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Michelle Frost is an exciting new novelist who creates a world reminiscent of LeGuin's Earthsea in many ways. A fluid and skilled writer, Frost expertly draws us into the inter-weaving of the lives of seven very diverse characters. She leads them and us through solving an ancient puzzle that would change their lives and their world."Follow the colours of your soul."
The story line with the seven main characters is so intricately woven into a pattern it makes it so fasinating that you have to keep on reading to find out what happens next. You seem to know these characters and some of them might even become your friends during this story. Toward the end of this book something is revealed that is so filled with beauty. ....
Michelle Frost paints a world with no hope. Or as she declares on the book's cover: a world, where colour is a crime. Oh horror! Her writing makes this unthinkable world take shape to a point so realistic that you can almost taste the dust and feel the harsh light of this world on your skin.The characters being so utterly vivid, almost as if you had known them forever yourself, and the very idea behind the story being woven into a pattern, where at times you know exactly where the story is headed for, only to realize on the next page that you haven't got a clue, make this book a true page turner. And Michelle keeps you guessing, of yes, she does. All the way to the last few pages, where she finally reveals her bigger picture. Which, I might add, is breathtakingly beautiful!
From the start, I was drawn into the strange mystery of a world that, while it was so foreign to my concept of living, was also uncomfortably familiar... a world about hope in dark places and how one person at a time can make a huge difference. I wanted to know why the characters felt and behaved as they did. I wanted to dig deeper into the book to find the thread that pulled them together. This book kept me turning pages, eager for more.
What I loved about the book is how the author wove a thread through so many lives, connecting them in unexpected ways. I sincerely hope Michelle Frost writes again if this is what she's capable of!
Michelle Frost has created a fascinating new society - one in which the use of color is taboo. Look around you where ever you are at this moment and appreciate how colorful your world is. Can you imagine living in a society where you could not wear a color stronger than gray or beige? Where you could not hang a color picture on your walls?
Michelle expertly weaves together the very separate lives of her 4 main characters in their search for meaning in their own lives and their struggles to express the colors of their passions and their souls. And in so doing creates a tapestry of light and color that will inspire and intrigue you.
Is it about color, creativity, insight, blind acceptance of dogma, unquestioned loyalty to one's society or the duty to question, to seek truth and beauty and freedom against any obstacle? Yes, and more. A remarkable variety of issues and insight that is woven into an intricate tapestry of a story that has not one loose thread. Powerful, disturbing and yet beautifully inspiring. Hopefully this is just the First Light from this fine, bright author!
*Whew* well... I officially have a book hangover. You know, when you read a book that's so incredibly good, and you finish it and suddenly your life seems empty, and you don't know what to do and everyone else around you is carrying on as if nothing had happened? Yeah. One of those.
I've been waiting for this sequel for a long time, and I can honestly say I wasn't disappointed. Wisdoms of the Light takes you on this twisty roller coaster ride emotionally and spiritually. Just like in First Light, you follow the lives of the characters so intricately that you feel involved, as if you were there with them, living it and breathing it. Michelle Frost has outdone herself!
TatianaHow rare it is to read a sequel that is so much better than the first effort! I found it to be immensely entertaining. The characters are so unique, yet so real, it is as if they truly exist and you care deeply about their challenging lives. You MUST know what will happen next, as each page brings events you could not have expected; and that is the epitome of a fine story.
Throughout this book I dreaded coming to a part that a seemed a likely, obvious development for that is so common in stories. This never happened, I was always surprised and delighted. I never expected the many plot twists and developments. This story is extremely well thought out and crafted. Why on earth is this author so unknown while so many hack writers have followings?!DennisI fell in love with this author on reading First Light, and eagerly awaited the sequel. I am not disappointed. Beautifully written, her poignant, memorable characters draw you into a tale filled with the struggle for freedom and balance. Satisfying to the mind, heart, and soul.Wendy Barlow Eldredge
