Meg promised she would do anything if only her friend would awaken from his coma.¹ Now she is being put to the test in her world of the gray earth, where healing comes only by magic and at great cost. In Sky of Seven Colors, Rachelle Nelson weaves a fantasy whose familiar elements like magical races, otherworldly portals and chosen ones are colored by vivid descriptions and bright variations. Gray earth proves a fascinating and authentic place whose people are drawn with sharpness and complexity. Written prophecy suggests a sacred text, and characters discuss the purposes of the unnamed giver. Some may feel unconvinced by the villain’s defeat, yet Sky of Seven Colors paints an enchantingly imaginative story.

Best for: Fans of young-adult fantasy.

Discern: Mostly mild violence, characters show carelessness that leads to a severe accident, an adult plots to marry a seventeen-year-old girl, someone else joins a wedding but doesn’t intend to live as married, implied extramarital sexual relationships, and one ambiguous situation suggests bigamy or adultery.