I just finished reading A Song Unheard by Roseanna M. White. This is the second book in the series “Shadows Over England,” which is set during World War I. This book was even BETTER than the first book in the series, A Name Unknown. In fact, it is the best book I’ve read by Roseanna M. White thus far! Really, really well-written. I was impressed.
Willa Forsythe is part of the band of thieves we were introduced to in A Name Unknown. Abandoned by her parents as a six-year old, she learns to survive on her own on the streets of London. She is “adopted” into Barclay’s “family” of thieves; and by the time we meet her in A Song Unheard, she is a fiercely independent young woman who also happens to be a self-taught violin prodigy.
After the Germans invade Belgium, England is flooded with hundreds of thousands of Belgian refugees. Among them are a group of orchestra members, who settle in Wales. These professional musicians are being sponsored by two wealthy sisters, Gwen and Margaret Davies (who, I found out at the end of the book, were real people who truly did help in the war effort!). The Belgian musicians’ goal is to travel about Wales and the UK, giving concerts to raise money which is then sent back to Belgium to help starving families who are trapped there.
The mysterious Mr. V, a British government agent, recruits Willa to steal a cypher key needed to help in the war effort. The key just happens to be in the possession of world-renowned violinist and refugee Lukas de Wilde, whom Willa has idolized for years. Willa travels to Wales to find the key, but it proves harder to discover than she thought. In the meantime, Lukas starts to woo Willa, as he is enamored by her raw but genuine skill on the violin – as well as her intriguing personality. And a German agent arrives in Wales to try to recruit Willa to turn the key over to him instead.
What I liked about this book is not only were there the two stories of Willa and Lukas, but also that of Lukas’ sister (and mother) who are trapped back in Belgium. I don’t want to give too many details, but let’s just say that the “cypher machine” in the story really isn’t a machine at all!
I had read The Crimson Cypher by Susan Page Davis a few years ago, so I was somewhat familiar with the history of cyphers used during WWI. This book was even better than The Crimson Cypher in my opinion!
One of the things I appreciated about this book was the element of spiritual redemption: both for Lukas, who had a colorful past, and for Willa, who had only known life as a thief before meeting Lukas. Both of them are introduced to a Savior Who loves them and their lives are forever changed.
This book was very exciting! It does have some mention of violence (it is set during a war, after all), so I would not recommend it for young readers.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Bethany House for this review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions expressed are my own.
