skelleycat's review against another edition
3.0
(3.5 stars)
When I saw this book on NetGalley, the cover instantly caught my attention, and as soon as I realized that the main character has synesthesia, I requested it! I was thrilled when my request was approved, and delighted when I was contacted to be a part of the blog tour! This book was part of my synesthesia reading theme for August, and it was just a pleasure.
It's somewhat common to come across a YA protagonist who's an artist (always scribbling in his/her sketchbook, etc.), but this was a different take on the whole thing, likely because of its historical setting instead of contemporary. Giulia is an artist, but one who is junior and learning under a maestra. She's the lowest one in the hierarchy of painter nuns at her convent, and I found this a refreshing change. I enjoyed the familiarity of her creative passions, ambitions, and obvious skill, coupled with her feelings of inadequacy due to her position, age, and gender.
It's clear that the events in Color Song come after those in Passion Blue, but it truly felt like a companion novel; there was just enough back-story explanation to help me understand the current situation without being too much of an info-dump which would bore readers who were already familiar with Passion Blue. I was able to immediately connect with Giulia and her predicament(s), and easily felt engaged and invested in what happened to her and the choices that she made.
Giulia's synesthesia was a lovely touch that didn't overtake the story, but added a note of beauty in an otherwise rather hopeless situation. To me, it felt very realistic, and I was able to relate to it easily, even though I do not have the same type of synesthesia that Giulia has. It was something about herself that she had to learn to accept and become comfortable with, but it didn't stop her from living her life, and it brought her comfort when she was pretty down.
Color Song was an interesting look into 15th century Italy (and I found myself somewhat comfortable with visualizing the surroundings and the people, thanks to the Assassin's Creed video games!). Life was hard, especially for women, but I enjoyed the rays of hope that shined from a few of the good people who came into Giulia/Girolamo's life. This was a wonderful story that explored themes of introspection, self acceptance, honesty, perseverance, ethics and morality, and personal growth. Yes, Guilia was the focus of this story, but what made it even richer was that many other characters in this book were rich with their own personality and growth.
When I saw this book on NetGalley, the cover instantly caught my attention, and as soon as I realized that the main character has synesthesia, I requested it! I was thrilled when my request was approved, and delighted when I was contacted to be a part of the blog tour! This book was part of my synesthesia reading theme for August, and it was just a pleasure.
It's somewhat common to come across a YA protagonist who's an artist (always scribbling in his/her sketchbook, etc.), but this was a different take on the whole thing, likely because of its historical setting instead of contemporary. Giulia is an artist, but one who is junior and learning under a maestra. She's the lowest one in the hierarchy of painter nuns at her convent, and I found this a refreshing change. I enjoyed the familiarity of her creative passions, ambitions, and obvious skill, coupled with her feelings of inadequacy due to her position, age, and gender.
It's clear that the events in Color Song come after those in Passion Blue, but it truly felt like a companion novel; there was just enough back-story explanation to help me understand the current situation without being too much of an info-dump which would bore readers who were already familiar with Passion Blue. I was able to immediately connect with Giulia and her predicament(s), and easily felt engaged and invested in what happened to her and the choices that she made.
Giulia's synesthesia was a lovely touch that didn't overtake the story, but added a note of beauty in an otherwise rather hopeless situation. To me, it felt very realistic, and I was able to relate to it easily, even though I do not have the same type of synesthesia that Giulia has. It was something about herself that she had to learn to accept and become comfortable with, but it didn't stop her from living her life, and it brought her comfort when she was pretty down.
Color Song was an interesting look into 15th century Italy (and I found myself somewhat comfortable with visualizing the surroundings and the people, thanks to the Assassin's Creed video games!). Life was hard, especially for women, but I enjoyed the rays of hope that shined from a few of the good people who came into Giulia/Girolamo's life. This was a wonderful story that explored themes of introspection, self acceptance, honesty, perseverance, ethics and morality, and personal growth. Yes, Guilia was the focus of this story, but what made it even richer was that many other characters in this book were rich with their own personality and growth.
elephant's review against another edition
5.0
I liked this book even better than the first one! Giulia, now 18 years old is pressured by the convent as well as by Humilita's father to give them the recipe for the paint color passion blue that Humilita had given to her on her deathbed and asked her to keep secret. Realizing that she will be enslaved in the convent no matter what she does, Guilia disguises herself as a boy and heads out to Venice to apprentice herself to her former master's friend. Although she has some bad luck, she is befriended by a kind and wealthy woman who pledges to help her any time she needs help. There is danger and romance, secrets and lies, passion and hope in this lovely story about a woman painter in the Italian Renaissance. I received this book free to review from Netgalley and I highly recommend it.
laura_mayfair's review against another edition
4.0
I loved this. Lyrical writing that maintains a good balance of description and forward motion. This is a charming story that depicts 16th century Venice in all of its glory. Artist Giulia is easy to relate to and the "minor" characters are distinctive. A keeper!
madcassier's review against another edition
2.0
First off, thank you to NetGalley and Amazon Publishing for providing me with a digital ARC of this novel.
Definitely a case of, should have realised this was a series. I was about 50 pages in, realised I was reading a sequel, but kept plowing through any ways. I have read sequels to books without reading the first installment and suffering no issues, but I definitely found myself scratching my head at times with this one.
The only other thing I can say is that, besides confusion, I just couldn't get this novel to keep my attention. Finishing it became a chore, not an exercise in enjoyment.
Definitely a case of, should have realised this was a series. I was about 50 pages in, realised I was reading a sequel, but kept plowing through any ways. I have read sequels to books without reading the first installment and suffering no issues, but I definitely found myself scratching my head at times with this one.
The only other thing I can say is that, besides confusion, I just couldn't get this novel to keep my attention. Finishing it became a chore, not an exercise in enjoyment.
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