Sofi and the Bone Song

March 1, 2022
Sofi longs to become a Musik and struggles with being outshone. When the king declares that the five members of the Guild of Musiks must step down to make way for a new generation, Sofi thinks she finally has the chance to follow in her lutenist father's footsteps and serve as his Apprentice. At the audition, however, she is upstaged by Lara, a newcomer who doesn't even own a lute. Musicians must refrain from using magic or be Redlisted and forbidden from ever playing again. This is especially true of the Musiks and their Apprentices, who serve as the sole ambassadors and contact between Aell and the rest of the world. Though Lara does appear to be a Paper-caster, Sofi suspects her of using magic to rig the audition. To prove Lara's guilt, Sofi offers to come with her on tour and ghostwrite her songs. As Sofi sticks to Lara in order to spy on her, she finds herself growing emotionally close to her as well. The pacing is slow and contemplative, with frequent stops to contrast Sofi's strict training regimen with Lara's passion for music. This juxtaposition both serves the plot and forms a running commentary on the dangers of suffering for one's art. The magic system is easy to understand while also possessing depth. A beautiful ending speaks to the powers of both catharsis and emotional healing. Main characters read as White. A book to be savored rather than devoured. (Fantasy. 12-18)

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March 15, 2022
Grades 7-10 In the wintry kingdom of Aell, magic is readily available, but for Musiks, the most prominent musicians, magic is illegal. Only Musiks are allowed beyond Aell's borders into the neighboring monarchies that distrust magic. Sixteen-year-old Sofi has been preparing her whole life to inherit her father's title of Musik, enduring inflexible rules, rigorous lessons, and unforgiving punishments. She's devastated when she loses her apprenticeship to new rival Lara, who claims she's never played the lute but delivers a masterful performance. That same night, Sofi's father dies, making Lara a full Musik. Sofi joins Lara on her introductory tour through Aell, determined to catch her using magic; instead, Sofi falls for her and questions everything she knows about magic. Sofi is an appealingly flawed character, spiky and superior, molded by her father's emotional abuse. Lara, who challenges Sofi's claim that art requires suffering, is integral to Sofi's growth into a musician on her own terms. Some predictable turns and an unrealistically easy ending don't detract from the sweet sapphic romance and witchy magic.

COPYRIGHT(2022) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

April 25, 2022
Tooley (Sweet & Bitter Magic) skillfully weaves a nuanced tale of rivalry, legacy, and love in this multilayered standalone fantasy in which music is the final art untouched by magic. Sixteen-year-old Sofi Ollenholt has trained her entire life to become her lutist father’s apprentice and take his place as a member of the prestigious Guild of Musiks. But when Sofi’s father dies and both the apprenticeship—and his title—are offered to 17-year-old competitor Lara instead, Sofi is convinced that Lara was aided by magic, a strictly prohibited practice. Hoping to uncover foul play, Sofi volunteers to prepare Lara for her initiation, even if it means giving up her father’s legacy. As the girls grow closer, Sofi begins to question her father’s ideology (“It’s the suffering that makes the art”), and attempts to forge ahead amid emotional inner turmoil and political deception. Though Lara’s backstory feels slight in comparison to Sofi’s well-plotted history, the complex but accessible worldbuilding and the teens’ budding romance brilliantly intersect. Tooley thoughtfully explores how the expectation of suffering for one’s art can carve a toxic path in this introspective read. Most characters present as white. Ages 12–up. Agent: Jim McCarthy, Dystel, Goderich & Bourret.

August 5, 2022

Gr 7 Up-Sofi has worked all her life to succeed her father's position as a lute-playing Musik-one of only five musicians permitted to perform in her perpetually wintery kingdom. At the last minute, her audition is upstaged by Lara, a completely untrained outsider, and Sofi's father kills himself rather than train Lara to play his beloved bone lute. Convinced that Lara cheated at her audition, Sofi sets off with her on the tour required of all new Musiks with the intention of exposing Lara's treachery. The relationship that builds between the two girls along the way slides naturally from enemies to gentle crushes, with the romance functioning as a secondary plot rather than the driving force of the book. Although aspects of the big reveal are apparent from the start of the book, there is also crucial foreshadowing cleverly hidden in the nuance of magical lore in Sofi's world that results in a genuinely surprising plot twist. The cast is racially diverse, and there is strong queer representation. VERDICT Perfect for teens making the transition from middle grade to young adult books, although older readers are likely to desire more emotional complexity from both the romance and central plot.-Austin Ferraro

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