Sixteen-year-old Bianca Taylor just wants to be a normal teenager but normal has never come naturally to her. Not only is she known as the Albino of Pentacle High, but Bianca is also an auric-empath — able to see and feel the colorful auras of those around her. To make matters worse Bianca has started sleepwalking — waking to find herself naked in the forest, with visions of demonic beasts fresh in her mind. At first, she sees her nighttime wanderings as harmless. But when a local rancher goes missing after a run of gruesome cattle killings, Bianca starts to fear for her safety. A handsome stranger appears in town, telepathically warning Bianca that she is in danger. But does he also hold the answers to who, and what, she really is?
Plot
Despite the high-intensity summary of the book, this plot has a slow start. There is a large amount of set up and backstory to go through in the opening pages. While we get some hints of Bianca’s abilities early on, you don’t learn what she is and what the plot really is until over 20% of the way through the novel. However, the author does do a great job of building up suspense and interest in the characters along the way.
Characters
Bianca was an interesting narrator, mainly because of her abilities. She’s able to see people’s auras and at times even see inside their minds. It was fun seeing the world through her eyes. There is a large cast in this book, including a couple of love interests and Bianca’s best friend. However, there were many people who are antagonistic towards Bianca, especially at school and I had a hard time keeping those people separate in my mind. Instead, they seemed like a large, mean group that probably could have been condensed.
Setting
I loved the creatures and magical elements set up in Bianca’s world. It would have been easy for the author to rely on conventional magical creatures that we often see in Young Adult novels, but she includes elements we don’t often see and introduced some I’ve never heard of, including the main characters aura-empathic abilities. I don’t want to share too much and spoil things for readers, but the creatures and magic are the highlight of the novel.
My Recommendation
If you can power through the slow start and somewhat dense backstory of the opening chapters of Bianca de Lumiere, readers are in for a treat. The main character, Bianca’s, unique magical ability make her an intriguing narrator. But more over, the creatures and magic of the story make for a fun and memorable read.
