Laura Gilfillan's Blog - Posts Tagged "book-review"

I read Seraphina recently, and I really enjoyed it. I liked the author's interesting and intelligent presentation of dragons, and I liked the way she built the mystery of the main character's background, and let Seraphina's secret gradually unfold. For Seraphina does have a secret; a terrible secret that if discovered may get her killed, or at least shunned. But Seraphina's passion and gift is music, and because of that, it is impossible for her to remain anonymous and safely hidden. The climax builds as the uneasy peace that humans and dragons have managed to forge begins to deteriorate. Seraphina must make some hard choices when she finds herself in the center of the conflict.

I think Shades of Grey is one of Jasper Fford's best books yet. It is intriguing, imaginative, and funny, with sly satirical digs at our own society. The story is set in a society where the ability to see the higher end of the spectrum denotes better social standing. All anyone can see is their own color, to differing degrees, and all other colors are seen as shades of grey. And there are a lot of rules to be strictly followed, or consequences are severe. But Eddie Russet has a dangerous characteristic. He is inquisitive, which leads him to discover some chilling and disturbing disillusionments about his society. He has questions about why technology has become so poor, why people are so different now from how people were before, why nighttime is so terrifying, and what happened to all the spoons? If you are looking for something witty and thought-provoking, I would recommend Shades of Grey.