This is a children's book (middle grade) that talks about spirituality and one's role in a world that sometimes seems too big and complicated. I thought it was very well written, as the prose was very poetic but simple enough for a child to understand. I loved the role of music in the book, as well as the protagonist, Elissa. I found her to be a great character who can teach the reader many valuable lessons.

I may have wished it had a better pace, plus the ending felt a bit flat to me. Even so, I liked it a lot! I think it is a book with very nice reflections on the role of a person who is "predestined to do something" and who, therefore, has responsibilities imposed by others and their society.

A simple story that wrapped up far too neatly for my tastes. Don't get me wrong, I'm not here for any kind of trauma porn, but the main character experienced hardship for about a paragraph before it was resolved. This is a shame, because there were some proper issues being dealt with and I would have liked to see the characters work through things a bit more. The same can be said for the story as a whole - I just wanted to dig in more, and instead we stayed very much on the surface. The muscial naming theme for literally everything got very old, very fast, and I'm not even particularly knowledgable when it comes music theory. The overarching "trust in religion, it will make everything work out" theme also struck me as quite naive, but I will admit that could just be my personal cynacism at play and not completely the fault of the story.

One major positive I have to highlight is the queer representation and inclusion, without any character ever feeling like their sexuality was the only interesting thing about them. I absolutley live for a non-binary character that doesn't end up explaining what it means to be non-binary and just rocks up with their prounouns in hand, expecting the audience to be at that level already. Major props to this author for this.

I'm left with major questions about how the magic system actually works, why I was supposed to belive a 12 year old was thinking the BIG thoughts, but also a longing to meet Blossom in real life.

Set in a world where music is magic, twelve year old Elissa is one of the few gifted with the ability to sing as a mouthpiece for the goddess Caé, and she’s faced with an impossible decision.

I’m not exaggerating when I say that I finished this book in one sitting. The setting, the characters, the story; everything pulls you in from the first sentence. Our main character Elissa is a gifted singer, one of twelve who is able to sing with magic. After a terrible war, each of the twelve Singers split off, and with a composer, travel to the ends of the kingdoms to restore peace and to fix what has been broken. Elissa is one of the youngest Singers, and with her best friend, Maestro Luico, she sings to repair bridges, villages and even blocked mountain paths. But when a jealous ruler asks for their help, and Lucio doesn’t seem to be saying no, she takes matters into her own hands, whatever the cost.

This is a fabulous middle grade fantasy, filled to the brim with magic and deceit, and I read it in only a few hours. Music and magic intertwine, and it's so easy to get lost in the world as Elissa and Lucio travel around. It truly captures the feeling of being trapped between your own intuition and what others tell you. Bakewell has a way with her characters and writing, I look forward to seeing what she writes next.

Thank you to NetGalley, Holiday House and Catherine Bakewell for providing an advanced reader's copy of We Are the Song in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Thank you so much to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of ‘We Are the Song’ to read and honestly review!✨

Wow, this really was an absolutely refreshing story! I devoured this book in only a matter of hours. The way it was written made it engaging from the very first line, up to very last one. While it is set in a ‘grim’ world, ‘We Are the Song’ carries a hopeful promise of happiness. All its characters are lovable from the beginning and even if — saying that as vaguely as possible so as not to spoil — they might stray out of their way at times, everything is wrapped up perfectly by the last page. Finally, the worldbuilding is rich and entirely original — it was what hooked me in the first place.

All in all, ‘We Are the Song’ is a lovely story about self-discovery, love, loss and happiness. It’s enticing all the way through, and it lingers in your mind! Really enjoyed it! 3.5⭐️

Wow this book was so beautiful!! I read this is one sitting, it is so well written and the story is so easily indulged.

Elissa is a 12 year old girl with a lot of responsibility on her shoulders and not only that, she can heal wounds with her voice, halt landslides and end wars. But with this great power she has to decide who is using her for good … and evil? Away from her home for the first time, this is spell bounding story of a young girl finding herself.

Highly recommend this middle grade fantasy to all! Quick and easy read.

