When I picked up The Colour of Hope I did not know what I would get and was taken aback by an amazing story which captivated and moved me.

All the characters were so well written as was the plot and world building where colour was banned. And yes I cried in certain scenes but I won't say where as I do not do spoilers

I am a little bit annoyed with myself that I had not picked up this book sooner.

For all the above reasons The Colour of Hope receives 5 stars

This made me feel so wonderful - you can’t beat a Ross book. He writes such amazing characters and stories with such depth that these books become unputdownable.

Ross Mackenzie has done it again - the title of this book is absolutely fitting! The Colour of Hope is a wonderful tale and Mackenzie’s writing is truly, once again, outstanding.

This one, sadly, didn’t really work for me. I loved the concept – a girl born in full colour in a world where colour has been completely eradicated – but I just couldn’t click with the writing. It’s told in present tense in a sort of detached, fairy tale way, and I struggled to connect with the characters emotionally because of that stark sort of style. I think if you enjoy the writing more than I did, there’s a lot to love in this story of kindness, magic, and rebellion (though it is very sad in places), but it wasn’t one for me.

I started off really enjoying this book, however as I read it I found there were a lot of characters and I started getting confused as to who was who. Each character had a lot of set-up and backstory which again made it confusing to follow, which was a shame as I felt it had a really strong start and there were points that I really did enjoy reading.
The overall plot and idea was really good and interesting, imagining the entire world in black, white and grey, imagine not even knowing what colour is. The description was really good and detailed; Sandy's magic caravan and all his potions, the sprays of colour that appear.

Imagine the entire world in black, white and grey, imagine not even knowing what colour is. But the world wasn't always like this. Years ago, a prince was born without colour and when he grew up, he used a spell to remove colour from everywhere, so he wouldn't have to be the only one without it.
How awful it would be to have a world without colour! The descriptions by the older people who can still remember it are really amazing, I wouldn't have known where to start. The magical way colour is described, how it warms and lights up the world, it's so evocative. I also loved all the fantastical elements in the book, Sandy's magic caravan and all his potions. The author has also managed to make a fantastic Death character who almost rivals the Discworld character.
After loving Nowhere Emporium trilogy, I was very happy to find the author had this new book coming, I love his writing.

A wonderful, imaginative read which not only takes the reader on an adventure but a emotional journey. There's also a powerful message within the story. Will certainly recommend to readers.

'Nobody can control how they come into the world. But you can control what you become, and the mark you leave while yeh're here.'

🌈Can you imagine living in a black and white world? What colour would you miss seeing the most?

🌈Years ago, the wicked Emperor and his Necromancer used dark magic to steal all the colour from the world. Whilst he enjoys its life-giving powers, everyone else must exist in cold shades of grey. Until one day a miracle baby is born - everything she touches turns to colour. From the very first breath she takes, her life is in danger and her parents die trying to protect her from the Emperor's murderous Ripper Dogs and Black Coats.

🌈Will Hope and her adoptive father survive in the forest? And what price will they be prepared to pay to return colour to the world?

🌈I'm a great fan of Ross MacKenzie’s writing and he's back with another captivating and imaginative adventure. It's a story of hope, of friendship and loyalty, of chosen families, of fighting for what is rightfully yours. We meet Hope when she is a tiny baby and we watch her, and her powers, grow throughout the story. Her relationship with Sandy is truly special - what a beautiful portrayal of an adoptive family.

🌈As with every book by Ross MacKenzie, you'll find some rather nasty characters (brilliantly written), some heart-warming relationships and, above all, plenty of magic!

Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟💫 (4.5/5)
Age recommendation: 9+

Absolutely loved this book! Devoured it in two days. This has all of the magic and heart that I have come to expect from this author. If I could give it more than 5 stars I would!

A totally glorious book about someone who, both literally and metaphorically brings colour back into the world. The book itself follows this theme and really brightens the day for any readers. A stand out book for this year.

I loved this book. It captured my imagination right from the first page, and kept it right until the very end.

I love the world building, and the idea of colour being removed. Colour is something that is so intrinsic to most of our lives, it’s hard to imagine life without it. I loved the way magic is a part of the world.

The characters are great, so believable and relatable. I especially love Hope, Darroch, and of course Oliver! I also loved the plot, it carried me along, and I just didn’t want to stop reading. It’s so fabulously well written.

The only thing I didn’t like was one of the central characters died. It was absolutely necessary for the story, but more upsetting than I prefer. But the rest is so brilliant, it totally makes up for it.

