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82nd out of 790 books
—
1,982 voters
The Singer of All Songs (The Chanters of Tremaris #1)
Kate Constable's lyrical, acclaimed fantasy debut--now in paperback Calwyn has never been beyond the high ice-wall that guards the sisters of Antaris from the world of Tremaris. She knows only the rounds of her life as a novice ice priestess, tending her bees, singing her ice chantments, and dreaming.
But then Calwyn befriends Darrow, a mysterious Outlander who appears insi...more
But then Calwyn befriends Darrow, a mysterious Outlander who appears insi...more
Paperback, 320 pages
Published
March 1st 2005
by Scholastic Paperbacks
(first published September 1st 2002)
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268th out of 1,143 books
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4,667 voters
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This is the first book in a young adult fantasy triology by Kate Constable. I read the first two last year before I realized the third book hadn't been written. (Why I usually wait for ALL the books in a series--there are starting to be more exceptions to my usual rule these days.)The third book is now available. It's a story of chanters. Calwyn is an ice chanter and the main character. There are nine power of chantment--the power of tongue, beasts, seeming, winds, iron, becoming, fire, ice, and...more
I loved the poetic way that Constable wrote this book. It's beautful!!! And it's mysterious and exciting and interesting and fresh and amazing...
I was looking at the ratings and it seems that the younger the reviewer, the more stars they gave it. Perhaps it is because I have read A LOT of fantasy, but this was just ok for me. I liked the world the author created. It was innovative, but not really fresh. I felt like the places where we wanted a deeper understanding of the world, Constable skipped over what could have been interesting. The societies she created were very two dimensional, as were her characters and their struggles, but for...more
May 04, 2008
The Singer of All Songs
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
anybody with a heart for beautiful, mystical writing
Shelves:
magic-beloved
this book was spellbinding for me.
not only was the content gripping, enchanting and original- with singers as weavers of magic. but also, it was the writing style of the author that, coupled together with the plot, made reading the book magic itself!
from the start with the seemingly impenetrable ice walls of Antaris which was fine description, and the vivid portrayal of feelings of main character, to the new friends met along the way, and the noble quest set out for, it was simply beautifully w...more
not only was the content gripping, enchanting and original- with singers as weavers of magic. but also, it was the writing style of the author that, coupled together with the plot, made reading the book magic itself!
from the start with the seemingly impenetrable ice walls of Antaris which was fine description, and the vivid portrayal of feelings of main character, to the new friends met along the way, and the noble quest set out for, it was simply beautifully w...more
I enjoyed reading this book. I feel that Kate Constable made a very creative and interesting world. I like the characters, the locations, and the cultures. I thought it was interesting how the different people of the Tremaris felt towards the chanters and their magic. The magic itself was interesting. Maybe I'm just not wise in the world of fantasy, but I thought it was really cool and unique that the magic was produced by singing different enchantments. Their voice had power, which is just a re...more
The Singer of All Sogs was a very interesting read. I say that like I didn't like it, but I really did like the story. It was so different from all the other YA fantasy that I read, that it was at once both exciting and a little disconcerting. The system of magic - each spell a chantment worked by song - was really intreaguing, and I wish that Constable had gone deeper into that magic, had showed the characters using and learning more chantments. I wish that Calwyn had had more...intention somet...more
I really wanted to love this one, I did.
I think that some things were just awkwardly placed and then, later on, even more awkwardly explained. The writing style was pretty but had its ups and downs~ I did skip over some paragraphs were the details got particularly elaborate.
The dialogue was stilted a bit like when something bad was happening once of them would go faint and yell "No!" A few eye-rolling moments, but nothing too bad.
Calwyn was pretty good and Trout was really funny~ Darrow was sul...more
I think that some things were just awkwardly placed and then, later on, even more awkwardly explained. The writing style was pretty but had its ups and downs~ I did skip over some paragraphs were the details got particularly elaborate.
The dialogue was stilted a bit like when something bad was happening once of them would go faint and yell "No!" A few eye-rolling moments, but nothing too bad.
Calwyn was pretty good and Trout was really funny~ Darrow was sul...more
Was interesting and well-written.
Aussie author Kate Constable has brought a music inspired fantasy to the States that is on a par with celebrated works like Edith Pattou's East, and The Golden Compass, by Philip Pullman. In The Singer of All Songs, young Calwyn is a Daughter of Tarsis, an order of priestesses who have mastered the ice call--a singing power over cold and frost. She lives with her sisters behind an enormous wall of ice that separates their small valley from hostile neighbors in th...more
Aussie author Kate Constable has brought a music inspired fantasy to the States that is on a par with celebrated works like Edith Pattou's East, and The Golden Compass, by Philip Pullman. In The Singer of All Songs, young Calwyn is a Daughter of Tarsis, an order of priestesses who have mastered the ice call--a singing power over cold and frost. She lives with her sisters behind an enormous wall of ice that separates their small valley from hostile neighbors in th...more
If you get the strange feeling that you've already read Kate Constable's first installment of the Tremaris trilogy, it's probably because you've read Garth Nix's Lirael. There is very little original or imaginative in Calwyn's episodic journey to destroy yet another one-dimensional Basic Evil Guy: this novel is not novel.
