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Blanco & The Starry Night
On the streets of Los Angeles, Blanco is a graffiti god. Well, maybe not a god exactly, but certainly more talented than anyone else in foster care. Despite this, Blanco still doesn’t have a family to call his own. That is, until the young artist discovers a magical workshop hidden beneath the city. There, along with other teenage outcasts, Blanco learns the extraordinary ability to bring artwork to life—as in honest-to-goodness, swear-on-your-mother’s-grave life. While studying the secrets of his new craft, Blanco realizes that somewhere in the dark reaches of the workshop lurks a truth about his past.Blanco and The Starry Night is the first book in the young adult fantasy series The Masterpiece Saga.
193 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 1, 2023
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
September 8, 2023
I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.
Teenage artists, a magical workshop, and a boy whose life is about to change.
Blanco and the Starry Night is the story of a teenage boy called Blanco. He is an artist and his thing is graffiti. At the beginning of the book he is being fostered by this rich old man who is an art lover and collector. Unfortunately, things go south pretty fast and he is almost homeless until he is rescued by a stranger. The stranger in question is a young man who takes him to a magical workshop where most of this story takes place.
In this workshop he discovers a whole new world where artists can bring paintings into life. It is exciting for the most part because what artist wouldn’t love this right? However there is something weird going on in this place that makes him wonder about his past, and exactly what is happening in the workshop.
This particular book was a fascinating read for me. I just wish there was more of everything. I wanted more world building, more information on the characters (especially this master of shadows), and generally just more of the story. It would have made it easier for me to form an
opinion on these things. This is book one so I hope that the author will give us more details and more pages.
As to what was actually in the story, I really liked the entire concept of bringing art to life and the way it was described in the book. It was so cool and extremely appealing to me especially because I’m a painter as well. I also enjoyed the way this story combined both real and fantasy aspects of art.
Since this is a short book, one of its positives is that it is a quick read which will
be great for a certain kind of reader.
As I have already said, I wish it had been longer. I couldn’t believe that I had come to the end of the story especially since things were just getting interesting. The book ended in a cliffhanger which worked on me because I now want to read the next book.
In terms of the audience, I would recommend this to a younger group. I think that this would be great for ages 11-15. With that said if you are an adult who enjoys YA and Middle Grade books, and you’re looking for a quick read, I recommend you check this one out.
Teenage artists, a magical workshop, and a boy whose life is about to change.
Blanco and the Starry Night is the story of a teenage boy called Blanco. He is an artist and his thing is graffiti. At the beginning of the book he is being fostered by this rich old man who is an art lover and collector. Unfortunately, things go south pretty fast and he is almost homeless until he is rescued by a stranger. The stranger in question is a young man who takes him to a magical workshop where most of this story takes place.
In this workshop he discovers a whole new world where artists can bring paintings into life. It is exciting for the most part because what artist wouldn’t love this right? However there is something weird going on in this place that makes him wonder about his past, and exactly what is happening in the workshop.
This particular book was a fascinating read for me. I just wish there was more of everything. I wanted more world building, more information on the characters (especially this master of shadows), and generally just more of the story. It would have made it easier for me to form an
opinion on these things. This is book one so I hope that the author will give us more details and more pages.
As to what was actually in the story, I really liked the entire concept of bringing art to life and the way it was described in the book. It was so cool and extremely appealing to me especially because I’m a painter as well. I also enjoyed the way this story combined both real and fantasy aspects of art.
Since this is a short book, one of its positives is that it is a quick read which will
be great for a certain kind of reader.
As I have already said, I wish it had been longer. I couldn’t believe that I had come to the end of the story especially since things were just getting interesting. The book ended in a cliffhanger which worked on me because I now want to read the next book.
In terms of the audience, I would recommend this to a younger group. I think that this would be great for ages 11-15. With that said if you are an adult who enjoys YA and Middle Grade books, and you’re looking for a quick read, I recommend you check this one out.
October 10, 2023
Blanco is a thirteen year-old graffiti artist in Los Angeles. He’s a ward of the state. In foster care. Blanco loves art. Paintings. Sculptures. And Van Gogh’s Starry Night, aka: Swirly Sky. All he’s ever really wanted, from as early as he can remember, is a family that wants him. Will a mysterious underground art community fill the bill? And what about the kids in this community who are “saving” art from the evil Master of Shadow? (Think Voldemort and Inkheart’s The Shadow.) Is the “forbidden wing” really haunted? By whom? Why? And what’s up with Smirk?
