Book Review: "Crystal Bones" by C. Aubrey Hall

Title: Crystal Bones: The Faelin Chronicles

Author: C. Aubrey Hall

Publisher: Marshall Cavendish

ISBN, Publication Date: 978-0-7614-5828-9, April 1, 2011

Reviewed by: Jennifer Shaw for Author Exposure

“…Stay out of sight. Avoid strangers. Don’t tell anyone who we are or where we came from…” (Excerpt from book jacket)

As Diello and Cynthe near their thirteenth birthday, the half-breed (half human and half fae) twins are thrown head over heels into the dangerous world of the Fae. One thing is for sure—this is definitely a birthday adventure they will not soon forget.

As far as adventures go, Hall really takes the reader on an action-packed ride with plenty of interesting otherworldly creatures. The fight scenes were intense and exciting, making it easy to stay enthralled in the story. The excerpt from above is a fitting description of the adventure. It gives you an idea of what to expect without giving away the details…definitely a good tease as to what the The Faelin Chronicles are all about.

While the adventure portion of the story was exciting, some of the characters fell flat for me. At times, Cynthe would get on my nerves—to the point that I wanted to throw the book across the room. Diello, on the other hand, was a very likeable main character. He has the reader cheering for him every step of the way. The most memorable part of the book for me was at the beginning when Diello hears a voice in the wind. In this scene, Hall stepped outside the box, creating a unique and eerie quality that I found quite enjoyable.

Overall, Crystal Bones is an interesting fantasy novel that doesn’t follow the typical glitter and faerie dust type stories of today. Young adult readers will relate easily to Diello and Cynthe as they grow throughout their journey. Crystal Bones is the first installment of Hall’s new Faelin Chronicles series.