Review: A Different Blue by Amy Harmon

2/5 stars 

“Someone told me once that to create true art you must be willing to bleed and let others watch.”

Funnily enough, I knew I wouldn't enjoy this book before I even read it. So why still read it? Well I was on a quest to read all of the Amy Harmon works because her books are magnificent, but I guess there are exceptions in every situation.
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​Also I disliked the cover from the very first time I laid my eyes on it - it's weird, but I think not liking the cover also influenced my opinion on the book. I guess I'm just a cover whore. 

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“Why don’t you focus on where you’re going and less on where you came from?”

​I honestly don't even know where to start - I guess I should say that this is the only Amy Harmon book that I actively disliked, and I read 8 of her books already. 

First off, the writing - the first 100 pages of the book are completely horrendous. It felt like somebody completely different wrote it. Normally Harmon's writing is lyrical and beautiful, and inspiring. This felt like something I'd read on a WatPad (which there is nothing wrong with, it's just not what I expected). A Different Blue was full of "he threw his hands up into the air", "he ran his hands through his locks", "I clipped", "growled", "sashayed to him" and more, - very cringe-y. 

I alsmot DNF'd the book, but lately I've been dnf-ing so much that I felt I had to finish something! So I kept reading. The writing did get better as the book progressed, and so did the plot (sadly, by the end of the book the plot plummeted back to the ground). 

I wasn't able to identify with, or for that matter like, any of the main characters. Blue was irrational and bitchy, and while I did see the reasons for it - it just didn't do anything for me. There were some moments where I felt for her, but even that wasn't much.
​Darcy, despite his British old fashioned manners, was a complete jackass and I just don't understand the attraction at all. There was no spark, no rhyme or reason for them to be each other's love interests. Also the constant reminders that he was from England were outright annoying, okay we get it - you're British, you have an accent - get over it! 
The only character I more or less liked was Tiffa - she was fun and so full of life, she just didn't get enough page time. 

The book seemed to have no plot, or maybe too many plots - I honestly am not sure. So many things were happening, but then they all just ended up going nowhere. Things that could have gone somewhere and that could have had a big impact weren't explored nearly enough. Manny and Graciela seemed like great side characters to build a story on, but around 30% they were just whisked away and only mentioned once after - such a waste.

Also I really disliked how "my sister wanted to kill herself because of you" arc didn't go anywhere at all! It was just brushed aside and never mentioned again, and the message behind it was so important! Very disappointing. 

The whole purpose of the book, besides the romance (bleh) was that of Blue suffering because she didn't know who she was and where she came from - which I didn't find tragic at all, so that plot line was extremely weak to me. Sure, she didn't know her family history but she had a full life - she was taken care of, fed and clothed. so many kids have it way worse and they don't even complain half as hard as she did. And in the end when everything unraveled and came together, well, it was all very anti climatic. 

If you want to read something by Amy Harmon, I'd recommend Making Faces, The law of Moses/Song of David, or if you are feeling like reading a romantic fantasy The Bird and the Sword. A Different Blue is a very weak novel comparing to all of them and doesn't do this author justice.