Where Bluebirds Fly (Synesthesia-Shift #1) by Brynn Chapman ~ Audio Book Review

This review was originally posted on AudioBookReviewer.com

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Book Synopsis:

Verity Montague is a servant in 1692 Salem. Her flaming red hair and mismatched eyes make her a prime target for accusation of witchcraft. Orphaned during the Indian raids, she and her brother with Asperger's Syndrome come to live with the key historical figures of the trials-The Putnams. They keep their synesthesia secret- that days, months and years appear as color in Verity's mind, and for John, that symphonies play in a Fantasia-style performance of colors and geometric patterns.

Truman Johnstone 's ability to discern people's expressions, and decipher if they were lying- made him an outspoken child. Being different kept him from being adopted till he was fourteen. He now runs an orphanage for problem youths, and is a feeding therapist in his desire to help children deal with their peculiarities. To give them the childhood he never had.

The harvest festival corn maze Truman creates every year has an unwelcome visitor. Children hear disembodied voices skipping through the corn maze amid the backdrop of eerie orchestral music. In every year of the calendar, intermittent doors of time swing open and closed, so long as the cornfield stands.

In societies set on sameness-all are outsiders.

They learn the traits that make us outcasts, may be the very ones that make us great, and that true love may heal all, and even transcend time.

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About the Author:

Born and raised in western Pennsylvania, Brynn Chapman is the daughter of two teachers. Her writing reflects her passions: science, history and love—not necessarily in that order. In real life, the geek gene runs strong in her family, as does the Asperger’s syndrome. Her writing reflects her experience as a pediatric therapist and her interactions with society’s downtrodden. In fiction, she’s a strong believer in underdogs and happily-ever-afters. She also writes non-fiction and lectures on the subjects of autism and sensory integration and is a medical contributor to online journal The Age of Autism.

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Review:

This is my very first time listening to an audio book, well okay I know I listened to some when I was a child. This is the first adult book. I was super excited to get a chance to review Where Bluebirds Fly for a couple reasons. First I love reading about the Salem witch trials and witchcraft type stories. Second I work with people with Autism and my son has some Asperger's type habits or traits. I was interested to see how well the author would portray these subjects.

After I was half way through this book I checked out the authors website and realized she has a background in pediatric therapy and has hands on experience with individuals with Asperger's syndrome. The author also did a great job of researching the times in Salem during the witch trials.

Chapman did a wonderful job of moving back and forth between characters and time making the story flow together nicely even when switching within the same chapter. I did find this book to be a bit more scientific or I guess you one could say medical/technical. I didn't have a hard time following it through as I already have a good understanding on Asperger's. I did learn more about Synesthesia, which the author explained through the characters. Truman and Verity both were strong characters and I really enjoyed them. It was like a match made in heaven but between different times. I found both to be very technical in personality which reminds me of my own son. I am not sure how one without a knowledge of Autism would do understanding this story, it may be a bit too much for some.

For this being the first audio book I have listened to, I found the narrator to be good at changing her voice for each character. At first I was lost with the accents for Truman and his co-worker, Rom at the orphanage but once I kept listening it became very easy to know who was who. I found myself at the beginning needing to pay close attention to the narrator to learn each characters accent and which place the story was talking about but it did become easier as the story went on. My attention was held well with the narrator, she has a soothing voice. The storyline hooked me right from the beginning so I wanted to know more and find out how this story would end. One of my favorite parts is when Verity and Truman communicate through Truman's journal. I was very happy that this book wasn't left with a huge cliffhanger. I look forward to book 2 and see what is in store for Verity and Truman within the cornfield portal.

Rating ~ Story - 4, Performance - 4 , Production Quality - 4, Attention Holding - 4,

Overall rating 4 out of 5 stars. I would recommend this series to anyone who has interest in Autism and the Salem Witch trials.