Tides by Betsy Cornwell: review

Tides by Betsy Cornwell
Stand Alone
My Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars
Age Group: Young Adult
Genre: Paranormal, Fantasy, Magic Realism
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Release Date: June 4th 2013
Synopsis: When high-school senior Noah Gallagher and his adopted teenage sister, Lo, go to live with their grandmother in her island cottage for the summer, they don’t expect much in the way of adventure. Noah has landed a marine biology internship, and Lo wants to draw and paint, perhaps even to vanquish her struggles with bulimia. But then things take a dramatic turn for them both when Noah mistakenly tries to save a mysterious girl from drowning. This dreamlike, suspenseful story—deftly told from multiple points of view—dives deeply into selkie folklore while examining the fluid nature of love and family.

My Thoughts:

Upon finishing Tides, my breath was taken away. I am still having trouble coming up with sentences that will actually do this novel justice. Cornwell beautifully captures the salt water waves of the ocean, the magical, fantasy beings called selkies, the ties that bind a family, and love. Tides is a book that feels as real as it feels dreamy.

One of the many noteable qualities of the contents of Tides is the perfect melding of everyday life and fantasy. Cornwell takes time with the problems of the characters that many people have in their mundane lives: wanting to accomplish a dream and the frustration that comes with not quite reaching it, bulimia, conflict inside a family, and supporting your loved ones but not knowing how to. The author also puts a lot of focus on family, especially how a group of people can still be a family even if not blood related. Another major focus is loving someone completely regardless of gender. These themes are all handled with care and sensitivity that is very awe-inspiring.

The story of Tides does deal with the main fear of the selkies, having their skin stolen, that many stories of the same kind deal with, but Tides delivers it in such of a refreshing way that I have no complaints about it. Couple that with the wonderful contemporary element and I downright loved the story. The mystery is suspenseful, albeit a bit predictable since the reader can probably guess who the culprit is right off the bat, but still highly absorbing and quite emotional at times because of the terrible effects the culprit had on the selkies.

Pacing is far from fast in the beginning. There are many characters to introduce and relationships to establish, as this is a character driven story, before all the suspense and mystery kicks in. But when the mystery and suspense kick in, the pacing changes greatly, though not abruptly. I didn’t even notice the change until I thought back on it.

Cornwell writes her characters with amazing depth, each one having their own set of problems to face and conquer and a distinct personality. Which is impressive considering that Tides has a lot of characters. While characters like Noah, Lo, Mara, Maebh, and Gemm take the stage, the more minor characters are also written remarkable well. I could relate to all of them in some way and could emotionally connect with them.

I was absolutely touched by all the relationships in this book. The author definitely knows how to write family, friendship, and romance and doesn’t hold back in this novel. I adored the loving, romantic relationship between Maebh and Gemm, the sibling relationship Noah and Lo shared, the romance between Mara and Noah, and the relationship the selkies of the pod had together. Saying that this aspect of the story is top-notch doesn’t even begin to describe it.

Cornwell’s prose is exceptional with its soft, peaceful feel and power. The words flow nicely and beautifully emphasized the wonder of the ocean and shore. I could hear the waves of the ocean hitting the rocks on the shore. I could feel my feet in the water. The atmosphere was perpetual and comforting, which is something I consider brilliant.

Using multiple point of views in a story is very tricky considering that it can cause characters to be under-developed, and the writer also has the risk of not being able to make the different point of views distinct from each other. Fortunately, Cornwell doesn’t fall into that trap. She pits to use many, many point of views with skill. Transitions are smooth, choices are distinct, and no character is under-developed.

When I read a story I really love, I find it hard to form words with my fingers or mouth. But with Tides I can speak and type just fine– I just can’t stop pouring and rambling my out my feelings about it. Tides is an insightful, gorgeous novel that is full of heart. Saying that I recommend this book would be a massive understatement.

I received an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review via Netgalley

Every Day by David Levithan: review

Every Day by David Levithan
Stand Alone
My Rating: 4 out of 5
Age Group: Young Adult
Genre: Fantasy, Romance, Contemporary, LGBTQ+
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
Release Date: August 28th 2012
Synopsis: Every day a different body. Every day a different life. Every day in love with the same girl.

There’s never any warning about where it will be or who it will be. A has made peace with that, even established guidelines by which to live: Never get too attached. Avoid being noticed. Do not interfere.

