Customer Reviews

The Sounding

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(0)
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The Sounding is a rare first novel that succeeds on multiple levels. On the surface, the story is a top-notch apocalyptic thriller that spans the Christian world through a taut, action-oriented plot. However, underneath is a nascent, star-crossed romance that provides the characters with depth and the conflict with a soul.

And underlying both of these are the philosophical underpinnings of the story: what is the true nature of free will, God's plans for this world, the role of good and evil, and the ability of one person, one soul to play a role in human destiny?

You can read The Sounding for the conflict, the characters, or the metaphysical questions, and indeed you must for they all work together to create an exciting, emotional, thought-provoking experience.

I was on facebook one night, having just finished Stephen Kings 11/22/63 novel and was thinking about what to read next when I saw an ad on the right side of the page for The Sounding. I can't remember exactly what it said, but it sounded intriguing and I thought why not try it. I'm very glad I did. Its that rare book that grabs you from the start and doesn't let go until the end. It was fascinating to watch the main character, Elise, grow from an average person with everyday fears to a powerful being with a mission when she finally accepts her destiny. The interplay between the characters is really first class, and I quickly began to care about them, even ones I didn't like at first. Once I got into the book I started reading it really fast, and had to actually slow down because I didn't want it to end. I really can't say enough about it. I learned a lot about Catholicism too, as the book is steeped in accurate history. It even lead me to the Vatican website to learn a bit more about a few scenes. Rarely have I been "sucked in' as much as I was with The Sounding. If you are a fan of supernatural ... angels/demons/prophecy... then you will absolutely love this book.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants a great adventure.

This is a religious thriller of the highest order. Salo is an exciting new author who has combined superb storytelling, powerful writing and imaginative character development to create a debut novel that's a remarkable achievement. The author expertly weaves throughout a deep understanding of the prophecies expressed in the Bible's foreboding Book of Revelation. As a chain of events cascades toward an early fulfillment of these prophecies, Carrie Salo creates fast paced, gripping suspense that builds and builds as the story traverses continents toward a stunning, emotionally draining conclusion. The cast of characters is richly developed with some that you will not soon forget and maybe a few you will wish you could. Most notable of the latter, of course, is The Other. The Sounding is a first rate creative flourish that left me hungry for Salo's next project.

An ominous quote from Revelation sets the tone for the book in the prologue. What starts out as a couple college guys brooding over brewskies quickly turns into a brutal and peculiar murder. Readers know who the killer is right away, but WHAT the killer is unfolds gradually as the story progresses. The strange circumstances around the murder catch the attention of a secret Vatican Council charged with finding clues about a possible premature Armageddon. What they discover uncovers a series of events where Biblical prophesy is tested by the God-given free will of people halfway around the world, aided by one of the most chilling and demonic creatures ever written about. The Council team up with a Swiss bodyguard, a visionary monk and the killer with the goal of trying to stop the end of the world from happening before its prophesied time. HIGHLY recommended!

The author has a very visual writing style and I hope someone makes this into a movie. Until then, your only choice is the read the book!

Some of my other favorite books:

Jurassic Park -- by Michael Crichton
Relic (Pendergast, Book 1) -- by Douglas Preston
The Shining -- by Stephen King

Thank you for reading my review!

Fourteen angels are cited in the Book of Revelation. The final angel brings forth the end of days, but only after humanity has gone through a series of trials to ready it for this event. However, what happens if the earlier omens that would trigger each of the angels are skipped, and the final angel is brought forth too soon, far before mankind is ready and ahead of God's plan? A secret faction of the Catholic Church, the Hetairia Melchizedek, studies omens and signs, hoping to protect the world from this ever happening. When a prophetic dream and change in a statue of Remiel, the final angel, occur, the society, including young priest Chris Mognahan, seek to find the incarnation of the angel on earth so they may work with her to prevent the premature end, and protect her from the evil Other that seeks to destroy her.

The Sounding was a far more thoughtful and exciting novel than I had anticipated. Following several introductory pages of the Book of Revelation describing the angels and end of days, the opening of the novel hits with a bang-a supernatural murder on a college campus. Alerted by the strangeness of the killing, Father Mognahan alerts the Hetairia Melchizedek, and, together with a mute monk, searches the campus for Remiel. They find her in the form of Elise Moore, a beautiful young student who has lived a quiet life hiding her supernatural powers from those around her.

Although Elise was initially a hard character for me to come to like, over time her character is expanded to the point that you can't help but root for her. Like Christ, she has a sacrifice to make to save the world, and as much as she'd like to give it up, she also knows that she plays a critical role in the survival of mankind. The other characters were well-rounded as well, and Father Chris is sure to be a favorite of many reading the book. It begins as largely his story, but transitions to focus on Elise and her struggles.

There is also plenty of danger and action in the novel. A being they refer to as the Other, the opposite of Remiel, seeks to destroy Elise. Somehow, it always knows where to find her, and it shows no mercy, tearing down whomever it needs to in order to get to her.

What I enjoyed most about this book is how entrenched it is in Catholicism and how much I learned about religion without it ever feeling preachy. As a non-Catholic, I love getting glimpses into the workings of the Church and its theology. We also get a great literary tour of the Vatican City, making me long to visit it in real life. Fans of books like The Da Vinci Code, and Angelology will most likely also enjoy the theology mixed with adventure and action at play here. And it's written much better than The Da Vinci Code.

My only real issue with the book has nothing to do with the story, but more with the publisher. I reviewed a finished copy, and counted at least seven or eight grammatical errors and typos (periods missing from the ends of sentences, using "they" instead of "thy" in two separate instances). Granted, that's not much considering the book is nearly 500 pages long, but it was enough that I noticed and wished that it would have been picked over more carefully by an editor.