Calwyn, a cloistered novice who has spent her first seventeen years behind a magically maintained ice-wall, plays the gawking spectator on what is basically a tour of Constable...more
Calwyn, a cloistered novice who has spent her first seventeen years behind a magically maintained ice-wall, plays the gawking spectator on what is basically a tour of Constable...more
I have experienced another case of "supporting characters steal the show". I did enjoy the main character, especially later in the book. The world-building and introduction played out like many a fantasy story, it seemed, which is to say I didn't mind it at all but wasn't "zomgz shocked!!" by anything revealed. I adored the writing style: very poetic and descriptive. I fall head-over for elemental/craft magic and for songs, so the combination was lovely. I enjoyed the way the romance built with...more
We've all heard the tale before in young adult fiction. Cloistered young girl filled with curiosity and yearning for the outside world ends up being the Chosen One, destined to save the world as we know it. Along the way, she does a lot of travelling, makes a lot of friends, enemies and might even get a love interest along the way.
Even when it's a well-known storyline, as long as the writing is good I don't mind. Constable's writing is at times a little clunky, weirdly enough at times she seems...more
Even when it's a well-known storyline, as long as the writing is good I don't mind. Constable's writing is at times a little clunky, weirdly enough at times she seems...more
Jan 04, 2012
Readingjay
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Shelves:
2012,
australian,
australian-woman-writer,
aww-challenge-2012,
fantasy,
ya,
eclectic-reader-2012
It is because of my previous (irrational) avoidance of fantasy that I missed this series when it was published a decade ago. Kate Constable is one of my favourite YA writers and this series was recommended to me by a reader whose judgement I respect enormously. I was not disappointed, despite still finding my way around fantasy conventions. What I am coming to appreciate about this genre is its ability to explore human strength and frailty, politics and philosophy using constructed worlds, so th...more
Jan 18, 2012
Lauren
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommended to Lauren by:
Skye Williams
There seems to be a fad in YA fantasy these past years for magic to involve music and the rescued heroines to be the ones to save the world (unexpectedly, of course). Summarizing it like that makes me think "well, that's not really so new," because it's always the rescued hero(ine) who ends up saving the world, now isn't it? But I swear there's a new popular style thing going on, and The Singer of All Songs lands firmly in it.
It reminds me very strongly of the Pellinor series by Alison Croggon,...more
It reminds me very strongly of the Pellinor series by Alison Croggon,...more
This was a good fantasy book for young adults. Calwyn is our heroine and she is training to be a priestess of Icecraft a form of chantment exclusive to the people in her country. Darrow is the strnger who has managed to cross the ice wall that protects her valley. Together they set out to stop a sorcerer's quest to rule all of their world.
It was an easy read, being written for young adults. I enjoyed it.
It was an easy read, being written for young adults. I enjoyed it.
An engaging fantasy set in a world where magic comes from being able to sing different chants, related to nine different powers. I like the strong female lead, though it is a bit of a surprise of who in the ensemble cast saves the day. It has an interesting use of point of view--for most of the book I thought it was 3rd limited, focusing on the perspective, thoughts, and insights of Calwyn. By the end of the book it's 3rd person rather omniscient, and we switch character's perspectives on the si...more
I easily immersed myself into "The Singer of all Songs." The main character had an innocence and curiosity that awakened the same within me.
I feel as if Constable could have spent more time on world building, but I think that part of the information she withheld was to add intrigue to the quest of the characters. The way her characters accessed magic through music was unique (although I thought it was more original when I wrote my current work in progress that way).
Some of the characters felt e...more
I feel as if Constable could have spent more time on world building, but I think that part of the information she withheld was to add intrigue to the quest of the characters. The way her characters accessed magic through music was unique (although I thought it was more original when I wrote my current work in progress that way).
Some of the characters felt e...more
Nov 18, 2010
Bethany Huang (Midnight Mermaids)
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Fantasy lovers
From the moment I first opened this book, I couldn't stop myself from reading it. It was amazing, with exciting plot that took unexpected twists and turns. From the moment that Calwyn, the protaganist of the story, met Darrow, a ribbon of fantasy weaved its way into the already riveting and suspenseful plot of Kate Constable. Several characters help Calwyn and Darrow along their journey on their way to defeat Darrow's evil and malicious fried, Samis. Samis believes he is the singer of all songs-...more
I am not sure what brought this book to my attention, but I am very glad I read it. It is perfect for middle grade readers not yet ready for the dense works of Tamora Pierce or Phillip Pullman. There is just a hint of romance, not enough to get in the way of the main character's, Calwyn's, development as she learns the powers of different chantments. It is unheard of for anyone to master more than one, yet she finds it natural to be able to control first ice, then wind, etc.
She saves the life o...more
She saves the life o...more
Once again, I read this YA book to preview it for my students. This was a decent book--I would definitely recommend to students. Constable's descriptions are not over-the-top, yet they are enough to allow the reader to paint her own picture. Even though the chapters are long (in terms of number of pages), they fly by. The reading level is not overly challenging so as to discourage an adolescent reader; neither is it too simply to bore an advanced reader.
