'Watercolour Smile' by Jane Washington
- Polly
- Jul 21, 2021
- 3 min read
Updated: Aug 3, 2021
FTC disclaimer: I was not sent this product. I am not affiliated with the companies mentioned. All opinions are my own.
Overall Rating: 9 out of 10
Plot introduction written by me:
Since moving to a new high school reserved for members of the Zhevgheri: a magical race ruled by strict hierarchies, Seraph Black has just tried to keep her head down. But her stalker, who she now calls ‘the messenger’, is causing chaos left right and centre. Seraph can’t even rely on the four men in her life, as her need for distance is creating fissures in their trust. Not to mention their father’s mysterious infatuation with her.
Blending in is impossible now - who can Seraph depend on when her life is at stake?
I KNEW this sequel wouldn’t disappoint! So glad I persevered with this series, despite the terrible cover art. I devoured this novel in all of three days; ‘Watercolour Smile’ is a spell of a book.
The pages were overflowing with action right from the onset. We had fights, rivalries, and saw Seraph actually grow a backbone. Romance is always the thing that tips me from loving or hating a book, and Washington did not disappoint. Impeccable chemistry, heat, and conflict weaved it’s way through each of Silas and Seraph’s interactions.
What I am most impressed by is the great character development that ‘Charcoal Tears’ lacked so sorely. Seraph, Clarin and Poison all actually deserve to be in the book now. The issue beforehand was that Seraph lacked confidence, and didn’t know who she was. Now she knows, which made for a much less bland perspective.
The twists in ‘Watercolour Smile’ were endless, and Washington’s drip-feeding of information was the perfect balance between under and over sharing. The reader will never a step ahead of the characters -which I ADORED!
That’s not even mentioning the laugh out loud humour that often takes a backseat in action-based novels. It dominated the first third or so, especially through Seraph and Poison’s friendship, and had me grinning non-stop.
Finally, to end my gushing, I loved how Washington didn’t shy away from getting extremely dark in this story; as in, the darkest I’ve ever read in a YA novel. The risk Washington took in potentially decreasing the size of her audience definitely payed off. It vaulted this book from merely memorable, to a brave piece of prose.
My only criticism (which stopped me from giving a 10) was the lack of an obvious plot arc. We had many memorable scenes, but where ‘Charcoal Tears[‘s]’ plot was clear to trace (I’ll remember it in six months), ‘Watercolour Smile’ was more based around Seraph figuring out who the people around her really were. This potentially made the book as a whole less memorable, even though I enjoyed it more than it’s predecessor.
Quotations:
“It was crazy the lengths that I had to go just to make a decent bomb, these days. Different stores, different credit cards, different names. There is always someone watching, someone monitoring where you go and what you buy. The gift of modern freedom, I supposed. Freedom simply wasn’t as free as it used to be.”
“‘You’re a damned snow globe, you know that?’ He shook his head. ‘I really want to crack the glass. Shatter it, actually. Pulverise it. But then you’ll spill out everywhere. You’ll slip through my fingers, and I won’t ever get a chance again.’”
“He walked to my captor and wrenched open his mouth, placing a box of matches onto his tongue. He did the same with the other guy, and then he dropped a lighter onto the floor a few feet away from them. On his way out, he turned on the gas stove.”
Review written on 19/07/2021
Book discovery: found already bought in my kindle library.
Author: https://janewashington.com
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