Customer Reviews

The Splendor Falls

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I'm a big fan of Rosemary Clement Moore's writing and she doesn't disappoint with her new book The Splendor Falls. The story follows Sylvie, a young dancer who's dreams are crushed when she breaks her leg. She's sent to heal in Alabama, a place where she knows no one. Her cousin is restoring the family home, and as welcoming as she is, Sylvie just wants to go home. But there's a dark and mysterious stranger, who makes her curious. And when strange things start happening, Sylvie can't help but be intrigued, and perhaps a little frightened. It might be a YA, but adults will enjoy this too!

I read this book because I am a huge fan of the author's previous works, and I was not disappointed. It's a little darker and a little more mystical than her Maggie Quinn Series, but the words popped off the page, and the descriptions in the story made you feel like you were living in a creepy old Haunted Mansion! The characters were gritty, and totally imperfect (except when they needed to be too perfect, then they totally were.) This is a book I would recommend to any avid reader of dark, but still totally fun YA. Buy it now!

After a devastatingly embarrassing and crippling accident onstage that handicaps her leg and permanently throws her plans of being a prima ballerina astray (who's ever heard of a one-legged ballerina, anyways?), Sylvie Davis is at a loss in regards to what to make of the rest of her life. When she accidentally gets drunk at a wedding (her mindset being: what the heck, I'm crippled and my life sucks so why not drink a bit and oopsies-) and sees things that shouldn't be there (which, by the way, was a very cool thing that she sees, historical freak that I am!), her mom and stepfather-to-be sends her to the deep South (Alabama, to her dad's family's old plantation-turned-bed & breakfast, to be exact) to "dry out". But dry out she does not. Instead, she is faced with a situation more dire than anything that might have happened had she stayed in New York, one that invokes terrifying chills and things that go bump at night. Once arrived at Bluestone Hill, the old family home, she is faced with a plethora of mysteries. Of what kind, you ask? All kinds! Boys, ghosts, and century-old questions.

THE SPLENDOR FALLS has got to be one of my favorite books ever. It's definitely a slow read at first, but I found it enchanting to read about the workings of a small Southern town and a Manhattan trust-fund girl like Sylvie trying to find her place in such a setting. People, there are food descriptions in this book. Good, mouth-watering Southern dishes that made my stomach rumble in envy as I read. And aside from the delectable foods, Clement-Moore sprinkles in perfect helpings of romance and love-triangle dilemma and bone-chilling ghosties. The chapters alternate between idyllic and heart-pounding--there were several chapters interspersed throughout the story that were downright creepy. I could imagine the ghosts and eerie whispers of things long past as Sylvie experienced them, leaving me jumpy at the slightest noise and nervously checking over my shoulder every so often to assure my paranoid self that no, there were no sinister ghosts lurking in the shadowy corners of my room (unlike Sylvie's room...). Brrr.

The two probable love interests are the right amounts of charming and infuriating; I enjoyed Sylvie's interactions with both of them, in part because thankfully Sylvie does not act like a love-smitten fool in their presence, as a great deal of YA female characters are inclined to do these days. Sylvie, the main character, felt like a truly fleshed-out character- cynical, perhaps, and grumpy at times- but I'd like to think that is the mark of a true teenager. Clement-Moore does such a good job establishing her person that I felt like she was a real human, someone who I could understand and relate to being a teenager myself. Each and every character had a distinctly unique personality, so I had no trouble distinguishing them. Like I previously mentioned, the book starts out at a stately pace, but in the last approximate 25% of the book, the speed picks up and it's nonstop action after confrontation after action!

The only complaint-and a small one at that-that I have with this book is that Clement-Moore puts a little too much emphasis on Sylvie's dog, Gigi, than I'd like. There was an overdose of dog-related occurrences that worked as a plot device and no doubt will appeal to dog lovers, but alas, being a non-dog-owner myself, I found to be a bit tiring after a while. But don't let that detract you from the book- it is a real gem!

Overall, a supremely wonderful, well-researched, and fantastically developed book. I really didn't want it to end, but it did...that was the only bad part of the book.

First off, I had high hopes for this novel. I love me some Southern Gothic Romance literature!This was that, but it was also kind of a mess.

The main character is Sylvie Davis, she's a ballerina who gets injured and can no longer dance right in the beginning of the story. Sylvie comes from a broken home, her mother and father are divorced, and not only that, her father, the one person who understands her the most, has passed away. Her mother, who's a kind of a Park Avenue snob, is getting remarried.

After drinking a few too many glasses of champaign mixed with pain killers and causing her mother and new stepfather (who's a shrink) to be on high-alert, Sylvie (along with her cute Chihuahua; Gigi) end up in Alabama under the watchful eye of her cousin Paula (Southern blood on her father's side).

