The story of a country more than of a character, Auralia’s Colors weaves together the perspectives of multiple people living in House Abascar. A prince, a wizard, a king, a captain of the guard, an ale boy and many others: all these tell Auralia’s story through encounters with her. As a young baby girl, Auralia is discovered in a mysterious and monstrous footprint by a couple of thieves. She grows up to be a rambunctious and enigmatic woman with an affinity for the forests and especially, weaving together their colors. Such colors are forbidden in the kingdom of House Abscar. The collusion of Auralia with House Abascar is fated to change their society and kingdom forever.
Stylistic ImpressionsAmazing and beautiful writing!!! … too beautiful, actually! The story behind the writing often felt drowned out by flowery prose, extravagant description, and lavish vocabulary. Excellent writing is a joy to read, but a letter less flourish might have lent to a cleaner, clearer telling. The scope and complexity of the plot are also astounding. It’s not easy to weave so many threads together into a cohesive whole. On a technical level, Auralia’s Colors is a true work of art.
The 4:8 AssessmentAs a work of art, this book over-excels. As a book to encourage my faith and walk with God, I came away with scarce little. The best part of the book talked about the Keeper — a creature majestic, appearing to children, its glory woven into all creation, yet is denied and discredited by human minds. The Keeper’s singular appearance reflected God as creator all over. Yet, this didn’t outweigh that halfway through the book, the writing became explicitly gory and disturbing. I nearly put the book down at that point, only persevering by skipping a couple chapters. I finished Auralia’s Colors feeling more traumatized than encouraged. Granted, as part of a series, Auralia’s Colors is only the beginning of a much larger story. Even the worst of evils can be made redeemable, and I sincerely hope the continuing books do. However, Auralia’s Colors didn’t leave me with enough redeemed from what I read; I don’t have the courage to continue the series.
This is not a book recommended for children or the faint of conscience (like me.)
