Here is my review of Where it rains in Colour by Denise Crittendon-an Afro-futuristic science-fiction
Lileala has just been named the Rare Indigo – beauty among beauties – and is about to embrace her stardom, until something threatens to change her whole lifestyle and turn the planet of Swazembi upside down.Colonized by the descendants of Earth’s West African Dogon Tribe, the planet of Swazembi is a blazing, color-rich utopia and famous vacation center of the galaxy. No one is used to serious trouble in this idyllic, peace-loving world, least of all the Rare Indigo.
But Lileala’s perfect, pampered lifestyle is about to be shattered. The unthinkable happens and her glorious midnight skin becomes infected with a mysterious disease. Where her skin should glisten like diamonds mixed with coal, instead it scabs and scars. On top of that, she starts to hear voices in her head, and everything around her becomes confusing and frightening.Lileala’s destiny, however, goes far beyond her beauty. While searching for a cure, she stumbles upon something much more valuable. A new power awakens inside her, and she realizes her whole life, and the galaxy with it, is about to change…
Review
Where it rains in Colour by Denise Crittendon is the perfect title for this book- I felt like I was hit was explosion of colour as I was reading.
I received a copy of this book for a free and unbiased opinion.
The world-building in the book is unlike anything I have read before- so vivid and rich, bursting with colour and originality Swazembi is a modern, high-tech future society but with a difference, it is bright, vivid, happy utopia where colour plays an important role. The people in Swazembi have skin that can shimmer and shine future leader Lileala has been chosen as the Rare Indigo because of her outstanding radiance. The technology in the book is truly unique and magical, people get swept up in gusts of wind to travel to destinations which I think should be viable mode of transport in the future.
While I liked Lileala arc from a girl spoilt and pampered for her beauty that’s places values outer looks to a person concerned for other people and an ambassador for peace, I really didn’t warm to her as character.
I struggled with the pace of the book and just couldn’t follow the story at places which was disappointing as I wanted to like it so much. I wish I had been aware of the glossary at the end of the book which may have helped a little ( I which all ebooks would put the glossary in the front of the book!). I’m still not sure what the overall plot of the book was after finishing this
Even though this book wasn’t for me, I imagine many other readers will love the descriptive prose and the world-building.
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