Paula lives in the famous Bluestone Hill (Davis) Manor, she's also in the process of making it into a Bed & Breakfast for tourists. Paula has a bit of Southern tang to her, unlike her business partner and friend, Clara, who is sweet and also the resident chef at the manor. There are quite a few people staying at Bluestone Hill, Clara's daughter (in need of a major attitude adjustment), and the Professor and his son Rhys Griffith; educated visitors from Wales.

Sylvie has an instant connection with Rhys, but Rhys has secrets of his own and both characters are too stubborn to admit them. And then there's the Tom Sawyer sneaky-heartthrob Shawn Maddox. He has a fascination with Sylvie right away, almost as if he's been awaiting her arrival for long time.

F.Y.I. the humans aren't just the main characters in this novel. The Supernatural plays a major role in the story as well.

Don't get me wrong, I love mystery and supernatural. And when I received this book I was very excited to read it. It lacks something though. I liked reading and following Sylvie's journey as she found out her family history. I liked the "Gaslight" appeal to it too. Those parts were quite creative.

However, a lot of the book was filler, a lot detailing involving the main character's dog. I'm a dog person, but it seemed like every paragraph had mention of Gigi. It took maybe till the first 200 pages for the story to actually begin. Near the end I was losing interest and the majority of it didn't make sense to me.

I guess I was expecting more, especially with a book that is 450+ pages.

Sylvie's world came crashing down the day she broke her leg on stage. She was the youngest-ever principal ballerina for the American Ballet and her dream career ended at the age of seventeen. But her world is also changed by her mother's remarriage and since she has no reason to stay in New York, she's shipped off to Alabama to stay with her late father's cousin, Paula. Paula is restoring a family home that has been passed down through the generations of the Davis family. And with this home comes a history that is ghostly. Sylvie must figure out the mystery of why she can suddenly see ghosts and why there seems to be magic in the air. Add two guys who are both interested in her, and she gets one summer that she will never forget.

This book is really long--five hundred and thirteen pages long. And it was too long, I think. I think that there was too much filler in the story and that it could definitely be shortened. There were times that I became confused. How the past was relevant to the future, and the relationships between the characters had me flipping back through the book at some points.

I did like some of the main characters. I liked Sylvie--a ballerina as a main character (although the ballet aspect is talked about too much) is new to me. And she had a great, fiesty personality. I liked a lot of her retorts to the guys and to her cousin. I also really liked Rhys. He had an air of mystery surrounding him that was appealing and intriguing. I also liked Clara, the business partner of Paula. She had such a caring air about her. And I want a puppy like Gigi!
I didn't particularly like Shawn or Addie, although I don't think I was supposed to. There was something eerie about Shawn and his ability to charm everyone. And Addie was just plain mean.

I did like the ending--it seemed to wrap everything up nicely and all of the many details throughout the book came together. As long as you aren't looking for a speedy, easy read, I would reccommend this book.

Although it was a tad bit on the long side, The Splendor Falls is a rather enjoyable novel. While there are definitely paranormal elements involved, it's not the typical sort with supernatural species. Magic, ghosts, history, love, loss and hate - those are themes that are threaded throughout Rosemary Clement-Moore's story.

Sylvie is an interesting character, made all the more so by her tragic ballet injury and her subsequent struggles. She exudes intelligence and strength as she endeavors to learn more about her family's past and the mystery connects it to her present. And the mystery is a complicated one evidenced by the sheer length of the story. Though things did drag a bit in places, once the tale was underway I found it to be pretty captivating. I particularly enjoyed the setting and historical details that Clement-Moore employed. Her descriptions helped bring the story to life and added a feeling of realness.

My only real issue with this book is the ambiguity that surrounds the Sylvie-Rhys-Shawn love triangle. The triangle factors in greatly with the story - pretty much revolving around it in fact. However, by the end of it all, nothing definitive is uncovered about whether or not they are reincarnated as the story implies.

Regardless, it's a good book and if you're into paranormal YA you will more than likely enjoy The Splendor Falls.

Firstly, I will say that I did enjoy The Splendour Falls. It is an interesting and intriguing read, with paranormal and romance elements combined with a little mystery. One of the things I liked most was Sylvie, the main protagonist.

Sylvie's character is great. She is quite a refreshing change to the many young girls who fall at the feet of male suiters. Sylvie is a very mature seventeen year old and I really liked the way she went about things for a girl her age. Being smitten with two guys didn't reduce her to a girl who is unable function if they didn't look at her that day, instead she is bright, witty and intelligent and very much her own person. Sylvie definitely knows what she wants and that's to dance. To hone her ballet skills she has to train for hours and hours each day, which requires motivation, dedication and above all no distractions and to do this there has to be total focus. This shows Sylvie's strength of character. And although she may never dance again due to breaking her leg, she doesn't give up, instead she focuses her attention on finding information about her deceased father and her newly found family history.

