Auralia's Colors: A Novel

To tell the truth I picked this book up because it had an amazing cover and one of the reviews on the back said it was "well-written." I have found this quite simply not to be true. Having nice prose is not enough to make a book well-written, there also has to be characterization, pacing and plot. The characterization is mostly sub-par, the pacing is wretched and the plot is buried under all the poetic posing that the author is doing. Which is sad because buried under all this is the kernel of a good story. It has some interesting concepts and does a decent amount of world building although it could be a bit more focused and less broad. It just seems throughout the book that the story and plot itself are second to the art that the author is trying to create. As a result the art produced feels forced and the story is boring and the majority of the characters are unsympathetic. Like another reviewer wrote, I really do want to love this book (perhaps because I have repeatedly read that it is well-written), but the truth is that I just can't. When I compare this to other similar books in the genre the only thing that I can think is that while this book may be technically better written, it lacks a soul, it lakes that infinitesimal spark that makes a story come to life. So while I can agree that this book may be art, it is dead art.

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.

Really like the overall story, but this Auralia's Colors just moved show and I didn't engage with the characters well the first time through. Enjoyed it enough to read again tho. Recommended for those who like fantasy books.