It’s all fine until the morning that A wakes up in the body of Justin and meets Justin’s girlfriend, Rhiannon. From that moment, the rules by which A has been living no longer apply. Because finally A has found someone he wants to be with—day in, day out, day after day.

My Thoughts:

David Levithan, you have succeeded in creating a novel that is breathtaking, thought-provoking, and ultimately philophical. Plus, your novel has a pretty nice cover also 😉

Every Day is one of those beauties that make you think. Not just about what it’s like to be in a different body every day of your life (although, that in itself is a thing that can make you think), but also about the struggles that people go through. This book covers many different topics in such a short amount of pages. Not that this novel is short, but it’s able to fit in such a great amount of topics that it does, in fact, seem short.

What I loved most about Every Day is the wide range of people we get to meet because of A’s forced ability to go into a different body each day. In this book, the reader is shown the life of a girl with depression and many others. These lives are portrayed in such a sensitive and touching way. Some are happy, some are sad, and some are average. But Levithan somehow shows the light in all of them, no matter how dim it may be.

Levithan’s writing is very pleasant to read. It was pretty and sometimes lyrical, even. And the underlying messages that Levithan managed to insert in between the lines were very, very appreciated by me.

A is a character that has become wise because of his…unusual life, but is still very flawed. He strongly believes that love will conquer all when it really doesn’t, not all the time. I found this mentality to be grating on the nerves at times, but I understood why he thought that, why he wanted to hold on to that. Even though he experiences all these different ways of living for a day, he hasn’t experienced what an actual life is like, so he finds the little things to hold on to.

There are a few things that could prove to be a bit bothersome to people who want the stories they read to have a realistically developed romance and reasons of why things are happening to be explained. Like how A has an almost instantaneous love for Rhiannon, and that the reason A’s mind is teleported into a different body each day. But for me, that development and those explanations were not needed. They didn’t feel needed.

The ending is a certain aspect of the story that I feel conflicted about. In a technical way, it was perfect. It was hard on the heart and vague. There was not other way to end it. But I just couldn’t get myself to like it. I only occasionally like vague endings, and Every Day isn’t one of those vague endings I liked.

I haven’t read any other Levithan books, so this is my first taste of what this man can write. But I can promise that Every Day is only the beginning of my journey through the library, looking for books with the name David Levithan on the spine.

Karnevel Vol.1 by Touya Mikanagi: review

Karnevel Vol.1 by Touya Mikanagi
Series: Karneval #1
My Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars
Age Group: Young Adult
Genre: Shounen, Fantasy, Science Fiction
Synopsis: When innocent country boy Nai sets foot into the sordid cutthroat realm of the city, he might as well have painted a target on his own back. Kidnappers, murderers and desperados abound, waiting to take advantage of a boy guileless enough to believe blood is merely “red water”. When he is framed for a murder, it is the bandit Gareki who bails him out. Being a shrewd and sharp-eyed thief, however, Gareki’s motives are less than pure. Nai is looking for a friend who has disappeared and left behind something particularly intriguing – an I.D bracelet from the organisation named “Circus”, the country’s supreme defense agency. While Gareki has his sights set firmly on the bracelet, “Circus” in turn, has shifted its eye onto the duo as well…

My Thoughts:

For a first volume, this volume was pretty great. Yes, it was a bit hard to follow, but it promises that the it’s the beginning of a series that has much potential. And to be honest, I am kind of in love with the title.

Right from the start the reader is thrown into the story. Information is shown little by little. This can cause some confusion–heck, even I had some question marks floating over my head at times– but I thought it was well done for the most part. The volume is pretty fast paced with tons of action, so I was never bored and stuck in my seat!

I have always loved stories in which powerful organizations play a important rule. This is pretty apparent in my obvious love for Pandora Hearts. But instead of the organization Pandora, we have Circus, an organization that keeps control of crime and sets up circus carnivals as an apology for disrupting the daily life of citizens. So yeah, I am sort of attracted to this manga because of Circus.

The characters are quite interesting… Nai gives a whole new meaning to the word naive (he consistently calls blood ‘red water’). This naivete might grate on the nerves of some readers but I actually think that this trait makes him adorable. Normally I am very irritated by extreme naivete, but I feel different about it this time. And Gareki is very mysterious at the moment but right now he seems like the type of character that is outwardly cold but kind in the inside. I think there is a developing friendship between the two!

