Helpful Score: 5
Aurelia was found as a toddler by a river. She is raised by the Gatherers, people who have been thrown out of the walls of the city for various crimes. Many years ago the Queen forbade colors; all color belongs only to the upper class. Unfortunately for Aurelia she excels in finding color in everything and the palace wants her for the their own. Will Aurelia succeed in giving the commonfolk back their colors?
As I said the writing is beautifully done. The story unfortunately did not grab me. The writer constantly switches viewpoint between tons of different characters and I found that very distracting. It was hard to get involved or really care about any of the characters. The writing style, despite its beauty, did little to bring the scenes in the book alive for me. I also found the story in general to be a very dull read, it moved forward at a very deliberate pace. I had a lot of trouble getting through this book.
The imagine my shock (not knowing Overstreet is a Christian writer) when the whole story drops any pretense of creativity and becomes just another retelling of the story of Christ. The parallels between the story of Christ and Aurelia were painfully transparent and the ending of the book had my eyeballs rolling as the characters and story were pushed aside to pull everything together into a perfect retelling of the classic religious story.
In summary, the story starts out beautifully written but the writing and characters are dry, the plot creeps along and is a bit schizophrenic because of the multitude of viewpoints it is told from. I had a lot of trouble getting through this book. Then when the whole pretense of a creative story was dropped to re-deliver a story of Christ that has been delivered a million times before it just added to my ire. I won't be reading anymore of Overstreet's books; they are just too boring and preachy for me.
As I said the writing is beautifully done. The story unfortunately did not grab me. The writer constantly switches viewpoint between tons of different characters and I found that very distracting. It was hard to get involved or really care about any of the characters. The writing style, despite its beauty, did little to bring the scenes in the book alive for me. I also found the story in general to be a very dull read, it moved forward at a very deliberate pace. I had a lot of trouble getting through this book.
The imagine my shock (not knowing Overstreet is a Christian writer) when the whole story drops any pretense of creativity and becomes just another retelling of the story of Christ. The parallels between the story of Christ and Aurelia were painfully transparent and the ending of the book had my eyeballs rolling as the characters and story were pushed aside to pull everything together into a perfect retelling of the classic religious story.
In summary, the story starts out beautifully written but the writing and characters are dry, the plot creeps along and is a bit schizophrenic because of the multitude of viewpoints it is told from. I had a lot of trouble getting through this book. Then when the whole pretense of a creative story was dropped to re-deliver a story of Christ that has been delivered a million times before it just added to my ire. I won't be reading anymore of Overstreet's books; they are just too boring and preachy for me.
Margaret C. (cherryblossommj) reviewed Auralia's Colors (Auralia Thread, Bk 1) on + 157 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 3
What an interesting story Jeff has woven together through the novel of "Auralia's Colors". This is a story to set sometime aside to read and let it soak in. I will bet that this is one that would even fascinate my husband to read.
Sections in this book lost my interest, and I wanted to walk away, but I am glad that I did not because all in all it was quite an enjoyable journey and I plan to read the rest of the Threads as they present themselves.
I found the atmosphere for me was very reminiscent of Stephen Lawhead", especially his lately series including "Hood", "Scarlet", and in 2009 "Tuck".
As a Fantasy novel, this is one of those that you fall into and forget about what is real and what is not. That is one of the hardest parts for me, but once I click into the world, I do not want to leave. I'm so glad that I have "Cyndere's Midnight" that I can jump into right away.
If you enjoy Lawhead, or Toilken, or Madeleine L'Engle, I do believe that you will find enjoyment through the creative prose that is practically poetry in the writings of Jeffrey Overstreet.
Sections in this book lost my interest, and I wanted to walk away, but I am glad that I did not because all in all it was quite an enjoyable journey and I plan to read the rest of the Threads as they present themselves.
I found the atmosphere for me was very reminiscent of Stephen Lawhead", especially his lately series including "Hood", "Scarlet", and in 2009 "Tuck".
As a Fantasy novel, this is one of those that you fall into and forget about what is real and what is not. That is one of the hardest parts for me, but once I click into the world, I do not want to leave. I'm so glad that I have "Cyndere's Midnight" that I can jump into right away.
If you enjoy Lawhead, or Toilken, or Madeleine L'Engle, I do believe that you will find enjoyment through the creative prose that is practically poetry in the writings of Jeffrey Overstreet.
I was so dissapointed with this book; it started out with so much promise but the religous parable becomes the main focus and the story, itself, slowly begins to lack cohesion till it fades into the backround. The made up language he employs is overdone and never really blends into the story. The book definately has it's graces, the very lovely imagery for one, but as a whole it's one of those books that you lament what it could have been..
