Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Prismatic (Harmony Run #1)

by Sarah Elle Emm (Goodreads Author)

4.44 of 5 stars 4.44 · rating details · 18 ratings · 10 reviews

Rare glimpses of birds are the only reminder of the freedoms Rain Hawkins once had. Now segregated into a mixed-race zone within the United Zones of the Authority, under tyrannical rule of President Nicks, Rain is forced to endure the bleak conditions set upon her. The possibility of a way out arises when Rain discovers an organized resistance called The Freedom Front, and...more

Paperback, 250 pages

Published May 2012 by Winter Goose Publishing

more details... edit details

Get a copy:

More…

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Lists with This Book

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling

Books you want everyone to know about!

279th out of 1,014 books — 691 voters

Best Post-Apocalyptic Books

50th out of 90 books — 135 voters

More lists with this book...

Community Reviews

(showing 1-30 of 461)

filter | sort: default (?) | rating details

Jul 09, 2012 Natasha Head rated it 5 of 5 stars

While this particular novel takes place in a fictional 2050...author Sarah Elle Emm has presented us, in her character Rain, a worthy heroine. I was immediately embraced by this rough and tumble new world, found an immediate and fiery distaste for dictator Elizabeth Nicks, and was impressed not only in the world created by the author, but in her handling of some very mature topics that the story's conflict is shaped around.

The story-line is bold, the characters colorful, the dialogue easy. In it...more

2 likes · like · see review

Jun 26, 2012 Lucinda rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is a book that not only stands out on the bookshelf with its striking, eye-catching cover but also by being a work of fiction with a truly original, unique and inspired storyline. Sarah Elle Emm is a creative writer with so much vision and imagination as to take your breath away, and this was a book that did that and much more with poignancy. It is about freedom (being something that we can all take for granted) and racism that effects our lives, hence both merging together in a world and b...more This is a book that not only stands out on the bookshelf with its striking, eye-catching cover but also by being a work of fiction with a truly original, unique and inspired storyline. Sarah Elle Emm is a creative writer with so much vision and imagination as to take your breath away, and this was a book that did that and much more with poignancy. It is about freedom (being something that we can all take for granted) and racism that effects our lives, hence both merging together in a world and backdrop of segregation and disharmony. Under the ruling of a president one is trapped as if in a cage, where restrictions and rules are at the forefront that attempt to overwhelm all. But there are those individuals who try to resist along with the aid of certain abilities, which adds to the tension and drama taking the storyline to a whole new level. Hope is something that is very powerful and which touches upon the hearts of many who dream of a better world and who are prepared to fight for it; for their freedom, harmony and social independence. This is a story that is very emotive, truth-drawing and utterly thought-provoking, and with a brave author who touches upon topics of great significance and controversy. I loved not only the vision of the author and the central focus of the book but also the unexpected and quirky twist within the plot, which involves special abilities and indescribable power. It is a young-adult fantasy novel that is completely incomparable to anything else that I have read and something that I thoroughly enjoyed being such a huge fan of this particular genre in general. The creativity and imagination of the author will blow you away, being so detailed, fascinating and highly readable. The distinctive characters brought the story to life and who were memorable and intriguing, with the main character of Rain being someone who many readers will be able to connect to and relate to. I would recommend this book to anyone who is a devoted fan of the young-adult genre as it is totally unique and something ‘new’ and highly distinctive, hence you will instantly fall in love with it as much as I did. (less)

2 likes · like · see review

Jun 06, 2012 Katheryn Lane rated it 5 of 5 stars

Prismatic is about a group of teenagers in the not-so-distant future of 2050, living at a time when the USA is ruled by a despotic President, Elizabeth Nicks, and divided up into zones according to race. The worst of these zones are the mixed race ones, in particular Indy Mixed Zone, where every possible comfort and human right has been taken away, including schools, hot water and nutritious food. People, including children, are made to work long hours producing goods and food for the other zone...more

4 likes · like · see review

Aug 27, 2012 Claire rated it 5 of 5 stars

I received a copy of this book from the author through Goodreads and am so pleased to have received it.
A brilliantly uplifting book about the strength of human spirit and love over the worst of human nature and hatred, yet written in style which will appeal to, and with content which is suitable for, both young adults and adults alike.
I recommend this book whole-heartedly for those parents who are looking for a book which can explain to their young adults what happens if you forget to learn fro...more

2 likes · like · see review

Sep 14, 2012 Loni rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, science-fiction, paranormal, dystopian, first-reads