Some other noteable characters are Yogi and Tsukumo. Yogi is pretty silly which makes him very entertaining to read and Tsukumo is very quiet right now, but she does seem very tough.

To be honest, I wish there was more ‘Circus stuff’ in this volume. Sure, we get some scenes with the organization, but I want to see the conflict within the organization of Circus and really see the personalities of all the people working for it. It’s only the first volume so hopefully we get some of that in the future.

The art, awhile rough, is beautiful. There is a lot of close attention payed to small details like the creases in clothing and strands of hair. If you are a sucker for pretty art like I am, then this manga might just be for you. The art is to die for.

Overall, this was a pretty neat first volume. It wasn’t perfect but it was a great beginning to a probably great series (I have heard nothing but good things about it). Thank you, Delaney for wildly recommending this!

March Story Vol.1 by Hyung-Min Kim, Yang Kyung-Il: review

March Story Vol.1 by Hyung-Min Kim, Yang Kyung-Il (art)

Series: March Story #1

My Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars

Age Group: Young Adult

Genre: Fantasy, Horror, Shounen

Publisher: VIZ Media LLC

Release Date: October 19th 2010

Synopsis: Reads R to L (Japanese Style), for M audiences. Among the quiet villages and towns of 18th century Europe, demons known as the Ill hide within the most beautiful works of art, sparked to life by the torment of their creators. Attracted by their jewel-like allure, the unwary find themselves possessed by the Ill and driven to horrific acts of violence. Only the hunters of the Ciste Vihad can dispel the Ill.

March is one such hunter, tracking the Ill from town to town to find the antiques that contain the demons before they can possess anyone. If the worst has come to pass, March’s full powers are unleashed to battle the fiendish Ill. Born of tragedy, the artifacts all have their own tales to tell, as do each of their victims. But March’s story may be the most tragic of all.

My Thoughts:

It has been a long time since I have been so mystified by a beginning of a series. If a person wants to start a series, this is how they should start it. With an intriguing introduction to the main character, a couple of amazing stories, and a dose of master storytelling.

I might as well insert a little warning in the beginning of this review. Awhile I label this manga as something in the Young Adult age group, I do think that only people who are mature enough to handle some adult things should read this. There is a good amount of blood in some of the chapters, and some nudity. I don’t think that these were used in excess or were just used to be used, though.

Now that we have that out of the way, let’s go on!

As of right now, I can say that March Story is a story that follows March, a hunter of Ill. Ill are beings that live inside old artifacts, waiting for a human to pick them up. When a human picks them up, the Ill possesses the human and drives them to insanity with their whispers, and then take over the human’s body. The only thing that can stop an Ill is a Ciste Vihad, a person who has gotten the Ill possessing them under control. And that is what March is, a Ciste Vihad.

Of course, I believe that there is a much deeper storyline that is going to come into play in the future, but this first volume only touches upon what Ills and Ciste Vihads are, and the characters with the chapters it contains.

Most of the chapters in this volume have a very sinister feel to them. There is blood and screaming and horror. But there are some that are actually quite heartwarming. My favorite chapters is the one with the glass deer. It was such of an amazing chapter.

March is an enigma of a character for a time until about the middle of the volume. We don’t even officially know her gender until then. All we know at first is that she is a hunter that eliminates Ill. But when we actually get to know her and her past, well, it’s pretty painful.

The reoccurring side characters are also very good. I especially loved Jake, the chubby (an understatement) fortune teller that immediately caught my attention, for some reason. And Rodin is such of an interesting person. He is the man who owns a shop that sells items that have been cleansed of the Ill inside of them. And he isn’t at all hesitant to rip people off. It’s quite funny 😛

And Yang Kyung-Il’s art is GORGEOUS! Everything is vividly drawn, with great detail, and obvious love. Heck, even the dripping blood is nice to look at at times. Seriously, the art is Pandora Hearts pretty. That’s saying something.

This is a great beginning to a series. And if this continues, this might become tied with Pandora Hearts as my favorite manga series. The mangaka’s have a wonderful idea for a story. I would definitely recommend this for fans of D.Gray-Man since it does have similar elements.

