I always enjoy K. O’Neill’s writing, however, I found A Song for You and I a smidgen not as strong as usual. I think the issue was I was reading via an online reader copy and there were black and white images and not the full color illustrations of the final product. And since the book relies on the illustrations for most of the story, it was not what I needed. However, the story of being “other” and the fear and confusion that produces is good and you can see how it is personal for O’Neill. There is also the idea of trying to come out of your comfort zone, be it to play your violin in front of an audience or being your true self.
I am looking forward to a read-again with the final copy as this book is not a one time read. We have Rose, (who would prefer to be called Rowa) as a novice ranger student and Leone, a young shepherd who does not always take his job too seriously. The two are opposites, Rowan trying to prove themselves and Leone seemingly not caring. But after a storm causes more than just flooding damage, the two must work together to help repair not only Rowan’s reckless actions, but letting them learn to see and look at what is around them, and finding their true place among it.
There is a bit of fantasy with the types of monsters and creatures we hear about, and the flying horses of the Rangers, but it is mostly straightforward. The look of things is (according to O’Neill’s sketchbook at the end) a medieval Scandinavian village and this overlaps into the look of the characters.