Auralia's Colors has to be one of the most unique and interesting books in its genre that I've ever read. Auralia is found, alone on a riverbank, as a very young child. She grows up among the Gatherers, running free through the woods, collecting forbidden colors and sharing her creations. But the time comes when her audacity comes to the notice of the king, and he is not pleased...
Wonderful book! Absolutely amazing... Highly recommended!
Wonderful book! Absolutely amazing... Highly recommended!
I really liked this book -- wasn't sure I would but once I started, I couldn't stop reading. Overstreet's writing is beautiful, very lyrical and full of imagery. It is not a quick read that you can blow through in a weekend, but worth the time. There was some Christian imagery in it, but I did not find it to be overdone and still thought the book was an engaging story.
If I had to find a fault with this story, I would agree with a previous reviewer who said the made up language was overdone (just a touch), but the characters are so engaging and the story interesting enough, that I really didn't give it much thought until I read these reviews. So highly recommended and definitely worth your time if you'd love to read a beautifully written fantasy.
If I had to find a fault with this story, I would agree with a previous reviewer who said the made up language was overdone (just a touch), but the characters are so engaging and the story interesting enough, that I really didn't give it much thought until I read these reviews. So highly recommended and definitely worth your time if you'd love to read a beautifully written fantasy.
Overstreets prose was compelling enough to carry me through the first half of Auralias Colors, but after that I realized just how bored with the story I had become. Although Overstreet proves his skill at crafting captivating language, he is not so adept at crafting characters of flesh, blood and emotional depth. With the exception of the Ale Boys character, I felt little connection to any of the other characters, and as a result lost interest with the story.
So many of the characters seemed to be either stock clichés (Stricia) or one-dimensional mannequins who moved the story forward without displaying any inner life or emotional resonance. Fortunately, Overstreet was able to draw Auralia with more fullness, yet not enough to bring her off the page as a fully conceived person. The Ale Boy was the only character that held my interest and the only one to live and breath on the page. Not surprisingly, its the Ale Boys story that Overstreet continues to follow in subsequent books.
As for the religious overtones of the book, I must say that while there was a spiritual element involved, it was by no means explicitly Christianor at least not conservative, fundamentalist Christian (which is what I was expecting). Perhaps it was more an explanation of Truth.
So many of the characters seemed to be either stock clichés (Stricia) or one-dimensional mannequins who moved the story forward without displaying any inner life or emotional resonance. Fortunately, Overstreet was able to draw Auralia with more fullness, yet not enough to bring her off the page as a fully conceived person. The Ale Boy was the only character that held my interest and the only one to live and breath on the page. Not surprisingly, its the Ale Boys story that Overstreet continues to follow in subsequent books.
As for the religious overtones of the book, I must say that while there was a spiritual element involved, it was by no means explicitly Christianor at least not conservative, fundamentalist Christian (which is what I was expecting). Perhaps it was more an explanation of Truth.
Josephine B. (ainaedainme) reviewed Auralia's Colors (Auralia Thread, Bk 1) on + 5 more book reviews
For my full review visit www.paperbackgoddess.blogspot.com
Auralia's Colors is an inventive story, unlike anything I had ever read before. It creates a vivid picture of a great land, called the Expanse, and of the different types of people who inhabit this land. The descriptions are very detailed, to the point where a creative mind could envision themselves walking along the banks of the River Throanscall or wandering amongst the Gatherers' huts.
The number of named characters was so massive that it is possible to become confused, or forget some altogether, so that when they are later mentioned, you have to stop and think to remember what you already learned about them. When you combine this with the extravagant descriptions, the story does have its moments where it seems long-winded and it causes you to lose interest.
I find myself with mixed emotions for Auralia's Colors. It was a good story, but I sometimes wondered if it fell into the category of "too much of a good thing."
Auralia's Colors is an inventive story, unlike anything I had ever read before. It creates a vivid picture of a great land, called the Expanse, and of the different types of people who inhabit this land. The descriptions are very detailed, to the point where a creative mind could envision themselves walking along the banks of the River Throanscall or wandering amongst the Gatherers' huts.
The number of named characters was so massive that it is possible to become confused, or forget some altogether, so that when they are later mentioned, you have to stop and think to remember what you already learned about them. When you combine this with the extravagant descriptions, the story does have its moments where it seems long-winded and it causes you to lose interest.
I find myself with mixed emotions for Auralia's Colors. It was a good story, but I sometimes wondered if it fell into the category of "too much of a good thing."
I'm lost. I'm so lost.
Fantasy is a hard genre to write. Not many authors can succeed in writing it. To write it you have to be crazy detailed--because what the author is creating is just that! Some they're creating. I'm not in your head! I can't picture what you think! Sadly, I don't think this author succeed in sharing.
