The Illuminate: The Essential Color Authority For Life

Name: The Illuminate

Author: Alexa Andrea von Speyer

Published: July 22, 2016 by Illuminating Books

Purchased: I voluntarily read and reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.

☆/5

Blurb: It is said that the continued existence of the world, rests on the backs of thirty-six Righteous people, whose role in life is to justify the purpose of humankind in the eyes of God. For the sake of these thirty-six, God preserves the world even if the rest of humanity has degenerated to the level of total barbarism. This widely held belief is spoken about quite extensively. It appears in the Kabbalah, dozens of novels and even Deepak Chopra in his Lords of Light, speaks of the thirty-six. The author calls them The Illuminates. The Illuminate, is a novel which brings the reader to the life of Valeria, a Nine Year Old girl chosen to be one of the Illuminates. We learn that every thirty years, twelve new Illuminates are chosen to maintain thirty-six Illuminates at all times. They are given the code to man. The novel follows Valeria’s passage as she garners universal knowledge taught to her by a series of Archangels and ultimately she becomes an Illuminate. Valeria and the reader discover that man is born with a pre-set color code, each different. Color is nature; colors occupy our world. Green trees, red flowers, orange sunsets, brown soil, blue water and so on. We all live within the same spectrum of colors and we are all predisposed to specific colors, as it rules our personal lives. Illuminates see the colors emanating from man and the code allows Illuminates to decipher a person through that radiating color. They then discern the entire personality, character and individuality of that being. Valeria is visiting her aunt Madeleine for the summer. Madeleine is a successful novelist who after a divorce, moved to small, yet very well-to-do sea-side community. Valeria is accompanied on her journeys’ to the Archangels by Oliver, Madeleine’s astral-travelling Papillion dog, who becomes Valeria’s guide and confidant. The novel opens with Oliver introducing himself, Madeleine and Valeria to the reader. The story unfolds as Valeria is introduced to townsfolk, meets kids her age and takes sailing lessons. Valeria bonds strongly with her compassionate and loving aunt. Aunt Madeline, a person devoted to staying single, falls in love with Flavio, a well to-do and very charming Italian restauranteur. Valeria carries a secret that brings on waves of panic and dread, when she thinks about it. Valeria’s parents are on a European trip; with the hopes their marriage can be saved. Valeria’s secret impacts the entire family structure. Each night during sleep, Valeria’s subconscious mind travels to a realm occupied by Archangels. Oliver, who can speak in this higher state of perception, brings her to the Chamber of Knowledge. Here Valeria meets Archangels who are associated with a specific color in our spectrum. Valeria is given great detail about the make-up of a human who is drawn to a particular color. She learns of that human’s needs, qualities, preferences, fears and Godliness. She is given the code. After a series of lessons, she is taken to heaven where she and eleven other humans along with their animal guides meet. Here she learns why she was chosen and it is here, all twelve are elevated to Illuminates in the presence of all the Archangels of Colors. She learns of her destiny to help man know of its self and is returned to our world, to assume an Illuminate’s function.

Review: First off, that blurb is much too long. When I received the book from the author, I went to Goodreads to read the blurb like I always do. Is that a summary of the book or a page from it?

Now then, going from the perspective of the dog was a rather interesting move, a nice way to start the book off and I could handle the way it was written because it’s a dog but I started to skip the really mundane things. For example, what they were eating or going to do like going to the market.

I also started skipping over what the colors meant when it went into specific detail about them. There’s no way I’m going to remember any of that, give the readers the gist and then say that she goes on to learn more about the colors, maybe give it to the readers in bits and pieces, not give it all at once.

Also, who talks to a 9-year-old about sex and sexuality and what 9-year-old doesn’t ask about it. I kind of doubt she understands what that and the kind of passion she’s being told about.

Skipping that much of the book, I really couldn’t finish this story. I really didn’t care enough to be interested in what the colors mean and I really couldn’t be interested in all the little mundane things.

This would probably be more for those interested in spirituality and simple writing.

Thank you for reading my review.