Review: The Splendor Falls by Rosemary Clement-Moore

The Splendor Falls by Rosemary Clement-Moore

Young Adult Paranormal Suspense/Romance

Delacorte Books for Young Readers (September 8, 2009)

ISBN: 978-035736909

528 pages

Synopsis from Amazon.com:

Can love last beyond the grave?

Sylvie Davis is a ballerina who can’t dance. A broken leg ended her career, but Sylvie’s pain runs deeper. What broke her heart was her father’s death, and what’s breaking her spirit is her mother’s remarriage—a union that’s only driven an even deeper wedge into their already tenuous relationship.


Uprooting her from her Manhattan apartment and shipping her to Alabama is her mother’s solution for Sylvie’s unhappiness. Her father’s cousin is restoring a family home in a town rich with her family’s history. And that’s where things start to get shady. As it turns out, her family has a lot more history than Sylvie ever knew. More unnerving, though, are the two guys that she can’t stop thinking about. Shawn Maddox, the resident golden boy, seems to be perfect in every way. But Rhys—a handsome, mysterious foreign guest of her cousin’s—has a hold on her that she doesn’t quite understand.

Then she starts seeing things. Sylvie’s lost nearly everything—is she starting to lose her mind as well?

Although it was a tad bit on the long side, The Splendor Falls is a rather enjoyable novel. While there are definitely paranormal elements involved, it's not the typical sort with supernatural species. Magic, ghosts, history, love, loss and hate - those are themes that are threaded throughout Rosemary Clement-Moore's story.

Sylvie is an interesting character, made all the more so by her tragic ballet injury and her subsequent struggles. She exudes intelligence and strength as she endeavors to learn more about her family's past and the mystery connects it to her present. And the mystery is a complicated one evidenced by the sheer length of the story. Though things did drag a bit in places, once the tale was underway I found it to be pretty captivating. I particularly enjoyed the setting and historical details that Clement-Moore employed. Her descriptions helped bring the story to life and added a feeling of realness.

My only real issue with this book is the ambiguity that surrounds the Sylvie-Rhys-Shawn love triangle. The triangle factors in greatly with the story - pretty much revolving around it in fact. However, by the end of it all, nothing definitive is uncovered about whether or not they are reincarnated as the story implies.

Regardless, it's a good book and if you're into paranormal YA you will more than likely enjoy The Splendor Falls.

Grade: B