I wish that my rating system went beyond five stars, because Chime is THAT good. Billingsley created a dark and mysterious world that sucked me in and made me want to stay forever! The romance was sweet and the twists and turns just as well.
Briony thinks she's something awful and hates herself. She can't feel love, happiness, sadness, and she can't cry. I loved Briony. Somehow, even though she's one tough cookie, I felt pain and sadness. I saw that she seemed to want to change her 'ways' but was uncertain if that's what she REALLY wanted or just thought it was right. She's the perfect main character, because she's dark and secretive, but also sweet in her own way.
Briony's sister, Rose, was one odd girl. Briony blames herself for a terrible accident that happened when Rose and her were young. Rose likes to scream when something goes wrong and sometimes she's very repetitive. I actually really enjoyed Rose's quirkiness and her creative energy. I was very surprised to find that she was much more clever than I had anticipated!
Eldric...now draw a heart around that name and that's all I would need to say! ;) He is one of my favorite love interests ever! The romance was sweet and fun and almost forbidden. Eldric was so sweet and thought highly of Briony. He didn't quite understand why she thought so badly of herself. Eldric made her laugh, have fun, and want to cry.
The creatures Billingsley created in this story are really unique. I mean Boggy Mun, the Dead Hand, and the like. The descriptions were
out of this world. It is fascinating that someone could work up a world like this one!
I must admit, at first I was utterly lost in the thick and incredibly descriptive sentences. I had to slow down and savor each sentence, otherwise things flew right over my head. I took it slow and it made reading it much better.
Gosh, overall, I would give this book a million stars. I would love to dive right back into the amazing world and story Billingsley thought up. Chime is a must read...so please go pick it up and start it now!