Topaz: The Truth Portal & The Color Mayhem

by Rachel Tremblay

Under the rule of the terrible Murx, where Mirthlings show false kindness out of duty and live out terrifically absurd pre-ordained callings in permanent joylessness, our ill-fitting heroine Topaz trades her stifling life for the most surreal of portals, orbiglass worlds and fantastic friends, discovering her true origins and inherent powers on her path to attain the silver-peaked mountain where she believes happiness awaits her. There and back again, Topaz battles with herself as she faces the challenges of friendship, deceit and loss, until with a little magic and a lot of heart she comes to love the Mirthlings she once despised, inadvertently emerging as the one destined to return balance to all the worlds.

326 pages, Hardcover

Published January 7, 2020

About the author

Rachel Tremblay is a Canadian artist, musician and writer. Working on poetry, songs and hip-hop lyrics in her young adult life, she also spent a lot of time drawing. This led her to study fine arts in Matane, Quebec and then Kelowna, British Columbia. Without abandoning her other artistic endeavors, she wrote her first music album, under the band name August Elliot, upon returning to Quebec. During this time she married and had her first child. She spent a good part of the next decade honing her craft as a contemporary realist painter under the wing of an argentinian mentor, all while writing music for her second album, gigging, working as a graphic designer, and giving life to a second child. Painting, music and poetry led her to finally write the novels she'd always dreamed of. Mother to two grown children whom she homeschooled, you can find her in her native Montreal making art in some form or other.

Rachel has published four books and her fifth, Lavender Spike, is scheduled for release June 23rd 2026 with ECW Press.

Reviews

[Areli Amaya · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finished copy provided to me by the author in exchange for my honest review.
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Topaz yearns for authenticity in her life; she longs to give and receive true emotion, hold real friendships with other Mirthlings and to feel fulfilled in her every day life. But under the rule of the feared and terrible Murx, every sentient being must do their part by working on their pre-ordained callings and live out their lives in relative silence and obedience.
Topaz, having had enough of this nonsense, leaves all she has known behind in order to seek some balance for her world - and thus begin a series of events that will change the world, in the most positive, joyous and sometimes chaotic manners.
All Topaz wanted was to be seen as a Mirthling with feelings, passions and unique thoughts, and she could not have foreseen that she was the one who was destined to bring a healthy sense of normalcy and balance to the worlds.
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I would like to start my review by thanking the beautiful Rachel for gifting me a copy of this unique book - I am so very grateful for it!
Topaz is described as being a YA Dystopian High Fantasy and while I wholeheartedly agree with this, I would also like to add that it is highly spiritual and full of SO much love. Rachel Tremblay managed to create a whole world from the depths of her imagination and creativity, while also highlighting topics I believe all of us to be familiar with, in this day and age.
The protagonist was a balm to my soul! She is honest, caring, so very loving and is deeply connected to the earth and all those beautiful, sublime things we now take for granted. Seeing Topaz talk about the abundant joylessness that surrounds her and the subsequent falsehood the Mirthlings kept perpetuating even after the Murx had fallen, made me think about the need to blend in and be normal many people face after being a part of disastrous circumstances (never mind the fact that this book is quite obviously purely fictional). Because here is the truth: the thing, and it's a spectacular thing, about Rachel's books, is that her personality shines so strongly in her writing style. I frankly believe that if I were to read a few books without knowing the title of any of them, I would be able to pick out Rachel's novel in a heartbeat because her stories fully encompass her essence as a human - they are the most honest, down-to-earth, full of love (and maybe a bit of despair), fantastical narratives I have ever had the pleasure of reading.
If the fact that Topaz made me think about humanity and, truthfully, hurt my soul from experiencing the main character's heartache weren't enough, this book is written in the most joyously descriptive writing style and I could not get enough of it! From the Mirthlings to the animals and the food, to the beautiful places and the battle that takes place at the end, I was mesmerized every time I sat down to read this. And the ending! There is not anyone I could think of that deserved it more than sweet, darling Topaz.
I could go on and on about just how much I loved this, and exactly why you should pick it up, but suffice it to say that if High Fantasy (and perfect endings) is one of your preferred genres, you will absolutely love every twist, character and moment of this book.
And before I forget to mention this, it has a glossary and a lovely map, which made the reading experience that much better.
I am giving this beauty 5/5 stars.

[Laura (crofteereader) · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quick read with a very keen focus on love, acceptance, and community, with a smattering of quests, of course. It's also plenty weird, with creatures, plants, and sentient beings that are like nothing familiar and possessing fun names. Though there are quests, it reminded me of the almost-aimless wanderings through bizarre lands of The Pantom Tollbooth.

I think what I struggled most with was Topaz's passivity. It felt to me like she didn't have a sense of purpose. She's unhappy so she sets off on an adventure and encounters all kinds of strangeness, but I kept asking myself why. When, 100 pages in, we finally get the bones of the actual quest I kind of did a double take. Because it was so late into the story. These changes of direction happened several times throughout and it felt, to me, like we never really break through into Topaz's inner thoughts; she makes decisions and performs actions which, to me, felt senseless. Why did she choose to do X when faced with Y? It felt like I was missing a crucial step.

But the story is whimsical and quick and rather timeless, touching on important issues like otherness and the freedom to determine the direction of your own life (even as our main character is fated to be a hero... Hmm)

[Geneviève (thefreckledbookworm) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the first edition of this book, it was delightfully strange and quirky. It would definitely make a great movie - the descriptions are so well done and this is such a unique, fascinating world! So excited to explore this newest anniversary edition!!

[Angie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m back to write a quick review! I really enjoyed this fun, whimsical, and other-worldly tale! I connected with Topaz and her restlessness so much! There is such a correlation between the day to day existence of the Mirthlings and us, humans. I felt Topaz’s struggle throughout her adventures and I was so happy with the end!!!

[Ange · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rachel’s books never go where I think they will which makes for a fun surprise!