The Colours of Death Review

In an alternative present-day Lisbon, a small percentage of the population have been diagnosed as Gifted – having telepathic or telekinetic powers. Along with the power comes a stigma and suspicion that Gifted Inspector Isabel Reis with the Lisbon Police Force knows only too well.

When Isabel is called to investigate a mysterious and violent death which hints at Gifted involvement, she knows it’s more than just her personal reputation on the line. In a society where Gifted individuals are already viewed with mistrust; Isabel is hiding her own secret and knows she has to tread carefully as a conspiracy emerges and the body count rises.

The first thing that I loved about this novel was that it was set in Lisbon – a setting that I have not encountered in many books so that was a refreshing aspect and the author gave so many vivid descriptions of both the setting and the food in the novel, that I genuinely felt like I was reading this sat on the streets of Lisbon. Some of the translation was slightly off but that did not bother me in the slightest and took nothing from the reading of the novel.

This sci-fi crime thriller – even just those words feel me with pleasure than I can say – is set in a present day yet alternate Portugal where a political party is leading the agenda to rid those of the gifted with telepathic or telekinetic abilities. It really is so refreshing to read crime fiction that has a fresh new twist.  The characters are well written and I enjoyed getting to know them and see them develop as the story developed.

This was a thrilling, highly inventive and incredibly gripping novel and I really don’t want to give anything away by going into more detail but you really need to read this book whether you like thrillers, crime, sci-fi, dystopian or just something new then this book really needs to be in your TBR pile. 5 stars.

Edokko Review

A wonderful timeless story aimed to younger readers, that would nevertheless, fully appeal to adult readers, will be instantly reconnect with her own inner teenager. This is Lily Jennings story, sixteen-years-old Torontonian, open, modern, blogger and ready for adventure and escape her helicopter parents. And Lily has a great plan: She is going to Japan in year-study-abroad program with the WorldFriends organization, something both her parents can come on board, it’s education after all. To be honest, Lily is more interesting in strolling through Shinjuku, enjoy Tokyo’s street life and wear the total stylish uniform of the Koen Gakuin, the elite school where she will be filling in for her “exchange sister” Moemi Tanaka who is currently in her own study-abroad year in Italy. Lily has all planned out, living her best life for a year, blogging for her fans, in a dead-ringer for her favourite manga ‘Shinjuku Days and Nights’ version.
Only a couple of days before the Japanese school years begins (April 1st) Lily arrives in Osaka, full of plans, dreams, and expectations. Just two days orientation and she will be on her way to the Koen Gakuin and her ‘Shinjuku’-dream. However, Lily begins to realize that the program might be harder than she expected, but even so, she could never be prepared for the series of unfortunate events surrounding her journey, it begins with her ‘exchange sister’ deciding to come back early, following by the school denying her a study-place, now that the class is already complete. WorldFriends finds a solution, sending her to Ajimu, a far cry from what she expected. Mr. & Mrs Fujino are nice enough, but don’t understand anything she does or says, their daughter Fuyumi seems to openly despise Lily while fully ignore her, the only silver lining is Ryohei, who is in fact adorable, speaks a passable English and is eleven! years old. The new school not only doesn’t have any fashionable uniform, it doesn’t in fact have one that fits her, and the other students don’t seem to give a yen about her. But Lily is resilient and tries, for week on weeks, to get WorldFriends to find a solution, that brings back to her dream, to Tokyo, the Tanakas, the Koen Gakuin. As time passes, and Lily’s expectations get constantly challenged, she slowly finds that fate usually don’t give you want but frequently in the end exactly what you need.
The narrative is told by Lily herself and Lily and the reader bond immediately, embarking together into the journey into an unknown culture, contrasting our own preconceived opinions with subjective perceptions and the factual reality, until we (aka Lily) are able to gain a full tridimensional picture. An amazing story, captivating and enticing, real-life at its best. Regardless whether you have any experience with cultural exchange travel, this is a story that will mean different things to different readers, but will never be meaningless.
Loren Green succeeds in bring to life characters, settings, and situations, offering accurate depictions of Japan, in general and its cultural nuances in particular, which is a very welcomed added bonus, instantly recognizable for any Japanophile and incredible interesting and immensely valuable for those who aren’t.