When I read the Goodreads summary for Prismatic, by Sarah Elle Emm, I knew I had to read it. It’s a dystopian, but with a new take that I hadn’t seen before. The stars of this story are “multi-racial”, “bi-racial”, “mixed” or however you want to categorize them. Rain, the narrator, is part white and part African-American. All except one of the teenagers she interacts with has a diverse heritage. This is because America has been taken over by a crazy woman. She dissolved the USA and created the U...more When I read the Goodreads summary for Prismatic, by Sarah Elle Emm, I knew I had to read it. It’s a dystopian, but with a new take that I hadn’t seen before. The stars of this story are “multi-racial”, “bi-racial”, “mixed” or however you want to categorize them. Rain, the narrator, is part white and part African-American. All except one of the teenagers she interacts with has a diverse heritage. This is because America has been taken over by a crazy woman. She dissolved the USA and created the UZTA (United Zones of Authority). Everyone has been relocated by race. There are White, Asian-American, Latino and African-American Zones.* If you don’t fall cleanly into one of these zones, you are send to the Mixed zone. Parents of young Mixed children are allowed to accompany their children, but that’s it. It is the ultimate form of segregation. President Nicks believes in the purity of race and it’s sickening.

The novel appealed to me personally because my children will grow up with a “mixed” heritage. I don’t talk about my family much, but I’ll give you the quick take. My hubby is very Canadian; his Scottish ancestors fought in The War of 1812. My parents are from Trinidad, a small island in the Caribbean, just north of Venezuela. Their/my ancestors came from the South-Asian region. So my babies are going to grow up with all kinds of fun, interesting cultural stuff to call their own. I think they’re lucky.

They wouldn’t be lucky in the world of Emm’s novel. In it, America has closed its borders. People trying to escape to Canada or Mexico are shot on sight. Other governments are trying to find out what happened to America. They are sent propaganda videos, but no one is allowed into the country. NIcks apparently hates the Mixed Zones the most. Though the White Zones get more privileges than the others, the Mixed Zone has the most rules imposed on them. She clearly wants them to die off. They don’t go to school, the work long shifts, they can’t get married and it’s illegal to have babies out of wedlock (see the problem). The idea of it is really scary.**

I don’t usually say this, but Prismatic could have been longer. It was a lean 250 pages. I really like the premise. I thought the first scene and the descriptions of the segregations and the Zones were fantastic. I just felt like the story was rushed. Emm mentions the grey concrete and lack of colour from Indy Mixed Zone, where Rain and her friends live, but I don’t really feel like I felt it. While I enjoyed Rain’s relationship with her brother and her best friend, I don’t feel like her relationship with Jabari was well-developed. Their meeting and feelings felt too convenient.

I also think their goals could have been fraught with a little more difficulty. Or maybe the tension could have been built up more? I feel like if the book was longer, the characters, setting and tension could have been deeper. I still can’t believe that I’m wishing the book was longer. Because of the genre, I can’t help but compare it to Divergent, The Hunger Games and Wither, all dystopians I’ve read over the past couple years and loved. They were all at least one hundred pages longer. I think it allowed these novels to go more in depth into the characters and worlds that were created.

I do like that in terms of gender, the men and women are treated equally (whichever Zone they happen to inhabit). Though Rain falls victim to certain circumstances, her friend Zi is strong and as instrumental as any of the boys in their battles and victories. There was also some teenage sarcasm, which might have actually been lacking in two of the other books I mentioned. The change in government is only about four years old, so these people still remember what it was like to be in a world where they went to school, could relax and play and think about their future. It’s nice when they’re not serious all the time.

While I wish I could have loved this book, I still really liked it. I'll be looking out for Opalescent, Prismatic's sequel when it comes out. There's so much unfinished business, I have to see how the story ends.

*Question: Would my family fall into the Asian zone because South-Asia is still Asia? Middle-East is still part of Asia too, is that where the Arabs and Persians go? Again, though I like the book, I found these people missing.

**Thankfully I’m in Canada and since most of these crazy dystopians seem to take place in America, I feel a little safer.(less)

2 likes · like · see review

Jun 28, 2012 Sylvia Hester rated it 5 of 5 stars

This book was a first read book. As I locked my eyes on the first paragraph, I was saying to myself this book isn't going to be good and I am not going to be able to finish it. The second chapter grabbed me and refused to let me go. I was able to finish it in a few hours. As I read this book, I compared it to 1984, Hunger games(without the games), and The Stand (because of Takara and her voice of reasoning). The book was predictible but well worth the read. Worth the read and a great add to anyo...more

3 likes · like · see review

May 27, 2012 Coleen rated it 5 of 5 stars

Prismatic was very suspenseful. I really enjoyed it. My only disappointment is that book 2 of the series will not be out until 2012. Ms Emm developed the characters artfully and told an exciting story in book one, but leaves you wanting, no needing, to read the rest. I am fully vested and can't wait see how this story plays out.