“We Are The Song” is perfect for those who are searching for a captivating book, that will hold your attention for as long as you read it.

First of all, I must say that the reason I got interested in this book was because of its cover. It is a work of art, and the story written inside the pages are just as beautiful. The author does an amazing job putting emotional moments into those pages. I just loved it so much.

This book reads like a dream. The prose is lyrical, lush, and still grounded—allowing for an easy journey through a poetic world and a narrower focus on its deeper thematic explorations.

So many students right now are struggling with conflicting ideologies: what they are being told by hateful adults in their lives and what sings in their hearts. I'd recommend this book for classrooms, for teachers, and for kids who need a gentle reminder that their intuition is their own best source of judgement.

I, too, was a kid who grew up in conflict with the religion I was raised in—and if I'd had this book, I'd have dug deep into it, finding solace in its pages.

[e-arc provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.]

Elissa, a twelve-year-old girl, is one of the twelve Voices of the Caé. The goddess that ruled and created the world. Basso and Acuto are in a raging war that affects thousands of people. They want to rule and get the throne of Cadenza. Through their spells and music, Elissa, a singer, and Lucio, the composer, are on a mission to travel the world to make miracles and magic.

But Elissa finds herself questioning the power. And her long-hidden desire to be a composer. She needs to decide who wants her song for the good or for the worst.

We Are the Song is most likely a unique story for me. It's incredible how the song/music can be used as magic and power.The cover hooked me into reading this; it's incredibly stunning!

I like how empathetic and determined Elissa is. She understands when and how to apply her power, as well as to whom. She understands and faces the consequences of her decisions. I also like how Lucio has some complexity in his personality.

The flow of the story was well written, but it lacked angst in the first two movements. It was kind of hard for me to submerge into the story at first. But it picks up halfway through the book, which was great. The prose was amazing! It's poetic and gorgeous. I felt the author's passion for music. I would highly recommend this!

I really liked this book. Liked most of the characters, and the wonderful fantasy of it! However, i feel like it was missing something and was a little slow at times.

Thanks, Netgalley and Publisher for the opportunity to read and review!
Amazing read! Sincere and touching plot as well as introguing young characters. The narrative is simple, yet emotional. I needed a little more development around all 12 singers, but i liked the interactions between the two main characters. The story captivates with motives like love, symphaty, belief in yourself and finding courage to defend what you believe in. It's lovely and emotional.

I received an ARC of We Are the Song, thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for this opportunity.

We Are the Song is based in a world where music holds actual magic. There are three kingdoms that are at war after one of the kings die. The story follows twelve year old Elissa. Elissa is one of twelve voices (followers of the goddess Cae) who were told to go out and spread the word of Cae. Throughout the story Elissa faces many challenges- usually someone who wants to take advantage of her songs. Elissa must figure out when to announce she is one of Cae’s twelve signers and when to keep quiet.

Overall a good story but I found some of musical references a little much but it is literally a story where music holds a lot of weight. The ending did fall a little flat in my opinion but overall the book is well written and easy to follow.

Thanks to Netgalley for a free book to review!~. I think I might have liked this a lot as a younger reader. 3.5 rounded up.

My main complaint is that the mc is really quite teary but some people are naturally like that I suppose. Also I found that the book didn’t really focus too much on all twelve singers, even by the end of the book we only really met about three. I would have liked to have more interaction with everyone, especially since they’re all supposed to be important.

Overall though an interesting book and focuses heavily on faith, peace, and war and doing the right thing over the easy thing, it’ll have a timely publication if things keep on this year as they started. 🕊

first of all, i want to give an appreciate about this cover book. I'm in love with the goddess cartoon illustration on the cover.
This book is very enjoyable to read, even from the first chapter the story really interesting and makes us want to keep reading this book. With a general fantasy genre, but given a new experience. Elissa the main character is a 12 years old child who has a unique power. Her singing can cast magic, from healing people wound to stopping hunger. But behind that, she really wants to be a composer who can compose a song too. Unfortunately she opposed by his patron who is a great composer. Then, suddenly something bad happens.

Poetic and unique, "We Are the Song" is just as captivating as its cover.

