Overall rating and opinion of "The Crystilleries of Echoland" by Dew Pellucid.

[gali]

This is a discussion topic for the September 2019 Book of the Month, The Crystilleries of Echoland by Dew Pellucid.

What is your overall opinion of the book? What do you like most about it? What do you like least? Will you recommend the book to other people? Why or why not?

Please remember to add your actual rating using the book's page on: Bookshelves.

[gali]

I finished it the other day and like it overall. The concept is original, but the world-building reminds me of Harry Potter's world. The story follows the magical quest of a twelve-year-old boy, as he goes into the parallel Echo realm to search for his missing sister. I love the idea of a parallel world, where reflections (echoes) of people (sounds) live. The illustrations added to the magic of the world. I enjoyed the scene where the pets revealed their true selves. Although I didn't notice any glaring errors, the writing was a bit juvenile. Still, I liked it. The orphanage reminded me of Hogwarts with his methods of serving meals, riddles, secret passages, and scary creatures that roamed the school. I loved that Hebrew was the key to the map and to saving Echoland. I liked that animals played a large role throughout the story. I also liked the play on words such as: the dog Poudini instead of Houdini; Crystalmas instead of Christmas. I enjoyed the book, but the plot felt a bit choppy at times, the fate sealers seemed to attack without any reason, and some parts dragged (the translation section). Therefore, I gave it 3 out of 4 stars.

[gen_g]

I have not read the book, but I've seen so many positive reviews of this book on OBC. The premise is also interesting, i.e., that the lives of the human and the Echo are connected. I'll definitely read the book once I get a chance to.

[Stephanie Elizabeth]

I will be honest, the book isn't anything I would normally read; I am not usually a fan of fantasy, but the story had an interesting premise that kept me reading. The parallel universe was intriguing and I thought Will's character was well- developed. I found the book to be darker than expected; not sure I would recommend it to young readers. I would give it a 3 out of 4.

[Leah39]

What is your overall opinion of the book? What do you like most about it? What do you like least? Will you recommend the book to other people? Why or why not?

While this genre is completely out of my usual niche, I was interested in the story. I gave it a shot and I really did enjoy it. I found it to be well written, interesting, and full of action without being over the top. I absolutely loved this book. I liked that Will trusted his instincts and knew that he had to rely on the help of others, rather than try to do everything alone. I liked that the author was able to tell an entire story without any profanity or sex in it, keeping it squeaky clean and having her targeted audience in mind.

The thing I liked the least was that sometimes the author used some difficult words ("lucent" and "cupiscent,") and that the Audible narrator used the word "lucent" far too often, rather than using a synonym sometimes. These words could be challenging for older readers, and may be tough for younger readers.

I would recommend this book to everyone, except maybe young children. While the story involves adolescents, the themes still resonate for adults.While it's marketed as a YA book, it's not only for young adults. Older adults can also enjoy the imaginative story and fantastic world that the author has created.

[melissy370]

I loved this book. The pace was perfect, and the world that the author created was captivating. There really wasn't much I didn't like. I rated it 4 out of stars.

[KDJ]

I enjoyed reading The Crystilleries of Echoland. I rated it 3 out of 4 stars. What I enjoyed most about it was the range of characters. My favorites were Aurilius and his mother. I disliked Emma's character had so little a role when her mysterious disappearance and death started William on his journey. I would recommend this one to anyone that enjoys YA novels. Overall, I enjoyed reading it.

[Corina Elena]

I am absolutely in love with the illustrations! They are incredibly well-made, and I believe they encompass the over-all feeling of the book amazingly. Unfortunately, the book is a little young for me, but I think many young readers would enjoy it a lot!

[KCWolf]

I listened to the audible edition of this book, and I really loved it. I rated it 4 out of 4 stars. I recommend it to anyone who enjoys reading fantasy. I loved the subtle touches of humor, the beautiful descriptions of Echoland, and the characters seemed to come alive in my mind as I listened to it. Just a beautiful book.

[Tomah]

It was a fun read overall, with lots of quirky characters and an interesting storyline. I particularly enjoyed the bits of humor spread throughout the novel. My only complaint is that some of the scenes felt a bit confusing to me, as if they were missing some lines. Characters sometimes seem to have a telepathic link, as they can tell what the other is implying even if the reader doesn't. Still, I enjoyed the book as a whole, so I rate it 3 out of 4 stars.

[Erin Painter Baker]

When I reviewed the audio book version of The Crystillaries of Echoland I gave it 3 out of 4 stars. I really enjoyed it as an adventure book. It definitely straddles the line between middle-grade and young adult, which does mean that parents may want to read it in advance of letting younger kids read it, or read it with them, or listen along to the audio book together. This provides and opportunity to discuss some of the more violent or disturbing scenes with younger kids.
Like many of the reviewers, there were certain parts of the book where I got a little confused, and because it is hard to rewind audio books back a sentence or a paragraph, I didn't really go back and re-listen to those sections. But in the end, it all made enough sense that it didn't matter.
I think there could have been better character development even for Will and Peter - maybe a little more time spent on the characters and their friendship and slightly less jumping from one adventure to another.
Still, I really did enjoy the book, and I would certainly recommend it to my friends who have kids are into fantasy adventure books.

[Brenda Creech]

I have only read the sample and the review so far but based on both I am looking forward to reading this book. Although I'm not much on fantasy this sounds like an interesting book. I am looking forward to reading it and discussing it with everyone!

[Benthic]

I liked the overall pacing of the book, I loved the murder mystery behind it, and also the save the world thing going on. It also had some humour and mischief that lit the story up. But somehow for me, I read on Amazon that it was "Harry Potter-like" so I got a little too much expectation for this one so I guess i will give it 3 stars.

[Ruba Abu Ali]

I enjoyed reading the book, and I was fascinated by the illustrations. I think my teenage boys would enjoy it, too.

[MatereF]

From the sample, I love the book and the adventure between the pages. I like the echoes and the mirrors.