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Tuesday, November 18, 2014

To Buy or Not to Buy: The Crystal Heart By Joel Marine

It's time for the next installment of To Buy or Not to Buy...

The Crystal Heart by Joel Marine

Book Description (From Amazon):
 July 27, 2014  10 - 18  5 - 12
In The Crystal Heart, Lillein Grey, a young would-be adventurer, has lived her entire life solely within the confines of her grandfather’s estate. Lillein’s dream is to explore the world, but she has always felt like it was an unattainable desire. 

Until one day, when Lillein is exploring the estate, a series of events begin to unfold, causing her life to change forever. It all begins with an uninvited visit from a group of mysterious strangers. Soon after, Lillein’s fear-ridden grandfather forces her to pack up all of her belongings and thrusts her into a world long kept secret from her. 

Lillein’s eagerness for adventure is fuelled by the excitement of traveling to exotic and distant lands. However, her elation is cut short when she is sent to Lest Academy. While at Lest Academy, Lillein’s audacious demeanor gets the best of her, when she learns of a rare and ancient relic called the Crystal Heart hidden within the school. 

Little does Lillein know, the Crystal Heart is going to lead her to a dark truth about the world she now lives in and her secret past. 

My First Impression:
Sentence number 2: …, for the walls were narrow and jagged with sharp rocks.

Strike 1.

The first chapter details two men in search of something.  They are not named at first.  They are referred to as the taller of the two men and the shorter of the two men, but we do find out their names are Allen and Chris.  We also find out that the bag Allen, the taller man, is carrying has a baby girl inside.  Allen and Chris are on the run with the baby, named Lillein.  There was a war that it seems Allen was on the losing side of.  Allen wants to be with his wife, but he is trying to protect his daughter. 

Chris cautions him about his daughter and what could happen to her if they were caught.  He pulls a blue crustal out of his pocket and states it was once a young boy and the crystal is all that is left of him.

In the conversation that follows we learn Allen is of a race with some kind of powers.  Alchemists have been trying to destroy that power.  In a botched experiment, the soul of a young boy was transferred to the crystal where it is now trapped.

The sample was longer, but just could not hold my interest.  While the idea of the story is okay, the execution was lacking in my opinion.  I do applaud writers who self-publish their work, there is a lot of drivel out there and it needs to be weeded through to find the gems.  It may just be a case of the author needing more experience, but this is not one I could take the time to read.

Decision?

Not to buy

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