This is only my second NetGalley read, and the first one was bitterly disappointing, so my heart sank a few chapters in as I was unsure about whether I'd keep going. I couldn't get into this world at all. There was too much left to the imagination, and my imagination wasn't cuttin' it. And I was put off by the Daily Devotions to the gods. Although this world became (slowly) more clear, I think the little information imparted by those Daily Devotions could have been revealed in a different way. Found myself skipping them entirely in the second half of the book. But all of a sudden things started connecting and reading between the lines of all three points-of-view helped me enjoy the plot more and more. That's not to say I don't still have about a hundred questions, but I'll leave those to be answered in volume 2 (that's not to say that more questions will be included!).

Great characters, interesting setting, out-of-the ordinary plot, not enough world building, and short added tidbits between chapters that I didn't need or want to read. I think that sums it up....and I greatly look forward to another entry in the saga. However, I'll probably want to reread this one just before I begin the next....

As I started reading Colorless, I was struck by how clever and inventive the story was:- a couple dies, when told of their death their teenage daughter loses all pigmentation in herself and everything she touches and immediately fades from everyone’s memory. Or does she?

As the daughter, Annabelle, struggles to not only hold on to her sense of self but also searches for answers to her “colorlessness,” the reader is introduced to the monks. These monks were very well written bad guys—very, very scary dudes. I kept hoping there was going to be a group of some sort of good guys up to the task of taking them on.

About halfway through the book, major plot questions started to bother me. These questions were somewhat answered in the last few chapters. But a lot of the answers felt forced, rushed or just not right for the story.

I was hoping for much more from this book after such an interesting beginning.

Annabelle's parents died. Then something bizarre happened. All of the color seeped out of her body, and she became invisible. Everyone she had ever known instantly forgot her. She wandered around unsure of what to do. Eventually there was one person who could see her. Magicians began snooping around. They couldn't see Annabelle but somehow they knew she existed.

The idea for this was good. The story itself was not. It took me quite a few days to get through this, which if you know me is not common. I was bored once the magicians started stalking Annabelle. There was obviously a lot going on in the world with gods, magicians and iconoclasts. None of it was explained well. Annabelle was an iconoclast, but what does that mean? What did the magicians really do other than hunt down anyone that was a threat? The gods didn't come into it until the end. Basically the world building sucked.

I couldn't connect with any of the characters. Annabelle was stuck up. She'd act down to Earth at times. Then she'd let loose and show her superiority because she was of a higher social class than the people she was interacting with. I sympathized with her at first. As the book went on I wished she would get over herself. She wasn't horribly snobby but just enough to annoy me. Dylan the guy who could see her was alright. He was nice and helpful but not terribly interesting. The other main character was Annabelle's cousin Anthony. Why was he in the book? The story could have been altered slightly and would have been the same without him. At the very least he could have been in the story but didn't deserve many chapters from his POV.

A great premise - when magicians kill her parents, a young woman finds that she has lost her colour and become invisible to nearly everyone, and the same happens to everything she touches. It was a nice touch on top of a fairly standard (but enjoyable) magical fantasy scenario.

I was very excited to receive this book, so I admit I'm disappointed that I didn't wind up finishing the whole thing. The pacing and general writing style just weren't to my liking (given the number of good reviews this book has received I assume this is a matter of personal preference and not just bad writing). But the dealbreaker for me was that this society seems like it was supposed to be similar to 18th-19th century Western Europe (especially in terms of morals, manners, and social rules) but got that way without the heavy influence of Christianity.

Rita Stradling has done it again. I absolutely love this book and its historical fantasy feel. The story throws you right into the action when Annabelle learns of her parents death and her color fads. Essentially, she becomes inadvisable.

We follow a wonderful twisting and turning plot to find out how Annabelle's parents died, and hope that she can regain her color and become real to the world again. I felt really immersed in this old historical world, but also grounded in a new world feel. The characters were wonderful and full of life. Even the one that was colorless.

Another fantastic read by Ms. Stradling.

I have high expectations when I see Rita Stradling’s name on a book because of what she has produced before – I know she has great talent and can hit those high notes other’s try but fail to achieve.

This had a different feel than what I’ve read from her before. It has a much slower build up so you have to be patient and rather than get all the foundational history, world construct, etc at the beginning she releases it slowly like her plot throughout the book. Basically just go in knowing this will be a marathon and not a sprint.
I thought her devices of using gods and magic made for an interesting tale as she took something that’s been done repeatedly (thanks to Rowling creating this magic frenzy and Riordan making everyone want to know about the gods) and made it her own with unique characters and a vivid story.

Fair warning this is not told in one POV which I know seems to send some people over the edge but Stradling manages to handle that very well so you become engaged with the characters and get a fuller sense of what is happening and why. She creates some diverse people that balance each other’s different personalities well so you shouldn’t have time to become irritated by the changing POV. I also appreciated that she created minor characters that had a fulfilling part in the story, helped it move along and didn’t feel like filler.

