The Ingenious and the Colour of Life | Book Review

 

Ever since young Milly Bythaway can remember, she’s had to hide who she really is – dumbing down an extraordinary genius in order to blend into the background. 14-year-old Tai Jones has been abandoned by his mother and forced to live as a homeless wanderer, but the appearance of a stray cat helps him realise he has a special gift: he can see the thoughts and emotions of others in stunningly beautiful colours. A gift that is both wonderful and awful.

When they are brought together for their own safety, they hear of the disappearance of a third child, which begins a journey of discovery as their strange and unusual abilities develop. Abilities that they struggle to control. But they must do so; their own fate depends on it.

The Ingenious and the Colour of Life is J.Y. Sam’s beautiful and heart-rending debut – a story that explores the fragility of human nature, with a dash of science, culture, and the natural world, engaging both mind and heart in an eclectic blend of genres.

The Ingenious and The Colour of Life is a contemporary fantasy and science fiction novel by J.Y Sam. I was given a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.  I cannot believe this was the author's debut novel by the way it was so fantastically written. I didn't think I would like this book so much when I first started reading the book because of the long introductory chapters about each character, but once they begin to blend and the actual story starts, I could not put this book down. 

The story mingles the life of a group of teenagers and young adults as they develop and discover their unique abilities. Each character is designed so intricately and beautifully throughout the book that people just love them and their dynamics. The first chapters of this book introduce us to our main protagonists that happen to be Jimema, Calista, Milly, Tai and Jake. After the disappearance of  Jake and the murder of Jimema, the teens left come together under a Professor to go on a fantastic adventure. While I loved some of the main characters, I also found a few of them a bit annoying, but that's the uniqueness of this book that you are bound to love some characters and not like some because each character is so different. My personal favourite throughout this book was Milly.  

One of the most things that amazed me the most was how the author included animals and their point of view throughout the book. I was confused at first, but as soon as I figured out that it was the animal's point of view, I was in awe. The author does use some of the flowery languages, which I do not like when reading books, but it wasn't too much, and I could read through it without it feeling like a school assignment. 

The research and time that the author has put in can be seen when you read the book as there is a sufficient amount of information given along the book. I cannot, in any way, fact check the information provided, but as a reader, I can ensure that the info provided was believable.

I definitely recommend this book to people who are interested in Sci-fi and even those who aren't because even I usually don't read Sci-fi, and I have only enjoyed some of them that happen to be quite famous these days, but this book captured my interest. The ending left me shook, and I can't wait for a sequel!