The Luthier's Apprentice

by Mayra Calvani

• ISBN10: 1606190296
• ISBN13: 9781606190296
• Publish Date: 15 December 2014
• Publish Status: Unknown
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Paladin Timeless Books
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 186
• Language: English

Reviews

[stressedrach]

I really enjoyed The Luthier’s Apprentice and I must admit I didn’t know what a Luthier was until I started reading this book.

Emma’s character was fantastic, being 16 years old I found that she was not into all that girly stuff. She played the violin most of the time practicing for a big competition. She was very brave and stood up for herself.

I also liked Corey, he was a great sidekick to the adventure and as the story went on I was amazed at how he was connected even more so than just another student violin player who wanted to find out why his violin teacher disappeared.

The book flowed at a great pace and I could not put it down.

Mayra Calvani penned a great read and I look forward to reading more from her.

[Kim Deister]

The Luthier's Apprentice is a short novel with a very interesting premise. Emma Braun is a sixteen-year-old American girl living in Brussels, a budding violin virtuoso. Her violin teacher , Monsieur Dupriez, has gone missing, as have several other violinists. She and her best friend Annika decide that they are going to investigate, eventually joining forces with Corey Fletcher, another of Monsieur Dupriez' students. The three of them stumble upon a truly imaginative mystery that they have to solve in order to save lives, their own and others.

This book is a wonderful mix of mystery and fantasy, even a little bit of light romance. But it was the intrigue and mystery that was the foundation of the plot. I was initially disappointed because I figured out who the villain was very early in the story and I assumed that it was going to ruin the rest of the book. However, while I figured out the "whodunit" fairly quickly, it was the "whydunit" that was truly the heart of the story.

There was a lot of suspense and anticipation in this story which kept me turning the pages. Sherlock Holmes fans will appreciate the plethora of references to him throughout the novel. The target audience is young adult, but the story is easily engaging for older readers. Although I have found no reference to this book being a part of a series, there is a bit of an opening at the end that would lend itself nicely to at least a sequel.

Things to love...

--Corey. I love that there was a male character who was as much a part of the story as a female character. I have sons and I am constantly looking for books with more male presence and this one fits nicely.
--The interesting take on an old theme. Making a pact with the devil is a common theme, but I liked how Calvani used it in a new way.

Some Quotastic Goodness

--At first she had thought they were a string of coincidences, but not anymore. While scowling at obnoxious Billie Lynam during school recess, for instance, she wished he would fall flat on his face… and half a minute later, her wish was granted (Loc. 60).
--To her horror, someone was already hiding in there. Her gasp was muffled as a strong hand closed over her mouth. Another hand yanked her inside and closed the pantry door (Loc. 565).

My Recommendation: This was a great book with a fantastic new take on an old theme! This is a must read!

This review originally appeared on my blog: http://thecaffeinateddivareads.multifacetedmama.com/?p=9642.

[Terri M. LeBlanc]

I was so excited about The Luthier's Apprentice by Mayra Calvani. The blurb for the book and the cover really caught my eye. I know about Beethoven and Mozart because I played piano when I was younger. So I ventured over to Wikipedia to learn a little about Niccolò Paganini on Wikipedia. And this bit of information caught my eye.

...his widely rumored association with the devil, the Church denied his body a Catholic burial in Genoa.

Ooo, this is gonna be a good one, I thought. Unfortunately, I'm sad to report that The Luthier's Apprentice is not a good one. I don't want to go into too much detail as I don't want to spoil the book for anyone who may want to read it.

Here's a short list of the reasons I did not like The Luthier's Apprentice.
1. The chapter breaks come at the most awkward moments. I think the author wanted to create tension a la Dan Brown, but failed to do anything except make me ask, Why is the chapter ending here?

2. The villain's motivations are not clearly explained and neither is the family curse. The characters all seemed to get it, but as a reader, I felt left out in the cold because the reveals happened in such a haphazard fashion, and I had to go hunting for the crumbs.

3. Too many complicated backstories. Every character had a complicated backstory which lead to awkward conversations and awkward situations. Every action and reaction needed an explanation and as a result, the true motivations of the characters got muddied and muddled leading to confusion and a lack of strength in the plot. Heck, maybe there were just too many characters when all is said and done.

In turn, because every thing about every character had been shared, the characters did exactly what you expected them to do. There is no mystery to their actions. You could see it happen before they acted/reacted.

Unfortunately, The Luthier's Apprentice by Mayra Calvani receives a thumbs down despite my initial excitement about the cover and its blurb. The idea had a lot of potential, but, for me, the author was unable to follow through. The result was a clunky mystery novel that left me feeling flat and disappointed.