Liesl & Po by Lauren Oliver: review

Liesl & Po by Lauren Oliver(story), Kei Acedera(art)

Stand Alone

My Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars

Age Group: Middle Grade

Genre: Fantasy, Adventure, Paranormal

Publisher: HarperCollins

Release Date: October 4th 2011

Synopsis: Liesl lives in a tiny attic bedroom, locked away by her cruel stepmother. Her only friends are the shadows and the mice,until one night a ghost appears from the darkness. It is Po, who comes from the Other Side. Both Liesl and Po are lonely, but together they are less alone.

That same night, an alchemist’s apprentice, Will, bungles an important delivery. He accidentally switches a box containing the most powerful magic in the world with one containing something decidedly less remarkable.

Will’s mistake has tremendous consequences for Liesl and Po, and it draws the three of them together on an extraordinary journey.

From New York Times bestselling author Lauren Oliver comes a luminous and magnificent novel that glows with rare magic, ghostly wonders, and a true friendship that lights even the darkest of places.

My Thoughts:

Liesl & Po radiates utter brilliance. But not in a loud way. This book will enchant a person with a quiet beauty that will circle around you for a little bit of time, and then grip onto your heart in an unbreakable hold. Lauren Oliver has created a flawless novel that not only sparks with magic, but also with friendship, hope, and love.

For me, this was a novel whose story made the eager, curious child in me to surface. The adventure just had a certain feeling to it that made me want to find the best adventures in the littlest events. It’s hard for me to describe the story of Liesl & Po since there is just so much going on, but just know that it will telaport you to a world filled with whimsy.

The most remarkable thing about this novel was how the author progressed the story by using the carefully woven relationships of the many characters. It was truly amazing and worth a mention in this review.

The three main characters of Liesl & Po will always be dear to me. Liesl is an incredibly endearing protagonist. Her bravery and sweetness had me smiling in adoration. The quiet, thoughtful, and enigmanic Po is the perfect kind of ghost, and the adorable, loveable Will completes the story with his hesitant but true to the heart feats of bravery.

There were also many other characters that were dragged into the adventure by the chain of events. And oh my goodness, were these characters colorful. They just lit up the  dark corners of the story that were somehow missed by the brightness of Liesl, Po, and Will’s light.

Lauren Oliver’s writing enhances the story with it’s unique way of painting the world. I couldn’t help but notice how Oliver puts to use the colors of the world to beautifully describe the many settings:

“The sky was still a velvet purple, with just a thin line of gray ringed around the horizon.”

But Oliver doesn’t just use the beauty of colors in her descriptions. She uses many other ways to present the world of Liesl & Po with ultimate finesse. 

The book itself is also very beautiful. There are many lovely pencil-drawings that are peppered throughout the book. They are a joy to look at and they really add to the story.

Out of all the middle grade novels I have read in my life, Liesl & Po is one of the best. The book just resonated with me in such a way that made my heart flutter. I can’t help but compare my experience with Liesl & Po with my experience with Okay for Now by Gary D. Schmidt. These novels are nothing alike, of course, but they are both beautifully realized stories that etched themselves deeply into my memories.

I think I found another bookish soul mate. I love you Liesl & Po…

Blood and Snow: The Complete Set by Rashelle Workman: review

Blood and Snow: The Complete Set  by Rashelle Workman

Series: Blood and Snow #1-12

My Rating: 3.5 out of 5 Stars

Age Group: Young Adult

Genre: Fantasy, Romance

Publisher: Polished Pen Press

Release Date: February 17th 2013

Synopsis: Every thousand years the Vampire Queen selects a new body, always the fairest in the land, and this time she’s chosen Snow White.

Snow isn’t an ordinary girl. She doesn’t know that yet.

When Snow gets bitten by a Hunter, her life is thrown into a whirlwind of change where instead of worrying about what to eat, she has to fight not to drink the blood of fellow high school students. She becomes a revenant – not quite human, not quite vampire.

With the help of an eccentric old Professor, his seven adoptive sons, and her best friend, Snow learns to control her blood craving. Sort of. She drinks a bloodlust tea, but she’d rather drink from her Hunter.

Or, a human.

She also discovers a whole other realm, one filled with fairies, dragons, and magic. And not only does the Vampire Queen want her, but there’s a pendant called the Seal of Gabriel created for Snow by the Vampire Queen’s twin sister. And Snow’s supposed to use it to restore balance to all magical creatures. Including vampires.

My Thoughts:

I love fairy tales. I also love fairy tale retellings. There is just something so magical about being able to see a different version of the story I have always loved. Blood and Snow was a great retelling that was fun, exciting, compelling and unique (at least, for me, anyway). This wasn’t a perfect novel, but was a joy to read and I will definitely come back for more of Workman’s works.

