Review by Ariel Lynn -- The Crystilleries of Echoland

[Ariel Lynn]

[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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A sort of parallel universe, Echoland lives just outside our own world, crystalline, icy, and beautiful. A world where our other selves, our Echoes, are ruled by a false king using archaic laws and horrifying Fate Sealers to keep the Echoes living in fear. Now Echoland's future lies in the hands of twelve-year-old Will Cleary and his friends.

Will and his twin sister Emmy disappeared when they were just two years old, their names added to The Gravestone Book, a collection of names of people who have disappeared with no witnesses or clues to where they may have gone. A week later Will returned with only a wolf and falcon but Emmy was nowhere to be found.

Now ten years later, Will's only real friends are Damian the wolf and Deá the falcon. His parents hardly notice him as all their free time is spent searching for Emmy. His pets reveal that they are Echoes who were sent back with him to protect him because Will is the key to saving Echoland. He knows he must return to the place he disappeared to, the place he cannot remember. Along with some new friends, Will must discover a way to dethrone the false king while trying to stay hidden from the king’s Fate Sealers and keep everyone working together when old lies and secrets run deep.

I have had the pleasure of reviewing Dew Pellucid's The Crystilleries of Echoland twice now, first with the actual book and now with the audio version narrated by B. J. Harrison. I have to say, this version blew me away. The book itself was wonderful, with a great plot, character development, and some big twists but B. J. Harrison's narrating really brings the story to life.

My favorite thing about this audiobook was that there were some beautiful writing intricacies that were really highlighted by the narration. For example, on an exceptionally cold day, Echo fireflies are frozen and described as looking like shooting stars. In another part, Will sees himself in disguise and regards himself as “a blimp with chili peppers on top”. These were things I read the first time around but didn’t fully appreciate until I heard Harrison’s narration. There was nothing I disliked while listening to this audiobook.

Overall, I feel like the Audible version of The Crystilleries of Echoland deserves 4 out of 4 stars. I am still astonished by the different voices B. J. Harrison did. His storytelling is some of the best I have heard in a very long time and Dew Pellucid's writing and world-building are beyond amazing. The book has a few scenes that, while not overly graphic, they are a bit dark. Due to this, recommend this book to young adults. I would also recommend this to anyone who enjoyed the Harry Potter series as there were some things that were similar.

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The Crystilleries of Echoland
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