Rainbow Grey

I was lucky enough to receive a free advance copy of this in exchange for an honest review. All views and opinions are my own.

Rainbow Grey by Laura Ellen Anderson

From the creator of the brilliant Amelia Fang comes the start of another delightful series (OK I’m being a little presumptuous there, but no way will there not be another with that ending!)

This is a feast for both the eyes and the imagination – with sprayed edges to die for, vivacious illustrations throughout and a world in the sky to get lost exploring.

Ray Grey lives in Celestia, a city in the sky, with other Weatherlings who use their weather magic TO (amongst other things) help control the Earth’s weather and defend it against storms sent by ROGUES!

Ray has no weather magic, but she doesn’t let that bother her – she’s determined to be a Earth explorer just like her hero La Blaze DeLight.

So when she finds a mysterious map marked with a suspiciously treasure-y ‘x’ she can’t resist investigating, even though its forbidden to travel to earth alone… What she finds changes everything and is the start of a thrilling adventure!

This book is such a joy to read.

Ray herself is a great main character – it’s tough sometimes, but she’s no quitter and she’s kind and caring too. Best friends Droplett and Snowden are equally loveable and loyal, and the three together make a strong central cast.

But it wouldn’t be complete without Ray’s companion, cloud cat Nim. I know Nim is going to be the star of the show here (Amy you’ll love him!) – always at Ray’s side, his explosive landings and muddled up reconfigurings bring a touch of humour and a lot of heart to the tale.

Celestia and its magic system are unique and well-drawn too; immersive and absolutely bursting with imagination, it’s simply a delight! And the fabulous illustrations really bring it to life beautifully – it sings.

There is SO much pleasure to be taken from the word play too – the names of the characters are inspired (Eddie Blizzard is my personal favourite!); the use of rhyming double-acts for the thunder and lightning Weatherlings, and the voices of the Rogues and especially of our evil villain and sidekick (sorry, definitely NOT A SIDEKICK!) mean there’s lots of fun to be had reading this aloud!

The adventure itself is thrilling – exciting and dangerous with a brilliant twist, but with plenty of pants, farts and daftness to lighten the mood and keep it playful. Perfectly pitched for younger readers!

It’s a perfect adventure for young readers who are just starting to move onto longer chapter books; the perfect introduction to MG ‘proper’!