Blanco and the Starry Night
By Calvin Clay
Indie author, 2023
Genre: Fiction – YA/Fantasy
Pages: 243
Via: Author Request
Note: We received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Blanco is a thirteen year-old graffiti artist in Los Angeles. He’s a ward of the state. In foster care. Blanco loves art. Paintings. Sculptures. And Van Gogh’s Starry Night, aka: Swirly Sky. All he’s ever really wanted, from as early as he can remember, is a family that wants him. Will a mysterious underground art community fill the bill? And what about the kids in this community who are “saving” art from the evil Master of Shadow? (Think Voldemort and Inkheart’s The Shadow.) Is the “forbidden wing” really haunted? By whom? Why? And what’s up with Smirk?
Lost
One of us got a little lost in the “passionate” artists vs. the “deliberate” artists thing after a while. The other never gets lost in anything (Hi, Kimmi!) Mom also got tired of the never-ending junk food chow down. She wanted to nix the Cokes and Pringles and pass out fresh fruit and veggies. (Hey, it’s Mom, okay? Roll with it.)
Eclectic
This book is a little Alice in Wonderland. A little Series of Unfortunate Events or Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. Toss in a dash of Divergent and a bit of The Monuments Men. And voila! Sort of. Because Blanco is a little this. A little that. It’s an eclectic blend of art history, family, courage, creativity, mystery, dark doin’s in the dead of night, and weird creepy stuff. The kind that makes you want to check under your bed. Or maybe your closet. Twice.
So this YA novel is kind of outside our wheelhouse. The story is fresh, creative, and original. It’s also pretty dark and grim. The plot may be a bit obtuse for the casual reader. It leaves some loose ends dangling. Like, who is “the Architect”? What, if anything, does Architect dude know about Blanco’s dad? How did Blanco wind up in foster care? Where did Bernard come in, and why? Did one of us miss that? (Blame it on the double burgers. More on that in a min.)
Although additional installments of this book are reportedly in the pipeline, the ending left us hanging. One of us hates that. Hi, Mom. But it’s also pretty well-written overall. Art and gritty fantasy lovers will find much with which to connect in Blanco. Kimber: In-N-Out double burgers! Now we’re talkin’! Yum!
Blanco and the Starry Night is Book 1 in the Masterpiece Saga.
Pages & Paws 