2 likes · like · see review

Mar 30, 2013 Sara Doyle rated it 5 of 5 stars

I won this book in a contest by the author, and I loved it! I couldn't put it down, took me less than a day to read it. I jumped right into the second book. I would definitely recommend it.

like · see review

Feb 07, 2013 Dawnella Adams rated it 4 of 5 stars

Sure hope 2050 is nothing like what I was able to envision while reading this book! The depth of the characters drew me in and I can't wait to read the next book in the series!

like · see review

Jan 02, 2013 A rated it 5 of 5 stars

I received a copy of this book yesterday. I opened my package, and looked at the book, sat down opening the first pages and thought I ll just have a quick look and then start my day, well to my surprise I was halfway through it the next time I looked up. Dont you just love it when that happens. My goodnes Sarah Elle Emm can write and keep you captivated. I enjoyed this book thoroughly and highly recommend it. Thankyou so much Sarah for writing such a astonishing captivating book.
I won this throu...more

1 like · like · see review

Feb 26, 2013 Jacque rated it 5 of 5 stars

Great read! Looking forward to sequel!

like · see review

May 15, 2013 Keith Hughes marked it as to-read

May 10, 2013 M.J. Rutter marked it as to-read

May 01, 2013 Åsa marked it as to-read

Apr 26, 2013 Cristian marked it as to-read

Apr 23, 2013 Kayla marked it as to-read

Apr 20, 2013 Annika Anderson marked it as to-read

Apr 17, 2013 Diana marked it as to-read

Apr 17, 2013 Ogechi Wosu marked it as to-read

Apr 16, 2013 Libboo added it

Shelves: libboo-books

Apr 09, 2013 Alyssa Nielson marked it as to-read

Apr 01, 2013 Katherine Alys de Vere marked it as to-read

Mar 28, 2013 Crystal Woodmancy marked it as to-read

Mar 26, 2013 Shaye Ensign-moon marked it as to-read

Mar 26, 2013 Ra marked it as to-read

Mar 23, 2013 Heather marked it as to-read

Mar 26, 2013 ❄ Sophia Lin ❄ marked it as to-read

Shelves: owned

Mar 05, 2013 Breesc23 marked it as to-read

Mar 02, 2013 Kelly marked it as to-read

Shelves: to-get

Feb 09, 2013 Jenn Lile marked it as to-read

« previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 … 15 16 next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

topics	posts	views	last activity
Booksy Cup Freebi...: Free copies of Prismatic!	3	18	Feb 01, 2013 07:18am
Book Haven: Freebies! Prismatic by Sarah Emm	1	5	Jan 31, 2013 05:01pm
Addicted to YA: Freebies! Prismatic by Sarah Emm	1	6	Jan 31, 2013 05:00pm
Book Giveaways: Giveaway of Prismatic by Sarah Elle Emm - Great YA Fantasy	2	16	Jun 08, 2012 04:23am

combine
Other Editions (1)

Videos About This Book

Add a comment

Genres

Science Fiction

3 users

Science Fiction > Dystopia

2 users

See top shelves...

Readers also enjoyed similar books

About Sarah Elle Emm

Sarah Elle Emm is the author of the Young-adult fantasy, HARMONY RUN SERIES, published by Winter Goose Publishing. (PRISMATIC, May 2012,OPALESCENT, February 2013, CHATOYANT due February 2014, NACREOUS, TBD.) Her debut fiction novel, MARRYING MISSY, was published by Bird Brain Publishing in October 2011. Sarah shares her island photo blog, "Sarah's View from the Bottom," at SarahsViewfromtheBottom....more

More about Sarah Elle Emm...

Books by Sarah Elle Emm

More…

Share This Book

Facebook Twitter Your website

Trivia About Prismatic

No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »

title link	preview: Prismatic
avg rating	preview: Prismatic Goodreads rating: 4.44 (18 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13649239-prismatic?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1337017112l/13649239.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13649239-prismatic?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]Prismatic by Sarah Elle Emm[/url]

Prismatic (Harmony Run #1)

Friend Reviews

Community Reviews

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website