The Sound

by Sarah Alderson

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Ren Kingston was a fun character. Honestly, the thing that made me pick up this book was the idea that she wanted to be/was a music journalist. I also enjoyed that it was about an English girl coming over here. (Also, it takes place in my state, so that might have something to do with my enjoyment of this book. I might also mention that pepper spray/mace is illegal in the state without a permit.) I enjoyed that she didn't just blend in with the other characters and let them take her over. Some of the other characters were a bit flat, which might have been the point with some of them. Though, there were still a few surprises with them as you got into the book.

The mystery/thriller part of this novel was a bit... slow. Sometimes I forgot that there was supposed to be a killer on the loose because it seemed like it was a "normal" Young Adult novel. And then, towards the end it all came up suddenly. I was actually surprised with the ending, but very pleasantly surprised. One of the major points in the story did become predictable after a certain point in the novel, but that could have also been a wild guess on my part. (I can't recall how I came to that conclusion, so I can't be that certain.) I could have lived without the love triangle thing that happened, but it seemed to work well within this story, so I can't complain too much on that.

Jesse, though a bit cliched, might have been one of my favorite characters in this book. Along with Brodie, simply because she was an adorable four year old girl. Jesse did make the story more interesting once he became more involved. Ren was also a good character in my opinion. Her development didn't seem as bad as other Young Adult novels I've read, which is always a plus.

Over all, I'm glad I read this. I had been debating on it since I tend ot have a love/hate relationship with Young Adults, but I definitely don't regret this novel at all. It has also gotten me interested in viewing Alderson's other works as well.