Tim Adams

This book took me awhile to get into!! The main character, Alara, is a fourteen year-old girl, and because of this, the majority of the first third of the book sounded like a stereotypical middle-schooler "like, oh my god", etc!

However, once I made it past the first 100 pages, I honestly couldn't put it down! We learn that Alara is adopted, and that her dreams are becoming more and more vivid. As she learns more about them, it gets more and more confusing for her. Is our world real? Or is her dream-world real?

The biggest shock was the ending - I'm assuming there will be a sequel? It ends on a major cliffhanger! Although I won this copy, I'll certainly be buying the sequel!… (more)

At first, looking at the cover of the book, one might think it’s for kids, what with the colorful cover..:)
But as I scan through the pages, it’s really directed to teens and parents alike….

We learn and discover about the mysterious world Malent through Alara's dreams. Alara finds herself inside the bodies of various characters, and is increasingly able to influence the actions of the people she inhabits as the dreams become more and more frequent/vivid.

I think though I enjoy better the part where the book deals mostly with the world of Malent, the descriptions and the creatures are truly beyond my imagination, but it’s fascinating, and would really lure readers to the fantasy side of this book. Even though we’re only given a little about the characters in this world, I believe they would play a greater role in the next book. I hope to see more of Borren (a man from Malent who is a successful business man in the modern-world) and the warrior and homeless Barry in the sequel.

The other world, where Alara lives, is very the same as we have today. The characters too are just quite a collection. A hot jock boyfriend, a geeky boy-next-door that likes Alara, an overly-protective father that yells a lot, a drama-queen mother, the-not-so-wholesome best friend who seemed to be born to do shopping. Nevertheless, it’s a likely plot.

Although Alara is just 14, well, turning 15, let’s face it…she faces issues teens today face too..like self-identity, hiding from/manipulation of parents, make-ups, sex, alcohol, parties, boyfriends, a really bad friend.. She also does some crazy, dangerous things that no sane girl would do :). And her attitude though sometimes I pity her, is quite annoying.. But I think though, making a not-so likable character and then making her see reason and change her later would be a really good lesson to everyone.

Well, let’s face it, these issues things teens face today, we must not shy away from it, parents should be there guiding their kids. The book is just plain reality, and we must accept and learn from it.

Even at the end of the book, I am still lost as to who is the real villain in the book. There's one side saying one thing, and then another side saying the total opposite. Guess, Colors of Malent Book One was just really an introduction to a greater adventure we’d found in the next book, I can’t wait to see how the story will unfold and what other creatures I’ll get to know..:D….

Full of fun and exciting adventure., _Mr. Adams and Mr, Inzerillo fuse the modern-day-technology with fantasy. I don’t know how to categorize this book, maybe it’s both sci-fi and fantasy..:) Colors of Malent brings readers to a world unknown and unique from us.

All in all, Colors of Malent is a real-page turner, I can’t seem to put this book down, until I finish reading it…My only problem is I should have figured this is a cliff-hanger, that way I wouldn’t be more frustrated to read the sequel:D…I want to read right away Book 2..:)…

Very highly recommended!… (more)

To start off, half of the book (probably less than that) is set in a foreign land, Malent. The other half is in the real (and boring) world. With that, I can say, as an avid fantasy reader, I definitely enjoyed reading about Malent much more than I did about the other things set in the real world.

I understand that this is a YA novel, but it still irks me to no end the way Alara acts throughout the book. She does some crazy, potentially dangerous things that no sane girl would do (or at least, I hope they won't). And her attitude was very annoying (I feel sorry for her parents).

Another thing that threw me off a bit was that Alara, along with her buddies, is only 14 years old. She is young! Only a freshman in high school. But some of her day-to-day routines make it seem as if she is older, like makeup and boyfriends. Maybe it's just me, but even if all of that is accurate, I can't help but think of the ideas this book may plant into kids' heads after reading this.

But even as annoyed as I am with the mundane reality portion of the book, I can't help but be pulled into the fantasy portion, which is why I still gave this book four stars. The glimpses into the world of Malent genuinely piqued my interest. The characters, through which Malent is revealed, were definitely intriguing and I am sorely disappointed that the authors did not give them a little more attention.

Right to the end, I was stumped as to who is the "bad guy" in the book (That's a plus!). There's one side saying one thing, and then another side saying the total opposite.

In the end, I can't say how I feel about the book. On one hand, I don't really like Alara, although I have some sympathy for her. But on the other hand, I am interested in how the story will unfold and what happens to the secondary characters that only appeared once or twice in the novel. I guess I can say, if somewhat reluctantly, that I will read the next book when it comes out.

(If there is a request I can put through to the writers, please! I hope Alara can mature as quickly as possible!)

I received a copy of the book via Goodreads Giveaway.… (more)