Songlines is the first book in The Sentinels of Eden series written by Carolyn Denman. High school senior, Lainie Gracewood, has a daydream vision of a bulldozer coming straight for her, effortlessly tearing her tree roots from the ground below her. Startled awake by the coach’s whistle, Lainie finds herself back at soccer practice, watching her best friend, Noah Ashbree, trying to break up an altercation between two players. Lainie’s vision had come after Aunt Lily had chained herself to a bulldozer of Kolsom Mining Company, which had been illegally destroying the forest on her land whilst trespassing on private property. As Lainie’s visions continue to get stronger, she wakes each morning with a song holding onto the edge of her subconscious. When one of the local tribal Elders (and custodian to The Garden of Eden, home of the Tree of Life and the Tree of Knowledge), Harry Doolan, discloses to Lainie that she is of Indigenous blood and has a power greater than she could ever possibly imagine, Lainie goes into extensive research mode, only to learn that the local area of Nalong has an interesting history which comes from the Dreamtime. Unsure of how she fits into the scheme of things, Lainie not only sets out to investigate her own family history, but also her tribal lands and where she truly comes from, while making a few startling discoveries along the way.

Carolyn Denman’s powerful tale of the Indigenous peoples of Australia and their role in protecting sacred sites of their ancestors reached into my very core. Legends of the Dreamtime are something I have grown up with as a Blackfella of Gubbi Gubbi Country. Sacred sites and the Dreaming (ie. rock art, tribal markings, the waters which are woven by the Rainbow Serpent, and Tiddalick the Frog) teach not only how the lands were created, but also teach humility and of our belonging to Country. Mention of one of Australia’s great authors, May Gibbs, whilst reading the story of Songlines, also gave me a nostalgic smile. It was wonderful to not only read a book which deals with the Dreaming, but also see mentions of such epic titles as Snugglepot and Cuddlepie – an essential book in any Australian home library. Songlines has woven many different genres into one, ensuring that the reader is not only entertained by the modern day teenage storyline, but also educated by the history, legend, ritual and faith of Australia’s first peoples. I very much enjoyed Songlines and recommend it to readers who are interested in the true history of Australia, presented with action, adventure, humor, spirituality and a touch of the paranormal.

Songlines by Carolyn Denman is the first book in the Sentinels of Eden, a young adult paranormal series set in Australia. Lainie views herself just like any normal teenager as she finishes high school with her best friend, Noah, and helps her aunt at the sheep farm. But when a mining company begins to creep into her family's property, tainting the family's water supply, her aunt reveals a family secret she has been holding since the death of Lainie's mother. Lainie is not quite human. Lainie refuses to believe what her aunt and Harry, an Aboriginal Elder, tell her, especially when her heritage has to do with things like Cherubim and the Garden of Eden. But as time passes and more of her unique abilities come to light, Lainie can no longer deny that something is different about her. When, Harry, her best link to her past, disappears trying to protect Eden from miners, it is up to Lainie to rise to the occasion and learn the true meaning of the secret she must protect.

Songlines by Carolyn Denman is the kind of paranormal novel that emulates the best of the genre while adding something completely unique and refreshing to it. Songlines is a well written book with engaging characters and I really enjoyed following Lainie's journey of self discovery and acceptance. Author Carolyn Denman is currently writing the fourth book in the series, which is a relief considering how Songlines ended. I'm definitely interested in learning more about Lainie, Bane, and Noah! A great read for any fan of the paranormal.

‘I got four angry strides away before Harry changed the course of my life with six easy words.
“Can you hear the river crying?” Lainie, Ch. 8’

Lainie’s days are filled with study for exams, repairing fences, ‘pulling stubborn lambs out of angry ewes’, and contemplating a future beyond this one-grain-silo town.

‘Your mother’s grave is a lie.’ Harry to Lainie.

When the two important adults in her life, Aunt Lily and Harry, try to tell her that the mother she never knew is actually alive in some ‘Eden’, she reacts with anger. Though not clued up on the Book of Genesis, Lainie is sure the original Garden was not in the Great Southern Land (Australia). Besides, her mother lies buried. Harry, though, disappears. This is the catalyst for Lainie to seek out her roots.

This unusual adventure, aimed at Young Adults, is so thoughtful it deserves a wide readership. It mixes a coming-of-age tale and romance with ancient memories, religious motifs and mythologies.
The slow slow burn narrative begins in a nowheresville ‘where the creeks are named after dead animals’. Carolyn Denman builds the details of school life, farm work and hikes through the fire-prone bush until the fantastical elements seem to arise quite plausibly from this backdrop .

I see it as an engrossing story of protecting the one Eden we all have now, our Earth. Lainie and her friends, Bane, Noah and Tessa, represent our only hope – young people. Earth’s enemies are symbolised by the mining giant Kolsom. But there is more going on than the struggle between these Sentinels of a special place and Kolsom’s devious agents. Something seems to be going badly wrong with the nature of Eden itself.

‘I smiled at him, winked, then stepped across the boundary into Paradise.’

Don’t be fooled by the early steady pace; the acceleration toward the utterly unforeseeable events took me by surprise. You are bound to want to know what on earth – and Eden – is going to happen next. Fortunately, the sequel is now available too.

A note about song lines: To Indigenous Australians, a songline, or dreaming track, is one of the paths across the land or sky which mark the route followed by creator-beings. These made the earth and everything in it. This early time is called the Dreamtime or the Dreaming. Carolyn Denman says in the foreword, ‘My desire is that this tale reflects the co-existance and interconnectedness of belief systems.’ I think she suceeds remarkably well.