This book is a little Alice in Wonderland. A little Series of Unfortunate Events or Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. Toss in a dash of Divergent and a bit of The Monuments Men. And voila! Sort of. Because Blanco is a little this. A little that. It's an eclectic blend of art history, family, courage, creativity, mystery, dark doin’s in the dead of night, and weird creepy stuff. The kind that makes you want to check under your bed. Or maybe your closet. Twice.
The story is fresh, creative, and original. It's also pretty dark and grim. The plot may be a bit obtuse for the casual reader. It leaves some loose ends dangling. Like, who is “the Architect”? What, if anything, does Architect dude know about Blanco’s dad? How did Blanco wind up in foster care? Where did Bernard come in, and why?
Although additional installments of this book are reportedly in the pipeline, the ending left me hanging. But it’s also pretty well-written overall. Art and gritty fantasy lovers will find much with which to connect in Blanco.
Blanco and the Starry Night is Book 1 in the Masterpiece Saga.
This book is a little Alice in Wonderland. A little Series of Unfortunate Events or Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. Toss in a dash of Divergent and a bit of The Monuments Men. And voila! Sort of. Because Blanco is a little this. A little that. It's an eclectic blend of art history, family, courage, creativity, mystery, dark doin’s in the dead of night, and weird creepy stuff. The kind that makes you want to check under your bed. Or maybe your closet. Twice.
The story is fresh, creative, and original. It's also pretty dark and grim. The plot may be a bit obtuse for the casual reader. It leaves some loose ends dangling. Like, who is “the Architect”? What, if anything, does Architect dude know about Blanco’s dad? How did Blanco wind up in foster care? Where did Bernard come in, and why?
Although additional installments of this book are reportedly in the pipeline, the ending left me hanging. But it’s also pretty well-written overall. Art and gritty fantasy lovers will find much with which to connect in Blanco.
Blanco and the Starry Night is Book 1 in the Masterpiece Saga.
May 26, 2025
I really enjoyed reading this book, but rather than it feeling pitched at a young adult market, it felt like the book had a bit of a weird mismatch between tone and content – some aspects felt more aimed at readers as young as middle-grade, while others definitely tilted more towards the older teen/young adult side of the market.
Within the fantasy-action plot there is lots of interesting information about art and artistic styles, some touching insights into an adolescence lived ‘in the system’, and lots of technical worldbuilding jargon about the ability to “spoof” things – creating real, working copies of art and objects/scenes within art. These different threads are all pulled together by the overarching mysteries surrounding The Architect, The Shadow Master and Noah, and main character Blanco’s mysterious master taglia – none of which are resolved by the end of the story but lead us tantalisingly towards future (as yet unreleased) books in The Masterpiece Saga series.
While this is an interesting, quick fantasy adventure read with some really great ideas, I didn’t feel it quite came together by the end of the book, reading it as a standalone. As long as you view it as part 1 of a wider story, though, I think it works well and teen-ish aged readers would be likely to enjoy this mash-up of graffiti with classical art, and Oliver Twist style shenanigans with a touch of more modern magic.
Within the fantasy-action plot there is lots of interesting information about art and artistic styles, some touching insights into an adolescence lived ‘in the system’, and lots of technical worldbuilding jargon about the ability to “spoof” things – creating real, working copies of art and objects/scenes within art. These different threads are all pulled together by the overarching mysteries surrounding The Architect, The Shadow Master and Noah, and main character Blanco’s mysterious master taglia – none of which are resolved by the end of the story but lead us tantalisingly towards future (as yet unreleased) books in The Masterpiece Saga series.
While this is an interesting, quick fantasy adventure read with some really great ideas, I didn’t feel it quite came together by the end of the book, reading it as a standalone. As long as you view it as part 1 of a wider story, though, I think it works well and teen-ish aged readers would be likely to enjoy this mash-up of graffiti with classical art, and Oliver Twist style shenanigans with a touch of more modern magic.
September 12, 2023
This is a delightful fantasy-based retelling of Oliver Twist with shades of Harry Potter. Blanco is a teenage orphan in search of a home. He finds that home with a band of thieves, who work in a workshop where they learn to hone their skills and magical abilities to bring their artwork to life. But things are not as they seem. I couldn't put the book down. Such a joy to read, and I can't wait for the next one in the series!
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews