Review - Gideon Lee (The Starlight Chronicles #1) By: Lisa Orchard

Title: Gideon Lee (The Starlight Chronicles #1)
Author: Lisa Orchard
Publisher: Eskape press, 131 pages (October 21st 2014)
From: The Author
Format: e-book ARC
Add to: Goodreads
Order a copy: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Amazon UK

Synopsis: Lark Singer’s relationship with her mother is prickly to say the least. As she enters a musical competition that could launch her career, Lark also searches for answers her mother would rather keep hidden. Throw into the mix the fact her best friend Bean has been acting strangely, and Lark finds herself launched into uncharted territory. Will her quest for answers sabotage her musical aspirations?

Review: 3 stars - Lark Singer is a 17 year old girl with a passion for music and a will to succeed. She sings and plays guitar in a band with her 2 friends Bean and Stevie.
They are preparing for a competition in a few weeks time and things are becoming a bit stressful. Bean is Lark’s best friend, the one person she can talk to about everything. But recently he’s acting out of character and Lark finds herself not wanting to share her secrets with him, because he’s being secretive himself. Lark is constantly falling out with her Mum; they have as Lark describes a “rubber band relationship”. A girl at Lark’s school who would normally ignore her has started talking to her. Does she have an ulterior motive?

This coming of age novel covers a lot of different subjects. Although some are only briefly mentioned, I think teenagers will be able to relate to Lark’s struggles. Making new friends, secrets, trust issues, uncovering your true self and bullying are all things that can make your teenage years difficult. Although the book isn’t written as a diary, at some points when reading it I read it that way. Lark’s inner monologue tells us what she’s really feeling. It helps you know Lark what’s really going through her mind.

An easy to read story, Gideon Lee is the first book in The Starlight Chronicles series.  I’m intrigued to read the next book in the series and find out how the band get on in the competition; what secrets Bean is really hiding and can Lark establish a stable relationship with her mother.

A quick mention on the cover because I love it. There’s something about the girl and the guy with a guitar that I love. I also really like the cloudy background and the colours.