UGH... Will the Heroine Ever Grow Up?

I really wanted to like this book. From the summary it seemed to have everthing I would like and it was read by one of my absolute favorites Jennifer Ikeda. I finally had to call it quits at the start of book 2. More than 10 hours into the book I just could not stomach the 10+ hours left. The storyline dragged and I was so tired of Tessa. I kept waiting for the moment she finally showed some emotional growth or had an epiphany and grew a backbone. But it hadn't happened by the time I stopped listening. And Raphael was neither likable or unlikeable, just kind of "blah". Don't waste your time.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

stories in stories

If you could sum up The Color of Light in three words, what would they be?

three words are: past and present story lines, wonderful vampire, a little too long. I was surprised I liked the book. I purchased it to hear Simon Slater. Other than Bram Stroker's Dracula, I have never had an interest in vampire stories. Because I studied art, I loved the author's setting of art school studio classes & art analysis; though frequently the students' conversations was somewhat boring--very adolescent for mid-twenty year old supposedly serious artists (except for the wonderful great prank).

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Color of Light?

The second part of the story is the best of the author's writing. Rafe's life narrated by Simon Slater. The historic horror and sadness the Jews in Poland suffered; the description of the love and suffering of Rafe for Sophia was boundless. I was taken aback. Could be me but I wasn’t clear about Tessa's family generational ties to Sophia. Could use more time, clarity and detail on this very interesting aspect of the book. It did seem a bit too long, I would have changed the ending.

What about Simon Slater and Jennifer Ikeda ’s performance did you like?

I love audible books, the next thing to seeing a play, a good narrator is so entertaining. I would listen to anything narrated by Simon Slater. He is fabulous. Simon Slater's voice brings the Rafe to life. hmmm.. Even if you have never been there, you will feel it. As always, his treatment of the other characters is perfect with maybe a need for a little more American girl in Tessa. He does a great German Rudi. Jennifer Ikeda was very good. Her Tessa voice is very believable, clear and pleasant. She was a good choice for the beginning of the book.

If you could take any character from The Color of Light out to dinner, who would it be and why?

Of course, I would take Rafe to dinner, if he would promise not to have me for dinner.

Any additional comments?

Yes, Simon Slater is incorrectly introduced as Simon Slate. Rather insulting.. Correction should have been made. And btw another mistake, rather important, thank god for us North Americans, Rommel was in North Africa, not North America.

3 of 4 people found this review helpful

So boring!!!

I gave this audiobook a try because I absolutely love the narrator Jennifer Ikeda. However, the wonderful narration could not keep me interested in hearing more of the story. It was mind-numbingly boring. I love vampire books but the characters for me never developed into anything interesting. The storyline dragged so much that I just gave up and return this audiobook.

If you dare listen, don't listen at work...

I listen to audiobooks at work because of the nature of the work I do and my environment (noisy chaos). This book made me moody, angry, anxious, disgusted... and not in a good way. All the things you should NOT be at work. The book was slow, much of it depressing and aggravating. The love story was over-done, somewhat contrived. I waited and waited for the main female character (Tessa) to grow up and act like an adult rather than a petulant teenager. Never happened. The main male character (Rafe) um.. kinda the same thing. He's a 70 something year old vampire who vacillates between being stuffy, sexy, over-bearing, childish, petty and spoiled. I felt like I was reading another-dimension Twilight.

Tessa is week. Madly in love with one man one week, then another the next. Her "transition" from one to the other not really developed and falling flat. If Rafe had fallen for Tessa because of reincarnation, his behavior would have been easier to swallow, but the story never truly explored that (outside of her sketches/paintings) and it seems more like he fell for her because she looked like his one true love. A missed opportunity in a supernatural genre.

I like long books, I love when a story and characters are fully developed, but this was long for all the wrong reasons. I ended up forgetting who characters were, how they fit into the story, I "rewound" so many times trying to figure out what had happened, I was left confused, then I got bored and wanted to quit. I struggled to finish this book. There were some great plot points, but they got lost in the mire. I have an amazing vocabulary, but when I found myself having to look up a word, I was annoyed. *Note - Big fancy words don't make the story any better...

Jennifer Ikeda is an amazing narrator, but Simon Slater wasn't the right fit for this book.

All in all, this was not what I had hoped it would be. I was very disappointed overall. Still scratching my head over the praise for the love story. Good luck to you if you take this on. Maybe if I had read it, rather than listened to it, I would feel differently since we put our own spin on things in our heads rather than have emotions fed to us by a narrator.

Awful narration

Hated having the middle of the narration taken over by s different narrator. It completely took away from the entire experience for me

Beautifully Heartbreaking Story

To start, There were a few audio indiscretions during this story, repeated lines etc. Overall, this story broke my heart and filled me with joy. The story was beautifully written and very well read by the narrator. The characters had lots of depth and conflicting emotions. The story was engaging and emotional. I could not wait to continue the story every time I had to pause it. I loved this book!

I LOVE THIS BOOK!!!

A must listen!!! What a beautiful blend of history and fantasy. I was swept away by the authors flowing colorful descriptions of the characters and their surroundings. I was taken back in time with my heart on the edge of breaking as I learned more and more of the truth from Raphael Sinclair. I cant wait to see if there will be another book.

BORING OVERWROUGHT AND SILLY

Don't bother ..it was free so I tried it . Ridiculous attempt at weaving vampires, art and the Holocaust . All. Very clumsy

Good listening, but a bit too long

Would you consider the audio edition of The Color of Light to be better than the print version?

I have not read the print version, but both narrators did a great job and it was very entertaining.

What other book might you compare The Color of Light to and why?

There are a lot of books about vampire love stories and a lot of books about the holocaust, but I do not any other book combining both topics.

Which character – as performed by Simon Slater and Jennifer Ikeda – was your favorite?

I loved Simon Slater's performance of Raphael, but I also liked a lot all of Jennifer Ikeda's narration.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

I do not want to give any spoilers, but the last three hours of the narration were especially moving.

Any additional comments?

It was a very interesting listen, but in my opinion a bit too long. I knew Jennifer Ikeda from the All Souls trilogy and she was perfect as always, but Simon Slater has been a great discovery and I would love to listen to other books narrated by him.

Wonderful!

I have over 100 titles in my library and this one, along with The All Souls Trilogy (narrated by Jennifer Ikeda as well) are the very best. I just listened for the second time and was just as entranced as I was the first time. I so wish there were more titles by this author on Audible. Amazingly romantic and I love the historical background.