Review & Giveaway: A Song for Ella Grey by David Almond

A Song for Ella Grey
by David Almond
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Publication Date: October 13th 2015
Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Pages: 272
ISBN: 9780553533590
Genre: Young Adult | Fantasy | Retelling
Source: For Review

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"I'm the one who's left behind. I'm the one to tell the tale. I knew them both...knew how they lived and how they died."

Claire is Ella Grey's best friend. She's there when the whirlwind arrives on the scene: catapulted into a North East landscape of gutted shipyards; of high arched bridges and ancient collapsed mines. She witnesses a love so dramatic it is as if her best friend has been captured and taken from her. But the loss of her friend to the arms of Orpheus is nothing compared to the loss she feels when Ella is taken from the world. This is her story - as she bears witness to a love so complete; so sure, that not even death can prove final. (Goodreads)

I have to admit, I was very intrigued when I was first invited to read A Song for Ella Grey. I've never read the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice, though I'd seen it referenced in a few books before, and I've always been curious. As far as I know, there aren't many retellings of the myth out in the YA genre, so  I was even more excited to check this out!

The narrator of this story is Claire, Ella Grey's best friend. While we are reading the words from Claire's point of view, she feels more like a secondary character than a main character. Ella Grey and Orpheus are the stars in this book, and Claire is their storyteller. Getting to know these characters was a very interesting experience, they were all so captivating and mysterious.

I really enjoyed the writing style for the novel. It has a lovely lyrical feel to it, and I found the writing to be very beautiful. While I don't know much about the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice, I was able to follow along with the retelling very well, and now I'm even more curious to check out the myth as well.

Overall; I can't say I've read many books like A Song for Ella Grey, but I really enjoyed reading the story David Almond created. I'm definitely going to check out the original myth now, as soon as I possibly can. I'm super excited to check it out as well!

*Giveaway*

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