My only somewhat negative feeling towards the book is I hope more will be released to extend the story because I felt like this one ended with a lot hanging that didn’t get tied up; granted quite a few of my questions did get answered by the end. I’m hoping Tony’s story gets explored more in the future and if a romance is in the cards for some others. It just didn’t have the same feel as her previous stand-alone books I’ve read so I’m hoping this time she’s doing a series and that’s why it feels a bit open ended.

It is one that younger teens on the spectrum could read as there wasn’t anything in there that would give a parent too much cause for concern. Plus you get a strong female character who stands against the seemingly too powerful to mess with kind of thing; like a magical version of David vs Goliath

I went into this book very hopeful and it didn't disappoint. I found the concept to be original and to be honest very refreshing in the world of YA. I hate reading the same old story just from different authors. This book left off on a cliffhanger and I'm hoping the author writes a second book.

I love this book. And, I cannot wait until there is another installment to continue loving this series.

Stradling has created a world where magic and gods rule--but in a fallible way. I can't tell you too much because the progression from confusion to understanding is one of the best parts of this book but, trust me, reading this book is well worth it.

Annabelle Klein, in the space of a few moments, loses everything. Her parents, her fortune... and her color. With that final loss she is forgotten, along with anything that she touches and melts the color away from. She doesn't die, though, and seems to be forced into a life of wandering around her home forgotten and unseen, that is until one afternoon she is seen. But then she also realizes that being seen by one can lead to others... and someone is obviously hunting her.

Every question that you ask in this book is answered--and I love that! Sometimes with book series you don't ever feel like you really know anything until the last book and then everything is magically revealed. And there is a bit of a cliffhanger with the end but it is one that I can live with.

I really liked this book. Did I already say that?

‘Colorless’ is a unique and intriguing read. Author Rita Stradling has invented a new type of Magician and reimagined Gods and religious beliefs from the four directions (East, West, North, and South). There are both supernatural and historical fiction elements to be found here.

From the blurb:

“Then Annabelle is informed of her parents’ sudden and simultaneous deaths, and all of the pigment drips out of her skin and hair, leaving her colorless. Within moments, Annabelle is invisible and forgotten by all who know her.”

While the plot of this book follows Annabelle as she strives to unravel the mystery of what has happened to her family, several characters narrate throughout the book, providing different perspectives, which I found quite refreshing.

Once again, Stradling has created relatable characters, and through her skilled writing, each interaction and connection between them seem genuine.

In short this book was everything I had hoped Invisibility by Andrea Cremer and David Leviathan would be. Similar premise, but completely different payoff.

The first book by this author that I read was Ensnared which came out earlier this year. I loved that book so much that I couldn't help but want more. This book did not disappoint. Rita Stradling is quickly becoming a must read author. This book confirmed that I did in fact enjoy the authors story telling.

There were parts of the world building that I didn't entirely understand. I wish it had been a little more clear, but they were minor and didn't really change my enjoyment level. The story itself didn't exactly have the ending I desired, but I could tell it was heading in a better direction. I really hope there is a next book though.

Anthony was a character I wanted to hate so much. He was cowardly and full of treachery, but at the same time he was human. He wanted things he couldn't have and was completely miserable because of it which made him act out. I found it nearly impossible to actually dislike the man.

I spent a lot of time trying to figure out which century this was in. I know it wasn't this century and I'm almost positive it wasn't in the 20th century. I don't even know if it was in an alternate reality. If it was Urban Fantasy or just plain fantasy that was based off of the western world.

The plot, characters, and setting all added up to make a weird hybrid of Clockwork Angel, Furthermore, and Invisibility. I don't even know how else to put it. It has a very unique feeling to it that just drags you in. The backstory tied everything about this story together. It had a mix of gods and their offspring, along with a past that reminded me a bit of The Queen of the Tearling. I'm making all these connections between different books but that really doesn't show you the whole picture.

Annabelle really grows as a person in this book. It was nice to see her go from a naive lady of the court to a little less naive woman who could hold her own. She cared so strongly about those important to her and was willing to do so much for them that she really grew on me. After her parents death she was lucky enough to have people around her who took her under their wings. The author did a very good job with her.

What I didn't like was there were some bit of information that, if you missed them for some reason it would make everything very confusing. What I did like was that the author would restate these things so that you could understand it better if you did for some reason miss it the first time. I found that incredibly helpful.

Overall, it was an amazing read. I loved the characters and the I love the authors writing style. There will hopefully be another book after this because I need to know more, but standing on it's own this book was definitely worth the read.

I went into reading Colorless with no expectations. I liked what I read the blurb. You have Gods who people fear, Magicians, and the mysterious Iconoclasts. What is there not to like? Well, I was right to like what I read in the blurb. This book was fantastic. It took me 3 hours to read Colorless.

The author did something that usually doesn’t work in YA fantasy. She took all information about the Gods, the Magicians, the monks and the Iconoclasts and doled it out in bits. That would have bugged me normally. I am that type of reader that needs everything upfront. But in this case, it worked. I didn’t get information overload and I was able to process what I read in time for more information to be dropped.