Overall, this was a wonderful and magical adventure, and one of my favourite books this year.

I was given a free copy of this book, my opinions are my own.

I read a lot of children's books and, whilst I enjoy almost all of them, every so often you come across something that truly blows your mind and stands out from the pack, well… that’s exactly this book did.
The simple concept of taking away colour from the world is pure genius as you start to wonder and realise just what impact it would have and how much we take it for granted.
To top it off, the story of Hope and Sandy as they desperately try to conceal that Hope is different and then go on to try and stop the Emperor’s evil reign is special.
Just the right amount of magic, adventure, twists and turns in this for me. A definite buy.

This book was certainly different from other books I have read (by authors such as Trudi Canavan). The characters and themes included were well developed, carefully crafted and used.

The main character, Hope, was portrayed with care and attention; her feelings really came across to me as the reader. It was a pleasure to read and I could not put it down.

I would definitely use this text within the classroom environment to encourage students to read something out of their comfort zone.

If you are looking for fast paced, page-turning action, adventure, mystery and magic, then this is absolutely the perfect book for you. The story is set in a world of black and white, where colour has been banished and only lives on in the memories of the older generations and in whispers behind closed doors. However, even in such a dismal environment, heroes are born. A girl and a boy with destinies that mean the lives of those around them are going to be changed forever.
Mackenzie's characterisation is fantastic. The main character, Hope, is a brave young girl whose relationship with Sandy is heartfelt and genuine. Darroch is a boy whose courage and belief in his hopeful dream is both believable and likeable. But, as always with Mackenzie, his sinister characters are the things of nightmares. I thought Mrs Hester from Evernight was bad, but she has nothing on Baba or the Necromancer- spine chilling.
This is a brilliant adventure story of good against evil, freedon against oppression and colour against darkness. Add in a generous sprinkle of magic, talking dogs and flying beasts and you have the perfect read! Its a 10/10 from me.

The children were very excited when I told them I had received an advance copy of Ross MacKenzies new book. I was pretty convinced one of them was going to explode with anticipation !
I am starting to realise that this author cannot write a bad book, the children thought it was-
Stellar,
Brilliant,
Excellent
and the highest praise from the youngest -
can we read it again ..... now ?
I enjoyed it enormously and will read it again, a family classic and possibly the childrens book of the year so far.

Ross Mackenzie does it again. His books are all just wonderfully vivid and magical and this one is no exception. The characters were so well written and the world building was incredible. I actually felt I was in a grey world with no hope. It was so fast paced, the action was there from the start so it is a perfect read for all young people. I cannot wait to put it on my shelf at school. Thank you for the ARC.

This was a very fun and colourful book. Hope was the perfect main character who was full of life and just wanted to save the world. The writing was amazing and I was never drawn out of the story and I didn't want to put it down at any point. My favourite character had to be Oliver the talking dog, he was so fun and interesting to read about and was definitely something new.

I think it took a while for me to really get into this book, but in the end I really enjoyed it. It was a bit slow to get going, as there was quite a bit of backstory to set up, characters to introduce. etc. it was all needed for the story, it just took quite a while. But overall, it was an excellent story, with some brilliant characters, and amazing descriptions, despite the lack of colour in the world.
I think this would be most enjoyed by kids around 10+

Wow.

What a book! What a story! What an author!

The Colour of Hope is currently standing as my book of the year so far. It was absolutely incredible. Immersive, entirely unpredictable and action-packed from beginning to end. So much happens in this story, it was like reading a trilogy rather than a single book. I adored every word of it: I laughed, I cried (oh how I cried) and I rooted for the characters with every fibre of my being.

Having read (and loved) many of Ross MacKenzie’s previous books, I approached The Colour of Hope with very high expectations and I was not disappointed. In fact, I think this could be MacKenzie’s best work so far. The world building is awe-inspiring, as is the characterisation. Every page is filled with drama and unexpected twists and turns lurk around every corner. I have not felt so invested in a piece of fantasy fiction since I first entered the world of Harry Potter, many many years ago.

I will be adding multiple copies of this book to my classroom and to our school library. I cannot recommend it highly enough. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

This book was absolutely bloody brilliant. I loved the storyline and I adored some of the characters and hated others which I think was the purpose of their characterisation. This was such a magical read that had my imagination racing and so as a child I would have loved it. POarents get this book for your children. They will love it.