Song of the Slums begins with a rather frenetic turn of events for our heroine Astor. She thinks that she's about to marry the handsome and rich Lorraine Swale, but is abandoned by her parents and forced to work as a governess for Lorraine's younger siblings instead, who are, frankly, little horrors. I would have felt sorry for Astor had it been later in the book, but she just came across as stuck-up and naïve. I realise that the world isn't full of likeable people. I get that. However, I just can't read a book where the author has made such a small effort to connect me to protagonist. Her flat and dislikeable character let down the novel all the way through.
In fact, the characters were probably the worst element. Verrol, like Astor, was boring and annoying. The supporting characters were like cardboard cut-outs from your 'typical children's adventure'. Once Astor joined the Rowdies band, I found her a little less irritating but their character dynamics aren't ones that will stick in my mind. Astor and Verrol's romance was never quite developed; it just didn't work for me.
I will give credit where credit is due, though – the author has created a world with a lot of potential. It's steampunk and alternate history and politics and music in one. The mishmash of ideas shouldn't work, but it does. It isn't like anything I've seen before. The descriptions could have been more plentiful, in my opinion. However, the book was supposedly in Brummingham (Birmigham) and London, but it didn't have that feel to me - perhaps the author should have just made it fictional instead.
The book is based around the idea of Victorian rock 'n' roll. Astor and Verrol end up joining a 'slum' band called the Rowdies on their adventures. This leads to some great music scenes, though I think perhaps some of the references were lost on my limited rock 'n' roll knowledge. Despite Astor's somewhat unfounded faith in her musical talents, I liked the descriptions. I found her immediate skill at the drums unrealistic – it takes a lot of time to master your instruments, okay? – but that didn't detract much from the enjoyment of the band.
The Song of the Slums' rich setting is let down a little by its characters and its predictable plot, but it's a fun read all the same. I'd recommend for fans of Scott Westerfeld's Leviathan and Diana Wynne Jones' Howl's Moving Castle.
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