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R. Mccall |
5.0 / 5
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A review of Auralia's Colors convinced me my grandchilren would like it. Fantasy is not something I enjoy so I grit teeth and began to read it. Soon I was drawn into Auralia's world and the worst moment of my day was when I had to put it down.
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James B. Ewing |
5.0 / 5
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ne of the most poetic and powerful fantasy novels of recent years doesn't deal with magic spells, orcs, elves and mages, but a kingdom that bans the wearing of colors and the girl, Auralia, who defies this law. First time novelist Jeffery Overstreet creates a vivid and colorful world around the compelling narrative of a colorless kingdom. It's great cast of memorable characters and compelling narrative that intertwines the past with the present seamlessly makes for a page turner. But it's really the writing that will draw you in as Overstreet brings a poetic flair to his work and paints vivid images and the enrapturing world of The Expanse with words. Auralia's Colors isn't an action or epic oriented fantasy tale but instead is a deeper contemplative work that has much to say about art, makers of art and the love of art. At the same time it's also one of the most proficient works of literary art of recent years. The story will hook you, the poetic writing draws you in and the nature of the narrative will provoke though. It's rare to come across such an original and visionary work of literature in the fantasy realm but Overstreet has crafted a unique masterpiece.
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C. Overholt |
5.0 / 5
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An former English major, I only read books with tight writing, sophisticated ideas and plots that make me think and keep me interested. I like to be shaken emotionally and I like books that stick with me long after I put them down. Books such as Watership Down, the Dune books, Ender's Game, The Moon is a Harsh Mistress and Harry Potter. Like those books, I couldn't put Jeff's book down. I read through it in a few days and at the end of the story I was left with the grief of the loss of the characters and my grief at the story being over.
Like the books above, Auralia's Colors is not perfect. Some people may not like the words, or the names or this or that. But then they are missing the opportunity. The opportunity to slow down and take it in and listen to a different voice. One that is trying to speak to us everyday that we usually miss. In reading the book, I can see the colors, the vibrant reds, the yellows, the greens, the shine of the birds feather. I can feel the textures of the colors, the lily pad wrapped around her feet. More so, I can feel her grief and struggle as she tries to make sense of this all and how to live in a world that doesn't fully comprehend the beauty of what she is doing. The world wants to possess. She says no one owns the colors. They are in the mountains, the trees, the grass, the animals. How many of us want to possess something that we can't? But we can be with it for a moment. A bird song. The last light of the sun hitting white daisies, casting them in an pink-orange hue.
I don't know if this is a coincidence, but since reading Auralia's Colors several months ago, I am seeing things I haven't seen in years... if ever. I will be out a walk in the evening and I hear a song bird that I have never heard and just stop and listen to it. I will notice flowers and smells or a butterfly with metallic bronze on white wings sitting on my ceiling. The neighbor cat that nestles in the tall grass every morning in my backyard.
This book is haunting. Many things are left unexplained, but in a way that left me space to wonder and think. I found myself thinking, wow I can't wait for the next book to come out, after all what is going to happen to this character or that character? Or maybe this is going to be explained or why this happened will make more sense. I sense Jeff is on this adventure with us exploring and letting the characters guide him and share their story.
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sirwnstn |
4.0 / 5
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I must admit, I'm biased. I'm a story junky, and the story here really drew me in. I was not used to the prose and style in the beginning, but I forced myself to get used to it because I really wanted to know what happened to the characters next! So if you are used to a smoother style of writing, and it bothers you to have to wade through the first sections of a book, this would be a 3 star.
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Joanna M. Newman |
5.0 / 5
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I read this book in December of 07. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it, and thought Mr. Overstreet did a wonderful job of "weaving" the story together. Some things kept me guessing, while others were evident. I am far from a professional, and far from being a knowledgeable critic, but if one enjoys the book and can hardly put it down, isn't that the highest form of praise? So, I gave this 5 stars. I've also just got finished reading Cyndere's midnight, and will be actively watching for the next book. Take this as a real complement, Mr Overstreet, I am not a huge book reader, and rarely wait for a book to come out. But yours, I'm am eager to get a hold of.
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Ruby Tuesday |
5.0 / 5
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Auralia's Colors is a strange and yet beautiful Christian fantasy novel. I love fantasy works with Christian elements and so this was a wonderful find for me. The writing in this book is absolutely superb; it's probably one of the most beautiful books I've ever read. The descriptions are poetic, gorgeous and beautifully vibrant. There is a mythical and epic feel to the story and the world building is both original and inspired. The plot itself is quite complex while the characters are all intriguing. The Christian symbolism is also skillfully weaved throughout the story. The ending also leaves you really excited to read the next book! It's not a cliffhanger so much as a promise of more interesting things to come. I definitely recommend this book to all fans of fantasy novels, whether they are Christian or not.
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J. Sanders |
5.0 / 5
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I loved this book. The main character is a both unique and very real young girl, and I got caught up in her journey as well as the other characters she comes into contact with. The prose is so rich that I had to read it slowly to savor it. But it is not so wordy that it is difficult to read. Rather the vivid details are a delight. I liked how the use of color is used to portray the transforming power of art and beauty. Even though I am a bit of a neophyte when it comes to fantasy fiction, I found this book an enjoyable and rewarding experience, and it makes me want to read more in this genre.
