Book Review: The Choir Boats by Daniel A. Rabuzzi

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Author: Daniel A. Rabuzzi
Publisher: ChiZine Publications
Paperback: 408 pages
Source: Netgalley
Summary: (taken from Goodreads)

What would you give to make good on the sins of your past? For merchant Barnabas McDoon, the answer is: everything. When emissaries from a world called Yount offer Barnabas a chance to redeem himself, he accepts their price - to voyage to Yount with the key that only he can use to unlock the door to their prison. But bleak forces seek to stop him: Yount's jailer, a once-human wizard who craves his own salvation, kidnaps Barnabas's nephew. A fallen angel - a monstrous owl with eyes of fire - will unleash Hell if Yount is freed. And, meanwhile, Barnabas's niece, Sally, and a mysterious pauper named Maggie seek with dream-songs to wake the sleeping goddess who may be the only hope for Yount and Earth alike.

My Review:
With a mixture of epic fantasy and steampunk, this story is unique and enjoyable. There are prophecies, quests, adventures, along with magic that is run by mathematical equations and science. This is exactly the sort of story I love. The world Rabuzzi creates in The Choir Boats is fascinating. I love Yount, its customs, and its history. My only complaint is that I didn't see enough of this new world.

There are definitely a lot of twists and turns throughout this story, which I greatly enjoyed. The lines are blurred between who is "good" and who is "bad," which always makes for a fun read. There are references to quite a few literary works, which amused me. (For example, at one point, it is mentioned a Miss Bennett is staying with her Uncle Gardiner.) There is also a lot of history, folklore, and descriptions of different countries. Rabuzzi really tries to pack everything in, and does so fairly successfully, I think.

While the story is engaging, the writing held me back from enjoying this as much as I could have. Because most of the plot points, descriptions, and explanations are revealed through dialogue, I felt that this story was shallow. Not enough detail is given and not enough time is spent on the important things. Also, I wasn't able to form a connection with the characters, because all I get from them is dialogue. I was never able to observe them, judge their actions, and relate to their emotions.

Another thing that bothered me was the advanced vocabulary. This is supposed to be a children's book, and while I don't usually complain about giving children a challenge, there are a lot of difficult, advanced words thrown in. I think this was an attempt to provide some vocabulary words for children, but there were far too many and it affected the smoothness of the story.

I do think that the writing gets significantly better at the end. Sally, who felt more like a nine-year-old at the beginning rather than a girl in her late teens, grows up and I start to like her quite a bit more. The story starts coming together and things finally start happening. Unfortunately, the book ends before we can get any more good stuff, and we have to wait for the sequel to get more.

This is a story that children can really dive into and love. While I do think The Choir Boats had the potential to be better, it is still a fun, worthwhile read and I am definitely planning to read the sequel.

Overall Rating: 3/5