Sylvie is definitely the main focus of this book and although there are other characters involved, we don't really get to know them. Her dog Gigi plays a bigger part than the two guys, Rhys and Shawn, who are Sylvie's love interests. At times it did feel as though it was the Sylvie & Gigi show. With that being said I loved Gigi, so utterly adorable. It's just a shame that the other characters weren't given the same attention. There is little in the way of romance in The Splendour Falls but it is alluded to. Obviously Sylve is attracted to Rhys, but the relationship didn't develop quickly enough or as much as I would have liked it to. There are a lot of smart retorts, hand brushing and skin tingling but not a lot else.

The beginning of the book starts off really well and is very easy to get into with Sylvie's character being instantly likable. But after around a hundred and fifty pages it plateaus and doesn't seem to go anywhere. What follows is a lot of repetition consisting of Sylvie waking up, going to breakfast, walking the dog, going to the garden, sneaking Gigi upstairs to her room, feeling as though she is being watched, checking it out, freaking out and thinking she is crazy. Then going to sleep just for it to happen again the next day. Of course this isn't all that happens. Some of her day is delving into her past and trying to learn about her family's history and trying to understand the ghosts she is seeing. Unfortunately, the story is lost in too much padding. I also feel as though the book goes on for far too long. There isn't enough story to warrant the five hundred plus pages, if it had been shorter it would have giving a more tightly packed story and therefore a more enjoyable read.

However, I was impressed with the writing as it flowed really well even when the story dragged a little and the quality of writing didn't diminish. Towards the latter part of the novel it did pick up pace and become quite exciting as all the pieces of the puzzle began to come together and my interest in the book and in Sylvie piqued again as I was pulled along with the story until the last page. At the end everything is wrapped up nicely and all the questions are answered. This is by no means an easy or quick read, but it's one I would recommend.

Got my hands on an ARC copy to read and return, and now ordering my keeper copy. And this is DEFINTELY a keeper. Splendor Falls is the best work from Clement-Moore to date and the very best YA book I've read in a long time.

The characters are as deep and complex as the Welsh Lore that this book turns upon. Sylvie and company engage the reader from the first page and compel a reader to stay with them on a perilous journey in a modern setting that echoes to the ancient past of Old Britain.

The tale itself is richly developed. The scenes are crafted with the detail that puts the reader IN the room and in the story. The fear Sylvie feels and the strengh with which she faces those fears come through beautifully.

Note to buyers. I recommend this book to older readers. Some scenes are INTENSE and need a measure of emotional grounding young teens may not have. Adults will find this a satisfying read front to back, in my opinion, as the YA tag seems more suited to less gripping stories. I'd love to see this book become a film.

Terrible book. It just drags on. Nothing exciting happens. it's too boring. Honestly? I am looking forward in just finishing the book. A ghost story? No this is not a ghost story. It's just boring.

Sylvie's world came crashing down the day she broke her leg on stage. She was the youngest ever principal ballerina for the American Ballet, and her dream career ended at the age of seventeen.

But her world is also changed by her mother's remarriage, and since she has no reason to stay in New York, she's shipped off to Alabama to stay with her late father's cousin, Paula. Paula is restoring a family home that has been passed down through the generations of the Davis family. And with this home comes a history that is ghostly.

Sylvie must figure out the mystery of why she can suddenly see ghosts and why there seems to be magic in the air. Add in two guys who are both interested in her, and she gets one summer that she will never forget.

Although this book is really long - over five hundred pages (and I think that there was a lot of filler in the story and that it could definitely be shortened) - I enjoyed the plot. For the most part, it held my attention and I wanted to figure out what was going on. There were times that I became confused, however. How the past was relevant to the future, and the relationships between the characters, had me flipping back through the book at some points.

I did like most of the main characters. I liked Sylvie - a ballerina as a main character (although I thought the ballet aspect is talked about too much) is new to me. And she had a great, feisty personality. I liked a lot of her retorts to the guys and to her cousin. I also really liked Rhys. He had an air of mystery surrounding him that was appealing and intriguing. I also liked Clara, the business partner of Paula. She had such a caring air about her. And I want a puppy like Gigi! I didn't particularly like Shawn or Addie, although I don't think I was supposed to. There was something eerie about Shawn and his ability to charm everyone. And Addie was just plain mean.

I did like the ending - it seemed to wrap everything up nicely and all of the many details throughout the book came together. As long as you aren't looking for a speedy, easy read, I would recommend THE SPLENDOR FALLS.

Reviewed by: Andrea