I'd like to start off with that I saw/read no Christian content at all. There was the whole "Keeper" creature which at first could pass as God but by the end you know it as a odd creature with different elements that equal a monster. But then you don't even know if "the Keeper" or the "Northchildren" are real.
Who reading this was confused by that paragraph? Yeah, it didn't make sense in the book either.
Here's the overview on the writing style: Choppy; typos; told in the weirdest form of narration I've ever read (the author was trying to be whimsical, it sure didn't come across that way, following every character you meet. Or haven't. Doesn't matter.); storyline was confusing; thought a person was dead? Oh, jk, nah, he's alive and kicking; names NOBODY can pronounce (where is that guide! Lisa T. Bergren was nice enough to include a pronunciation guide in her fantasy/Dystopia! I swear, this author made up these names! For everything! I still don't know what a "vawn" is. (The author didn't share what was in his mind!)
The fighting, killing, torturing, fires and blood all went up to detailed. Lots of drinking (and it was looked upon as a great thing to do). For the Minor cussing there was: a 'bloody', two 'stupid's, two forms of 'shut up', three 'dumb's and six 'blasted's. Curses were also said but not written. Oh, and "ballyworms" was said four times (which I have absolutely no clue what is means, just that it was said like a curse. And that my spell-check has a red line under it.)
For the sexual content there was quite a lot of sexual hints. Like when a thieve stole another man's wife, touched, kissed and "cuddled" with her to have her wake up beside him wearing less clothes. There also was the Queen who basically tried to seduce two of her husband's (the King's) men into helping her remove the colors from the land. (I don't know, don't ask me, I'm ready to throw this book.)
Oh, don't even get me started on the magic and the colors and healing powers of said colors that only Auralia can weave. (Yes, spell-check, I know "Auralia" isn't a word. Just like all the other names this author has in his book.)
So. Moral of this review? I'm still so confused about what I just read and am currently feeling crazy.
*{{'Books for Christian Girls' reviews all genres of Christian books, writing down all the Spiritual, Negative & Sexual content and does ratings for girls ages 9-19.
Keep in mind, when reading a BFCG review, ignore the things that don't bother you, but take notice of the things that do.}}
Fantasy is a hard genre to write. Not many authors can succeed in writing it. To write it you have to be crazy detailed--because what the author is creating is just that! Some they're creating. I'm not in your head! I can't picture what you think! Sadly, I don't think this author succeed in sharing.
I'd like to start off with that I saw/read no Christian content at all. There was the whole "Keeper" creature which at first could pass as God but by the end you know it as a odd creature with different elements that equal a monster. But then you don't even know if "the Keeper" or the "Northchildren" are real.
Who reading this was confused by that paragraph? Yeah, it didn't make sense in the book either.
Here's the overview on the writing style: Choppy; typos; told in the weirdest form of narration I've ever read (the author was trying to be whimsical, it sure didn't come across that way, following every character you meet. Or haven't. Doesn't matter.); storyline was confusing; thought a person was dead? Oh, jk, nah, he's alive and kicking; names NOBODY can pronounce (where is that guide! Lisa T. Bergren was nice enough to include a pronunciation guide in her fantasy/Dystopia! I swear, this author made up these names! For everything! I still don't know what a "vawn" is. (The author didn't share what was in his mind!)
The fighting, killing, torturing, fires and blood all went up to detailed. Lots of drinking (and it was looked upon as a great thing to do). For the Minor cussing there was: a 'bloody', two 'stupid's, two forms of 'shut up', three 'dumb's and six 'blasted's. Curses were also said but not written. Oh, and "ballyworms" was said four times (which I have absolutely no clue what is means, just that it was said like a curse. And that my spell-check has a red line under it.)
For the sexual content there was quite a lot of sexual hints. Like when a thieve stole another man's wife, touched, kissed and "cuddled" with her to have her wake up beside him wearing less clothes. There also was the Queen who basically tried to seduce two of her husband's (the King's) men into helping her remove the colors from the land. (I don't know, don't ask me, I'm ready to throw this book.)
Oh, don't even get me started on the magic and the colors and healing powers of said colors that only Auralia can weave. (Yes, spell-check, I know "Auralia" isn't a word. Just like all the other names this author has in his book.)
So. Moral of this review? I'm still so confused about what I just read and am currently feeling crazy.
*{{'Books for Christian Girls' reviews all genres of Christian books, writing down all the Spiritual, Negative & Sexual content and does ratings for girls ages 9-19.
Keep in mind, when reading a BFCG review, ignore the things that don't bother you, but take notice of the things that do.}}
