Athena, don't seem to be having any worse of a time than any other teens in their neighborhood. Or adults. Why are they the only magic users?
-in spite of those quibbles I was really enjoying most of the book. The thing that really knocked this down for me was the ending. Very confusing, very piecemeal, very unsatisfying. Some of the most critical elements are never explained, and worse, they're acknowledged to be nonsensical within the story. I don't buy it. I smell a very weird deus ex machina. And then in the final scene, there is NO resolution for Hal or Erin. Worse, a million (bad) questions open up (not like, oooh, where will they go from here, but more like ah shit, how will they survive this one?) It was a shame after such a great opening and middle act.
- the first half promises weird magic and teenage adventure and heartbroken adults finding their way back to each other and it DELIVERS.
-were the teens sometimes really stupid? Did they sometimes fail to communicate? Yeah, but not in a way that bothered me or messed up the plot. It felt...wholesomely realistic. They made a mistake, then realized it, then fixed it. Or at least tried to.
-that being said, some things are oddly glossed over--like Athena's dieting and the physical and mental effects it might have on her or on her magic, or I don't mind if the focus is on things other than the action, but I did feel that the action would have had obvious consequences that were just...not really present in the story. I know the author can do it--like how he wrote Athena's bum leg--so why is that the only example I can think of?
-so magic in the world comes from the disconnect in how people understand the would should be versus the way it is. The emotional/psychological distress we get when things aren't fair or just or logical. Ok. Got it. Cool. But then why do only some people use the Dissonance, when all of us have felt this disconnect at some point in our lives? These teens, especially the most powerful, Athena, don't seem to be having any worse of a time than any other teens in their neighborhood. Or adults. Why are they the only magic users?
-in spite of those quibbles I was really enjoying most of the book. The thing that really knocked this down for me was the ending. Very confusing, very piecemeal, very unsatisfying. Some of the most critical elements are never explained, and worse, they're acknowledged to be nonsensical within the story. I don't buy it. I smell a very weird deus ex machina. And then in the final scene, there is NO resolution for Hal or Erin. Worse, a million (bad) questions open up (not like, oooh, where will they go from here, but more like ah shit, how will they survive this one?) It was a shame after such a great opening and middle act.
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