Customer Reviews

Stone Voice Rising

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(17)
3 star:		(11)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

All I can really say is wow! Ok, so I'll be honest I picked this one because of the cover art, and I'll admitt that the first few chapters didn't do much for me. but I hate giving up on a book once I've started, so I kept reading. I'm so glad I did. I ended up enjoying Stone Voice Rising immensely. Well developed, character driven and highly visual. Stone Voice Rising draws you in and keeps you there. Turing the pages and caring about the characters.

Lilibit can hear what the stones are whispering. She is meant to be the earth's new Stone Voice who will ultimately connect the planet with the universe. Her protector, a stone warrior, attempts to take her to the place called Kiva to fulfill her destiny--but they are intercepted by Syxx, an evil entity devoted to finding the source of Lilibit's power. Lilibit ends up at a group home for unwanted children, damaged and near death. But she recovers and journeys to Kiva with the other children, bestowing upon them the stones that allow them to embrace their own powers, fight Syxx's minions, and save the earth.

But really this doesn't even begin to touch the depth and creativity of this novel. Part road story, part action adventure, part magical fantasy. Technically classified as juvenile fiction, but I'm 28 and I wasn't bored at all. I think this books holds appeal for both male and female readers of all ages, but there are some graphic scenes and mild language.

Stone Voice Rising is the first book of the Chronicles of Kiva and C. Lee Tocci definitely has my attention.

Lilibit can talk to rocks. They whisper messages to her. She doesn't understand it but it is so. When a neighbor calls the police on her for moving around her landscape rocks once again, Lilibit says she did it because one of the stone's wanted to go back to the ocean where it came from and was making the woman's baby cry constantly. The woman was scared by this information and made her husband take the rock back to the ocean. This episode has convinced the two ladies taking care of Lilibit that she is growing up and must be protected before she is taken from them by an evil organization run by the demon Syxx.

A man who resembles a mighty oak tree came to take Lilibit to the city of Kiva, but Syxx sends out a helicopter gang to get them while they are traveling there and Lilibit ends up running off on her own. She is kidnapped during her run and held captive for 5 years by the demon Syxx where is has brain surgery done to try and make her forget the stones or to learn her secret of talking to them. During that five years (but only for a few chapters), we hear no more of Lilibit and the plot skips to a boy named Todd who as a child talked to birds and then it skips to Todd five years later. He grew up as a foster child and kept being moved around because he kept talking to the birds (which was freaking out the foster parents).

The plot resumes with both Todd and Lilibit at the five years later mark where they meet at a foster home that has 7 children of unusual abilities. When an earthquake hits the town, the 7 children try to make it to the city Kiva where they think they can find refuge because it is where Lilibit wants to go so bad. The rest of the book deals with the dangers they face along the way. The demon Syxx is trying to kill them at every turn.

The story ends with questions unanswered so there will defintely be a sequel to it. That is good because I thought the children needed to be older for the story to continue. It was hard for me to picture Lilibit going from age 6 to 11 in this story because she still seemed like 6 all throughout it, but that is because of the brain surgery which left her crippled for part of the time. Todd had to carry her so much that I kept picturing a small child the whole time. I think the story was good though and kids from 9 up should enjoy it. It has some humor in it too. It's a long story though (over 400 pages) so your kids would have to be a big reader to enjoy it! Easy to read and no foul language, likeable children, a good plot and any violence is not dwelled on.

Six-year-old Lilibit can hear what the stones are saying. A tall man shows up at her aunties' house to take her away. He seems nice, but she doesn't want to go anywhere. On her way to this new mystery place, some men attack. Lilibit is taken away from the tall man to a horrible place.

Five years later, Lilibit arrives in a foster home with six other unwanted children. When disaster strikes, Todd, the oldest, leads the children into the mountains he's been dreaming about. But bad men in helicopters are chasing them and Todd doesn't know why. Can the children make it to the mountain sanctuary before the bad men get them?

This book was really hard to follow. There is just too much going on. I thought the premise was interesting but a little bit strange. A girl who talks to rocks is one thing, but every character that came into the story had some random ability, including the cliché kid who can hack into the CIA's computers. Since this was a contemporary fantasy (with helicopters and guns) that didn't make sense to the reader. How come all these kids had abilities? We needed to see it though the eyes of a character that was as clueless as the reader. That way, we readers could experience the story with awe and wonder instead of confusion. The strange creatures and peoples seemed forced. They served little purpose to move the plot along and only aggravated me as one more thing to take me away from the main characters. If we would have stayed with Lilibit and Todd, things might have been more engaging.

Also, I wanted to learn more about the way this secret world in the real world worked. They spoke of a Creator and how the Stone Voice was a part of balancing everything, but all that was left hanging, for a sequel, I guess. I was looking forward to a conclusion that brought the main plot together, but we really didn't get one. So that was also frustrating. Too much crammed in, too little time spent with the characters that counted.

The story starts out captivating. Then there's a lull and it takes a while to build back up to excitement. The main character Lilibit was well developed as was her protector Todd. Once you power through the slow part of the book, the action slowly builds to the climax of the story.

