THE CRYSTILLERIES OF ECHOLAND
By DEW PELLUCID
Narrated by B.J. Harrison
Publication Date: Print: March 11, 2018; Audio: June 11, 2018
Publisher: Nothing But the Story
Pages: 376 (with 82 illustrations)
Audio: 7 hours 55 minutes
2018 Pacific Book Awards WINNER
2018 Purple Dragonfly 2nd Place WINNER
2018 Los Angeles Book Festival Runner-up
2018 New York Book Festival Honorable Mention
2018 San Francisco Book Festival Honorable Mention
ABOUT THE BOOK: The lucent land of the Echoes is haunted by hate. How see-through your skin is determines whether you live or die. Until two boys - an Echo and his Sound - unravel a 250-year-old riddle and change Echoland forever.
In a see-through land, our reflections live. They call us Sounds. They are our Echoes. And they think that they must die when we do. Is this why children are disappearing from the Sound realm? Because someone wants their Echo to die?
Twelve-year-old Will Cleary tries to escape the frightening answer. But dangers sweep him into that magical, see-through land. And there, in a fortress filled with castaway children, a 200-year-old riddle lies buried. The most important boy in Echoland, with a handful of other kids, will help Will solve it. For the fate of Echoland and of the Sound realm depends on the answer.
An answer hidden in an ancient book...deep in a frozen lake of gems...beyond a buried door...at the foot of the greatest Crystillery of all.
But many men and monsters, crystal balls, and spying eyes will try to stop the brave teens. For how see-through your skin is all important in Echoland. And when this ancient hate ends, the realm of the Echoes will change forever.
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HALL WAYS REVIEW 4.5 Stars. Audio Book and Print Review.
The Crystilleries of Echoland is a magical, mystical journey into the parallel Echo realm
where twelve-year-old Will Cleary finds his identity is not what he believed it
to be and even things in his world are not what they seem. The premise is
wonderful – haven’t all of us wondered at times about the existence of parallel
worlds? Throw into the mix that it’s an often Harry Potter-like world with
fantastic feats and beasts, full of mystery and danger, and you’ve got a
winning combination that readers will devour.
The Echo realm is pure
magic -- a mystical, shimmering world of illusions and often deadly realities. There
are plenty of colorful characters, including the terrifying but intriguing Fate
Sealers (think Dementors from HP, but
even more gruesome). Lessons of friendship and loyalty, accepting differences,
and putting others before one’s self make The
Crystilleries of Echoland an impactful reading choice.
Author Dew Pellucid's
imagination is wondrous and the author's ability to put ideas to paper is
phenomenal. The author truly immerses the reader into the setting where descriptions
are vibrant, emotions are strong, and danger feels real. Andy Simmons's
haunting CGI illustrations draw readers into the Echo realm, its characters, and
its landscapes, and are a good forced pause between chapters that are sometimes
relentlessly fast-paced. The writing and artwork allow for readers to truly
escape into an otherworldly experience every time they turn the page.
About the audio book: The narration of The
Crystilleries of Echoland is outstanding. Narrator B.J. Harrison is flawless
in his portrayal of the many voices and personalities within the story. His
pacing and emotion perfectly match the intended tone and mood of the plot, and
listeners will be delighted with his accent. I would listen to him narrate
directions for assembling a box and be engrossed.
Be warned -- there is a
fair amount of death and killing, often remorseless, and some moderately
intense, even grisly scenes of violence. The audience feels tween/middle-grade,
but with those elements in mind, it’s best suited for more mature young readers
and older. From a technical perspective, the Grammar Policewoman issues a
citation because the book needs another pass by the proofreader to correct typos,
punctuation and capitalization errors, and the overuse of the word “lucent.”
Twists and turns abound,
and readers will find themselves utterly immersed in this story right up to the
satisfying ending, which leaves open the possibility of more Echoland adventures.
(Fingers crossed.) Prepare to be thinking about the fantastic Echo world, where
there is adventure, danger, and beauty beyond imagination, long after finishing
The Crystilleries of Echoland.
Thank you to the author
for sending me a beautiful, color illustrated copy of this book plus an audio
download in exchange for my honest opinions of each – the only kind I give.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Tal Boldo is a self-published, award-winning
novelist and audio book reader
and producer. She likes to write under
pseudonyms that relate to her stories. Her
teen fantasy, The Crystilleries of Echoland,
was published under Dew Pellucid (Tal
being the Hebrew word for Dew, and Dew
being an Echo's name). Her adult love story, Looking Glass
Friends, was published under E. L. Neve
(an anagram of 11, or a symbol of two
individuals standing side-by-side). The
novel won 13 awards. Tal recorded and
produced the audio book herself.
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