The Dissonance by Shaun Hamill was an immersive journey that masterfully blends dark fantasy with profound human emotion. The novel alternates between the late 1990s and 2019, following Hal, Athena, and Erin—three friends who, under the guidance of the enigmatic Professor Marsh, uncover a secret system of magic known as the Dissonance. This power, harnessed from negative emotions, binds them together until a tragic event shatters their bond and alters their lives irrevocably.

Two decades later, the trio is drawn back to their hometown of Clegg, Texas, by unsettling occurrences and a mysterious invitation. Their reunion coincides with the plight of Owen, a closeted teenager from Alabama who inadvertently summons a malevolent entity during a cemetery séance. As their paths converge, they must confront their past mistakes and the looming threat that endangers their world.

Hamill’s writing is both evocative and poignant, capturing the complexities of friendship, regret, and redemption. The characters are richly developed, each grappling with personal demons that resonate deeply. The portrayal of the Dissonance as a magic system fueled by inner turmoil adds a unique and compelling layer to the narrative.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a dual-timeline book, but this reader got caught up in the dark Magicians-like first narrative. Hamill's take on a magical system is intriguing and makes for a great read. The tying up of both timelines is done skillfully and with some finesse; this is an epic, with fleshed-out characters whose fates will stick with readers.

I have to say I had trouble getting through this one which was disappointing because I was so looking forward to it. I loved A Cosmology of Monsters so much, but I was not connecting to anything or anyone in The Dissonance. The premise started out great but somehow, I got lost.

An interesting fantasy focusing on a style of magic that requires a "connection" to specific energies and training in a unique language. But it relies on the dark more than the light, so obviously there are secrets and betrayals involved. With the story being told between past and present, there are a lot of reveals after the halfway point. Overall it's a good adventure with some decent twists.

THE DISSONANCE is only Shaun Hamill's sophomore novel, but let me tell you, it will spin you out of this World, and leave clinging tendrils interwoven into your brain so that you cannot shake loose nor escape. What an extraordinary fine blend of Science Fiction Fantasy, Magick and Dark Arts, Classism, Elitism, and incredible depths and lengths of human (inhuman) evil that boggles the mind! I hope-hope-hope Mr. Hamill plans to deliver a sequel, because I need to get with his characters for another round of exploration, adventure, Magick, and emotional outpouring!

Caution:
-Violence
-Child Death
-Monsters (Cosmic)
-Monsters (Human)
-Fatalities
-Reference to Columbine (not named)
-Onscreen Intimacy (both straight and Gay)
-Obscenity

This story is a magical tale full of so much heart. The magic system is fun, the world is fantastic, and the structure of the story is so intricately designed that all of the pieces fall together nicely.

I love this group of misfits that are all that can save the world from oblivion. This is truly a found family and their tale is full of the building and breaking of friendships, loves, and learning to forgive each other and themselves for mistakes made along the way.

The story structure jumps back and forth between the late 1990s and 2019 following the time of Hal, Athena, Erin, and Peter discovering the Dissonance and learning how to use it from Peter’s grandfather, Professor Marsh, while jumping back to the present in 2019 while the group is reuniting for the 20th anniversary memorial of a tragedy that killed many people in their town that only they know the truth behind. They have all become somewhat ordinary adults that are not happy with their lives. Also in 2019 is Owen who survives a seance gone wrong and is not forced to do the bidding of this entity that has been summoned. This structure works so well and helps build up suspense and make connections between events.

I absolutely loved everything about this story and need to know what happens next with this group. I hope this gets a sequel in the future!

FIVE STARS

Thank you to @pantheonbooks and @netgalley for the eARC. All thoughts are my own.

THE DISSONANCE paints an interesting magical world, and one seen alternatingly through two lenses. On one side of the narrative is a coming-of-age adventure/fantasy set in the 1990s: two boys and two girls, under the tutelage of a mysterious professor, come to learn about the inherent magic of the world and their own role in it. On the other side is the present day: three of the surviving adventure kids making their way in a grownup world falling apart in the aftermath.

Hal, Athena, Erin, and Peter all come from different walks of life, but their education in Dissonance under Professor Marsh unites them. "Dissonance" is, though Marsh himself would resent this description, the magic of this setting. The gap between what is and what should be, and the feelings that come from that gap, can be turned into world-altering power. As Hal comes to terms with his seemingly mismatched role as wielder of the Blade of Woe, the other three master combat for the days and years ahead.

In the present day, Peter has died. Hal, Erin, and Athena reunite for a memorial for the many students also lost on that same day. But one of them has committed a crime against the fabric of existence. Meanwhile, the teenage Owen accompanies an unknown spirit inhabiting the corpse of his crush.