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Donna Swanson |
5.0 / 5
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I read this book a couple of months ago when I first received it. Knowing I was to post a review, I picked it up, thinking to skim through it and bring the plot back to mind. But you do not skim Auralia's Colors. The story draws you in and you are once more in a familiar world where colors are more than colors and the characters are so finely crafted you recognize them as people you met before.
From the first page you are intrigued and promised a truly magical story. From the baby whose hands sculpt air, to the old reprobates whose hearts are softer than their rough speech. Mr. Overstreet does not waste words or confuse the reader with long passages of explanation. He uses a poet's touch to craft the tale in such a way that the reader supplies his or her own wealth of imagination to see the House of Abascar and its layers of social interaction.
This is a book to read, put away, and then find again with the anticipation of enjoyment.
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Becky |
5.0 / 5
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Some book reviews are harder than others. This is such a one: Auralia's Colors, first in the Auralia's Thread series by Jeffrey Overstreet (WaterBrook). Mind you, the book has many merits and has received numbers of complimentary reviews. So my difficulty in reviewing Auralia's Colors is not because I think it lacks merit. The truth is, I admire the book ... but I don't love it. I wanted to. I wish I did. But perhaps others of you will.
The Place. The story is set in a location known as The Expanse. The area was divided into four houses, each with it's own set of governing customs and rules. One of the houses, Cent Regus, was poisoned when its people meddled with magic. Now they have devolved into beastmen who attack and raid citizens of the other houses. In the particular House our story is concerned with, those caught committing a crime, if not imprisoned or executed, are condemned to become gatherers living in camps outside the protective walls--and therefore vulnerable to attack. Because of a ruling made by the Queen of the House, it is now against the law for average citizens to own anything colorful.
The Story. Two thieves going about their duties as gatherers discover an abandoned baby girl. They take her into their camp where she grows up. Eventually she tells them her name is Auralia, though she doesn't know how she knows this or where she came from.
Soon she displays remarkable independence, going off into the forest on her own where she finds colors. From the things she finds in nature, she weaves colorful hats, scarves, and the like.
When these items are discovered by the king's men, trouble is afoot.
That's the bare bones of the central action, though there is much more going on, especially revolving around the young Prince Cal-raven, Queen Jaralaine, the beastmen, an ale boy, Captain Ark-robin, the stonecrafter Sharr ben Fray, and the shadowy Keeper, present in all children's dreams but outgrown by most adults.
Strengths. There's much to love in this book. There is some beautiful writing, for example.
The "faith elements" are embedded in the story through types and suggestion. I have to admit, this is my favored way for a writer to display his Christian worldview, because it allows the reader to mine the story for meaning. I find it to be much more enjoyable than having the meaning handed to me.
The plot is not predictable. Yes, there are some events that one can foresee, but rarely do they play out as you might expect.
So why didn't I love it?
Weakness. Pure and simply, I did not love any of the characters. I was interested in some, and that kept me reading, but in the end, I didn't feel invested in what happened to various ones. Perhaps this was because of the omniscient point of view. I have begun to suspect that the omniscient narrator voice keeps readers at arm's distance, and I'm used to being wrapped inside a character.
There may be something else, however. I honestly couldn't say who the protagonist of the story is. You'd think that, of course, the title character is the protagonist, and I suppose that is true, but I would guess that Auralia is only in about half the book. Yes, she is central to the action, but also, not. It's ... hard to explain.
Recommendation. I absolutely recommend this book. It is not the fast action kind of story that a superhero fantasy offers. In fact, I would even say it leans more toward literary fiction.
It's an important book, I think. It broadens the Christian fantasy genre, since it is neither allegorical nor overt in it's depiction of Christianity. For those who love language, love fantasy, or want to see more Christian fantasy of various types, I highly recommend Auralia's Colors.
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Debbie |
4.0 / 5
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The book is decent, but I had problems with the first 77 pages of the book. The story jumps all over in time with numerous flashbacks. So does the point-of-view, which constantly slide from one person to the next in a very distracting way. The author also rarely went very deeply into any one person's head.
In these first few chapters, there is very little dialogue and what little action occurs is often repetitious: we're told in a distant viewpoint what happens, then we jump back and replay the scene with dialogue and various point-of-view characters. I couldn't bond with any character because there were so many of them being introduced (with few of them reappearing during the first 50 pages), and Auralia wasn't even one of the point-of-view characters.
However, after page 77, the time- and head-jumping halts, Auralia becomes the main point-of-view character, and the reader is allowed more fully into the point-of-view characters' heads. The pacing became more balanced at this point, and book was pretty enjoyable.
Another problem I had, though, was that Auralia was at least 15 years old and was probably 16. However, she's repeatedly described like a young child (e.g. she has tiny arms and hands). People keep saying, "But she's just a child!" and reacting to her like she was about 8 years old. In fact, she often acts like a 8 to 12-year-old (depending on the scene).
The world-building in the book was good, but the author frequently invented names for things with little to no concrete description attached. I often had difficultly visualizing what a new thing or creature was like. The characters were interesting and varied, but only one character really changed much during the book.
As for positives, there was no sex or cussing. Overall, I'd recommend this as a good, clean fun novel.
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