Reviews

A Spectral Hue by Craig Laurance Gidney

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danimacuk's review against another edition

4.0

A Spectral Hue by Craig Laurance Gidney gave me three fully fleshed-out genres in one book. It's simultaneously a mystery, a historical drama, and contemporary queer fiction. Not many novels can pull off combining this many genres and not have it feel overwhelming or stretched too thin, but this book kept me engaged throughout the switching of time periods with it's unapologetic, raw, and nuanced characters.

I'm so thankful this was recommended to me through my local library. What a quick and powerful read. Can't wait to explore more from this author!

vulturetime's review

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4.0

This was a really fascinating read and it didn't take much to get engrossed in the characters. For me, it was a bit of a rocky start with the prose, but I grew to really enjoy it. There are also some really beautiful sections, imo, and the way that Gidney describes color and the paintings is really fascinating. Not everything is directly answered and I'll probably think of the ending and some other aspects for a while.

Content Warnings

tkcneuf's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

jyan's review

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challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

marsican's review against another edition

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dark mysterious reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

rouge_red's review

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dark mysterious reflective medium-paced

4.25

A colored ghost haunting Colored people? I'm getting Color Out of Space + Salt Roads + probably some other things. It's a weird that doesn't get too out there but I was fascinated with the Fuchsia character who was like a muse/siren/spider pulling people to her and making them love/only think of her. What does it mean that she was once a slave who has preyed upon black people through nearly 150 years? Just a really interesting story. Would read from Gidney again.