Fantasy,possibly YA-Girl can take energy from crowd [s]

[Samantha]

I read this a few years back. I don't remember much, so this is a long shot but heres hoping.

The only thing I can remember is a scene where the girl is standing on a balcony (I think) overlooking a crowd below and she uses their energy to ...do something. She doesn't use it to harm anyone, I want to say she uses it to calm the crowd or a storm or something. I also want to say she plays the violin or some musical instrument. I just don't know though. The one image that stands out to me is the balcony and the crowd and the pulling and focusing of their energy.

Edit: I may be pulling that music bit out of nowhere.

I know it's not much to go on, but you never know right?

Thanks in advance

I really just don't know and it's been driving me mad for quite a long time now.

[Jacqueline]

This is a bit of a long shot of a guess, but...could it be any of the Books of Bayern by Shannon Hale? They are The Goose Girl, Enna Burning, River Secrets, and Forest Born, but based on your description, it sounds like something out of The Goose Girl or Enna Burning. In The Goose Girl, the main character (a princess) has the power to speak with animals and control wind (she can use her powers to create windstorms, and in another book she uses them to create good winds at sea when she is aboard a ship). In Enna Burning, the main character (a different girl, a friend of The Goose Girl's MC, though), has the gift to control fire and can create fire by drawing heat from people.

Hope this helps a bit! Is the book you're thinking of more a traditional fantasy (the books I mentioned fall under that; other traditional fantasy would include anything by Tolkien or that has a sort of period background), or paranormal? Even if the books I mentioned aren't the right ones, I would definitely recommend them--they're my favorites. :) Good luck!

[M—]

A long shot, but possibly Ann McCaffrey's short story "A Bridle for Pegasus" (To Ride Pegasus)? It focuses on a young woman using her telepathic abilities to calm a crowd.

Wiki summary:

The massive mega-city of Jerhattan is threatening to boil over with ethnic tensions. In the midst of this growing chaos, a new Talent is discovered—a young woman who is unaware of her power. She can calm a crowd, or whip them into a frenzy; and the city's biggest rabble-rouser is hunting for her!

[Samantha]

None of those sound familiar but I will definitely look into them, they sound like the kind of books I would like either way. The book I'm thinking of is definitely traditional fantasy as opposed to paranormal or urban fantasy.

The Anne McCaffery book sounds like it might be it, but I'll have to read it to find out! Thankfully the library has it.


The book is at least 8 years old, because I know I read it in high school, as before that I didn't much like books.

Thank you for these possibilities, I don't want to mark this as solved because I really don't know, I'm going to have to read the books you suggested as possibilities in order to find out!

[Jena]

What about Aurian? There's a scene in which I believe she's standing on a balcony and the crowd--I think it was about to riot because there had been no rain in months and they blamed the mages. Aurian finds the whole situation ridiculous and calls in a rainstorm.

[M—]

>4 : Great! I hope you find your book soon!

[Deborah]

I don't know about the balcony but what about Mercedes Lackey's Bardic Voices series? Starts with The Lark And The Wren

Some of the characters have the ability to influence those around them with music. If not the first book maybe one of the others in the series.

[Samantha]

It may actually be Aurian. I've requested all these books from the library, so either way I've got some good books coming my way soon.

Thank you all. I'm going to say this is solved since Aurian and the Anne McCaffrey book sound like definite possibilities.

Thank you all :D

[Lisa]

Samantha, But which one should I shelve? If it's one or the other, and you remember, please come back and let us know, and shelve the book, or if you post which book it is I'll be happy to add it to our bookshelves. Thanks.

[Samantha]

Lisa, Sorry, it's probably Aurian.

[Lisa]

Samantha wrote: "Lisa, Sorry, it's probably Aurian."

Thanks, Samantha. I'll move it to the adult fiction solved folder (which is how Goodreads' members have shelved it) and I'll shelve it here.

If it's not the book and you think of it, please come back and let us know.