Review of ‘Colorblind’ by Siera Maley
Audiobook Narrated by Janine Granda
Harper is a 17-year-old girl who likes girls but has a rare gift: she can see the age people are going to die. Unfortunately, she can’t do anything to change it. She learned that the hard way, when her mother died at 41, the exact age Harper could predict. Harper keeps her distance from any emotional involvement with anyone, but when she meets cute and charismatic Chloe her well-constructed walls start to fall. The problem is that Chloe’s number is 16 and she has only this summer to live.
Continuing with my new year resolution to read (or in this case listen) stories out of my comfort zone, I chose to tackle a lesbian young adult romance. ‘Colorblind’ is told in first person from the sole point of view of Harper whose gift to see other people’s death age is more like a curse. No wonder her mood is somber and her life outlook is pessimistic. The only person who understands her is her best friend Robbie, a twenty-something-year-old guy who has the same talent. When she accidentally meets Chloe, she can’t help feel attracted to her despite the inevitability of her very close date of death. Will Harper risk her heart for a short summer relationship?
I really liked the premise of this book which I think suits perfectly for a young adult novel as there is a lot of angst and self-questioning about the meaning of life and how relationships work. Ms. Maley got the tone for both main characters right and the listener can feel how opposites attract and complement themselves. The narration by Janine Granda was very good, I found that she had the perfect voice for teenage characters and her performance of their feelings was spot-on. My only criticism is that both leads’ voices sounded too similar but because their personalities were so different the dialogues were easy to follow anyway.
The story in itself is original and credible within the world the author built. The threat of Chloe’s impending death keeps the listener on edge and the narration helps maintain the fast pace of the last few chapters. The plot resolution is very clever too. I’ve never read this author before because young adult fiction doesn’t appeal to me, but I would recommend to at least read/listen to one of her books. As this audiobook is available for free for the Audible Escape subscribers, I recommend not to miss the opportunity to give it a try.
Overall, 4 stars. An entertaining, angsty and sweet young adult lesbian romance audiobook. 4 stars for the story, 4 stars for the narrator’s performance.
