Customer Reviews

Aria of the Sea

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Don't be put off by the poetic cover and alternate world setting-- this book is very straightforward and immediately engrossing. I began reading it at a highway reststop on a long drive and ended up staying until I finished it!

With elements of a great school story (like Harry Potter!), "Fame"-- competition and talent among young people, and coming-of-age-- young Cerinthe feels responsible for her mother's death so avoids using her intuition as a healer-- this book is rich in detail and strong in character. The atmosphere of Faranor, the capital of the country, and the sea religion-- the Sea Maid is the goddess, and those who are gifted like Cerinthe hear her singing in a very literal way-- add to the power of the story and its themes. The dance is clearly ballet, and uses the same terms as ballet in our world, but dancers are called "daina" and "daine" rather than ballerina. Any child (or any person) with a calling, and maybe a choice between two callings, will find this story close to their heart. What do we sacrifice when we dedicate ourselves to a skill? Is it worth it? Sometimes the answer is very complicated!

A must-read for any girl or woman with an interest in dance, or in the arts. Cerinthe's growing maturity, and her beginning to understand the humanity of even her opponents, is very touching. Surprising and delightful book!

As I have said, this book is very touching. The main charactor, Cerinthe Gale, has given up healing after what happened to her mother. Now, Cerinthe must finish the dream her mother had once told her and this was to dace at a royal school. She had a lot of trouble by some selfish and jelous classmates, but she had forfill the dream. Yet something is missing. She must choose what to do because the song of the sea maid stopped singing to her and she is so unhappy. She must choose who she will be before she too gives her life away, just like a girl she had once looked up to. Join Cerinthe in her journey of choices. And also if you're looking for some new vocabulary, this is your book. I'm sure you'll enjoy it!

A thirteen year old girl named Cerinthe Gale lives on the island of Normost in the kingdom of windward .She has always dreamed of becoming a dancer ,and now her dream has come true. She has been accepted to the royal school of dance ,but will she regret the decision she has made? I'm talking about the book Aria Of The Sea .This book is good for just about any age ,but I suggest it mostly for the 10-15 age group .This is just because if your older it might be a little childish for you and if your younger you might have trouble understanding some things .Also because at times I found myself cringing at some rather unpleasant images,"the ragged edge of her shinbone thrust through the skin".I myself am 14 years old and I followed the book very clearly .
In my opinion I found that this book was marvelous. I think now its my new favorite book .I found it to be so great first of all because it has to do with dance and I'm obsessed with anything to do with dance .Also because it had a good plot ,filled with lots of surprises and there was a lot of things going on .It really kept my interest ,I found myself having to pull away from it many times ,because I had to go to bed or do my homework .So if anything I just said describes what you like in a book then this book is for you !and as Cerinthe would say "may fair winds be yours".

Aria of the sea is a beautifully written story about a passionate and talented girl named Cerinthe. Set in the magical kingdom of Windward, Cerinthe has one only one goal; to fulfil her dreams of becoming a dancer. Yet so many things stand in her way. The loss of her mother, her constant fear of harming those around her with her medical expertise, and her position in society are all obstacles that she needs to overcome in order to achieve her dreams. But after the first several months at school, Cerinthe isn't quite so sure what she wants anymore.

Aria of the Sea is a fantastic story, but it can also be used as a valuable lesson for young people trying to find out who they really are. The author, Dia Calhoun was trained from the ages of 5-17 to become a classical ballet dancer. I have a feeeling that with the depth of emotion Cerinthe displays in the novel, Calhoun herself struggled with deciding on her life's goals. This book should help readers recognize that life offers many posibilities and it is our responsibility to do our best to fulfill our dreams.

As I have said, this book is very good. It takes you inside the charactor's head and gives you some very sorrowful moments and joyful ones too. It gives you many descriptions to get the real feel of what the story is talking about. The main charactor, Cerinthe Gale, has given up healing after what happened to her mother. Now, Cerinthe must finish the dream her mother had once told her and this was to dance at a royal dancing school. She had a lot of trouble by some selfish and jelous classmates, but she had forfill the dream. Yet something is missing. She must choose what to do because the sea maid, that had once sang to her, had vanished. She is so unhappy. She must choose who she will be before she too gives her life away, just like an unhappy girl she had once looked up to. Join Cerinthe in her journey of choices and her determined acts that even you wouldn't do. She will have many brave and true acts that will help shape who she will be. I'm sure you'll enjoy it!

A pre-teen folk healer dreams of being a dancer, giving up her healing powers when she can't save her sick mother. She auditions at a dancing school, which accepts her; but newfound problems challenge her dancing abilities and interests and she comes to face a choice between dancing and healing in this moving story of rivalries and career choices. Highly recommended.

Aria of the Sea was a beautiful story about a young girl who is trying to fulfill her mother's last wish, by becoming a famous dancer. The girl, Cerinthe Gale, is torn between what she wants and what she believes her mother would have wanted of her.

Cerinthe is one of the most talented dancers to ever find her way to the royal school, but accomplishments only bring emptyness, since she is no longer visited by the Sea Maid's joyeous song. Conflict with herself and conflict with another dancer bring her to the realization of where her real talent lies. Mystic, luminous writing make this one of the most outstanding fantisies of the year.

I really liked the way Dia Calhoun described Cerinthe's love of the sea and of the sea maid. I could really imagine the Cerinthe dancing to the movement of the sea.

However, it really annoyed me that Elliana did get away with everything mean and neasty she did and was still considered the best dancer. I mean, its true that sometimes in life you meet really evil people, but Elliana was too stereotypically mean and bullyish. It was especially annoying how she took Cerinthe's Aria of the Sea and claimed it as her own. Cerinthe should've have at least said something instead of running away 'with tears in her eyes'. Sometimes, Cerinthe didn't stick up for herself, and it kind of annoyed me when people still said she was brave.

Also Dia Calhoun never really gave strong enough hints that Thordon 'wanted to protect his dreams by pretending he knew what was best for her'. I was shocked when this thought just seemed to come out of nowhere- suddenly Throdon was this evil guy, just because he wanted her to keep dancing and not become a mederi. He was never really that bad.

Overall, I thought this book was pretty good, good enough to read in one sitting. However, their were certain aspects of the story that were annoying to read.

This book is the best book ever! I have read it about 100 times. It's so good, that I have been holding it "hostage" for a while in my room from my school library.

Cerinthe is a 13 year old girl living on the island of Normost in the Northern Reach. She is a healer. But one day, her mother gets ill and is unable to save her. Her mothers final request is for her to go to Faranor and become a little daina at the royal school for dancers. Cerinthe gets in, and performs well, but she feels that there is something missing. She meets a lady named Mederi Grace who says that Cerinte should come and train on healers hill. But others want her to stay because she is a wonderfull dancer. And a mean girl named Elliana only makes the choice difficult, because she hurtrs her. Cerinthe ultimately has to decide if she should stay at the school or go to healers hill.