Colorless

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!

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.