Auralia's Colors
Jeffery Overstreet
Reviewed by Susan Helene Gottfried
Jeffrey Overstreet's debut novel, Auralia's Colors, is breaking new
welcome ground in the fantasy genre.
The story begins with the discovery of a mysterious child who is taken
in by a society of outcasts and lawbreakers, living outside the walls
of the House of Abascar. Auralia grows up with the other orphans, but
Auralia is not your general, run-of-the-mill child.
We've seen this before: the unique child with the power to change the
world. It's not a new story -- until it is deposited into Overstreet's
hands. In Auralia's case, the change she brings doesn't save the world
in one fell swoop. In fact, the world as the inhabitants of House
Abascar know it is … well, demolished, and their future uncertain.
This isn't the only thing that sets Auralia's Colors apart from the
rest of the fantasy genre. In fact, the twist on what has become a
familiar formula isn't even the most exciting and ground-breaking.
Rather, it is the emphasis that Overstreet puts on the use of color.
From the shades of grey in the storyline to the bold, vibrant colors
that surround Auralia, this book -- and, hopefully, this series -- is
defined by this one simple element.
It all began when Queen Jaralaine journeyed to House Bal Amica. On her
unexpected return, the Queen declared that House Abascar had entered
the Winter of Abascar. Every member of the House was ordered to hand
their colors over to the palace, where they would be stored until the
Queen declares the time right for Abascar to return at its full
splendor. Then, the colors would be returned.
Twenty years later, the people are beginning to forget what color looks
like and how it feels. The Housefolk rarely, if ever, leave the walled
city; they do not get to see the colors of nature. Enter a young
foundling named Auralia and her colors.
No one knows much about Auralia: where she came from, who she is, or
why she's able to spin threads of found objects into items of
beautiful, outstanding color: pillows, curtains, clothes.
Best of all, there seems to be a healing component to her items,
although this is -- sadly -- never fully explored by Overstreet. Nor is
the origins of her talents, although there are hints and suggestions
about Northfolk and the Keeper, a figure only children speak of and
believe in. Supposedly, when a child grows up, they leave behind their
belief in the Keeper.
Yet there are enough hints of Northfolk and the Keeper to make the
reader -- and a few characters in the book -- believe they are
more than mere fairy tales. And by the end of the book, when havoc has
been wreaked and the future altered irrevocably, it is obvious that
Auralia isn't the only character in this book with ties to these
seemingly-mythical people.
The number of mysteries in this one book are huge. In addition to
Auralia, there are the ale boy, the truth behind Queen Jaraline's
peculiar disappearance, and, of course, the Keeper and the Northmen.
Not to mention the question you'll have when you shut the book: So what
happens now?
Yes, we are set up for a continuation of this story. This isn't a
trilogy, nor a series. Rather, it is a Thread, a term that fits what
Overstreet has begun with Auralia.
Hopefully the next book will answer many of these questions, or at
least begin to. Overstreet has created a huge concept that was stuffed
into the rather small House Abascar. With the destruction of the House,
the potential for a more vivid picture of the world as a whole and a
glimpse of the members of the other Houses, becomes very real.
As of this writing, there is no information on when the next book in
the Thread will be released. However, it'll be worth keeping an eye out
for. What happens next to these people is a delicious, intriguing
promise.