Book Review: Crystal Bones by C. Aubrey Hall

Info:
Title: Crystal Bones
Author: C. Aubrey Hall
Release Date: April 5, 2011
Publisher: Marshall Cavendish Children’s Books
Source: Amazon Vine
Series? Faelin Chronicles #1
Genre: Middle-grade, Young Adult, Fantasy
Page Count: 352
Rating: [3/5 stars]

Summary:

The first book in a trilogy that features a twin sister and brother who are half-Fae and half-human. When they discover their younger sister is missing, their home burned, and their parents murdered, they seek revenge on their goblin enermies.. Their father’s last words lead them to Eirian, a powerful sword that will take them to their missing sister, if they can keep it out of the hands of their enemies. (summary from amazon)

My Review:
CRYSTAL BONES is a solid middle-grade fantasy, with plenty of fae, goblins, and other fantasy creatures. The first in the Faelin Chronicles, it sets up Diello and Cynthe’s journey to find out information about their parents’ pasts, to save their sister, and to discover who they are.

I’m calling it middle-grade because Diello and Cynthe turn thirteen at the start of the book, but I thought they often sounded and acted a lot older than their age. However, that could have been due to their half-blood state — they are Faelin, offspring of a Fae and a human. Normal humans are quite racist towards Fae and especially towards Faelin, and that is a part of the plot.

The book is told from Diello’s point of view, and in a twist, he’s more mature than his sister. Cynthe is impulsive and the better athlete. Twins, they are fiercely loyal to each other, and it’s clear they’re going to need each other throughout the series, because a LOT of bad stuff happens in this book. I’m not going to list it all off because then I’d spoil it all, but believe me, there’s a ton of it. I was almost to the point where I was thinking, “What’s going to happen NOW?”

CRYSTAL BONES is one of those books I just liked, which makes it hard to say a lot about it. I didn’t love it, I didn’t hate it, I just liked it. There wasn’t anything particularly new about it for me, but then, fantasy is one of my favorite genres so I’ve read a ton of fantasy books. CRYSTAL BONES could be a good introduction to fantasy for younger readers.

My main impression of the book after reading was that it was all set up for the rest of the series. While Diello and Cynthe endure a lot, at the same time, I also felt like there wasn’t much going on. That all the events and hardships would come into play in the next books. That said, I would read the next book, THE CALL OF EIRIAN, because the author intrigued me enough for me to want to continue Diello and Cynthe’s adventures.

Socialize with the author:
*C. Aubrey Hall is a pseudonym for Deborah Chester.
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