The underlying themes such as: good vs. evil and be good to nature (be green) permeate the story, which is excellent for children.

The con of this book is poor character development of supporting characters and most importantly the villain, Syxx. This may be by design as you can tell the author is planning on expanding the series (a la Harry Potter).

Overall the book is a solid three stars and may have deserved more had there not been about 50 pages of lull (think about the poor kids!).

I loved this book. It is a enjoyable, interesting, and fun read. The characters are well written and the story intriguing. I am looking forward to future books to learn more about this world.

An interesting story with an interesting and fairly unique twist - stones speak and it is a six-year-old you is able to communicate with them. In my opinion, the story is well crafted and will greatly appeal to the age range for which it is aiming for - 9-12, though many adults will enjoy it as well. Stone Voice Rising would make an excellent parent/middle school book group read or even just parent/child read.

Filled with magic, fantasy and adventure, the characters are incredible likable, particularly the main character of Lilibit. Lilibit is strong, willful and simply an amazing little girl. Her talent takes her many places and through many trials which she must overcome to bring goodness and righteousness. I enjoyed Stone Voice Rising and look forward to my eight-year-old daughter trying it out in another year or so. At a whopping 416 pages, it may be a bit intimidating to younger readers, however once they become involved within the story, they are sure to look past the thickness of the book!

Stone Voice Rising is the story of the young Lilibit. Lilibit is special, she can hear stones speak. Her specialness makes her a target and by happenstance she ends up traveling with a group of misfit youngsters from the group home she was mysteriously placed in.

This was a good journey story, but it might be too dark for young or sensitive children. At times, it reminded me of the Pamela F. Service book The Winter of Magic's Return. The landscape is a dark rendition of a world that we almost recognize. At the core of the world lies magic that both nurtures and harms. The children are very real with their bravado, insecurities, and bluntness, and it is easy to believe the bonds that form between them as they travel towards their goal.

My 12-year-old daughter read this, handed it to me, and said "Mom. You have to read this. Now".

The beginning of the book sucks you in immediately with the central character Lilbit's lively, intelligent, and spunky character. Tension and tragedy are introduced early in the book, and I won't give any spoilers but the empathy with which the characters are presented and the outstanding pace of the story kept me up until I had read it in a single sitting. There are strong Native American elements in the mythology this book builds, which is thorough, haunting, and memorable. I was pleased to note that out of respect for the cultures of origin, the names of the mythological characters and ritual details are slightly altered, but enough of the spirit remains to convey significance.

The book isn't a cliffhanger, but is left open-ended enough to leave me looking forward to the sequel, which my daughter and I are definitely waiting for.

STONE VOICE RISING by C. Lee Tocci is the story of Lilibit, a young girl who has lived with her aunts and listened to stones whisper for as long as she can remember. She has no idea that she is a major piece in a larger plan - until a stranger shows up one day to introduce her to a new and magical world she did not know that she was a part of. This stranger, Keotak-se, is a stone warrior who has come to take her from her home to a place called Kiva so that she can fulfill her destiny.

Her journey to Kiva, as one may expect, does not go smoothly. The trip is interrupted by Syxx, an evil being who masquerades as the head of a medical research team secretly devoted to discovering why Lilibit can talk to the stones. Held prisoner for years and experimented on, Lilibit eventually escapes, though she is only the empty shell of the girl she once was.

She is injured, scarred, and does not speak when she first escapes. Initially, one is left wondering if this is the same girl from the earlier chapters, something that is increased by the fact that they call Lilibit "Sarah" since she cannot speak. Lilibit finds companions and friends when she is placed in a group home with six children, who are unwanted by others and have created a family of their own.

With Todd, a thirteen-year-old boy who speaks to ravens, as their leader, the seven children set off to find Kiva, unaware of what this really means or where Lilibit's strength comes from. They meet fantastic people and learn to rely on and trust each other in the process. The question is: Will the people they meet, their growing strength as a group, and their bonds allow them to reach Kiva alive, despite Syxx and his team, and what will happen once they make it there?

This book surprised me with how young the main character is as the story starts out, and it may be a little hard for some teens to get into; at the start of the book Lilibit's thoughts and actions are decidedly those of a child. However, if they stick through the first couple of chapters to get the background that they really need and get to know Lilibit before the experiments, they will find the experience rewarding. Lilibit and her companions turn out to be very interesting people set in a unique world full of magic and intrigue.

Reviewed by: Christina Tsichlis

The book,"Stone Voice Rising" surprised me, I thought it was for a younger auidence. I would recommend this book for young adults 13-17 years old.

I had high hopes, just by the title of this book, of a great & unquie story, it just wasn't what I expected. I loved the main character Lilibit, and Her special gift of hear the earth's stones talk to Her. Her journey to Kiva is the meat of this book.

Overcoming trials & sufferings for the good of all is the best reason I would give for buying & reading this young girl's gift, and how hard it is for all of us. We all have something special to do here on Earth, while we're here. Do we have the strength and spirit to follow our own path, and fulfill it?

Donna Swindells

Art House Diva