Review Of The Crystilleries Of Echoland By Dew Pellucid
Author Dew Pellucid weaves a teen fantasy with a murder mystery twist in The Crystilleries of Echoland.
Will Cleary has not seen his twin sister Emmy in ten years. Both children were kidnapped at the age of two, but only Will was recovered by two unlikely rescuers: a wolf name Deá and a falcon named Damien. Though their parents never stopped looking for Emmy, they did not look far enough. On a hunch, Will plunged himself into an adventure which took him beyond the confines of this world to find his sister. In the strange crystalline world of Echoland, Will finds strange translucent people known as Echoes. Will learns that people from his world are Sounds, and every Sound has an Echo. He must find his Echo, help his sister, defeat soul chilling horrors, and find further hidden realms. Only then can he right both worlds.
While first reading The Crystilleries of Echoland I was entranced by the beautiful imagery! Dew Pellucid created an interesting and breathtaking world. At the beginning of the book, I found myself tearing through page after page, wanting to know what would happen to Will Cleary. Unfortunately, over time the writing began to lose clarity. It was like waking and remembering you had a vivid dream that felt so real. You’re excited to tell your roommate or family member all about it. The words spill out of your mouth in quick succession, but as you tell the story, it is no longer so crystal clear. You pause more often, trying to find the words to capture the gravity and depth of your dream. Yet, as you are describing it, you realize you’ve lost the spirit of the dream altogether. That is how this book feels, like a half remembered dream. It became difficult to understand what was happening in the scenes, as the descriptions of the actions could be confusing.
The logic behind the character’s motivations was heavily flawed. The story was propelled by the Law of Death which set up Sounds to be assassinated in our world as a way to facilitate the sanctioned death of Echoes. There were several Echoes throughout the book who were purposefully killed, though their Sound counterparts still lived. The end of the book felt very campy and reminiscent of Scooby Doo, especially when the antagonist accused the protagonist boy of meddling.
I rate The Crystilleries of Echoland at 2 out of 4 stars. When I began reading, I was certain I would rate the book at 4 stars. As I delved further into the story, the lack of cohesiveness and direction damaged this thrilling narrative. This is the reason I could not give the book 3 stars. Despite the clouded narrating, the story is compelling and the writer is definitely skilled, so I would not rate it as a 1 star. The Crystilleries of Echoland might interest anyone wanting to read to their young children under the age of six. The young children might not notice the plot holes and confusing action scenes. Echoland is a fantastic place, and the descriptions, when cohesive, are lovely. Dew Pellucid does have skill and imagination that makes me want to read more of her work in the hopes that she has found her full voice.