THE DISSONANCE is a fascinating exercise in storytelling, flashing back and forth between the two time periods and leaning into two very different tones. The past evokes a tone that readers of a certain age will look on with nostalgia; while the present brings with it believable grown-up trajectories for our young heroes. There's a very good reason for the back-and-forth shift of the story as the novel approaches its climax. The book's worldbuilding is also excellent, demonstrating edges of an ultimately unknowable world—offering bites of something greater, but never making the reader feel as though they've been deprived of information.

The ending of THE DISSONANCE may not bring traditional fairy tale happiness, but it brings a sort of grown-up conclusion. There's closure. There's happiness for some. But most importantly, there's acceptance. It's a coming-of-age story that realizes how long it truly takes to come of age, and greets the difficulties of adulthood with a compassion sorely missing from many narratives.

There always seems to be a lot of pressure put on authors second novels. After all, they probably spent years crafting and redrafting the story before finally having it published, so how can we expect them to deliver another gem so soon after that one that will shine as brightly, never mind brighter? Well, worry not my friends, for Shaun Hamill’s second novel is that brighter gem!

The Dissonance is a novel of magic, both of the mystical kind, but even more of the magic (and messiness) of friendship. I loved these layered, multifaceted, imperfect characters so very much, even when they were doing things that made me angry. I was 100 % with them for this ride.

Longtime best friends discover that there is a magic that can be wielded called Dissonance. Tutored under the stern Professor Marsh (Peter’s Grandfather and his only family) they form a coven and embark on a journey together, even though they are in it for different reasons.

The story weaves easily back and forth between their youth to where they are now, each dealing with the aftermath of all that came before. It doesn’t flinch from the ugly parts of friendship, or of life. It does, however, definitely leave you wanting more of their story to continue. So, if Mr. Hamill is so inclined to ever write a sequel to The Dissonance, I will be first in line to read it!!

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of this book!

I'm having a difficult time expressing how I feel about this book. The beginning and first half were awesome. Great story, interesting characters, and an intriguing mystery going back and slowly revealing what happened in the past. I was hooked and couldn't put it down. Then about 3/4 of way through, the story started to meander a little and thought it was just a case of it being too long. I figured we'd eventually get back to the intrigue and mystery and have a great conclusion. The last 20% or so was a bit of struggle to get through and some of the things that happened just didn't make sense. I think Shaun Hamill is a good writer, and I'll probably read more of his books, but the way this one ended was just not for me. I did really like the mix of horror, magic, and urban fantasy and the characters and their struggles were presented really well.

HIGHLIGHTS
~fuckups unite (I say with love)
~BFFs for real
~the more you’re broken, the more you’re magic

I gave The Dissonance a spot on my Unmissable SFF of 2024 list, but it turned out to not deserve it.

By a lot.

Hamill’s prose is very readable, his characters extremely believable (if not especially unique or interesting), and the premise is great. And I was really enjoying myself for the first half of the book! It was looking like it was going to be at least a four-star read.

But that ending. That last, what, 20, 25% or so. There were parts where I could guess what Hamill was trying to do, but it was such a train-wreck.

The Dissonance is told via dual storylines; one following the main characters in their teens back in the 80s, the other set in 2019. (And I’ve got to be honest, knowing Covid was about to hit like a hammer kind of undermined the whole saving-the-world thing for me. Which it shouldn’t, really, but…it’s hard to cheer when you know an even bigger disaster is right around the corner, you know?) Splitting the story like this was fantastic; Hamill does an excellent job of keeping the tensions high as you go back and forth between the two time periods – I was on the edge of my seat waiting for answers about how we got from there to here. The dissonance (hah!) between where Athena, Peter, Hal, and Erin started as teenagers as they begin learning magic, and where they ended up as pretty broken adults? WHAT HAPPENED? One of them has died – how?! They’ve all lost their magic – why?! I was extremely invested!

And the answers turned out to be…so extremely anticlimatic and nonsensical. I couldn’t believe that’s what happened to their magic. And I was genuinely pissed off at how hand-wavey and random the character death was, and the complete lack of even an attempt at explaining what the fuck. Literally the only time the other characters try to discuss how or why it happened, Hal complains that thinking about it is hurting his head, and that’s it. It’s just hand-waved. We’re not supposed to question it, I guess.

Except that, in the lead-up to the climax and the climax itself, Hamill does nothing but throw questions at us, dropping out-of-nowhere revelations on us left, right, and centre – none of which had any groundwork laid for them, none of which make any kind of sense, none of which were necessary or even interesting. Oh, x character is evil actually??? Undines have kids how exactly??? That’s why Hal can’t use magic??? That’s what happened to the school??? You made a soul out of fucking what???

>>A blowjob. Giving the guy a blowjob gave him a soul. Somehow. That is an actual thing which happens and good luck getting any kind of explanation whatsoever. <<

So much was thrown at us at the last possible minute that added nothing to the story, but was clearly just shoe-horned in to leave room for a potential sequel. I have no objections to writers leaving room for sequels, but for crying out loud, don’t bombard me with info-dump oh yeah AND moments in the last thirty pages!!!