When I first saw this cover, I knew I had to read it and then the premise (I'm a sucker for discussing the line between good and evil, + music magic) completely sold me.

What I didn't know before going reading was that this is - more than any other aspect - about Elissa knowing who her Goddess is and trying to reconcile that with what others/the Church (big C) is telling her about them.
I like to keep my spiritual life private, but this a very personal, sensitive topic that's close to my heart.

The author handled it amazingly. She put emotions I have felt for years into simple, beautiful sentences that made me go, "Yes! That! Exactly!" which, admittedly, is not what I was expecting from a Middle Grade. I feel slightly humbled by this, and grateful.

There isn't much I can say about the story without delving into spoiler territory so I'll sum my review up with this: "We Are the Song" was beautifully written, atmospheric, and heartfelt, while never losing the reader's attention or sympathy.

I really enjoyed this and hope to read more from this author in the future.

even though this is a kids book, i had literally no idea what was happening any of the time. i feel like the decision to make this first person wasn't that great, because the main character did not seem like a 12 year old.. at all.

We Are the Song was a lovely book about faith, love and believing in yourself. I really enjoyed this read; the writing was beautiful, the world building was great and the plot moved at the perfect pace.

I'm not typically a big fan of middle grade, but something about this book really reeled me in and I struggled to put it down for the two days in which I spent reading it - which is always a great feeling.

We follow Elissa throughout the book, one of the twelve holy voices, making her way through war torn lands with her companion and composer, Lucio, as they spread the Goddess Caé's miracles with their songs - helping civilians and royalty alike.

I really loved how this book placed all of it's power in music and song, and how clear the love for music each of the characters in this book held. Elissa's joy of singing was especially apparent, and it was great to see how music connected her to the eleven other voices, as well as everyone around her.

If I had one piece of criticism it would be that the synopsis of this book gives away a little too much information. From the start, you don't trust Lucio because he's described as vain and jealous, and you also have an expectation of how the book is going to end based on how Elissa's voice is described.

Regardless, this was a really enjoyable read.

ARC kindly provided by NetGalley

As a former pianist and music teacher, I loved that music was magic in this book!! I also enjoyed the premise that one should not leave everything to fate. Accepting your role just because someone told you that you should is no way to live! I also loved the message that a song could heal; especially when more than one person sings and tries to.achieve harmony. We could use more of that in the real world! I did see some typographic errors and format issues, but I'm sure those will be fixed before the final book is released.

We Are The Song is unique in that it's a literary middle-grade fantasy novel, but told in first-person. Third-person would have felt more natural, given the lyrical writing style. The voice of a 12-year-old doesn't shine through, which is the primary advantage of first-person. However, due to a major plot point, first-person is necessary.

Bakewell's prose is gorgeous, and it's by far the novel's biggest strength. The plot is cohesive, but there isn't much tension through the first half of the novel. It does pick up halfway through, but Elissa and Lucio don't seem to have much agency early on, and just wander about until they fall into the lap of the King of Basso. I would have liked the stakes established a bit more early on.

An enjoyable read with lovely writing. It just took a bit of pushing through the beginning to get to the true heart of the story.

Elissa, the 12-year-old heroine of Catherine Bakewell's beautifully written novel WE ARE THE SONG, is a gentle soul, full of hope and belief in others, but she is strong. This novel is a beautiful journey of her growing belief in herself, set in a rich fantasy world where music has power. Bakewell threads music throughout the book, both in her lyrical writing and in the soul of the book. At the same, it’s a book of adventure, war, and betrayal. I love fantasy novels where the gods exist, and Caé is a goddess who doesn’t disappoint. WE ARE THE SONG is a novel so worth reading, living in.

An enjoyable reading! The world created by Catherine Bakewell is on point and easy to follow. The story follows a girl with the power to sing things into reality. In a world defined by religion, Elissa must decide who is worth it for her power. Analyze who wants to use it for good or evil, who is really telling the truth. A medieval fantasy where war since imminent. The addition of the importance of music gives the story a unique factor. A book to enjoy from beginning to end.