A Song To Take the World Apart

Gr 7–10—From birth, Lorelei has been told to avoid singing. Her German grandmother warns her that her voice is dangerous, that it has uncontrollable powers that will destroy her and those around her. As a child, Lorelei obeyed her grandmother without question. But now she is in high school; she has met an enchanting new boy, Chris; and the urge to sing thrums through her body like never before. As a sophomore, Lorelei encounters all of the regular high school issues—identity struggles, unrequited crushes, and changing friendships—but now she's uncovered a darker part of her past that is taking over her life. Her mother and grandmother call it a curse. Her great-aunt claims it's a gift, if used correctly. As she navigates friendships, starts a new relationship, and continues to unravel the mystery of music in her family's lives, Lorelei must find out for herself if her singing has the power to harm or to heal. Romanoff uses lush, lyrical language to tell Lorelei's story. The prose pulls readers along and makes the protagonist and her friends and family all the more relatable, despite the magical undercurrents of the mysterious secret.