Review by ciecheesemeister -- The Crystilleries of Echoland

[ciecheesemeister]

[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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The following is a review of The Crystilleries of Echoland by Dew Pellucid. I reviewed the audiobook version.

This weird and wonderful story begins at the home of Will Cleary, a twelve-year-old boy whose home life suffers from the fact that his twin sister, Emmy, went missing ten years previously. Will returned home on the back of a wolf with a falcon flying beside him. These animals remained with him as pets. Will’s parents continue to search for Emmy utilizing mystical means.

Will learns of the Gravestone Book, a mystical tome which records the disappearances of children who have gone missing. Taking the Gravestone Book with them, Will and his wolf and falcon make a journey to Echoland, a shadow dimension of Earth. Will learns that every person, or Sound, has a duplicate version, or Echo in Echoland.

Will meets his Echo, the rightful prince of Echoland, whose father the former king was murdered by his corrupt brother. Together with his new friends Peter and Valerie, he is determined to help the prince retake the throne.

Will learns of malevolent creatures called Fate Sealers who attempt to stop the determined young people from completing their quest. He discovers many strange and magical creatures, things, and places during his journey to assist his Echo.

Although The Crystilleries of Echoland was reminiscent of stories such as The Chronicles of Narnia and Harry Potter with its brave young heroes and heroines fighting against the odds in magical settings, it is certainly not a duplicate of such stories. It is not like anything else I have ever encountered. At times I had to backtrack and listen again in order to make sure that I had things right. This is an extremely intricate and very unusual tale.

The thing I liked best about the story was its unique, magical setting and its peculiar young heroes. The children at the orphanage in Echoland are oddballs, as are the adults working to both assist and hinder them. Strange is normal in this world.

The only aspect of the book I disliked was an aspect which I dislike in many stories. There is a tendency to describe larger characters as buffoonish, unattractive, and a laughingstock. I feel that this is an unfortunate and untrue trope. It would be nice if larger kids (and adults) didn’t have to expect that any character who resembled them in appearance was going to be described as undesirable and a clown.

The book was very definitely professionally edited. Although I listened to the book rather than reading it, the story flowed smoothly and there were no awkwardly phrased sentences or unexpected changes in tense. The story was neat and polished.

Those who prefer a realistic read will not care for this book. It is unusual even for a fantasy story. Those who prefer a light atmosphere in their reading would likely be put off by this story, which contains a great many dark elements, including murder.

Those who enjoy stories which are bizarre, fantastical, odd, and unexpected will probably enjoy the book as much as I did. I was never quite sure of what was going to happen next, or even if the main characters would survive.

I rate The Crystilleries of Echoland four out of four stars. I would absolutely read or listen to another story by this author.

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The Crystilleries of Echoland
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[Erin Painter Baker]

I also really enjoyed the audio book version of this story. I thought it was very well done.

[thaservices1]

I read the written version awhile back. An audio version sounds interesting. Great review.

[AvidBibliophile]

Eccentrically bizarre indeed, yet relatable in so many ways as well. The bravery and loyalty of this young character never ceased! Great review, a pleasure to read.