Many thanks to the folks at Faith and Geekery, especially Aaron, for their kind words about Auralia’s Colors.
Auralia’s Colors is a treat not just for those who enjoy a good story, but for those who appreciate how the story is told. Overstreet’s prose is well-crafted, and each word is chosen for a purpose. He uses it to conjure some incredible imagery, with unexpected similes and phrases that sometimes borders on poetry. He has a unique way of writing about the world he has created that is both familiar and different. As a reader, I felt I was walking through a kingdom as recognizable as my backyard, yet I was frequently reminded that I wasn’t in Kansas anymore, Toto. No word is wasted, and the result is an immersive experience that provided just enough descriptive detail to help me paint the world in my mind, but never so much that I felt like someone else was wholly controlling the brushstrokes.
As a refreshingly different entry into a genre that has earned many of the popularly-held stereotypes about it, Auralia’s Colors is worth reading, and not only if you’re a fan of fantasy. This is an excellent fable that manages to be epic in scope and yet retain the feel of a favorite bedtime story. It’s the first in the Auralia Thread series, and it lays a strong foundation for what comes next. I’m already deep into the second book in the series, Cyndere’s Midnight, and I’m enjoying seeing how it all unfolds.