Book Review: Auralia's Colors by Jeffrey Overstreet

If I had to describe Auralia's Colors, by Jeffrey Overstreet, in one word, I would choose the word "lyrical". The book is poetic at points, and the prose is often deeply descriptive. There are frequent mentions of verses that depict the time of day sung from lofty watch towers, and the story itself seems to flit over time and through dreams, allowing us a bird's eye view of the larger tapestry being woven throughout. The narration often pulls back from the individual characters to give a sweeping, more historical view of Auralia's world and House Abascar.

That use of time, however, also works against the story at points. The beginning of the book shows Auralia being found as a baby, then moves forward to her childhood among the Gatherers, and follows that with a jump backwards in time to before her birth in a flashback. The information we gather from all of these jumps in time is important, but the lack of a clear focus for the first third to half of the book made it seem to move very slowly, and often had me wondering what, exactly, the point was, and whether or not the characters would ever have any goals.

The characters themselves are diverse and have personalities that are memorable--even the minor characters. One strength of the book is that the threads of most characters, even those that would seem unimportant, are tied up by the end of the tale. Those whose fates are left a mystery are those who will continue to be featured in the coming books, which leaves the reader awaiting the next book in the series. The end of Auralia's Colors hints at the broadening of the world and range of characters set forth in this, the Red Strand of the series.

Overstreet also does well linking characters together. Allusions early in the tale lead readers to guess at the possible connections without blatantly spelling them out, and the mysteries of the Keeper and the Northchildren, not to mention the origins of Auralia herself, are sprinkled throughout.

I mentioned earlier that the prose was lyrical, even poetic. This is, I believe, the greatest strength of the story. One might expect, considering the title, that color and sensory details would figure prominently, and Overstreet does not disappoint. The imagery is vivid and rich. Not only does the brilliance of the colors come forth, but also the vitality of the forest and the drab weariness of the housefolk of Abascar. Attention is paid to weather, time of day, season, geography, and wildlife.

In the coming books, we can hope to see more of the other houses in the Expanse, and learn about their histories and practices. Overstreet, although tying up a number of subplots, has left the future of the major characters and the whole of the Expanse in question, leaving us a great deal to look forward to. The book reads smoothly and the words form a pleasant, refreshing weave. On a scale of 1 to 10, I would give Auralia's Colors a 7, and recommend it to anyone who enjoys fantasy, as well as those who enjoy certain types of historical fiction dealing with castles, walled cities, peasants and princes.