Where it rains in color

"When her flawless skin becomes infected with a debilitating disease, causing her to lose her ability to shimmer, Lileala, the Rare Indigo of a color-rich utopia in the center of the galaxy, discovers her destiny goes far beyond her beauty as a new power awakens inside her."--Publisher.

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Library	Shelf Location	Shelf Number	Material Type	Item Barcode	Status
Searching... Palmerston North Central Library	Sci-Fi and Fantasy-Fiction Zone	CRI	Book.	PN364650075521	Searching... Unknown

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Summary

Lileala has just been named the Rare Indigo - beautyamong beauties - and is about to embrace her stardom,until something threatens to change her whole lifestyle andturn the planet of Swazembi upside down.

Colonized by the descendants of Earth's West African Dogon Tribe, the planet of Swazembi is a blazing, color-rich utopia and famousvacation center of the galaxy. No one is used to serious trouble inthis idyllic, peace-loving world, least of all the Rare Indigo.

But Lileala's perfect, pampered lifestyle is about to be shattered. The unthinkable happens and her glorious midnight skin becomes infected with a mysterious disease. Where her skin should glisten like diamonds mixed with coal, instead it scabs and scars. On top of that, she starts to hear voices in her head, and everythingaround her becomes confusing and frightening.

Lileala's destiny, however, goes far beyond her beauty. While searching for a cure, she stumbles upon something much more valuable. A new power awakens inside her, and she realizes her whole life, and the galaxy with it, is about to change...

File Under- Science Fiction True Colors | Embrace the Change | What Will Be | Dancing in the Rain

Genre:

Afrofuturist fiction.

Science fiction.

Fantasy fiction.

Reviews (1)

Publisher's Weekly Review

Drawing deeply from Dogon mythology, Crittendon's uneven Afrofuturist adult debut (after middle grade nonfiction Life Is a Party That Comes with Exams) challenges beauty standards and societal expectations. The planet Swazembi is a color-rich vacation utopia and home to the Rare Indigo, "a regal tourist attraction and symbolic dignitary whose poise and sparkling black skin earn her the status of the most beautiful woman in the galaxy." Lileala Walata Sundiata, the Rare Indigo--to-be, begins to lose her ability to shimmer as unexplainable scars appear on her body and mysterious voices start whispering inside her head. She struggles to find either a cause or a cure and seeks counsel from the previous Rare Indigo, Ahonotay, who went silent for 41 years after her inauguration. As alliances form and unravel, the voices in Lileala's mind guide her to her destiny--and to secrets that will reshape the universe. Crittendon's worldbuilding is imaginative and striking, full of lush visuals that tie the futuristic setting to African roots. After a strong start, however, the plot hits some speed bumps in the second half as the pace flags. Still, patient readers will be richly rewarded by a beautiful, expansive new world. Agent: Nikki Terpilowski, Holloway Literary. (Dec.)