Review by Delaney35 -- The Crystilleries of Echoland

[Delaney35]

[Following is a volunteer review of "The Crystilleries of Echoland" by Dew Pellucid.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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Are you looking for a fantasy book reminiscent of Harry Potter? The Crystilleries of Echoland by Drew Pellucid is the book for you then. This delightful book follows twelve-year-old Will as he goes looking for his missing twin, Emmy. They both disappeared when they were two, and they were not the only ones. Thousands of children have disappeared, and none of them came back except for Will. He came back with two mysterious pets, a wolf and a falcon. With their help, Will discovers Echoland, a world that lies parallel to ours. Each person in our world is a Sound, and they have an identical counterpart known as an Echo in this other world. If the Sound dies, the Echo must die as well. The reverse works as well. This begs the question, are the missing children dead or stuck in Echoland somewhere?

My favorite part of this novel was the ever-moving plot line. It was fast-paced, though not rushed. The pacing of the book matched the urgency of Will and his quest. I also thought the writing style was enjoyable. It was descriptive without being overwhelming. Pellucid did a magnificent job describing Echoland, but the imagery did not slow down the pace at all. It was very balanced.

In regard to grammar, it was practically flawless. I only noticed one tiny punctuation issue in the entire novel. A lot of attention went into the editing of this book.

There was nothing I truly disliked about this book. If I had to pick something, I would say some of the characters were a tiny bit flat. All the main characters were fully fleshed out, but a few of the minor characters could have used a little bit more development. For example, Emmy was in the story, but I never really got a great sense of her personality. She was just there.

Overall, I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars. I thought the story was well fleshed out. The contrast between the ordinary world and Echoland was easy to understand. I also thought the general idea of Echoland was unique and compelling. I think readers of fantasy would enjoy this book. It has a fantasy world, but it is juxtaposed against the real world. This creates an intriguing dichotomy. I think adults would enjoy this book, but since Will is a twelve-year-old, younger readers might be able to connect with him better.

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The Crystilleries of Echoland
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[Prisallen]

This sounds like an interesting novel for all age groups, with an imaginative plot. Great review!

[maggi3]

The comparison to Harry Potter had me sold. The great editing is an added bonus. I’ll have to try this one soon. Thanks for the review!

[Delaney35]

This sounds like an interesting novel for all age groups, with an imaginative plot. Great review!

Thanks for commenting!

[Delaney35]

The comparison to Harry Potter had me sold. The great editing is an added bonus. I’ll have to try this one soon. Thanks for the review!

Thanks for commenting!

[Nisha Ward]

I read the book and Emmy's lack of development was one of my issues too. There's so much to be explored with her but the author didn't.

[Delaney35]

I read the book and Emmy's lack of development was one of my issues too. There's so much to be explored with her but the author didn't.

Yeah, it was a bit disappointing in that aspect. Thanks for commenting!

[marquad_]

This is a great review definitely made me interested in reading soon!

[Mr Benj]

I like the concept of a book that can leave one satisfied.

I think Crystellies of Echoland is such a book --A book with a well -developed plot that's fast paced, too.

Thank you for this review.

[AvidBibliophile]

I completely agree with you that Emmy was never really developed as a complex character, despite the story initially being based on a mission to rescue her specifically. Funny that you mention some of the personalities not being "fully fleshed out" since it makes me think of the lucent ones as well, who were lacking flesh altogether. Haha, great review!