Welcome to my stop on the Brenda Stanley Color of Snow Blog Tour, hosted by Tribute Books. Check out my review below:
The Color of Snow
by Brenda Stanley
Published: June 1st 2012
Tribute Books
Purchase: Amazon
E-copy provided by publisher for an honest review.
When a beautiful 16-year-old girl named Sophie is found sequestered in a cage-like room in a rundown house in the desolate hills of Arbon Valley, Idaho, the entire community is shocked to learn she is the legendary Callidora--a baby girl who was kidnapped from her crib almost seventeen years ago and canonized in missing posters with portraits of what the fabled girl might resemble. Authorities soon learn that the cage was there to protect people from Sophie, because her biological father believes she is cursed.
Sophie is discovered after the man she knows as Papa, shoots and injures Damien, a young man who is trying to rescue her. Now, unsocialized and thrust into the world, and into a family she has never met, Sophie must decide whether she should accept her Papa’s claims that she is cursed and he was only trying to protect others, or trust the new people in her life who have their own agendas. Guided by a wise cousin, Sophie realizes that her most heartbreaking challenge is to decide if her love for Damien will destroy him like her Papa claims, or free her from past demons that haunt her mind.
~My Review~
I've been avoiding reading synopsis of some of the books I've received for review in order to be completely unaware and without expectations. I assure you the first time I glanced over the description for this book was today when I looked for it on Goodreads to include it above in my post. This time, that technique undoubtedly paid off. The Color of Snow is not your usual young adult fantasy, it is very much realistic and exploits a world quite a few people are familiar with in today's society. The story is very much intense, compelling, and beyond emotional. There's no word to perfectly describe how electrifying this book truly was for me.
I'm happy to share my thoughts with you.
So, in the beginning I was like "whoa! what's going on here?" It seemed to me that the main character was living in complete isolation from the outside world for years, under the supervision of her crazy father. I mean, he'd have to be crazy to feed her a bunch of kaka about people being too evil to be around and how the world isn't a place for her. She had no connections whatsoever with other human beings until the only person she communicated with his shot and cops showed up at their little hideout.
Sophie puts a lot of blame on herself for what her father did, and for him getting arrested. She strongly believes that he's protecting her so you could sympathize with her broken and confused heart when she finds out who what was really going on. I was cursing up a storm. How could her father allow her to think there was something wrong with her appearance and hid mirrors from her all her life? But then again, he'd have to be out of his mind to live like that. He totally messed up her head. Poor girl.
I also realized how this man was doing a lot of things all in the name of religion. The lessons he taught her were just utterly mind blowing. Like things about her body are considered curses, if you get my drift.
What I liked about this novel:
The story was more like a journey. Sophie or Callidora's journey of true self-discovery. Her eyes were finally opening up to a world she hadn't known before. She was now experiencing things a young girl her age would be curious about, and I was captivated by her every moment of the way.
Her process is one you'll enjoy.
What I didn't like:
The religious aspects depicted made me consider the traditions of the place and their beliefs. However, it somewhat complicated things. Whenever religion is being debated I drift away in hopes of not getting involved. Thankfully, it wasn't the main focus of the story and it sort of balanced its way throughout.
The details were also too much at times. I understood the point of the backstories and how Brenda wanted us to understand the characters perspective. But there were times when I wanted it to end and go back to the present. Nonetheless, with that aside I still enjoyed the book.
In closing...
The Color of Snow offers a good story; very much different from the trend but different. Its a good book to dive in to when you're looking for something new and thought-provoking.
Brenda Stanley is former television news anchor and investigative reporter for the NBC affiliate in Eastern Idaho. She has been recognized for her writing by the Scripps Howard Foundation, the Hearst Journalism Awards, The Idaho Press Club and the Society for Professional Journalists. She is a graduate of Dixie College in St. George, Utah and the University of Utah in Salt Lake City. She is the mother of 5 children, including two sets of twins. Brenda and her husband Dave, a veterinarian, live on a small ranch near the Snake River with their horses and dogs.
Great review. I will definitely add this to my TBR list.
ReplyDeleteGreat review, Shane.
ReplyDeleteI too really enjoyed the story since it was really unique.
Very nice review!!! Thanks to it and your recommendation my to be read pile has grown by one more :)
ReplyDeleteThank you for the post! I really appreciate it.
ReplyDeleteBrenda
Thanks for the awesome review Shane! I'll defintely be adding this one to my to-read list! :)
ReplyDeleteShane, thanks for the review :)
ReplyDelete