Heather’s Bookshelf: Pastel Pink
Author: Nikki Minty
Released: 04/15/21
Genre: YA Fantasy/SciFi
“Zeeks don’t follow a Godly force, they pray to the stars. They say the stars above have been set here to help guide us through the many different lives we will face. They believe they hold the power of strength, courage, and healing. I don’t know what I believe, but I pray regardless, fully aware that my prayers may never be heard or answered. It makes me feel better. It makes me feel like I have some sort of control over what happens, even though, deep down, I know I don’t.”
“Pastel Pink” introduces Ruby, a young Earthling woman who is murdered by an obsessed man she thought to be her friend. Ruby’s tragic end spurns a new beginning as Harlow, a Zeek born on the planet Zadok where a class system has evolved based on the color tints people are born with.
Harlow’s a pastel, born to magenta’s, in a world where purples rule and pastels are looked down upon. When she’s attacked by a fuegor, Harlow’s family, including her twin sister Floss (who was fortunate enough to be born a magenta) doesn’t show her any sympathy. But her best friend, Zavier, and the commander’s son, Jax, ensure she gets the help she needs. Secrets amongst their families threaten their safety and place in the community.
Meanwhile, Harlow’s dreaming of her life as a human, seeing her sister and the man who killed her. She’s horrified to see them together and even more scared when she realizes what else Lucas has done in his past. But her fears don’t keep her from fighting her feelings for Alex, her killers long-dead twin brother.
Trigger Warning: Murder, discrimination
Overall, I enjoyed this story. I found the different POVs to be done in an interesting and different way. Switching between Harlow and her human former self, Ruby, was a great way to show what happened in the past and develop the characters further. I liked Harlow as a protagonist overall, but did find her to be a bit too self loathing for me. I also noted there were some redundancies with the different POVs especially when switching between Zavier and Harlow. However, the arc of the development of the characters and of the plot of the story itself were both very enjoyable. By the end I was completely invested in the characters and what happened with them. Unfortunately, the book ends on a bit of a cliffhanger (which if you’ve read my other reviews, you know I’m not a fan of). Fortunately, two more books in the series are available and I look forward to listening to the next in the series soon.
I ended up checking out this book on mixed platforms (Audible and ebook). I absolutely recommend this on audiobook. I loved the way the character voices changed depending on the POV and found each of the voice actors to be clear and easy to listen to.
I received a copy of this story in exchange of a fair and honest review.
OVERALL REVIEW:
A tale told from multiple POVs exploring classism, racism, mental illness, and murder all wrapped in a fantasy/scifi setting.
Want to learn more about the author?
Check out my interview with Nikki Minty
Interested in checking out the book for yourself?
Find it for purchase here or Audible
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