I do wish a little more world building was used when describing the land that Annabelle lived. While there is history, it is only mentioned in passing. I would have loved to know why the Gods were feared instead of loved. I would love to know how the Magicians came to rule. I would also loved to have known why the monks were the way they were. And finally, I would love to know why the Magicians feared the Iconoclasts so much. Some of what I wrote was touched upon in the book but not explained. I have a feeling that more will be explained in book 2.

Let’s talk about the monks for a minute. They were the creepiest things in the whole book. When they were first mentioned, I thought that maybe it was a coincidence that they spoke like they had one mind. But, as I got deeper into the book, the more I realized it wasn’t the case. They actually reminded me of ants with the way they acted and looked. I mean they had multifaceted eyes. Screams bug to me.

I liked Annabelle. She was your typical teenage girl until she was told her parents were killed. Then she lost all color and people forgot that she existed. She became a shadow in her own home. She was a very strong person to deal with that isolation. The only things that saw her were her horse. Her journey to finding out what happened to her parents became one to save herself and her cousin Tony. I would not have been able to deal with what she went through. The only people who could see her was Dylan, his brothers,, their grandmother, Sophie and Faust, a family friend. But there was a secret that Annabelle didn’t know about, one that could kill her.

I liked Dylan too and I was surprised that he could see Annabelle at first. The more the story was written from his perspective, the more I could see that there was something going on with Sophie. What was going on with Sophie 100% connected to Dylan being able to see Annabelle. Eventually, it also was connected about why Annabelle color molted.

The end of the book was fantastic. A lot of my questions were answered in a very satisfactory way but a lot weren’t. While some plot lines were wrapped up, others won’t. I am very interested to see where Tony’s plotline will go. I am also very interested in seeing where Annabelle and Dylan’s plotline will go and if a romance will come out of it.

My Summary of Colorless: 4 stars

Colorless is a fast paced YA fantasy. This book became a favorite of mine while reading it. With richly written characters and a world where I could imagine myself being in, I couldn’t get enough of it. I am looking forward to reading book 2 in this series. I am also looking forward to seeing if the author does more world building and expands Annabelle’s universe.

Will I reread: Yes

Will I recommend to family and friends: Yes

Age range: Young Teen

Why: no sexual situations (Annabelle and Dylan do almost kiss), no foul language and some mild violence

I want to thank Rita Stradling Books and NetGalley for allowing me to review this book

**I chose to leave this review after reading an advance reader copy**

I received this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

 

Based off the description alone I wasn’t sure if I understood the premise of the book but I knew it had great reviews on Goodreads so I wanted to give it a try. The first few pages were a bit hard for me to get into/follow, but that might have been because I was reading it on my phone during my work break. Nonetheless, once Anabelle literally lost her color and her place in her world I was more than intrigued. I’d never read a story like this at all. Then, when certain people could see her and more mysteries started to unravel I was HOOKED.

 

Since the description is pretty vague about the details of the plot I don’t want to spoil anything. So instead I will rave about the characters. I LOVED everyone, minus the irredeemable monks/magicians. We get to hear the story from Anabelle (the colorless), Dylan (the stable boy), and Tony (the cousin)’s perspectives. It changes every chapter so I don’t think this is a spoiler. Anyway, let’s talk about them!

 

Anabelle was boring to me at first and somewhat unrelatable. Partly because we are thrown into her life at such a random moment and didn’t have much information about her. However, as we follow her on her journey to get her color back and solve the mystery surrounding her parent’s deaths, a more complete picture of Anabelle forms. She’s unwavering and ethical but with her moments of despair and fear. She’s given so much depth of character that I couldn’t put the book down because I needed to know how her story would end.

 

Tony, her cousin, was so hateful and annoying at first. An alcoholic with a bad tongue. Nonetheless, he too grows as the story progresses. He becomes 3 dimensional with twists to his own story that I loved. I won’t spoil anything because I feel his growth was the most shocking and tragic (to me).

 

Dylan, the stable boy and the bleeding heart. I loved him. Not only was he fully dimensional with his wide range of emotions but he was believable. None of his actions were out of character and I would go into details but it would spoil the many little twists of the story that made it so engaging. Dylan might not have had the most obvious character growth but it didn’t matter because he was already so open and aware of himself to begin with.

 

The only complaint I have is that this book might be the first of a series, in which case I NEED the next book to come out now. It wasn’t a cliffhanger ending, not with the epilogue. But I still wanted more. There are still so many answers I need and relationships I want to form.

 

I recommend this book to anyone who likes stories with a strong heroine, fantasy/magic elements, a strong plot that is not heavy on romance, and enjoyable, 3-dimensional characters.

This was so incredibly good! I got this from netgalley for a free review and I am craving so much more now from Rita Stradling. Her writing style is fantastic and from page one, I was hooked. This was a beautiful book and I definitely recommend this book for everyone who loves a heroine standing up and fighting plus there was magic, so it was especially fantastic!