Review: Lumaworld by Rachel E. Kelly

Hey guys, Dani here.

Okay so I’m finally back with my review for the third book in the Colorworld series by Rachel E Kelly, a fantastic series that I literally tell everyone about whenever I can. Seriously, this series is my go-to recommendation whenever someone needs something to read. The third book is Lumaworld and it definitely raises the stakes for Wen and her family and friends.

Summary

Every kid dreams of having superpowers. Wendy has the power to give them, and the wrong people know.

Now that Wendy has Gabriel back for good, and her brother and adopted sister are by her side, she’s not worried. She has lived with a death touch long enough to know that there are worse things than being on the run from a few crazies.

But when Carl, Wendy’s long-lost father, turns up unexpectedly, he shatters her new found happiness with a warning:

Wendy’s skin is not the only thing about her that’s lethal.

This time, however, Wendy isn’t running scared. She can share the colorworld with the people who can touch her, and she’s hell-bent on winning against the odds.

But Wendy soon learns that all miracles come with a price.

My Thoughts

I ended up giving this book a rating of 5 stars. Everything gets so twisted in this third installment and yet it is still so incredible to read. Looking back at my status updates from Goodreads, here are a few comments I made:

pg 63: I’m still unsure how I feel about Mike. Why is he being such a jerk? Hopefully the truth will come out soon enough.

pg 149: This series keeps getting more and more complex and fascinating. The depth of the characters and the story is amazing.

pg 268: Seriously, I’ve read some good books the past few years, but this series may blow the rest of them out of the water. These are so addictive.

pg 292: Utterly fascinating. It seems like progress is actually being made. I have no doubt that the think-tank that is Wendy, Gabriel, Ezra, Kaylen, and Uncle Moby will find a solution to their dilemma.

haha…the truth about Mike does come out, but not in this book. That little revelation is in book four and it was well worth the wait, let me tell you. My first read-through of the first three books was before I really started talking to and hanging out with Rachel and Brad Kelly on Facebook and at conventions so they maintained their unbiased fangirl opinions…not that my opinions of book four or any of the forthcoming books will be altered by my knowing the people behind the books.

Honestly, knowing Rachel and Brad sort of helps bring the books to life because they are a real life Wendy and Gabriel, and that’s absolutely amazing. If you listen to the story of Rachel and Brad’s relationship, it has several similarities with Wen and Gabe, particularly in the rather brief dating-to-engagement-to-marriage aspect. But they are a fabulous dynamic duo and so darn inspiring.

Anyway, Wen has a lot to deal with in this book after the revelation made at the very end of book two (I’m trying really hard not to spoil that for those of you who haven’t read this series yet–though if you are reading this review and you haven’t yet read the books, just do yourself a favor and go buy them).

With Wen’s father Carl showing up, there are a couple more revelations about Wen, the colorworld, and her death touch that seriously complicates not just Wen’s life, but the lives of Gabe, Ezra, and Kaylen as well.

Oh man, and the revelation/cliff hanger ending of this book will leave you desperate for the fourth book, which thankfully was released last year so you guys can just go pick up a copy for yourself.

Also, like the previous books, Lumaworld can be picked up in an Illustrated Edition too. Again, it is done in a different art style from the previous books and I think that makes the collection pretty unique. It was a little difficult to choose which illustration to share because most of them were kind of spoilery in regards to the first couple books, but here you go.

Guys, I am so looking forward to getting my hands on the Illustrated Edition for book four: Shadoworld. I saw the early sketches for the art last year, but it’ll be really cool to see them finished and colored. Hopefully I’ll be able to announce the release dates for both Shadoworld Illustrated Edition and regular edition book five, Dreamworld pretty soon.

My review for book four will be posted tomorrow. I’m trying to catch up on my blog posts before I jump into Self-Publish September reviews…though I guess technically these books would qualify as the are published by Colorworld Books AKA the author.

I cannot recommend these books enough. They are wonderful. There is a reason I own them in e-book, print, and Illustrated. I love the characters and the world and the story, and I can’t wait to see what happens next.

Where to Buy

You can get the book in both e-book and print from Barnes & Noble or Amazon, but I recommend that you just go to the Colorworld books store and buy your copy straight from Rachel. That way you’ll get a signed copy and honestly an author makes a bigger profit if you buy straight from them. Also, you can check out the selection of paper and metal art prints available, including the amazing metal bookmark collection. I am obsessed with these bookmarks. They are fabulous and shiny and are actually better for readers than those flimsy paper bookmarks that get all worn out. Just go check them out. I’ll leave you with this picture of my set of Sandman metal bookmarks.