I'm very happy that I was approached to review this title, because I probably would have never picked it up on my own. It's the kind of book that will stay with me long after I finish it, and I even ended up having dreams based on the story and characters, it got under my skin so much. I'm excited to see what Carrie Salo creates in her future books.

This was an excellent book. It was a Kindle special and it is one of the best I have ever read. Cannot wait for this author's next book!!!

Looking for a good horror/mystery with a tinge of romance? This book is the one for you. The main character, Father Chris, will engage the reader within the first chapter and the prologue starts the reader out with immediate action. There is an undercurrent of suspense throughout the book, the tone of the novel is perfect for the plot.

The world may be heading towards an apocalypse. Father Chris and several other characters including the enigma love interest work towards finding a solution. The novel addresses several topics found in Christianity including free will and how much may be too much as well as the possibility that one's destiny and the destiny of many may rest on only one person. There is so much action in this novel that it is hard to put down. The subplot of a forbidden romance between Father Chris and the enigmatic young woman serves to enhance the reader's experience.

The book is very well-written and the chapters flow smoothly, no awkward or choppy transitions. The author pulls together a great resolution at the end of the novel, leaving the reader satisfied. This book is highly recommended to adult readers.

The Sounding was both exciting and scary; a heart beating kind of read that couldn't be put down. So real feeling that it made me wonder if it could really happen.

I found the idea of this book fascinating, but a bit on the long side. I think the author could have edited a bit more out to keep the pace up. I enjoyed the beginning and the ending...the in-between stuff dragged on and I found myself putting the book down quite often. I plowed through the last 150 pages and loved the ending. I can only hope someone is there waiting to bring me home when the time comes.

Lots of Biblical stuff, but I did not feel like it was religious in the least. This is a story about relationships and tough decisions that need to be made. What would you do if the world depended on you to save it from evil? Tough is right.

This book has its darker side and lots of murder and blood. I cried and I laughed, but a few of the dreamscapes could have been skipped...those areas got a bit long and boring. If you enjoy a good mystery and this one is....and if you enjoy the idea of angels than give this book a try.

In her debut novel, "The Sounding," Carrie Salo writes an angelic coming-of-age tale that is sure to please lovers of angels and apocalyptic aficionados who enjoy supernatural adventure softened by moments of deep doubt and human fragility. Despite a penchant for describing locales from a tour guides pedagogical perspective and her hackneyed and almost requisite inclusion of the growing romantic love between girl and priest, Salo manages to craft a fast-moving storyline and a heroine that struggles with her unwelcome mission with a mixture of skepticism and rebellion that appeals without being overly preachy.

Twenty-year-old college student Elise Moore is well aware of her "special" differences, but rather than exploring them further and running the risk of standing out in the crowd, she chooses to ignore them and hide under a cloak of anonymity. However, when her life becomes jeopardized, she lashes out in the only way she can and uncontrollably causes a man's death in a matter of brutal seconds.

The murder, chronicled in a local news journal, comes to the attention of Father Chris Mognahan and Brother Francis, members of a clandestine society within the Catholic Church. Both men are key workers on an endless 24/7 shift--their job is to determine whether or not specific events taking place around the world could be the triggers signaling the end of the world as prophesized in the Book of Revelations. Now, the abrupt and decisive details of the killing suggest the incarnation of two supernatural foes--an angel named Remiel who "sounds" the horn announcing a final battle between good and evil and "the Other," a demon who desires nothing but the corruption of this heavenly messenger to tip the scales downward and spill all of mankind towards the bowels of hell.

Recognizing instantly that Elise is Remiel, Father Chris and Francis understand that they must alert her to her role in the End of Days, so that the outcome for the world is a positive one from the perspective of ultimate salvation. With the help of Father Alan and the leverage of the knowledge of her role in the murder, they enlist Elise in an "Angel-Making" Boot Camp, instructing her in the dogma of the Catholic religion while preparing her for her ultimate role in the final battle.

It is here that Salo does her best writing--adequately depicting the imminent danger and the crisis of conscious that befalls Elise as she accepts the magnitude of what lies before her and invites the supernatural part of herself to overcome, maneuver and thrive over her humanness. Like Christ at Gethsemane, Elise asks for the "cup to pass" and is rewarded through her own sacrifice an ultimate resurrection of spirit. Elise's moments of ultimately understanding her supernatural self provides a refreshing difference from most angel lore as most readers expect wings and halos (Angelology: A Novel or the many books of Doreen Virtue (How to Hear Your Angels)) and will not expect Salo's more reasonable almost quantum explanation/exploration.

However, in addition to doing a good job depicting the angst of her heroine, Salo also has a flare for fleshing out Elise/Remiel's climatic mission without the confused details of too much action bombarding the reader with a "too much information" feel. One commiserates with Elise from the start and through her symbol-filled nightmares and daytime self-recriminations can relate to her private agony and step-by-step growth in awareness in a mindful way that allows analysis after each of the action bits. If she fails, it is only in the way she delivers her twist at the climax--although surprised at the turn of events, this reviewer wishes Salo had made the moment more dramatic--perhaps with a technique of shorter, truncated sentences that would have made a mind-clenching realization more heart-stopping.

Bottom line? Carrie Salo's "The Sounding" surely will please any reader of apocalyptic fiction with this coming of age tale as a young woman hears the message of her God, earns her wings and moves heaven and earth to become worthy of her mission despite innate skepticism and incredulity. A piece chronicling self-growth through faith, Salo spices up her tale with secret Church societies, ancient prophesies, miracles and supernatural beings the keep the 450 plus pages of this closely printed book turning. This battle between good and evil is appropriate for teenagers, however, be aware of some foul language meant to better facilitate the evil of the demon. Recommended.
Diana Faillace Von Behren
"reneofc"