Review

Summary: Yosarai Patican dreams of becoming an illuminator, but her plans shift when her father is called away and she goes to live with her aunt and cousins. Then the prestigious contest, The Quest, is about to begin.

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Notes: Very excellent world building! I love books set in an entirely different world, with different names for things, and just generally different. Of course, I kept one finger in the glossary while I was reading. The social atmosphere is believable and authentic. The characters are delightful or dreadful, depending on which character we are referring to. Chawna Schroeder carries the simile through the entire book of comparing everything to different writing scrips: angular, faint, bold, swirled. This is something Dickens does and that I enjoy. (Who can forget Panks, the tugboat?) This is also something that is rare. It gives the book a feeling of cohesiveness and continuity. It also makes me want to pull out my calligraphy pens! Everything is exotic. The food! While I was reading this book, I desperately wanted to eat curry over rice. And the clothes! Sky blue, saffron yellow, verdant green, deep red. If anyone is arranging a tour to Indel, sign me up! (Illuminary is a re-telling of a classic novel...I won’t say which)

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Age of main character: Young adult

 

Violence: Prejudice against several characters, death threats, a bomb, sabotage.

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Romance: At the beginning, there are no couples. By the end, there are two clear ones.

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Scary themes: A competition on which much hangs with a lot of rivalry. Sabotage, death.

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Genre: Alternant Reality