Workman’s story is completely different from the original Snow White story. Snow White is still the bases, but there are many other things that make Blood and Snow a completely different creature. For example, the addition of the many magical creatures gave the story a different air. And the other little touches made the story original, even if it is compared to the well-known tale.

This novel is actually a collection of twelve novellas that make up a series. At first, I was a bit dubious about this aspect but than found that I loved that I could read the story in small chunks. Obviously, the fact that Blood and Snow is a collection of novellas gave it a episodic feel that worked very well.

The best part about retellings is seeing how the author has reformed the characters from the original tale. In this case, there are many characters that were reformed, and some original characters that were added in.

Snow, the main lead, has morphed into a clumsy girl who has some tom-boyish traits. For me, this was a welcome change. Awhile the ‘adorable clumsy girl’ thing has been put into play in many novels, I really liked Snow. She was relatable and it was really interesting to see how she adapted to the, ahem, supernatural situation she has fallen into.

I also have a feeling of fondness toward the characters that were at Snow’s side. Most of them are quirky and a bit strange at times, but I did love reading about them.

The Vampire Queen’s character could have been polished up more. There were times when I sincerely felt how menacing and evil she was, but there were also times when I found that some of her actions didn’t seem to fit her vain character.

Workman’s writing is lovely and enhanced the magic of the story. Her prose contains descriptions that have a beauty to them. It made the story come alive. Despite the episode one through episode two feel, the author is able to write a story that flows in a seemingly effortless way.

There were also some cute comics added in the pages of this book. The art is simple but nice to look at. I think that adding little comics was a great idea and I applaud Workman for deciding to insert them in her book 🙂

The verdict: Blood and Snow is a fascinating tale that allows the reader to escape in a world full of magical creatures. I had a grand time reading this and I am hoping that I will be able to read more of this author’s works.

This post is part of the Blood and Snow Blog Tour. An advanced copy was provided in exchange for a honest review.

My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic Vol.1 by Katie Cook, Andy Price: review

My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Vol.1 by Katie Cook, Andy Price

Series: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic #1

My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 Stars

Age Group: Middle Grade/Young Adult

Genre: Fantasy

Publisher: IDW Publishing

Release Date: May 21st 2013

Synopsis: Welcome to Ponyville, home of Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, and all your other favorite Ponies! Something’s not right in the town though, as some of the inhabitants are acting very, very strange! It’s up to the Mane Six to find the source of the weirdness before it’s too late!

My Thoughts:

I have been a big fan of the My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic T.V. show for quite some time now. For me, the friendship between the six amazing ponies and their unique personalities are always fun to watch. So when I got accepted to read the first volume in the My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic comic series I squeed with joy.*

Squee!

And then after the squee-fest, I read the comic. And omg, I loved it!

The story begins with the changeling queen, Queen Chrysalis turning every pony in Ponyville into pod-ponies and replacing them with changeling duplicates. She also manages to kidnap the Cute-Mark Crusaders. This eventually begins the Mane Six’s epic adventure to save the fillies they care about.

I loved revisiting the ponies that I have come to love oh so much, especially Pinkie Pie. She is such a random and adorable pony. She creates much of the random funny moments in this comic and also wears many of the hilarious facial expressions.

That isn’t to say that the other ponies don’t shine brightly! Rainbow Dash is still confident, Twilight is still a bit nerdy, Fluttershy is still really sweet (although she does get REAL angry in this volume), Applejack is still awesomely country, and Rarity is still obsessed with the state of their hair. And all of these characters are strong and reliable when it comes to protecting their friends.

I can not give enough praise to the artist of this comic, Andy Price. The illustrations really made the story come alive! The colors are all bright and eye-catching, and the facial expressions drawn are what made me love this comic so much!  The art is very similar to the style of the show, but Andy Price does add some touches that are his alone.

Click to make the image larger

The comedy element in this comic is well done. Sometimes I feel like people think that comedy is making a character do something incredibly stupid, but the creators of this get it right. It isn’t stupid, but smart. I don’t think I have laughed so much reading a comic 🙂

Overall, this was a great read that will definitely appeal to children and probably teenagers and adults. The story contains important messages that are important for people to learn, but the messages don’t bog down the story. In fact, it makes it better. So would I recommend this? OMG, YES!

