Crystal Bones by c. Aubrey Hall
313 pgs.Target audience: Young adult
Rating: Griffin
Half Fae twins Dielho and
Cynthe, born of a Fae mother and human father, are painfully aware of the
prejudice against half breeds and know it’s better just to blend in. They
eagerly await their thirteenth birthday when their mother will bestow upon them
their magical gifts. But when the day arrives, nothing goes as they planned.
Instead of celebrating at the village fair, they’re given chores and sent on a
boring errand. After delivering cloth to the castle, the temptation is too
great to check out the fair, but this detour proves deadly. They are spotted
and pursued by a goblin. They escape and return home only to find it burned to
the ground, their mother dead. Their father’s last words plunge them into a world
of family secrets, enemy goblin hordes, powerful swords and magic. Along with a
talking wolf pup, and a half goblin creature named Scree, they set off to find
their only relative, a Fae uncle they’ve never met. This fantasy has many
traditional elements – magic, mysterious swords, sorcery, quest. Although the
plot moves along at a good pace, the characters develop slowly at first giving
the book a sluggish appeal at the beginning. The magical gifts of both children
seem to be injected into the storyline making it seem like they just knew stuff
without learning it. The author cleverly uses language to alter words for this
world like “walner” for walnut tree, giving the descriptions a multi-textured,
magical feel. The heavy issues of grief and prejudice are addressed realistically
keeping the story from becoming too depressing. The end is left open for the
next in the “Faelin Chronicles” series.
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