Blog tour: Porcelain Keys by Sarah Beard

Porcelain Keys by Sarah Beard

YA romance

Paperback/eBook, 345 pages

Published February 11th 2014 by Cedar Fort Publishing & Media 

Aria's life is full of secrets--secrets about her mother's death, her father's volatility, and her dream to go to Juilliard. When Aria meets Thomas, he draws out her secrets, captures her heart, and gives her the courage to defy her father. But when tragedy strikes and Thomas disappears, Aria is left alone to transform her broken heart's melody into something beautiful. It is not until Thomas reappears, unearthing secrets from both of their pasts, that she must choose to either surrender to the melody, or drown it out forever.

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Endorsements for Porcelain Keys:

“A lyrical love story that will leave your heart singing. Porcelain Keys is a masterpiece with emotional depth, young love, and family angst. Beard takes us on a journey of self-discovery, second chances, and ultimately, sweet resolution.” --Heather Ostler, author of The Shapeshifter’s Secret Series

“Emotionally rich, elegant description, beloved characters--Sarah Beard delivers a fresh, new novel that will go on my list of classics.” --Stephanie Fowers, author of With a Kiss.

“Aria is a heroine worth rooting for, and the plot is an emotional melody that weaves a spell so potent, it can only be broken by reaching the end. And even then, I couldn’t stop thinking about Aria and her story." --Heather Frost, author of The Seers Trilogy

"Emotionally gripping, this beautifully crafted young adult romance will pull at readers’ heartstrings from tragic beginning to happy ending. A must-read for fans of contemporary romance, both young and seasoned.” --Julie Ford, author of Replacing Gentry

“Porcelain Keys is a fresh, heart-wrenching take on boy-meets-girl. Using fantastic and musical imagery to tell the poignant love story of Aria and Thomas, the author leads the reader to a swelling crescendo as if we're part of the song—and what a beautiful song it is.” --Cindy C. Bennett, author or Geek Girl and Rapunzel Untangled

Secrets, hardships, abuse, friendship and the power of music. These topics and more are what is found inside the heart of author Sarah Beard's debut novel, Porcelain Keys. This is a memorable debut, poignant, gripping, and by its completion, this reader was emotionally invested in this touching novel.

Aria (love her name) is raised by an abusive father. Her mother has passed on and he cannot handle Aria touching his wife's piano, despite his daughter's inherited talent and love for the instrument. She has to sneak in when he's not home, but if he returns and has been drinking, Aria had better be out of the music room. On one such night, he returns and she has no choice but to flee and she finds a nearby treehouse to hide away in. It is in this hideaway that she meets Thomas and a friendship is born. He helps Aria see that despite her father's dislike of music, she has to pursue and make her own decisions on what she loves and wants from life. Her dream is to go to Julliard. When Thomas disappaers, it would be easy for Aria to sink inside herself and deal with the tragedy by hiding away once again, but she learned from her friend. She goes after her dream.

Porcelain Keys is a beautiful, powerful story of one young girl's growth and journey as she goes after her dream to be a musician. I especially loved reading the musical scenes in this novel. The one section I did have a hard time with was the abuse angle (or lack of follow through), but otherwise I really enjoyed Aria's story and her friendships.

Rating: 4

Cover comment:

This is a very pretty cover. I like the sheet music kind of silhouetted in the background. A piano would have been nice.

Book source:

I received a promotional copy from the publisher in return for my honest review during a book tour.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

SARAH BEARD is the author of Porcelain Keys, a YA contemporary romance. She has a degree in communications from the University of Utah and splits her time between writing and raising three energetic boys. She is a cancer survivor and a hopeless romantic. She enjoys reading and composing music, and lives with her husband and children in Salt Lake City, Utah. You can follow Sarah on twitter at @authorsarahb, or atfacebook.com/authorsarahbeard. Her website is www.sarahbeard.com.