Friday, April 11, 2014

Sinners of Magic, by Lynette Creswell




Periodically I like to check out the Young Adult and Teen books available out on the indie market, as I have grandchildren and like to be able to recommend a good read for them. Sinners of Magic, by Lynette Creswell is a YA fantasy book, suitable for readers age 12 and up. 

The Blurb:
Crystal is no ordinary sixteen year old girl. Ever since she was a small child she's been able to sense things, feel when danger approaches and now she's gone one step further and saved a boy’s life by summoning a supernatural being.

Little does she know it but her natural parents are powerful immortals. Secret lovers in a magical land where procreation outside of their own realms is forbidden, the Elders punish Amella and Bridgemear by banishing their new born child to the world of mere mortals.

Years have passed and dark times have descended upon the Elf Realm. Crystal is visited by a shape-changer and tricked into believing if she returns to the Kingdom of Nine Winters, she will find the answers regarding her newly revealed birth right.

Soon she is caught up in dangers greater than anything she could have ever imagined while those who fight at her side, battle to protect her from a wicked sorcerer gone insane and one who is willing to take her to the very edge of destruction...

MY REVIEW:
This is an excellent novel for teens. The characters are compelling, and the storyline is a good play on the traditional switched-at-birth theme. If at times the dialogue is a little stilted, over all this book was an enjoyable read. Crystal is a kind, rather cocky and headstrong girl. She is somewhat confrontational, but it seems to be her nature.  Matt, whom she meets on Earth and whose life she saved is also a well-drawn, three-dimensional character.

Bridgemear is hard to like, but he is Crystal’s birth-father and a powerful magician, and Amella is a strong, usually likeable character. I like the way their relationship was handled.

Tremlon, the shape-changer  and King's envoy, has a major role in this tale, and his burden of guilt and responsibility is handled well.  At the end, I was left wondering about Amadeus, a strong, loyal and brave elf warrior who struggles with many issues. I’m definitely curious to see where that thread leads in the next book.

I did find the wood sprite, Bracken, to be quite hilarious, and I enjoyed Nekton, the innkeeper of Fortune's End, who longs for a real adventure. There is great atmosphere in this tale, and great adventure.

As in all good tales, bad things happen to good people, and worse things happen to the bad people. I liked the way the evil King Forusian, who kidnaps Crystal with lustful intentions, was dealt with.

I’d gladly recommend this book to any young teen, and give it four full stars for inventiveness and a good, immersive story. The narrative may be a little too young for some adults, but I found it to be an excellent afternoon of reading.

5 comments:

Lynette Creswell said...

Hi Connie,
What a lovely surprise to see your wonderful review for Sinners of Magic. I'm thrilled you enjoyed it so much and I thank you for posting this wonder blog all about my book.
Best wishes,
Lynette

Connie J Jasperson said...

It was a pleasure to read, and to review!

Anonymous said...

Liked the sound of it so much I went out and bought it!
I'm not by any means the target age group, but a good tale doesn't have to adult for me to enjoy it - thanks for sharing, Connie.

Affiliblog 2 said...

I've been posting about Lynette and The Magic Trilogy on my Forum Affiliforums. Lynette and her books are so popular that she has gotten over 22,330 view to date and the number grows daily. Lyn has become a dear friend and she is warm and caring. For me this has been a magical journey and I invite any who wish to view it to come and do so. I don't want to be rude so I won't post a link here. You can find Affiliforums with a Google search though. Her post is called "The Magic Trilogy By Lynette Creswell ~ Will Amaze And Mystify You" It's well worth the read and will definitely inspire you to read the trilogy.

Connie J Jasperson said...

Thank you so much for your comments, Deborah and Wayne--I think her series has a lot to offer, and my teenaged grand kids will enjoy it as much as I did!