Publication Date: November 6, 2018
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Source: The Fantastic Flying Book Club
Buy: Amazon - Barnes &
Noble - The Book Depository - IndieBound
Tour Schedule
November 5
That Artsy Reader Girl - Welcome Interview
November 6
Boston Book Reader - Review
808bookdr - Review & Favorite Quotes, Exclusive Giveaway
November 7
Hopelessly Devoted Bibliophile - Review
A Dream Within a Dream - Review
Rhythmicbooktrovert - Review
November 8
LILbooKlovers - Author Q&A
Savings In Seconds - Review
Bri's Book Nook - Review
November 9
Colleen's Conclusions - Author Guest Post
Vicky Who Reads - Review
Paper Reader - Spotlight
November 10
Another Book In the Wall - Review & Favorite Quotes
Here's to Happy Endings - Review
Resch Reads and Reviews - Review
November 11
Lisa Loves Literature - Review
Eli to the nth - Review & Favorite Quotes
Amy's Booket List - Review
Port Jericho - Review
The Summary
From New York Times and USA Today bestselling author CJ Lyons comes The Color of Lies, a world drenched in color and mystery.
High school senior Ella Cleary has always been good at reading people. Her family has a rare medical condition called synesthesia that scrambles the senses—her Gram Helen sees every sound, and her uncle Joe can literally taste words. Ella’s own synesthesia manifests itself as the ability to see colors that reveal people’s true emotions…until she meets a guy she just can’t read.
Alec is a mystery to Ella, a handsome, enigmatic young journalist who makes her feel normal for the first time in her life. That is, until he reveals the real reason why he sought her out—he wants to learn the truth behind her parents’ deaths, the parents that Ella had always been told died in a fire. Alec turns Ella’s world upside down when he tells her their deaths were definite-ly not an accident.
After learning her entire life has been a lie, Ella doesn’t know who she can trust or even who she really is. With her adoptive family keeping secrets and the evidence mixing fact and fiction, the only way for Ella to learn the truth about her past is to find a killer.
Perfect for fans of Caroline B. Cooney, Ally Carter, and Jennifer Brown, The Color of Lies blurs the lines between black-and-white facts and the kaleidoscope of reality.
High school senior Ella Cleary has always been good at reading people. Her family has a rare medical condition called synesthesia that scrambles the senses—her Gram Helen sees every sound, and her uncle Joe can literally taste words. Ella’s own synesthesia manifests itself as the ability to see colors that reveal people’s true emotions…until she meets a guy she just can’t read.
Alec is a mystery to Ella, a handsome, enigmatic young journalist who makes her feel normal for the first time in her life. That is, until he reveals the real reason why he sought her out—he wants to learn the truth behind her parents’ deaths, the parents that Ella had always been told died in a fire. Alec turns Ella’s world upside down when he tells her their deaths were definite-ly not an accident.
After learning her entire life has been a lie, Ella doesn’t know who she can trust or even who she really is. With her adoptive family keeping secrets and the evidence mixing fact and fiction, the only way for Ella to learn the truth about her past is to find a killer.
Perfect for fans of Caroline B. Cooney, Ally Carter, and Jennifer Brown, The Color of Lies blurs the lines between black-and-white facts and the kaleidoscope of reality.
Review
The Color of Lies by C.J. Lyons is quoted as being a"thrilling tale of deception, murder, and heartbreak" (Booklist), but to me it was a little lacking on the thrilling part. While the writing is beautiful and the characters are well-developed, the plot and pacing is off through the whole book.
There is a slow start, which in terms of a thriller, doesn't work for me. The reader finds out that Ella's parents died right away, and that she now lives with her Gram Helen and Uncle Joe. But you don't really learn more about the events that happened until half way through the book, even with Alec investigating everything. Then, it does pick up, but the twists aren't all that twisty and resolve into a natural conclusion.
However, while the plot wasn't the most outstanding for me, this is a character-centric book, and so a lack luster plot won't bother character-loving readers. Ella is a sympathetic character with an amazing ability. She isn't just a stereotype "damsel-in-distress"; she takes charge of her life, even when it's being turned upside down. There isn't a lot of romance in the book, even though there is clear chemistry and love between Alec and Ella. I appreciate that because a lot of YA books (when they aren't a romance book) bring the romantic element to the forefront, often to the detriment of the other plot elements.
Overall, The Color of Lies was a good book, and if you enjoy thrillers, it's one you'll want to pick up. Out in stores now!
Favorite Quotes
"Just a thick fog like when she'd piled her pillows on the floor and jumped off her bed and one of them burst open and let loose white, fluffy cloud-like stuff. Only this fog circling around her hiding place, it didn't fall away like her pillow stuffing---it stayed there, growing thicker and thicker, a white blanket draped beneath the black sky." (pg. 144)
"And freeze, my entire body gone rigid with fear. He's there. Standing in the moonlight. A strange orange glow surrounds him. The fire demon of my nightmares come to life." (pg. 158)
"I close my laptop---the crack in the screen is giving me a headache---and grab my notebook, flipping to a clean page. Time to circle back. Again, Find the right thread to pull and I'll unravel everything." (pg. 262)
Final Rating
About the Author
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of over forty novels, former pediatric ER doctor CJ Lyons has lived the life she writes about in her cutting edge Thrillers with Heart.
Two times winner of the International Thriller Writers coveted Thriller Award, CJ has been called a "master within the genre" (Pittsburgh Magazine) and her work has been praised as "breathtakingly fast-paced" and "riveting" (Publishers Weekly) with "characters with beating hearts and three dimensions" (Newsday).
Learn more about CJ's Thrillers with Heart at www.CJLyons.net
