Eyes of Hue and Golden Hands: The Celebrate Lit Blog Tour and Giveaway of Sky of Seven Colors

 

About the Book

Book: Sky of Seven Colors

Author: Rachelle Nelson

Genre: YA Fantasy

Release Date: August 8, 2023

In a strange part of the forest, the divide between worlds grows thin.

After the accident, Meg would do anything to wake her best friend from his deadly coma. At least, that’s what she whispered into the woodland shadows. She never imagined her wish would trap her in a gray other-earth, void of any color.

Meg’s vibrant humanity is a priceless artifact in the gray kingdom, coveted by the royal court. All she wants to do is find a way back home. Until she discovers the other-earth contains healing powers that can save her friend. But only if Meg becomes what the gray people need—a human bride for Kalmus, the powerful king of the capital city.

With her heart torn between earths, Meg’s choices may cost more than she knows.

Click here to get your copy!

Book Review

I found much of this book interesting. From the intriguing world the author created and its creatures, to the plotline…it is clear that the author has a very vivid imagination and it was fun to be able to be a part of it for a little while.

I really loved learning about the world the author built in Sky of Seven Colors. From the people to their history to the Writings…it was all very fascinating. And I can’t even begin to imagine a world without color, so it’s easy to see why Meg would be seen as valuable. Not to mention she theoretically is the one who will fulfill the prophecy to save one of the people groups in said world.

Besides that, however, everything else seemed to fall flat for me. First and foremost, while I liked Meg, I also felt that she had little depth to her character. We learn a little bit about her past, and her motivations inside of this other world, but outside of that, there’s not much to her character. And then the story slowed down so much in the middle, only to have somewhat of a predictable ending.

This story had so much potential, but it just didn’t go as far as it could have, at least for me. The author is a talented writer and I do hope to see more from her. And if you are one who likes fantasy and especially exploring different worlds, I would recommend this book to you.

I had received a copy of the book as part of the Celebrate Lit Blogging Team and was required to give an honest review.


About the Author

Rachelle Nelson grew up reading fantasy novels and getting her clothes muddy in the pine forests of Idaho. These days, she still loves hiking through mountains and libraries, though she is a bit less fond of mud. She doesn’t write true stories, but she writes about truth. When Rachelle is not reading and writing, she sings in a band with her talented husband, who makes her happier than should be legal. If you like adventures, good food, and honest conversations, you are her favorite kind of person.


More from Rachelle

Sky of Seven Colors is a story, in part, about beauty. I wrote it for my younger self, and for all the women I love.

When I was twelve years old, the girls in my neighborhood frequently weighed themselves and ended up forming an “under-100-club”. I have no idea why the arbitrary measurement of one hundred pounds was chosen, but I do know I was the first to outgrow the standard. A fact that was made known to the neighborhood boys during a driveway basketball game.

A chant began. “One hundred, one hundred.” And I didn’t play basketball again for the rest of the summer.

At the time, I didn’t know I would soon grow to my full height of 5’9” and would always be “bigger” than the other girls. I was convinced I could never be beautiful if I was the biggest, and I desperately wanted to be beautiful. You will probably think I was vain if I tell you I prayed every night before bed that God would make me prettier.

Now, as a woman well into her thirties, I am much more comfortable with the body God gave me. I have been a youth mentor for over a decade, and while getting to know some amazing teens, I have come to appreciate that every girl wants to be beautiful.

And they are.

I’m not just saying that in the “everyone is pretty in their own way” sense. I mean it. It’s an indisputable truth.

Femininity is beautiful.

Youth in and of itself is beautiful.

And powerful. You don’t have to look far in the world to see that these things are desired, commodified, admired, sometimes cherished, and more often exploited. And every girl possesses them.

I have watched as generations of girls desperately long to be something they already are. They diet and compare and shop for anything to help them look their best. In our youth, we blindly walk out the perils and the gifts of beauty.

In my debut young adult fantasy novel, Meg travels to a colorless other-earth where she is the only human in a royal city of strange, gray people. The elites of society prize Meg’s color for its rare traits, and seek to control it, even pressing her into an ancient, binding agreement with their king.

Her color is intrinsic, like all of our bodies, not something she chose. And it is what everyone sees when they look at her. The color puts her in danger, and it is a gift she carries. But she must decide who she will be in spite of that gift, and also because of it.

Just like all girls must choose to respond to a world that sees them for their bodies.

The Bible has something profound to say about the connection between our outer and inner selves in this verse from 1st Peter:

“Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. Rather, it should be that of your inner self….”

Meg is a very flawed character and doesn’t make all the right choices along the way. (I don’t know many people in life who fully have, even if we’re trying.) But she does come to understand that being desired and being loved are two different things, a truth I want every girl in my life to grasp deeply. And if Meg’s identity comes from within, she will have to choose the path of loving others, even when it seems impossible.

Especially then.


Blog Stops

Becca Hope: Book Obsessed, August 17

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, August 18

Texas Book-aholic, August 19

Through the Fire Blogs, August 20 (Author Interview)

Christina’s Corner, August 20

Locks, Hooks and Books, August 21

Tell Tale Book Reviews, August 22

Because I said so — and other adventures in Parenting, August 23

The Book Club Network, August 24

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, August 25

Blogging With Carol, August 26

Labor Not in Vain, August 27

Simple Harvest Reads, August 28 (Guest Review from Mindy Houng)

Beauty in the Binding, August 29 (Author Interview)

Raining Butterfly Kisses, August 29

Of Blades and Thorns, August 30


Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Rachelle is giving away the grand prize package of a hardback copy of Sky of Seven Colors, a $50 Amazon gift card, a signed bookplate, a set of 3 bookish themed waterproof stickers, and a bookmark with exclusive Sky of Seven Colors character art!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

Giveaway

8 Comments

  1. Thank you for the review.

  2. Thank you for sharing your honest review of Sky of Seven Colors, this sounds like the type of story that my teen-aged granddaughters and I enjoy reading

  3. Awesome review!!

  4. This sounds like a very interesting book. Nice cover. Thank you for your review.

  5. This looks like a quality fantasy novel. Thanks for hosting!!

  6. Love this review thank you so much!! 💜

  7. Thank you for sharing this

  8. I want to read this book as well. Thank you for sharing what you thought of it. I too cannot imagine a world without color.

Comments are closed.