Sunday, December 14, 2014

...but I am Uncommonly Blue

For those of you who were wondering, yes I still post to this blog!  I am taking a break from my other blog (Hit the Road Fat!) for a minute to write about an awesome book.  Remember books?  Those square shaped things with the pages and the words?  Take a few minutes to hear me out, and I promise that soon I will be back to posting hilarious hula hoop videos and talking about my war on cauliflower and my love of donuts. 

Why am I writing about a book, you might ask?  Well for one thing, I love to read! Secondly, this blog has a literary title, so why not write about at least one book?  (You didn't know that, did you?  DID YOU?!?! Yes, "the Pig of Happiness" is a book, and it inspired my blog. )  And finally, I'm writing about a book because I was given a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.  So with that disclaimer out of the way, let's get to it!

The Book:  An Uncommon Blue, by R.C. Hancock

The Summary(provided by Goodreads.com):
In Télesphore, the glowing color of a person’s palm determines their place in society, and touching hands with another mixes the colors permanently. When sixteen-year-old Bruno accidentally kills a royal soldier, he goes from favored to fugitive. Now Bruno's only chance at survival is to become someone else. That means a haircut, a change of wardrobe, and most important, getting rid of his once cherished Blue. Now he’s visiting parts of town he never knew existed, and making friends with people he would've crossed the street to avoid only weeks ago. At the last minute, Bruno’s parents arrange a deal to clear his name and get his life back. All Bruno has to do is abandon those in the Red slums that look to him as a leader and let an innocent Green boy die in his place.

My Review:
This is a fast paced book that hooks the reader pretty much right from the start.  We are introduced to Bruno, a privileged high school student who has his world turned completely upside down in a matter of minutes.  He is forced to abandon his high class world after being tricked into irrevocably mixing his beautiful blue "fire" with a lower class Green.  He then accidentally kills a royal soldier and hides out in the Red slums while trying to figure out how to clear his name and recover his place in the Blue upper class.

First of all, I really like how the writer introduces the reader to the world of Telesphore and it's inhabitants with their interesting colored fire, which is not only their life force, but also determines each person's place in the caste system.  Maybe I am just unimaginative, but I often have trouble reading fantasy, because it takes me half the book to figure out half of what the author is even talking about.  Not so with An Uncommon Blue!  Mr. Hancock has managed to create a world that seems real, one that even unimaginative people like me can visualize.   The best part?  The author is able to clue you in to details of the characters, the caste system, and the mysterious "fire", all while maintaining a glorious fast pace.  Anyone who has ever plodded (and I mean PLODDED) through the Wheel of Time series has got to appreciate a book/series that cuts to the chase.  I mean, no disrespect to Robert Jordan, but I really don't need to know what every character is drinking in every scene...just get to the dang point!

So I appreciate the fast pace.  However, I do think Mr. Hancock could spend a tiny bit more time fleshing out his characters.  Especially in the beginning, I would have liked to see a bit more of Bruno and his privileged Blue life.  I think delving a little more into his character, showing how he fit into the stuck up Blue system, would have provided a little bit more contrast to his eventual change of heart. And there are more characters that I would like to know more about, but I am going to get the author the benefit of the doubt and assume we will find out more in the next book.

Overall, a great book.  One that I would recommend to adult and young adult readers alike.  Do yourself a favor and experience a more uncommonly "colorful" world!

4 comments:

  1. Great review! I got through the first Wheel of Time (barely) and when I started the 2nd began to have an anxiety attack. (So I quit.) Read Name of the Wind instead.

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    1. Thank you! Yeah, I just went to update my Goodreads and it said I started reading The Fires of Heaven (I think it's book 5) like 2 billion years ago. It was that series that made me stop updating my goodreads. Oh, and I'm lazy! But I did read the entire series and it was good. Just tedious. The last 3 were written by Brandon Sanderson and they were a lot quicker reads!

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    2. I have an unhealthy man-crush on Brandon.

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  2. Haha that's awesome! I really do enjoy him as an author. Just remember which fabulous person recommended the Mistborn series to you😉

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