The Ingenious, and the Colour of Life

Beautifully written ❤️ definitely a worthy read!From the very start this book had my attention and it did not fail to impress me.

Doesn’t feel indie. Doesn’t feel like a debut work. Doesn’t feel much YA! Enjoyed almost all of it and eagerly awaiting the next in the series. This is the first of a trilogy.This wasn’t a perfect book, but it was a highly memorable one for me. It surpassed all my expectations and gave me an impactful storyline coupled with interesting characters, including a few animals, and some ethical dilemmas.This book might work well even for adult readers, as long as you keep in mind that it was written for the teen crowd and you, the discerning adult reader, have to be forgiving of predictable plot points. 😉The length and the target age group might make you assume that you can speed read your way through this, but I would recommend reading every page, There are plenty of hidden clues that you might miss out on if you zoom through this work.Definitely recommended to Light Fantasy fans and YA fiction fans. This indie gem deserves a lot of attention. Waiting for Book Two!! 😍4.5 stars.Note: The content gets pretty dark at times, and there are a few animals deaths also. Sensitive readers might want to keep this in mind.Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book at my request and these are my honest thoughts about it.

Seven extraordinary children born out of a highly funded, secretive, scientific DNA enhancement government project called "Ingenious Project" are in grave danger. They are being hunted one by one by someone. Inspite of this project being highly guarded, there is someone who knows more than they ought to. The Professor, the blind scientific genius behind the project, puts in everything he has to protect these brilliant but innocent children from being the victim of a vicious manhunt.Will he succeeded in saving every child, who themselves do not know about their own abilities & super powers? Will he succeed in empowering them? Who is hunting them and why? Alone each teenager is weak but together will they become each other's strengths?This book is a well researched fast paced, YA sci- fi thriller. All the characters are definitive and well formed. In certain parts, I found the story, too descriptive, which I believe could have been avoided. Midway the book takes a different direction, but smoothly joins back to the original track. Its a perfect coming-of-age story with a dash of teenage enthusiasm, drama and thrill.

Never before have I read a debut novel with such poise, elan and finesse! Ms. Sam nails it!! Since I don't read YA fantasy, it started off as a skeptical exercise, I didn't know what I was in for. Surprisingly, the plot line drew me in, and hooked me with its ingenuity (pun intended). Seven gifted children, born in a Government controlled genetic modulation experiment, and once separated, how their destinies contrive to bring them together to fight an unknown threat to their existence and their creators.Characters are built up nicely, and the ethical question of scientists playing God are treated with the right dose of abhorrence - while that experiment gone wrong is the base of the novel, it doesn't justify the deed, it highlights the pitfalls of doing it.Ms. Sam has excellent grip on the prose, the language is not overly flowery but comfortable in its eloquence. Her research is fantastic, be it technology, medicine or marine - she explains everything with authority and confidence.While I felt it could have been a little shorter, but that's not an important one, I'm already looking forward to the sequel!!

After reading countless book reviews and never writing a single review myself, I feel like I can’t go to bed without reviewing this book.I was able to pick up and finish this book on the same day.Took a while but once it took off, I couldn't put it down. Poignant and realistic. All characters wonderfully drawn. Didn't want it to end. Best book I've read in a long time.If you're reading this review trying to figure out if you should commit to starting this book, stop what you're doing, grab it, and start reading. You won't be disappointed. I was entranced with it from the moment I read the summary and I was not let down because this book deserves to be readby everyone who knows how to read!I lovedd this book! This was a very interesting read. Enjoyed the writing style and the lead characters narrative. This book is crazy, in the best way possible.This book deserves⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐Now, I am looking forward for her next book xx

My first book of 2021 and it did not disappoint!The ingenious and the colour of life is a story about Seven children who have the genius gene. They are exceptionally clever but is this a gift or a curse?Firstly, I can not believe that this story is a debut novel! J.Y Sam writes with such elegance and intelligence. The thought process that went in to this story is incredible!From the very start this book will grab you and you won’t be able to put it down. The amount of twists and turns along the way make it such an exciting read.The characters are a diverse mix of personalities, with different abilities and strengths. Some are so loveable, while others one or two I could not stand!Each ones personality, thoughts and feelings are described so vividly that you can imagine exactly what they are like. (Calista is a favourite of mine).There is always something happening, the book delves into morality and really gets you thinking. Just because something could be done, should it?I can not wait to read the next book.

I was wonderfully surprised by the eclectic blend of genres this book has to offer. It is part Young Adult, part historical fiction, part James-bondy, part fantasy, part literary, part family drama and they all work wonderfully well together.The writing is beautiful. It drew me in from the very beginning and I absolutely loved the individual backstory of each main character, particularly Mei Hei who is introduced to readers halfway through the story. Where all the other teenagers in this story are westerners, Mei Hei’s backstory is set in Asia and echoes the sort of backdrop and writing style of a book I absolutely loved named Pachinko by Min Jin Lee.I also found fascinating how the story was partly written from various animals point of view which J Y Sam executed with finesse. The section involving a whale was particularly poignant and lovingly executed. However the main plot wasn’t for me, but I believe the problem lies with me rather than the book – I think I may just be a tad too old to appreciate it!

I was given an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. YA is not my usual genre so I was curious if this debut novel would hold my attention and if I’d feel any form of connection to the characters. The characters are developed beautifully and I found myself really caring about them; I even shed the odd tear or two. The story is solid with plenty of action, twists and turns. The only negative aspect for me was the sometimes excessive detail which did slow the pace of the story. Overall a very enjoyable read and I look forward to reading more from this author.

Overall I enjoyed the book. It is aimed at young adults but it may be a little deep and long for your average young adult. It took a while for me to get into but the characters were well described and so as the book went on the action seemed to get less, but the characters displayed their feelings more. I was a little disappointed with the ending, but then I suppose that's the point of a trilogy.........

Wow, what to say about this book without spoiling too much?The author takes her time to introduce the MC's at the beginning of the book, all in separate stories. At the same time, I felt they must come together somehow, and they did. Once it was clear why, the story unfolded rapidly.I think the author has put a great deal of energy into research, as the medical and technical information (no infodump) read solid and believable.Sucked in from the start, I only faltered when a new character was introduced a fair bit into the story and her background was thoroughly explained. Having said that, it makes sense at the end of the book, to know the details of her life, but at the moment of reading I was pulled out of the flow, If only temporarily (hence the 4.5 and not the 5 star).Cannot wait for the next book!