Hidden Current by Sharon Hinck
Christian Fantasy. 280 Pages. 5 Stars
Synopsis:
The dancers of the Order direct their floating world of Meriel with their movements, but are they steering it toward destruction?
Calara spent her life learning dance patterns and seeking to become the perfect servant to her people. When she discovers the work of the Order is built on lies, she flees with a rough-edged herder, Brantley of Windswell. Pursued by soldiers, her journey through the suffering villages of the rim leads her to a forgotten truth that sends ripples through her world-and through her soul.
Calara seeks clues to her forgotten family and discovers newfound courage in the face of danger, while her quest awakens a growing but forbidden affection for Brantley. Yet even his support can’t fully be trusted, since he’d rather destroy the Order than bring reform.
She is a lone woman facing opposition from rim villages and treachery from the all-powerful Order. Can she restore the dance to its true purpose and bring freedom and hope to her people?
My Review:
What an absolutely beautiful story. Through and through.
I bought this book at a conference two years ago because 1. the cover is gorgeous and 2. I love dance, so I was intrigued by a story world and plot in which dance kept the world literally in rotation. But as many books do, it sat on my TBR collecting dust, until some of my Author friends decided to do a group book study on it. What perfect motivation and accountability.
I learned about the study the day before their first meeting, picked up the book to read the first six chapters to be prepared for the meeting, and proceeded to read the first third of the book that evening. I finished it the next day.
Needless to say, I thoroughly enjoyed this sweet story. I was surprised by the immediate sense of tension from the first pages and even then again by how Hinck maintained the tension after we got to each point where the tension should have resolved. For instance, we learn from the first few pages that Calara is preparing for a test that she’s spent 15 years studying for, a test that will determine her fate, pass or fail. Tension. But even as we approach the test, Hinck threads in more tension, introduces even more questions, and thus I was propelled into the intrigue and mystery of what would happen next. So well done.
And I really was compelled to keep reading, which again kind of surprised me. Not that I’d ever read one of Hinck’s books before. But as much as I love dancing, it isn’t exactly thrilling to read about. It’s more visual, though it does embody the delicate balance between tension and release 😉 That’s another thing Hinck managed so well: to convey the beauty and grace and passion of dance through written word.
Typically, I’d have said dance should be visual, but Hinck invites our senses into her world and floods our minds with beauty and grace and passion to fill in the gaps. Her world was so deeply beautiful. Her culture felt ingrained and deep, but even to the lyricism of the prose I felt the world through the familiar eyes of dancing. And yet, she did it in such a way that I believe those unfamiliar with dance would not be bogged down or lost. There was little technical language, and more understanding of broad movements, the core strength and disciple dance takes, and the beautiful outcome of that grace and passion.
And yet more, Hinck’s thematic exploration created new layers of beauty and depth. This beautifully layered story tickled so many of my senses: the visual/artistic appreciation, the dancer in me, the story and plot itself, and the inspiring themes and reminders of God’s incredible love for us, even as we deliberately choose to turn from him and ravage His creation.
And though I’m very curious to read the sequel, I’ll say the book did a really good job of completing the story it started. Book two will be a new adventure, a continuation with characters we walked with, rather than a cliff hanger or cheap ending that fails to satisfy readers. She invites us deeper into her world, and I’m all here for it!
I haven’t said much yet about the characters, but I’ll say I found them intriguing. Brantley particularly made me want to know more and understand him more deeply. There were so many moments where I fully felt Carlara misunderstood him, but I could also understand why and how she did knowing where she came from. (Though I did want to shake her once or twice and say “stop making assumptions and communicate!!) Carlara was a beautiful representation of the newness of faith and the depth of passion in our callings. And the courage and bravery she showed in learning new things drew me in. I loved to watch her overcome her fear and stand in the face of doubt. I also really liked how she mimicked others and saw the movements in the world around her (such a dancerly thing to do) and how that brought a little magic into her interactions with the creatures and people around her.
And Navar was one of my favorites, too!!! I loved that bit of world building, the culture of the rim villages and the contrast of the Order and midrim villages. The herders and the sweet sea water–how unique. I can just imagine it and I certainly would love to taste it myself. The glittering star rain mesmerized me. And the thick forests felt like home. The way the dancers were named, their robes and class designations, the power dynamics. All of it built such an encompassing world that I just wanted to explore more and more of!
As for content: the book has no swearing and only hints of a possible romance to come (I’m totally shipping it), a quick kiss, and a girl who does briefly wrestle with her vow to never marry. There is some mild fantasy violence and the clear indication of people who would do much harm and violence (and some who do). Nothing terribly graphic. No, Hinck more focuses on the emotional loss of hope, which is a tantalizing theme to explore. The book does deal with the idea of indoctrination and oppression, but I’d feel fine giving the book to an early teen.
More:
The second book in the Dancing Realms trilogy is Forsaken Island (4 Stars)
The third book is Windward Shore
This series should be read in order; though the second book felt partly like a standalone, it wasn’t entirely. There were still spoilers for the first book and the character journeys make more sense in sequence. I’ve read the sequel, but haven’t yet read the third one. You can click the links above to find more info on Goodreads.
On GraceBought
Stay tuned next week for my review of Forsaken Island!