WOW. This book was so huge, so deep, so intense…I had to
take a week off after reading it before I could coherently review it. This is
an amazing novel from debut author, Miss Ann Marie Pavese. Did I mention how
HUGE it is? I love big books personally, so the size did not daunt me in the
least bit. The first couple of chapters were a little slow, but they laid the
groundwork for some amazing characters. The characters were what I loved most
about this story. The main character, Aurora, is the perfect balance of
fragility and strength. She faces moral dilemmas and has to make hard choices.
Sometimes good ones, sometimes bad ones—but through it all her character
remains likeable and you want her to somehow escape the terrible circumstances
surrounding her. Her best friend Raine is just as endearing, a gentler soul
than Aurora and yet with a hidden strength of her own. (I hear rumors she will
be getting her own story in the near future, something I am hugely in favor
of). And the side characters—don’t get me started on them. They are AMAZING.
The setting is dark, the plot even grimmer, and yet the characters who follow Rory
through her journey are good, kind, lovable people. I found myself just as
enraptured with their stories as I was with Rory’s. And the twists in this
story…I don’t know how many times I set the book down and gasped out loud because
I didn’t see them coming.
One thing I would have liked done differently was a bit of “house
cleaning.” There were several chapters, especially in the first half of the
book, that could have been condensed or cut without losing the overall story.
But, since I like big books and every word the author wrote was so beautifully
crafted, I almost hate to even mention it.
The only other thing I feel I should mention is a warning
that this is a grim story. The circumstances are bleak. The darkness is about
as black as it can be. There are scenes that some readers will find difficult.
But at the same time…there is light in this story. This story, above all else,
is a contrast of light versus darkness, of good versus evil…and of the struggle
within the soul to choose between the two. There is a hint of allegory,
especially in the back half of the book, and a redemption scene that literally
had me weeping. There were several scenes in the climax that had me in tears
because they were so beautifully written, because the character had come
through so much to get to the ending, and she deserved every word of the
beautiful climax.
If you like dark words, fantastic characters, unique
creatures and BIG BOOKS…So Sang the Dawn will sing to your soul and utterly
consume you as you read, and long after. It’s one of those stories that does
not leave you when you close the cover. Bravo, Ms. Pavese. I see great stories
in your future and cannot wait to read them.
RATING: I rate this story PG-13 for dark sequences,
emotional abuse and thematic elements. There is no swearing or sexual content
in this book.
