Review - Colors of Awakening: Into the Mists

It's odd that the Book Blogger Hop question I posted on Friday involved "if I had ever read a book that had been translated into English" and at the time I had said "no." Then I started reading Colors of Awakening: Into the Mists by O. N. Gandelman. And guess what? The book has been translated into English by Rachel Stomel, so now I'm going to have update by my Book Blogger Hop answer.

In the fantasy adventure, Kate Collins and her two best friends, Sophie Lolens and Alexa Peters, are transported to a strange new, magical world that coexists within our own reality. This new world is called "The Mists." Their lives that they have always known is shattered in an instance and they must now accept their destinies.

I'm trying not to make a habit of revealing too many spoilers in my reviews, so I won't go any further with the synopsis.

The whole young adult genre has been poisoned by the overrated Twilight Saga and its countless vampire copycats. If you read this genre, you will understand what I'm talking about. I was born in the early '80s and grew up on the Point Horror books, which published true horror novels for teens and not the sparkling vampire kind. Colors of Awakening: Into the Mists is a breath of fresh of air with an original plot and interesting characters. The author does a wonderful job crafting an intriguing fantasy with mysteries around every corner. Overall, Colors of Awakening: Into the Mists is a thrilling read.

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.


About the Author:

Ola NatashenaGandelman was born in March of 1989 to a single mother in Leningrad (now known as St. Petersburg), Russia.

While trying to raise Ola on her own, her mother would often provide her with children's books to occupy her, thus igniting Gandelman's love for literature and story-telling. The first stories she was exposed to were the works of Hans Christian Andersen, the Grimm Brothers, and especially a wide variety of Russian folklore. These fairytales and their unique darkness and characteristics will prove to be of importance later on when Gandelman begins writing herself.

As she grew, Gandelman often found herself drawn to the arts. She took piano lessons for seven years, learned painting and studied acting, all while continuing to write. Her first story was written when she was seven and was about witches and magic, a subject she always held dear to her heart.

After suffering depression in her teens, Gandelman began working more determinately on a story that she called "In to the Mists".A piece of workshe initially conceptualizedat the young age of eleven. However, it took Gandelman years until she polished that first idea, and several more years until she finished writing herfirst book.

Tragically, Gandelman's beloved mother, Natasha, was diagnosed with cancer and passed away just before the book waspublished. Devastated, Gandelmanbrought her work on the book to a halt.

Nevertheless, soon after, she renewed her work, supported by her loved ones, proving that her beliefs which guided her writing - the importance of family and friends - were ever true.

Nowadays, when Gandelman isn't writing fantasy war stories, she spends her days reading, painting, playing the piano and practicing Yoga. She lives with her husband and their cheerful yet somewhat cowardlydog and a snobbish but majesticcat. All three are among her biggest fans.