The protagonist is female, which might be...more
The protagonist is female, which might be...more
Mar 23, 2013
Dustpuppy
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
fantasy,
young-adult
Delightful. The story is wonderful, the characters are well-drawn, credible, and compelling. I just know there's information we don't have about some of them, but no doubt it will come out in the sequels.
I'm sure this book will stand on its own in its printed editions, but I do recommend the audio book. The reader is good, apart from a regrettable tendency to pronounce "wind" as if it were "whind;" there are other w-only words she feels the need enhance with an "h," but -- while annoying -- it i...more
I'm sure this book will stand on its own in its printed editions, but I do recommend the audio book. The reader is good, apart from a regrettable tendency to pronounce "wind" as if it were "whind;" there are other w-only words she feels the need enhance with an "h," but -- while annoying -- it i...more
I'm almost well off into my adult years, and although this book may have come across as a child's book, (well I definitely came across it when I was a kid), I cannot express how amazingly imaginative this entire trilogy has been for me. I've read this book and its successors countless of times, and never does it cease to wisp my mind away in an enchanted world where individuals sing out wind and ice, where the characters are as magical as their surrounding world, and where the words illustrate s...more
This rating is for the whole series:
The Singer of All Songs
The Waterless Sea
The Tenth Power
I enjoyed all three books and had a hard time putting them down, which is why I was awake reading into the wee hours of the morning last night.
The Singer of All Songs
The Waterless Sea
The Tenth Power
I enjoyed all three books and had a hard time putting them down, which is why I was awake reading into the wee hours of the morning last night.
Great fantasy series to read. Just the type that are my favorite with the main charater being a girl. Very clean all around. I love the singing in it to work magic, and the harmony or discord relating to the earth and the magics.
Sep 11, 2010
Kate
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Girls & Women
Recommended to Kate by:
My aunt Kimmie
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
i really enjoyed this book. i found it very refreshing in that it is quite different from any other book i have ever read and i am eager to read the next book in the trilogy.
Aug 06, 2011
Kaite
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Anyone who knows what a good book is.
Recommended to Kaite by:
No one, Found it in the library.
This book was no doubt one the the best books I have ever read. The characters are so strong and have such unique personalities and opinions. It's not a book where things come to characters easy but they have to work for what they want, and stand strong (even when it's hard) for what they believe. Calwyn has a pure heart but puts on a thick skin when needed. If I could live in any world, it would be with out a doubt in Tremaris. Kate has done an amazing job at breathing life into her books and m...more
Jul 23, 2012
Sam Combs
added it
I loved this book series when I was in middle school. The concept isn't exactly something new, but the way it was written made the book a joy to read, and i practically flew through it because I didn't want to put it down. The book doesn't have a whole lot of action (or at least not to me it didn't) but it was very adventurous, and painted great mental images for me. Most people don't know of this series, and I only know about it because I stumbled across it in the library one day, but I'm glad...more
I think the biggest reason why I'm inclined to give this book a high rating is because I can't stop thinking about it. I've been done with it for a while now but keep thinking, "Oh I should go read that book right" and then I'm so disappointed when I realize I've already finished it. I guess I was able to fully immerse myself into the unique world the author created and liked being there. There aren't very many books that do that to me. I like that it brings together a lot of characters who are...more
In the world of Tremaris, certain people can invoke magic through singing. But each singer can only invoke one type of magic (i.e. over iron, over water, over fire etc) and there are 9 in total. The main character Calwyn, we eventually find out is a singer who can invoke all of 9 (making her the singer of all songs). This book is one of 3 over which the entire story unfolds. I liked the idea that individuals could sing their magic. Also Calwyn's journey to discover her actual power is a story of...more
This was a very fascinating book to read. The plot revolves around characters who wield magic by singing songs, where different types of chantments and varying tones and pitches hold power over certain magical functions and domains. I felt like the fantasy aspect of this novel was very original, especially in regards to the magical singing and the rest of the invented world of Tremaris. Moreover, author's writing style was very impressive and I was drawn into the story very quickly. I'm really l...more
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shut Up & Read: Chanters of Tremaris trilogy | 1 | 9 | Feb 17, 2012 12:42pm | |
| What made you fall in love with the book? | 5 | 18 | Feb 03, 2012 09:27pm |
Kate Constable was born in Sangringham, Melborne (Victoria, Australia). When she was six-years-old, her family moved to Papua New Guinea where her father worked as a pilot.
Constable got her Arts/Law degree at Melborne University, then got a job at Warner Music. She started writing during these years.
She wrote several short-stories before becoming an author and after her first attempt at writing...more
More about Kate Constable...
Constable got her Arts/Law degree at Melborne University, then got a job at Warner Music. She started writing during these years.
She wrote several short-stories before becoming an author and after her first attempt at writing...more
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“It seems to me them that sees an evil thing unfold and don't do nothin' to prevent it, are just as bad as them that does the evil.”
—
9 people liked it
“all the gods are the same unknowable mystery, just as each face of a jewel strikes light in a different direction”
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6 people liked it
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Jan 06, 2012 06:01pm