*Yes, I squee whenever I see anything that has to do with My Little Pony and I am proud 😛

An advanced copy of this book was provided in exchange for a honest review

*Yes, I squee over My Little Pony and I am proud 🙂

A Corner Of White by Jaclyn Moriarty: review

A Corner of White by Jaclyn Moriarty

Series: The Colors of Madeleine #1

My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 Stars

Age Group: Young Adult

Genre: Fantasy, Contemporary, Magic Realism

Publisher: Arthur A. Levine Books

Release Date: April 1st 2013

Synopsis: (from Goodreads) The first in a rousing, funny, genre-busting trilogy from bestseller Jaclyn Moriarty!

This is a tale of missing persons. Madeleine and her mother have run away from their former life, under mysterious circumstances, and settled in a rainy corner of Cambridge (in our world).

Elliot, on the other hand, is in search of his father, who disappeared on the night his uncle was found dead. The talk in the town of Bonfire (in the Kingdom of Cello) is that Elliot’s dad may have killed his brother and run away with the Physics teacher. But Elliot refuses to believe it. And he is determined to find both his dad and the truth.

As Madeleine and Elliot move closer to unraveling their mysteries, they begin to exchange messages across worlds — through an accidental gap that hasn’t appeared in centuries. But even greater mysteries are unfolding on both sides of the gap: dangerous weather phenomena called “color storms;” a strange fascination with Isaac Newton; the myth of the “Butterfly Child,” whose appearance could end the droughts of Cello; and some unexpected kisses…

My Thoughts:

A Corner of White has the kind of originality that sends sparks flying into the air. The kind of originality that has been lost for a looong time. Jaclyn Moriarty has completely and utterly blown me away with the way she can grab hold of a story and render it into something made of brilliance in its whole entirety.

Oh, let’s not forget “genius”!

But alas, not everyone will be able to love this book. I will not hesitate to say that A Corner of White will be unbearably slow for many people. It seems to me that Moriarty’s priority was not making her creation exciting in a general sense. No, she uses much of the pages in A Corner of White to build up the characters and the world of Cello. So if you don’t like looking at the scenery and smelling the roses for a long period of time then this is most probably not for you.

There are some people who love strolling slowly and looking at the scenery, though, and those people will definitely fall for Moriarty’s quirky, strange, and lovely, lovely story that is full of Colour. Literally. Warning: You will be attacked by a vicious wave of Red when you get about halfway through this book.

The story in A Corner of White is easy to understand, but I found it to be complex, and tear jerking at times. A Corner of White tells the stories of Madeleine and Elliot-two teens who feel like they have been looking at the world with their eyes closed- just living their lives. Madeleine is a girl who has run away from her rich and colorful life to a small apartment in Cambridge, England with her mother. Elliot is a boy who is looking for his father- a man is suspected to have been abducted by a Purple.

Madeleine, Jack, Belle, and Elliot are such a loveable, quirky group of characters. Madeleine is a very mysterious character for much of the novel. The reader only knows that she is a flawed person who often gets lost in her own thoughts. Elliot is what I would call the exact opposite of Madeleine. He has a sheer determination to find his father and he constantly thinks about his father. These two characters are hard to forget and I can’t stop thinking about them!

Jack and Belle were surprisingly good for side-characters. Jack was extremely cute with his theory of reincarnation and his ramblings, and Belle shined bright with her ability to read auras and her hard-to-describe personality.

Moriarty has a habit of writing a scene with intense detail. Sometimes it feels like Moriarty dedicated more time to the scenery than the characters. And oddly, I loved that. Moriarty has a beautiful way with words and reading her descriptions was an absolute delight! But if you don’t like that, don’t worry! Moriarty does focus more on her characters when things start getting interesting.

The world of Cello was cleverly made. It was unique and I can honestly say that I have never read a world like it. I mean, have you ever read a book where Colours are monsters and a Butterfly Child is a good omen? Most probably not.

As you can see, this is a wonderful, creative novel that I highly recommend! Moriarty has completely wowed me with her skills. The ending is a perfect set-up for a exciting series. And I can wholeheartedly say that I can not wait for the next installment! A Corner of White may be made with the beauty of a rainbow but I can imagine that when it is put together with the rest of the story it will become a universe made of colorful stars.

An advanced copy was provided in exchange for a honest review via Netgalley.