>>Don’t even get me STARTED on how one character’s life suddenly becomes ~filled with meaning~ when they find out they are actually – impossibly, by some weird magic they did not consent to or were even aware of – a parent, something they discover with seconds to spare (meaning that there is literally no time for us to, you know, process this or develop feelings about it). The whole ‘this was what x’s life was missing the whole time, now x has a purpose in life!!!’ made me want to throw up. HOW ABOUT NO. Seriously, what fuckery was that??? <<

The hard emphasis on being broken makes you a Dissonant (aka, gives you the ability to use magic) in the Final Battle actually did not fill me with Epic Feels the way I think it was meant to. It ended up underlining a massive wtf in the worldbuilding. See, there’s a whole Dissonant community out of sight of the rest of us. And there are BIPOC and queer Dissonant groups (which makes perfect sense). But the dominant segment of the Dissonant community are white Christians, which???

Sorry, back up. Explain to me how white Christians are in any way broken? In the sense of being out of tune with/rejected from society??? How the fuck does that work, sir? You’re telling me that THIS demographic are – in the US of A – such outcasts that they experience capital d Dissonance?

Yeah, no. I don’t think so.

It’s so frustrating, because there was so much potential in the Dissonant magic system! I was mad as hell to learn that, oh yeah, there are actual marginalised people among the Dissonants – they have their own communities, even! – but we don’t get to see those, just know that they’re there. I wanted to see those! I wanted to be hanging out with them instead of attending an, I swear to all the gods, white Christian magic convention. At which, unsurprisingly, the levels of arrogance and pretension were unbearable.

That was an actual plot point, that stupid convention, and, just – why? Why would you drag the story in this direction when we could have been seeing actual marginalised groups using magic, seeing what they did with it and how it affected their lives and communities? Why didn’t we see more Dissonance among people in poverty? There was just SO MUCH you could have done with this premise that wasn’t done, for no good reason that I can see.

(Except that it would have been too much work. Because if magic is something marginalised people can do, you have to do actual worldbuilding!!! LE GASP! The very idea! /s)

>>I mean, our characters get to visit another freaking dimension, and what exactly is done with this? Is there literally ANYTHING of interest in this alien world? Do they meet anyone? Do they try any archaeology in the ruins? Is there any explanation for the ~magic statue~, at any point whatsoever? No. There is a lot of sand and precisely one (1) monster that is swiftly dealt with.

At that point, why even BOTHER? Genuinely, why are you even writing this story? What is the point of magic and other worlds and all the rest of it if you aren’t going to DO anything with them???

Also, I would call the whole Boon business the stupidest deux ex machina ever, but it technically isn’t a deus ex machina BECAUSE IT DOESN’T FUCKING FIX ANYTHING. <<

I am begging someone to tell me what the point of any of it was.

(I am being facetious, please don’t actually bother me with how this is supposed to make sense or how The Dissonance is great, actually.)

>>And the school??? The enormous life-changing tragedy??? THAT’S what went down?! Seriously??? How the fuck did Erin and Hal survive? No, seriously, HOW? Erin had a barrier up around the school. If everyone inside the barrier died, why didn’t she and Hal? The shield didn’t protect anyone else, how did it protect them? How did Peter know exactly what was going on when no one else had a clue? COME ON. <<

The people-y part of this book was great – the friendship between the four characters was wonderful, and they all felt fully fleshed-out. The ‘normal’-life crap they all had to deal with was done so well that I ached for all of them. The prose was good, and really easy to read. But The Dissonance self-destructs in the final quarter to the point that I just hate it. There’s no one I’d recommend it to.

Just skip it.

Trigger warnings: on-page graphic murder of a small child, on-page graphic murder of teenagers, violence resulting in permanent injury to a main character, dubious consent (both characters are effectively drugged), dubious consent (character has no soul/was made with magic to be another character’s Emotional Support Person), supernatural possession of a decaying body, animal attack/death.

I didn't find this quite as enjoyable as his last book, but I will always root for Shaun Hamill and this was definitely better than the average dark fantasy book. It did a good job at avoiding most cliches, and I found the time bouncing engaging.

This book hooked me right from the beginning, with complicated and fascinating characters and quick action. The magic system was intriguing, and it had lots of heart. I hope there's a follow-up because I still had some questions. If there was one flaw, it was that the ending didn't quite gel perfectly. Nevertheless, Hamill's writing thrills, and I'm am definitely buying this for my library. Thank you for the ARC. 4 of 5 stars.

The third person present tense didn’t bother me much, and it actually felt sort of fitting for the style and tone of the book. I stopped after chapter 1 (3%), but it feels like an easy three to four stars for the target audience and five for the right readers.

Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf for the ARC.